Onward with Life--An Update on Nora & Maddie

Life is so unpredictable, isn't it. You are cruising along at a good pace and then something slows you down for a little while on a few curves, or worse yet, something completely haults you with a red light. Eventually, the green light apears again, however, and you simply have to keep going onward with life or you are bound to have a rear-end collision. That's sort of what I feel like our life is like right now. Our adoption of Nora seems to be on a curve that has slowed us down and the re-diagnosis of our niece's cancer this past week has sort of felt like a big red light. Let me give you an update on both...

First of all, Nora. Our baby girl actually turned 4 months old TODAY!!! Yeah! She is doing so well in Haiti. She is eating almost too well right now (smile) and seems to love sitting outside in the sunshine. Rachel says Nora enjoys watching the other children play there. From what I hear, one of the little boys also loved to stop playing, run over and kiss her all over her head, and then go back to playing--so cute. Giselle, Nora's older sister who turns 2 this month, also found out she could feed Nora a bottle! Rachel said it was so adorable to watch her and she wished she would have had her camera there to take a picture of it for me (me too!). Two of the boys in the orphanage got to fly home to their forever families over the past two weeks and I'm sure as overjoyed as we all are to have them in their homes, their buddies back at the orphanage are missing them too. It's remarkable how much of a "family" these children become while living together at ROH. Likewise, all of us adoptive moms have also become a "family" of our own while sharing stories, photos, and prayers for each other and each others' kiddos during this process. I would be lost without them.

(Here is Nora with Christopher patting her head)

Speaking of the process...that's the curve that has s.l.o.w.e.d. us down in life right now. According to our ticker, we are 6 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days into our process. Oh how I wish that meant we were that far into our 1-2 year wait, but sadly, THAT part of the process still hasn't begun. Our 1-2 year wait does not start until our paperwork enters IBESR (Haitian Social Services) and we are still waiting to hear the word from Rachel that has happened...we're waiting for that green light in our life here. Our paperwork is done, Nora's paperwork is done, but we are waiting still for Nora's paperwork to be legalized so it is ready to go to IBESR. We were hoping this would have happened about a month ago, but we are still waiting....and yes, it's frustrating. This is the line you will probably begin to hear a lot on this blog--"we are still waiting, and yes, it's frustrating". There is nothing we can do to make this time go faster, however, so we just continue to wait. One of these days we will get the email with our IBESR number in it and the journey will continue on...that will be a great day!

Some of you have asked what the results of the meetings in Haiti are that I had you praying for in the posts here and here. Well, it's still a bit of a mystery really. I guess what we (meaning parents who are adopting Haitian children) were being told was one meeting ended up being three different meetings, which is why there were so many confusions as to what day this "meeting" was supposed to happen. Unfortunately, Rachel never made it to any of the meetings because she was held up at other meetings getting paperwork for one of the boys going home (which was a good thing). From what I gather from other Haitian newspaper articles and another orphanage director's blog, there were good things that came to pass because of the meeting, but there was much still left up in the air too. I have passed both reference articles on to Rachel, but have yet to hear back if she had any answers to how these would all effect our adoption. There is potential that our time in IBESR would be drastically reduced, which is awesome, but there is also potential that we may have to end up finding a US adoption agency to work with in order to proceed with our adoption, which would be both good and frustrating because it would end up costing us more than we originally thought. All that to say, we really don't know anything...so we are....still waiting, and yes, it's frustrating. (Notice a theme here???)

For the time being, continue to pray for Nora's protection, for our paperwork to receive the signatures it needs, for us to enter IBESR now--or even yesterday would be great, and for our process to begin to get around the "curve" and on the straight road again. We have been TOTALLY blessed by some recent photos of Nora though so we want to pass those along to you...her smiles continue to brighten our days.


So, that is Nora, now on to Maddie. Well, if you have been following Amy & Dan's care page (http://www.carepages.com/carepages/MadisonPflug), not much of this will be new, but if you haven't, then let me give you the quick summary.

