Hi friends,
I have been reading so many encouraging posts from all of you lately! I thought some of you might enjoy reading the post that my daughter made on caringbridge about Jay a week ago when they reached the one year "mile-stone" of his journey. I personally found it very uplifting and I hope you do too. Its a bit long, but well worth the read. I think you will be able to see why I am so very proud of them.
--Tina

One Year
Written Apr 27, 2013 12:20pm

One year ago today our lives changed forever in a small doctor's office in Mount Airy when we received the diagnosis that Jay had leukemia - cancer in his blood. In a way it feels like just yesterday. We were so scared...so shocked... so completely unaware of what was to come...of what we were dealing with. On the other hand it feels like so long ago. We are so different now. So much has happened...so many ups and downs, triumphs and setbacks, joys and sadness. By the numbers we've seen it all....


Jay has spent around 160 nights in the hospital (including Mother's Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, and Jay's Birthday).
3 Hickman catheters, 3 PIC lines, a handful of IV lines, and plenty of needle pokes.
Probably at least 50 different types of pills - and sometimes taking up to 18-20 pills a day (which is a big feat for someone who used to have a hard time with one aspirin!).
At least 20-30 blood transfusions and probably 10-20 platelet transfusions. (thank you blood donors!).
1 bone marrow transplant, 2 bone marrow donors (thank you Joey (Jay's brother) and our mystery donor!).
8 bone marrow biopsies (what a trooper!).
6 week-long chemotherapy treatments and a handful of full body radiation.
35-40 pounds lost for Jay...(more than a few gained for the rest of us).
Countless doctors appointments, lab work, clinic visits, xrays, CT scans, EKGs, echocardiograms, pulmonary function tests, and even one bronchoscopy.
Our lives now include lots of hand washing, hand sanitizer, masks, robes, rubber gloves, and avoiding crowds & germs.
I've put a few thousand miles on our cars with the back and forth driving.


Those are just a few of the many many new things we have experienced this year that have been, at times, really difficult. But in all that we have also seen SO.MANY.GOOD.THINGS! Check out these numbers...


Hundreds of cards, pictures, and scriptures that have been sent by so many of you, our friends and family.
Dozens of packages.... which made for an absurd amount of snacks, goodies, books, entertainment and laughs.
So many of you have brought breakfast, lunch and dinner and plenty of other food!! We have never gone hungry!
You've held fundraisers, made bracelets and tshirts, and sent videos. There have been blood drives and bone marrow drives - you have literally given of your own bodies to us and to so many in need.
Jay and I have never gone on so many walks together and had so much real and honest conversation.
We got to celebrate our 4th anniversary together, outside of the hospital like a normal couple. Our marriage is the strongest its ever been.
I wish I could count the number of visitors we've had. We've had friends from high school & college. We've had friends from out of town, out of state, out of the country. People have literally bought plan tickets to come visit. We've had visits from people we've never met who just want to stop by and encourage us.
We've gotten to spend time with people we haven't seen in years. We have friends who visit us as often as they can (and for many of them, it is not just a short trip to get here).
We've seen God's faithfulness in providing us with brilliant doctors, nurses, PAs, NAs, custodians, food service people and SO many different people who work here at Duke. It is a gift to feel like the people you encounter daily are at work FOR you and that they don't just see you as "work to be done" but as patients and real people, even friends, to take care of.
The fact that I still have a job and that I am able to continue doing full time ministry with high school kids, something that I love, all while trying to be with Jay is nothing short of God's grace. My bosses and my coworkers and the ministry of Young Life have shown me more about what it means to love someone than I can even begin to describe.
Thank the Lord too for good health insurance. I will not go into detail, but wow, thank you Lord.


Finally, I can't even begin to put a number or value on the power of prayer that has been demonstrated on our behalf this year. I don't know how many times this year we have heard people say, I am praying for you, my church is praying for you, my small group, my bible study, my family, my kids... you name it, we've heard it. People are praying all over this state, country, and world. Literally. Prayers from the mouths of babes, prayers in different languages, prayers from those who pray often, prayers from those who aren't sure how to pray. Prayers from people who know us very well. Prayers from people who have never and will never know us at all. Prayers from churches of all denominations, prayers from folks of all ages and races. It blows me away that there are people who literally pray for us on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. I cannot imagine the thousands and thousands of words of intercession for us. Our names have been uttered boldly, desperately, honestly, pleadingly, joyfully to the King of Kings by so many. The noise you all must be making in heaven on our behalf is deafening, but at the same time it is the most beautiful song. We have never known the power of prayer so much as we have this year and my words fail me for the gratitude we have. We covet your prayers and we truthfully believe you have helped sustain us this year. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for praying with us and for us.