We made it to Day 100 after transplant!! What an amazing day this is, and we are so very thankful to God for this gift. Family, friends, and the little things in life are more precious than ever.
We are incredibly proud of Andrew, Paige, Austin, and Kayla and how they have responded to this difficult journey. They have been willing to sacrifice and do anything to help; they have encouraged us when we were so overwhelmed and scared; and they have continually pointed us to the incredible power and goodness of God even when things were very bleak. Our children have exhibited such great faith and confidence in the promises and the truth found in the Bible. We couldn’t be more proud of them.
We appreciate all of the cards and gifts and wonderful messages of encouragement we have received. It really makes a difference when you are “locked away” in a hospital room for months at a time. Our church family and community, and even distant friends around the world, have been a constant source of strength and prayer. Thank you for being the community of support that we have needed along the way.
Dave is slowly getting stronger. This coming Wednesday there is a bone marrow biopsy scheduled, and then in about a week we will have the results. Please be praying for that procedure and those results. We need to hear that his bone marrow is still 99.9% his donor’s… or maybe even 100! We need to hear that there are absolutely NO leukemia cells lurking around in there. And we need to hear that his new marrow is growing and multiplying and filling in all the empty spaces where his old marrow was destroyed by the chemo.
Today our family will celebrate with hotdogs, smores, and a beach bonfire. You can’t get more “normal” than that!
The future is still uncertain, but we are rejoicing in the goodness of today!!
Dave and Carol Stoecklein