The steroids Maddie have been on this week broke down the tumors on her lymph nodes very quickly which was awesome, but also sent her kidneys into overdrive so she was put on a kidney dialysis machine to help the kidneys catch back up. She was supposed to be on that for 24 hours but since her body was reacting so well to the dialysis (another awesome), she was back off of the dialysis under the 24 hour mark. Overall, her body has simply responded profoundly well to the steroids and the dialysis...thank God! I truly believe the prayers being lifted on behalf of them all from around the world are working right in line with these medicines.

Maddie had a great weekend of rest and feeling pretty good. We were able to Skype with her yesterday which was great for all of us since we haven't had the chance to head up there yet.


Here is a photo of Maddie being silly on the Skype call...you can tell she was feeling her normal self when you see photos like this.


These other two photos were taken by my dad at the hospital while Maddie's sister, Sydney was visiting her on Sunday. The two of them were having too much fun moving the bed with the remote control...you can just tell that Maddie loves her sister very much and likewise, Sydney loves Maddie too!


These are precious photos in the midst of a very trying time. Like my brother-in-law typed on their care page--this is the calm before the storm. And, unfortunately, the storm begins tonight. I talked with my sister this morning briefly and they will begin chemo tonight. There is a chance they will be heading home from the hospital mid-week with the chemo treatments happening more as an outpatient or occasional overnight-two night stay instead of having to be inpatient. If that happens, she will head back to the hospital next week to have the port put back into her chest to help all future iv sticks. It is good to know Maddie will be able to have the comforts of home while going through chemo, but it also boosts up their travel times as it is a 1 hour drive one way to the hospital from their current home in MI. Please pray that travel safety will abound!

The bone marrow transplant is tentatively on the docket for three months from now. Sydney, Amy, and Dan's blood work is currently being tested to see if any of them are a match and if Sydney is a match then she would be the best match possible. They would then determine if she was big enough to donate and if she is not (or if none of them match) then the search will continue on to the larger pool of people internationally. Micah has recently signed up to be a donor hoping to be a match for Maddie--or someone else who needs it! If you have the desire to also help another patient desperately needing their life saved, please go to this website (http://marrow.org/Join/Join_the_Registry.aspx) and learn more of what you need to do to be a donor.

To close, here is a little video of part of our Skype call with Maddie. I think it's just good for everyone to be able to see her in action, hear her voice, and connect with her beyond her name or a photo. We are asking for everyone to be in prayer for God to heal her body from this cancer and glorify His name because of that healing! Another little segment from Dan's care page post has not left my brain or heart for a minute since he posted it. I will share it here because it was incredibly uplifting and encouraging to my own prayer time. I think sometimes, as adults, we just doubt God's power and goodness too much. If Maddie can see Jesus at work around her, then we need to be praying for that work to continue! Here is that part of his post:

"I'll close with a conversation that I had with her (Maddie) this morning that really touched me. We were talking about a certain significant gift (an IPad) that someone had given to her and how she was going to receive it later today. While she was trying to guess what it was, I kind of made it sound like it was bigger/cooler than any other gift she had gotten before. To which, she replied, "Oh! Is it Jesus?!" And I said, "Ah, well, OK then, it is the second greatest gift that you could get." And then she said, "Because you know daddy, Jesus is all around this hospital, helping the nurses and doctors get my cancer gone."



Blessings to each of you, and thank you for your prayers on our behalf for our adoption of Nora and for Maddie as she enters, yet again, a battle for her life. Onward we go...

God is Bigger than 20%

We desperately need people to go before the Throne on Maddie's behalf. I'm pleading...

Here is an updated post from my brother-in-law off of their care page for my niece, Madison. PLEASE be pleading with us to a God who is bigger than 20% right now and if you have access to any other prayer chains of any kind, please pass this along. We want God to see that we are all willing to fall at His Throne on behalf of Maddie. We need a miracle and God has plenty of those to give. Please continue to follow their journey, get specific prayer requests, updates, and photos of Maddie on their care page. You will need to set up an account, but it is free and very simple to set up.

