hope

Book of James

This past fall I had the opportunity to go through Beth Moore's James: Mercy Triumphs bible study at First United Methodist (led by the amazing Beth Smith). It. Was. Awesome. I like group Bible studies. They uplift me and keep me focused, but they don't all resonate as deeply as this one did. If you have the time/opportunity to do the whole study I would strongly encourage it, but there is one session in particular that I keep going back to. If you are going through something right now or just coming out of something that has brought you to your knees, check out Session 3. Don't worry that it's in the middle of the study, it stands on it's own just fine. I wish I could post it on here for free, but I'm thinking that would be illegal. You can download it here. Now, Beth Moore isn't for everyone. She'd probably be the first to admit that, but I love her and I know some of you will too.

easy to read. harder to practice.

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

abide with me

For our friends facing incredible challenges, who may be feeling a bit worn and weary. There were many times in New York I would set this hymn on repeat and pray for the strength to make it through the day. I hope it brings to you the same comfort and peace it has brought me.

a joyful heart

"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever." Psalm 30:18-19

Day +80

Remission!

Finally!

Praise God!

 

Day +76 Moving Forward.

We spent the majority of last week sorting through the apartment. Pack? Donate? Toss? We made our way through seven months of stuff. It was far more emotional than I ever imagined. The cake pan used to bake Jack's first birthday cake? Pack. That winter coat that kept him toasty in Central Park all winter? Donate. reluctantly. A small forgotten bag of breast milk in the freezer? Deep breath. The last ever? Toss? God give me strength. It went on like this for several days. A necessary downsizing and reorganizing of our temporary city home. We had been putting it off for too long. Each delay in our departure date would lead Andy and Alison,our NYC angels, to cancel potential renters. Renters who write checks for a 4 day stay that equal 5 months of mortgage payments back home. Their compassion and kindness is extraordinary, but we couldn't keep letting them do this. It's just the two of us now, and tying up such an expansive space seemed silly. There were whole rooms we no longer ventured into.

Besides, we really don't know how long we're going to be here. Sam's counts haven't rebounded like they should have since his last hospital stay. They've talked about possibly giving another dose of donor cells. From the same donor or wait for a new one? We're not sure. It's out of our hands. The endless worrying, grasping for control, and yearning to be home with Jack have left me exhausted and miserable. My prayers have changed. When I hear a new departure date of sometime after the 4th, I breath in. I give thanks. Thanks for my worn, but still breathing husband sitting next to me. Thanks for the highly skilled and very cautious medical team keeping him that way. Giving thanks keeps me present. Giving thanks keeps me grounded. Giving thanks keeps my hands from lunging at the doctor's neck.

Sam has a PET scan scheduled for Wednesday. Until then we're settling into our new home across town at Hope Lodge. It's a different world over here. Definitely not the upper east side :) More posts to come.

Count Your Blessings

I just found some pictures on my camera today, and thought I'd update everyone on Jack's hernia operation.  The procedure was done at Florida Hospital in Orlando by an awesome pediatric surgeon named Dr. Thompson.  This was a routine procedure, but we were so nervous and hesitant about him being put under at such a young age.  The doctor said no breastfeeding after 3am, and they didn't take him back until 8am (did I mention Jack eats every 2 hours?) which made for a very grueling 5 hours.  Hearing your hungry baby cry might be one of the worst sounds in the entire world.  But we thankfully made it through the morning, and the surgery went extremely well.

When the doctor told us Jack would need surgery we starting feeling pretty sorry for ourselves.  Like we really needed one more medical drama right now?  But I have to say, when we got to the hospital and saw families with children who had real problems and serious medical conditions our whole attitude changed.  Thank God we were there for something minor and fixable.  Thank God we had great insurance to cover it.  And thank God we could take him home knowing we wouldn't have to be back any time soon.

Here are some pictures from our hospital stay.  Florida Hospital has an amazing Walt Disney Pavilion wing for children and their families along with a fantastic staff of nurses.  Jack fell in love with Nurse Michelle who was truly our angel during our stay.

Welcome!

Hello everyone and welcome to our blog!  Many of you have called and emailed checking in for updates on Sam and Jack so we thought this would be an easy way of keeping our friends and family in the loop.  We'll try to update as often as we can, and we look forward to hearing from all of you!

Just to catch everyone up...

Sam was officially diagnosed with Nodular Lymphatic Predominant Hodgkin's Lymphoma on February 24 at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL.  We became concerned when just a month earlier he found a swollen lymph node on his right side under his arm.  After several tests, CT scans and one very painful bone marrow biopsy the specialists at Moffitt came up with a diagnosis and an aggressive treatment plan.  We were cautioned that chemo would be tough, but the prognosis was good and he could get his treatment right here in Vero.  We left Tampa that day feeling a bit scared and overwhelmed, but very hopeful.

Two hours after returning home that night my water broke, and Jack was born 3 weeks early on February 25.  It was a great delivery and he was born healthy and perfect, though quite small.  He may, in fact, be the smallest Tripson ever weighing in at just 5 lbs 15ounces!

Some days can be awfully tough and we're long overdue for some real fun, but we thank God every day for having each other and for blessing us with the most beautiful baby in the world.