Thank you.

We are truly and utterly amazed at the care and support that was shown to our family during today's benefit.  We will never be able to say thank you enough or repay anyone adequately for their efforts and generosity.  Our only hope is that when all of this passes, which we know it will, we will do our very best to pay it forward to someone else.  Not only with our actions, but in the event that more money than we will need was raised, we have already been thinking about places to which we could give the "extras".

So .. thank you.

As for Miss Anna, I think this was a nice, relaxing weekend for her.  In spite of not having any official therapy visits, I was able to get her up in her wheelchair four different times over the past two days.  Yesterday afternoon we even took a field trip back to the PICU, but none of "our" nurses were on duty at that particular time.

Anna's vital signs (blood pressure, heartrate, breathing, etc.) seem to be mellowing out.  The doctors' current theory is that with all of the crazy stuff that has been going on in her brain lately, her body maybe just needed a chance to readjust to its new normal.  Anna has certainly been more and more awake the past two days.  Her sedation medications and steroids are slowly being tapered off.  Apparently you can't cut these down too fast or someone may experience withdrawl.

We'll just have to wait and see what this week has in store for us.  We've been hoping for several weeks now to just be able for Anna to have a routine; she thrives on routines.  But, something always comes up.  Maybe this will be our week :)

My mom is in town this week to help out, giving Melissa a bit of a break.  Our current plan is for my mom to take a few 24 hour shifts here at the hospital; hopefully it all works out.

Time for prayers

Thanksgiving
Please give thanks for the apparent success of the benefit.  We have no idea what the goal was, but from our perspective, it seemed like a success.  And everyone we spoke with was having a really good time :)
Please thank God that Anna had a relatively restful weekend.
Please give thanks for all of the amazing people we have in our church and McFarland community; we had no idea how much everyone cared.
Please thank God that Anna was able to have a friend over for a visit this morning; yesterday she told me that she really wants to see kids.  (We've already got playdates lined up for this week.)

Requests
Please ask God to grant me restful sleep tonight; I'm really tired.
Please ask God to grant that same restul sleep to everyone involved in the benefit; I'm sure they could use it, too.
Please pray for physical, mental, and emotional strength for my mom this week; she's going to need it all.
Please pray that Anna continues to tolerate her radiation and chemotherapy well.
Please ask God to remove all of the cancer from our little girl's body and help her make a full recovery.
Please pray for strength and balance for Matt this week.
Please pray for Kate.  She's still struggling with how to deal with the current upheaval.
Please continue to pray for wisdom, strength, and compassion for Anna's caregivers here at the hospital.

Thank you for all of your continued support and prayers.