Here is the link: http://www.carepages.com/carepages/MadisonPflug

-------------------

Full Diagnosis and Treatment Plan

Posted 13 hours ago

Wow, this is going to be hard to type, but here we go:

Maddie has T-Cell Lymphoma, the same kind of cancer that she had before. The difference this time is that they found it throughout the bone marrow. That means the cancer is more advanced and will require a successful bone marrow transplant in order for her to have even a small chance of being cured.

Here are the stats: less than 20% of transplant patients who go into remission and then regress (like Maddie, today) are ever cured of the disease and go on to live a semi-normal life. The other 80% are equally distributed among those who fight the disease either for a short time, medium time or repeatedly until they all lose the battle.

The most important step today is her breathing. It is restricted by her tumors and could pose an early problem for treatment. Steroids (Prednisone)are the first line of attack and she has been taking them all day today (1/24). We will know how effective this is within a day or two. If they are not effective in reducing the tumors and helping her breathe, then they will take much more aggressive chemotherapy measures.

If her overall treatment leads to significant success against the cancer, then they will begin the process of finding a bone marrow transplant match after one month, and consider doing the procedure, if a good enough match is found, after 3 months.

The scary part is that the most likely match for Maddie is a sibling. They will take the next few weeks determining whether Sydney is large enough and old enough to be considered a match. If she is not a match, then we go into the lottery to find a match from a stranger(s). Again, IF the steroid/chemotherapy goes well enough AND a good donor match is found, AND the transplant procedure is successful - THEN she gets that 20% chance of a full recovery.

We were given entirely better "odds" the first time around when she went through this at age 2. But we all know that numbers do not tell the whole story. The important thing to take from my ramblings is that we have a huge fight ahead of us: a fight that we will engage by faith, through prayer and dependence on Christ. Please join us in praying for strength, courage and hope.

Maddie knows the summary of things - which is that cancer is back and she will need to be brave in many ways for many days. It was one of the hardest moments of my life to sit there and explain the truth to her today. All three of us cried and talked about how we are scared, sad, mad...and ready to fight! Amy and I are still incredibly stunned. Only the God of the universe will get us through this, because we aren't strong enough to do it without Him.

In closing, the staff here have been great. Amy and I are physically well and we are overwhelmed with the support and prayers from all of you. Maddie is being showered with attention, presents and praise (which she so graciously accepts with a big smile). We are still in the ICU, but some visitors are allowed and welcome between 11AM - 9PM above the age of 16. The doctors anticipate this particular hospital stay lasting at least a couple of weeks.

I promise that I will not be so long-winded in future updates...probably.

Thanks again to all of you. We love you, dearly!

Dan

---------------------

Thank you for your support and prayers. Personally, Micah & I also want to ask for others to please be praying for my sister, Amy & her husband, Dan and their other daughter, Sydney (age 2). We are praying for the Truth of God to be bolstered up in them and that the Truth will squelch any lies Satan is trying to burden them with.

Dan and Amy also are currently both unemployed. Dan had recently made a decision to make a job change from a pastorship role in Michigan and had been working at a factory while they waited for his next role in ministry, but was laid off just before Christmas, while Amy is a stay-at-home mom. Maddie is covered by Medicare so her health expenses will be taken care of, however, the gas money, life expenses, and food costs could become an added burden they don't need at this time with no income. If you feel led, I am sure they would appreciate and be blessed by any monetary gifts we could send their way.

If you want to send them a card, gift, or monetary gift of support (checks made out to Dan & Amy Pflug), please mail them to:

Madison Pflug

c/o Helen DeVos Children's Hospital

100 Michigan Street NE

Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503

Thank you,

Angie & Micah Thieszen

The Rawness of Life

This post probably won't be anything that sounds "nice" or "put together"...it will simply be raw.

