Done.

April 22, 2013.  A day that will forever be engrained in my mind and heart.  It was a Monday.  I awoke that morning with a heaviness that had settled into my heart.  God had prepared me, and I knew what the results of Kate's bloodwork would be.  (You can read more about that day and what lead us to Kate's diagnosis here.)

Over the course of the next 7 months, Kate would undergo rigorous chemotherapy to rid her body of Acute Myeloid Leukemia.  In late November, just a week before Thanksgiving, 

KATE COMPLETED CHEMOTHERAPY!!!!

This is a picture of Kate and I leaving the cancer unit after completion of her last 168 hours of chemotherapy.  PRAISE THE LORD!!

I cannot put in to accurate words what this girl is and means to our family.  

She faced and fought through every single round.  Rarely was even a tear shed as poison was pumped through her tiny body.  She played and giggled and spread her JOY to all she met.

She returned home time after time and jumped right back into the excitement.  Of course, there were days when she didn't feel 100% but those days were so few and far between that when they happened we wondered what was wrong!:)

God has used Kate's cancer journey to grow and stretch her siblings.  They stepped up to help with grace and brought me to tears over and over with their selflessness.

During the course of Kate's treatment, she and I were inpatient for almost 80 days total.  The celebration that ensued each time she arrived over brought me to my knees!!!

She is simply adored.

Month after month, Kate would have to have bone marrow aspirations to find out if her course of treatment was killing the AML cells.  And on August 2, we heard the news- 

KATE IS IN REMISSION!!!!

What does this mean for Kate now.  The chance of relapse is very, very small.  For now, she does have quick monthly cancer clinic visits to check her bloodwork and so that the cancer team can lay eyes on her.  Her last CBC was completely normal.  PRAISE JESUS!!!!  In the next few months, her monthly visits will change to every few months.  Quickly after that she will have a 6 month visit then…..she will only need to visit the cancer clinic yearly!!!  Our God is SO GOOD!!

We've been asked how we can be so thankful to Our Father for this journey.  Until you walk in the shoes of parenting a child with leukemia (or any other childhood cancer), you will not understand.  We still stand behind the truth that God's plan is always perfect.  We rest in Him.  Nothing else was ever an option, really.  His hands held Kate on the good days and the bad.  He held us when our hearts could take no more.  

HE RESTORED HER HEALTH AND BROUGHT HER BACK TO US.

This treasure is loved.

She is adored.

She is strong.

She is determined.

She is very smart.

Her life is worthy, and she is celebrated!!

She is funny!

She works so hard.

Her joy is contagious and FILLS our life!!

  I'd like to say that now we don't take anything for granted, but we are human and fall back into that trap.  Yet, as we move through 2014, we are stronger.  Just as my last post stated, we are intentional.  We are thankful for so many things that often went unnoticed before.  Time is so valuable.  We say "no" very often to things that would take us away from our family.  Our focus is here.  We are better, and we are so thankful.  We are deeply in love with our Heavenly Father and are humbled at the blessings He continues to pour over us.  

I will continue to occasionally write on Kate's Facebook page here.   I have found, though, that since Kate is home and well, I don't visit her page very often.  

THANK YOU for continually lifting our family up!!  

In Him,

E