The Latest on Beth

{I'm sorry for the major blog outage this week. Back up and running now!}

We continue to be blessed so much by your love, prayers, and genuine desire to know how Beth is doing.  Thank you!! God continues to use His church body to strengthen and comfort us.  Here's the latest on Beth:

• She has been negative for the "EB" virus for her last several lab tests.


• The nasty skin rash she had is virtually gone.


• She is feeling the best she has felt in a long time.


• She has even started a blog!!  You can read her first two amazing and beautiful posts below:
  
  
  
  • A Positive Perspective on Cancer
  
  
  • Things You See From Plane Windows
  
  
  
  

So at this point we are winning, still fighting, but winning ... still in the woods but starting to see more light breaking through in what has and will continue to be a long journey of recovery.  But we are deeply grateful for where we are.

Some other questions:

• When will Beth get to come home?
  
  
  
  • Right now the doctors are sticking with 6 months from transplant which equals late June.  They are looking for a specific number of infection-fighting "T-cells" to be present in her blood.  This number is typically reached about 6 months from transplant.  Currently, she has a little less than half of the number she needs to have before the doctors feel it is safe for her to be around crowds of people and "away" from the immediate reach of the hospital. {Pray for T-cells!!!}
  
  
  
  


• Can the boys (our sons Eyasu & Abreham) visit Beth?
  
  
  
  • We hope to bring them to NYC soon.  The doctors want to wait until cold & flu season is over.  Someone did give Beth 2 teddy bears with our boys' voices recorded "in" them.  Abreham is saying "Ma-ma" and Eyasu is saying, "I love you Mommy!!"  She uses Skype/FaceTime to talk to them on video.
  
  
  
  


• What can Beth do?
  
  
  
  • She must stay in our apartment or she can go outside for walks but no crowds, no stores, no theaters, etc. She is walking 25-45 minutes a day (weather permitting).  We were also able to order NY brick oven pizza (delicious!) from a restaurant that works with the hospital and takes the necessary precautions for immuno-suppressed patients.  This was a real treat and blessing ... first "real" pizza in months :)
  
  
  
  


• How often does she go to the hospital?
  
  
  
  • She goes 2-3 days per work for blood work, doctor examination, and to receive an anti-fungal drug via IV. She must take this while she is on steroids (steroids make fungi grow) as a preventative measure.