If you remember back a few posts, I talked about how cancer can bring life (read it here if you haven't had the chance)...well, cancer also sucks.

(Maddie at this past Christmas)

My beautiful 8 year old niece, Madison, whom is talked about in that post has been in remission from her victory over cancer since 2008. She was 2 1/2 years old when she was originally diagnosed. Well, as of last night, they discovered her cancer is back. Cancer sucks.

She had been fighting a cold and when the antibiotics weren't cutting it, my sister (Amy) and her husband (Dan) took Maddie back in to see what else to do. While there, the doctor felt some lumps in Maddie's neck and immediately sent them on to Grand Rapids Children's Hospital for further testing...the suspicion at the time was that the cancer was back. That was horrifically confirmed later last evening. They are still waiting to hear results from the tests to see if this is the same type of Lymphoma she had earlier (T Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma) or if this is a different form. They are also waiting to hear what the treatment plan will be this round. They have been told it will probably be much of the same as last time--steroids, chemos, and potential surgeries. Cancer sucks.

(Maddie, last evening at the hospital)

Maddie, however, is amazing. She has fought this battle before and won victoriously. She is older now and has a much better awareness of what is going on (which is both good and bad probably). I have no doubt she will fight once again and be victorious. She faithfully trusts in God and that faith will see her though many hard days ahead...unless...God would answer the prayers of His people and heal her completely right now and spare her the experience she shouldn't have to go through again. The experience she shouldn't have ever had to go through in the first place at 2 1/2 years old.

Please pray for Maddie. Please pray for her body to be miraculously healed by the Almighty Healer. Please pray for peace and rest and strength for both Maddie and Amy and Dan as they try to make decisions for her best care, handle all the roller coaster of emotions this journey brings, as well as also care for their other daughter, Sydney, who is age 2. Pray for their own faiths to be bolstered with the love, support, and prayers of their friends, family, and strangers alike. Pray for God to break through all of our hurt, questions, anger, and sadness and bring the strength, joy, and peace only He can bring.

(Amy & Dan at this past Christmas)

Please also pray for us as her family. Pray for wisdom to know how to best support her and love on her during the hard days. Micah and I were a bit more "removed" from her last round of cancer because they were out in St. Louis and then in Cincinnati for that time frame. We also were just a month out from birthing Lily so we had to somewhat emotionally disconnect ourselves from what all was happening in order to finish our pregnancy okay and welcome our first newborn into our midst. It was very hard to do that last time and we certainly wished we could have been a better support, but this time we hopefully can. This time around we are just a few hours from them and our lives are intricately connected as our kids (especially Lily) consider Maddie not only their cousin, but also their best friend. We are all still in shock from the news and just wish this was a nightmare we could all wake up from. A child is NOT supposed to get cancer....a child is certainly NOT supposed to get cancer twice.

(All the cousins together at this Christmas--
Tobias, Maddie, Sydney, Lily, & Quinn)

Life is tough. A fallen world is our current home. A God too BIG for us to understand is over it all and we have to trust in Him to come to Maddie's aid when that fallen world--that tough life--hits way too close to home. Will you rise up today and pray on behalf of an innocent, sweet, brave, and victorious 8 year old girl? I hope your answer is yes, because you know what? Cancer sucks...and we serve a God who can beat it.

Please follow Maddie's journey on their care page at the hospital. You will be able to get the most current information, specific prayer requests, updated photos, and background there. The link is: http://www.carepages.com/carepages/MadisonPflug

Thank you for praying.

Cancer and the Circle of Life

Cancer. When you hear that word what comes to your mind? Death. Chemo. Fight. Sickness. Battle. Pink ribbons. What is it for you? What about...

Life?

