When we brought Amanda home from the hospital nine days later, we had no clear indication of what was ahead for us. I told Tom last night that I remember coming home and not really grasping that she had cancer. I guess I was still clinging to the hope that the tumor would be benign.
From the moment we found out about the tumor, it was my prayer that the tumor would not respond normally and that the doctors would be baffled. That was the miracle I was praying for. "The desire of my heart is that the scan would baffle the doctors and that this tumor is not behaving as they anticipate. I'm still praying for that miracle" was what I wrote weeks after we had come home and were in the planning phases of treatment. Somewhere along the way, those prayers became asking for the tumor to disappear. That it would go away. Here we sit, one year later, and there is no active tumor present. I hope you are thanking and praising our God for that as much as I am at this moment.
The paragraph below from March 11 certainly makes me smile even though I clearly remember the pain of that day. I remember it like it was yesterday. Tom and I were sitting with her outside and she kept asking for a pet. We would say things like, "Well, we need to see what the next few days hold" or "Let's see what the doctor says," and she finally wanted to know what we meant. That was when we told her some of the spot was still there and that we are still waiting to see how best to try and get rid of it. It was painful and heartbreaking to watch her work through that information. It was during those moments, however, we saw that God had given her amazing strength and resilience and we prayed they would carry her through the challenges before us. Our prayers were answered and those traits have helped her through her darkest days. She has an amazing ability to bounce back from adversity. She is a strong little girl. This was what I posted:
True to Amanda form, after she worked through it, her sweet personality slowly reemerged and it was back to kittens vs lap dogs. Oh, how I pray that as we travel down the unknown path before us, it will be this ability that will give her the courage and strength she will need to face the obstacles before her.
There are still battles to fight, obstacles in front of us and unknowns ahead, but we praise God for where we are today. Amanda is doing amazingly well and she is happy. What a beautiful day today is.
This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
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| Saying good-bye to Amanda's favorite nurse, Christina. |
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| It was official -we were going home and Amanda was all smiles. |
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| Our welcome home from Amanda's classmates and the sweet office ladies at Grace. |
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| First night back at home. Nothing better than your own bed! (That blanket was given to her by a nurse at Dell and it is still one of her favorites.) |
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