This was one year ago

Saturday is one year from Esther's official diagnosis. We had been actively investigating the bump on her head for a couple of weeks, hoping for something benign, but by this time we were pretty sure it was cancer. Knowing Esther was either going to have a huge chunk of her skull removed or that she had cancer, and also knowing that memories are fickle, we wanted to have some photos taken.  Honestly, I didn't know what the future held, and I didn't want to forget the details of my sweet little girl.  Our sweet friends, Chad and Charity, dropped everything and did a fantastic job capturing our family.  These photos have been a treasure to me, thank you friends.

Overall, Esther is doing well.  We should hear soon the results of bloodwork that tests the functionality of her immune system.  Although her bone marrow has been producing the various types of blood cells, it takes time for them to be functional following high dose chemo and stem cell transplant.  So, at 180 days (about 6 months) post transplant, they test the cells to see how many there actually are and how they will respond to infection.  One area I need to ask about is her red blood cell count.  It is low and hasn't really rebounded following her transplant and radiation.  Normal is 12.  Esther has been somewhere between 8 and 9.  They do blood transfusions at 7, so this is low.  She is tired and frequently will ask for a nap or sometimes just lay on the floor and watch what is going on around her.  Her last inpatient antibody therapy was scheduled for the second week of July, but we were able to push it back a week so I can attend training for our homeschool program, Classical Conversations.  I'm praying this extra week will give her a boost to gain some strength.

Sleepy girl in her movie star sunglasses.