Cancer is a common word in our household these days because of Micah being an oncology certified registered nurse at IU Health Goshen Center for Cancer Care. I daily hear stories involving patients he treats in the infusion room. He has helped make them laugh with his dry sense of humor, cried a bit with them over their diagnosis, or been doted on by the older ladies because of his good looks and wavy curls of hair (seriously, one told him he looked like a Greek god!) I know my husband LOVES his job...well, not really his "job", but rather his "calling". To Micah, going to work each day at the cancer center is not really a "job", it's a calling he is being faithful to work in. Early on in our marriage when he sensed his place was not in camping ministry and perhaps was to be in nursing, Micah made his way through a second round of schooling to make it happen because something inside him knew this was what he was meant to do. It was never much of a question where he would end up serving as a nurse--his heart has always been tied to cancer.

You see, when Micah was 6 years old his mom, Glenda, was taken by cancer. She was too young...much too young. She fought the battle bravely while MANY people prayed to God to heal her, but it took her to her final home in Heaven instead of keeping her with her hubby and 5 children. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. It wasn't the happy ending people want to hear. It left many with unanswered questions and lost hope. It left pain and hurt and emptiness. It left many with what the word "cancer" typically makes people think of.

Glenda left behind children from their teenage years down to their toddler years and it was very hard on all of them to say the least. Micah has wonderful memories of his mom from a 6 year old's perspective...a lot of cooking and baking in the kitchen where she welcomed all of their help. I've learned through stories over the years that Glenda loved antiques, crafts, and baking. She was often found in her flower beds or gardens on the farm. She also had a bit of a temper and a sense of humor. When going through old paperwork and pictures to create a heritage album, I discovered a paper where Glenda had written out her testimony of how she came to know the Lord and why her love of God was so important in her life. It was a cherished document to find. I only wish I could have heard those words from her directly. As the only woman marrying into this family, I grieve that I never had the chance to know my mother-in-law for myself. I truly think I would have loved her greatly.

In addition to Glenda's battle with cancer, we have also had another very personal touch of cancer in our family when our niece, Madison, had to fight her battle with cancer. Maddie was just 2 1/2 years old when she got diagnosed. She went through all the same horrible rounds of chemo and such that an adult does for 2 years. She was brave and strong (as were her parents) and is now 8 years old and (thank God) cancer free. This past summer Micah shaved his head to raise funds for St. Baldrick's Foundation, who help fund research to beat childhood cancer, in honor of Maddie. Here is a photo of Maddie watching the shave party via Skype.

It's really no wonder God decided to use Micah's heart to reach out to others fighting their battles with cancer. Micah has a connection to his cancer patients that many nurses simply can not have--he's a survivor too of sorts. He's survived the loss cancer has made in his family. But what does all of this have to do with LIFE?

Well, to answer that, let me introduce you to one of Micah's past patients...her name is Julie Harvey and she was one of Micah's favorites. Julie was the topic of many of our table conversations in the evening and Micah would often get on fb or such to show me this woman as she fought her battle with cancer. Thankfully Julie has won her battle! Julie has not allowed her cancer to hinder her in life, but instead she has used it to fuel the desire to have this disease brought to an end. She helped bring awareness and funds to cancer research through the Pink Cart program put out by Borden Wasteaway. Here is a picture of her at the reveal of the Pink Cart program (Julie is on the right)...

Yesterday, we got the most touching letter and donation from Julie towards our adoption of Nora. Instead of trying to re-word her heart, I asked her permission to simply type out parts of her letter directly on here so you can see how special this was for us....here is the part where cancer becomes LIFE!

Dear Micah and Angie-

When I was diagnosed my world was turned upside down, I was certain that God had forgotten me and my children in this mess, and I was going to leave them motherless. I was afraid, alone, petrified, and uncertain of where I fit into this whole plan...I know that I have often said that I was diagnosed while we lived here because God knew that I needed to be at Goshen Cancer Center. The last three years have been filled with heartache and joy and all in between, and all the same time.

