Monthly Archive: May 2016

Day 3 Radiation:

Another good day, thank you Jesus! Today’s schedule was pleasantly short. Kayleigh had radiation at 10:00 which she did like a champ. We are noticing a little bit of fatigue but so far that is the only side effect. We are praying diligently each day that she will have no bad side effects and are offering our thanks each day when that prayer is so graciously answered! She is still on a fairly high dose of steroids but we expect to step those down again tomorrow.

We also visited with the “school” department today. If for any reason we have to be here when school is in session they have teachers on campus to help one-on-one with her school work. It is such a blessing to know St. Jude has thought of everything possible to make life a normal as possible.

Since we finished up before lunch today we decided to check out the zoo! All of the staff has told us about how great the zoo is and they were right. We didn’t stay very long but Kayleigh loved getting to go and see the animals. We managed to see about half of the exhibits so we have more to look forward to in the days to come.

Tonight’s prayer requests:
1.) If steroids are lowered tomorrow that her body adapts well and there are no adverse side effects
2.) Kayleigh will feel good enough to come home this weekend!
3.) Complete and miraculous healing in the name of Jesus Christ.

Tonight I leave you with a quote from my devotion last night and a verse a good friend sent…

“God can do nothing for me until I recognize the limits of what is humanly possible, allowing Him to do the impossible.”
-Oswald Chambers

“As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me.”
Micah 7:7

We are learning no matter where you are, no matter what obstacle you face, when you surrender the situation to God He grants you peace. And with peace comes thankfulness, hope and joy for every day. Many of you have commented on our strength through this. We want you to know it isn’t us. On our own we would be lost in our own despair. It is Jesus in us. That is where our strength comes from.

Thank you all for your continuous prayers and support. We love you –
‘Carrow 💜

Day 2 Radiation update:

Today was great! Kayleigh wasn’t nervous at all about going for radiation today and that made for a much better morning. The nurses tell us that she is doing a fantastic job doing her part – being quiet and still. And if you know her then you know that’s an amazing thing. Especially on these steroids!!! If you don’t know Kayleigh personally then think back to the Looney Toons days and picture Ricochet Rabbit… times 10! And if you don’t know Ricochet Rabbit then you need to YouTube him, it’s worth the minute 😜.

We also met with the Radiologist again today just as a follow up from last week. He ran through her tests and seems pleasantly surprised that she seemed stronger today than last week! Another “thank you, Jesus” moment. We really love those moments! I have also noticed that her balance is almost back to normal, she hasn’t had a headache in a week and no more nausea. We are so thankful!

We finished up our appointments by lunch today so as a treat we took naps!! Of course after her nap Kayleigh was ready to get moving so we went on a hunt for cupcakes (which we found and were fabulous) and a movie (Angry Birds is funny). It’s been absolutely wonderful to have such a “normal” day.

Please continue to cover our sweet girl in prayer. We are being very persistent in our petition for healing! Keep Tim, I and our other children in you prayers as well, along with all of our family that is working hard to keep things as normal as possible at home.

Thank you for your prayers, messages, texts & calls. They matter to us and are greatly appreciated. Until tomorrow…

‘Carrow 💜

Day 1 Radiation Update:

Today was a good day! Kayleigh started the day a little timid and a lot nervous. The unknown of what radiation was and what it would require weighed heavily on her. Tim and I tried to reassure her, we prayed for her, we loved on her. And while she did her very best to not let us see she was worried we could still tell. She had labs today at 12:30, she generally doesn’t like being stuck for blood (I mean really, who does?) but she usually does well. Today it made her nauseous and very pale. Just more signs of her nervousness.

Fortunately, St. Jude has fantastic Child Life specialists who are wonderful about helping kids work through hard things. I told Kayleigh we would ask for Ms. A just as soon as we got to radiation and that made her feel better. But when we got to radiation Ms. A wasn’t there. Kayleigh’s little face just fell. Talk about feeling helpless… All I could think to do was pray. So I prayed over her out loud asking for peace and I sent a quick text to my mom to please pray for peace. She texted back immediately that she had alerted her prayer warriors. About that moment another sweet Child Life specialist came to talk with Kayleigh – and while she was really good, Kayleigh didn’t know her and it just wasn’t putting her at ease. And then – God showed up…

