The Next Phase

​Friends, 
We are entering what is likely the most intense phase of EvanMarie’s treatment: an Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant.

In the coming days, she will receive six consecutive days of high-dose chemotherapy, followed by a day of rest, and then the return of her own preserved stem cells to her body, cells that were collected last fall in preparation for this moment. After that comes recovery, which can take three to four weeks. EvanMarie will be inpatient at TCH for approximately a month. She will then have three weeks at home, and then go back in and do it all again. And that takes us to about May. 

It is daunting. But it is what we and our doctors have concluded is her best shot at complete healing. We walk into it with eyes wide open and hearts surrendered. We trust. 

And thank God for Texas Children’s Hospital. We feel profoundly cared for there, not just medically, but personally. EvanMarie is known and loved by the nurses and doctors, and that gives us deep peace as we step into something this serious.

And we need you, our community, perhaps more than ever.

We are asking you to consider making a holy hour this week for EvanMarie, specifically praying for her peace, protection, endurance, and complete healing. And as always, we entrust her in a special way to the intercession of Blessed Stanley Rother and the Holy Family.

Jesus, we trust in You.
Jesus, we surrender.

In addition to your prayers, we humbly ask for some practical support. While we are spending extended time at the hospital, meals are a tremendous gift to our family and to EvanMarie’s siblings, who are walking this road so bravely alongside her.

And because joy still matters, if you’d like to show EvanMarie your support, we are asking you paint your nails pink (the more sparkle the better). Men, toenails absolutely count! She loves pink, and she loves you, and photos of your smiles and nails will remind her that she is surrounded even when she is stuck in her hospital room.

We are grateful beyond words for this community. Your prayers are not abstract to us. They are tangible. We feel them. They steady us everyday.

This is a serious battle we are facing. But we know we are not alone. 

Glory to God in all things.

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