God brought me others getting treatment like me, as well as those who cared for me and so many other wonderful people to help to ease the pain of the journey that I was on, but more so to show me HIS love-they held my hand-and so did Micah.

Last year I was HONORED to be a part of the Pink Cart program in Northern Indiana. When Borden Wasteaway asked me to be a part of launching the program in Warsaw, I was ALL OVER it--I loved the idea. Partially because I feel that whatever positive I can do in the face of cancer-IT does not win. The Pink Cart program was one of the MANY opportunities brought into my life-to "win" in the face of it all.

I believe that God placed you two and Nora on my heart in a BIG way during that time-I just didn't know why. I agreed to a commission structure for the program and just last week I was gathering my report to send for that payment...THAT is when I stumbled on your video of your trip to Haiti. (I know that we only stumble upon ourselves, the other GOD places in our path). It took me about 5 seconds to realize where the money I made needed to go--I called Mike, and he agrees WHOLE heartedly...It needs to go to you-to bring Nora home-so she can know that LOVE that you have to give. So she can know that Jesus put HER in my heart to be obedient to HIM to help bring her to you-I believe that-and I know that to be true. I always questioned when my friends told me that God spoke to them-thinking he never had my number on speed dial. I can assure you last Wednesday-GOD SPOKE TO ME!

I feel that this whole thing has come FULL circle-how God is using this old cancer diagnosis to bring new life into our world, and to show a child,-HIS child, that there is hope in her, and hope in her future-here...with you!!! To know the love and compassion that her family has shown me.

Please accept my humble gift to your family. You have witnessed God's love and promise in the face of adversity to me, and all around you, and I am grateful to you-all of you.

God Bless you and your amazing family-May you be able to bring her home just a little sooner-thanks to cancer-and the lesson is that GOOD can come from any bad situation.

LOVE YOU ALL--Merry Christmas,
Mike, Julie, Lucas, and Dayle

So amazing, isn't it! I love Julie's intuition where cancer has meant to defeat and bring death, it has instead come FULL circle and been overcome with LIFE. I know that Julie was thinking in her own personal circle...that her life-threatening cancer (that was beat) caused her to be asked to help promote the carts, which gave her extra income that she could then put towards our adoption costs, which brings Nora's life into ours and saves a life that needs it. Very cool, indeed, but nonetheless, as I read her letter and reflected on how much cancer has affected our lives, I see an even larger circle in this story. One that connects even Julie's story to our life story and because of that, our daughter Nora with a Grandma she will only meet when she gets to Heaven...

Glenda loses her battle with cancer when Micah is 6-Micah develops a passion for cancer patients throughout life-as an adult, Micah goes back to school for nursing-Micah gets a job with IU Health Goshen on the cancer floor-he is eventually transferred to the Cancer Center-Julie comes as a patient under Micah's care-he uses his calling in life to touch Julie's life-Julie's fueled with his compassion-Julie wins her battle with cancer-Julie is asked to help create awareness to battle cancer with the Pink Cart program-Julie makes a commission off of that program-Julie knows of our adoption and knows God could use this extra money to help bring Nora home-Julie sends us the money-and EVENTUALLY Nora will come home and have life that is touched by a thread of the Lord that reaches through Julie's faithfulness, to our faithfulness, and then clear back to her Grandma Glenda's life. That, folks, is a glimmer of how God can use cancer to bring LIFE! I love seeing the thread of God weaving in and out and connecting all parts of our lives together for the good. It's amazing!

So, Julie, thank you. Thank you for your donation and your letter. Thank you for your hard-fought battle with cancer and for never allowing it to defeat your spirit. Thank you for being faithful to the Lord's call in your heart. It has done wonders to show us, and others...and Nora...the amazing power of the BODY of Christ.

Thank you, Lord, for Your thread in our lives and for now connecting in a very woven way, Nora to her Grandma Glenda. It has made my heart excited to see where all You will also tie us together with more of your children along this journey.