My phone buzzes with a text from my friend, B, that says “praying now”. At the same moment a nurse shows up that I don’t know but knows us. She is a nurse here at St. Jude but is originally from our town, Hartselle. She is a dear friend of Kayleigh’s Kindergarten teacher and the sister of Kayleigh’s pediatric nurse from when she was a baby. She steps right in – just talking about familiar people does what none of us could do – put Kayleigh at ease. The nurse, MB, tells us that she has been trying to catch up with us since we arrived the first time but just never caught us. So now we know why. God knew we would need MB today! She has no idea what an answer to prayers she was today. And since she is a nurse here she was able to go back with Kayleigh, get her settled, and then come back to us and let us know she was doing well. Thank you Lord for quickly answered prayers!

This road we are on is not an easy one but we know that God doesn’t make mistakes. We also know He has a plan for us and for our precious girl. We are praying bold prayers for big healing, but we are also praying prayers for the smaller things like peace in the day-to-day. And days like today, when God oh so clearly answers our prayers directly, we are reminded that He is always listening. So tonight I leave you with two verses I love very much. I pray they will encourage you as they are encouraging us!

Jeremiah 29:11-12
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen.

Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Thank you for praying with us. Prayer list
1.) radiation continues without any unpleasant side effects
2.) for complete healing and a long, full life for Kayleigh
3.) specifically that radiation will not effect her hair noticeably (this is the big one that is bothering her)

Never doubt the Lord is listening! We love you all and thank you for your prayers.
‘Carrow 💜💜💜

This picture is right after treatment. She looks so big playing on her iPad drinking her Starbucks! Thank you to our friends for the Starbucks gift cards too!

Happy Monday!

We had a wonderful weekend at home. We enjoyed having our family whole for a few days. We spent Saturday at the ball park watching big sis play ball. Kayleigh was loved on by teams from everywhere. Even teams that don’t know us personally but have just seen her story were sporting “Praying for Kayleigh” signs! I have to say, the travel softball scene can be a pretty competitive place, but these past two weekends it’s been a family to us as well. Team colors haven’t mattered and it has been amazing.

Sunday we enjoyed church and family and this morning we loaded up and headed back to Memphis. We are now waiting for some lab work to be done and then the first radiation treatment is scheduled for 1:30.

Please pray that the radiation works far better than the doctors think is possible. They tell us radiation cannot fix this but we know God is bigger so we are praying that it does! We are also praying that Kayleigh feels well and does not have any adverse side effects. We want every day to be a great day!

I will update again tonight. Love to you all!
‘Carrow 💜

Radiation plans are complete!

We have finalized all the plans to have radiation start on Monday! Kayleigh will have 6 weeks of radiation Monday-Friday. If she is feeling well each week we can come home on the weekends! We are also starting to wean her off of the high dose of steroids. We are thankful that the steroids have helped her so much but she really doesn’t need to stay at such a high dose if we can help it.

Now how about a cool thing? Tuesday, when our radiology consult was moved out, Tim and I were a little concerned about it delaying treatment. That being said, we both agreed that God’s timing is always perfect so we knew there was a reason even if we couldn’t see it. As you all know from yesterday’s post, we had our radiology consult yesterday and that doctor fast tracked everything through to keep us on schedule. Come to find out today the doctor we saw yesterday is the chair of the radiation oncology department. I guess that explains why everyone was so happy to do what he asked! Thank you Lord for allowing us a little glimps of how you are working for us behind the scenes!

We are very much looking forward to being home this weekend. We’ve all missed the big kids and we know they have missed us. We are planning to have another memory filled weekend!

Prayer requests for this weekend – that we will be able to lower the steroid dose and Kayleigh still feel good. That her symptoms will all stay at bay and she will get to have a great weekend. And of course – for healing!

Thank you all for your prayers. They are felt and very much appreciated. We also want to say thank you to our wonderful town of Hartselle, AL. We have had so much love and support from the entire community. We came home and all the mailboxes in our neighborhood had purple ribbons. The local schools have had fundraisers and Relay for Life walks in Kayleigh’s honor. Multiple teams have worn her number and initials. Local businesses have set up fundraisers. Friends have committed to running the St Jude 1/2 marathon in her honor. And the list goes on and on. Tonight the entire high school football team, cheerleaders, mascots and fans were wearing purple for the spring jamboree game. We cannot thank everyone enough.

We love you all,
‘Carrow 💜