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Meeting Samrawit

Meeting my daughter after being awake for most of the last 36 hours is very hard to describe. My agency told us from the beginning that our daughter's age was unknown. They said that she was somewhere between 8-13 years old. I know that they wanted to make sure that we were willing to adopt her no matter what her age ended up being. I appreciated that, truly I do, but it was very hard to picture what Samrawit would be like when I met her. I was also told by someone, who had recently seen Sami, that she was about 5 feet tall~if that was the case she would be closer to 12-13 years old.

When I saw Samrawit for the first time I couldn't believe how little she was. She was NOT 5 feet tall. She was 4 feet 5 inches and so skinny. I know that she was a little nervous, but she had such courage. Her smiles and laughter filled me with joy. Seeing her and holding her for the first time confirmed that yes, this precious child was indeed God's will for our family. We couldn't feel more honored to be her parents.

Hannah's Hope (my daughter's orphanage) is one of the most special places that I have ever been. The children arrive there after experiencing so much pain, but in this wonderful place they are surrounded by love. Yes, they are longing for and praying for parents, but while they wait, they are able to smile and laugh. When I remember that first day with my daughter, what I remember most is how much the caregivers loved her. We will always be grateful for all of the love that Samrawit was shown at the orphanage. These are the precious people who have spent the last 14 months hugging my daughter, praying with her and drying her tears. They have played soccer, braided her hair and listened to all of her hopes and dreams. While they were very excited that she was going home with parents who love her, their hearts were sad that they were saying goodbye to someone that they love. Ethiopia asks that we not post pictures of children before their adoptions are complete. Most of my pictures have children in them who have not been adopted yet, but here are a few of Samrawit's "special mothers" and caregivers who do not have other children in them. This is just a few of the people who cared for Samrawit. Before it was time to go home, Samrawit made a point to talk to and take pictures of every person at Hannah's Hope, from the cook to the accountant, everyone got a hug and a good-bye from my precious daughter.

4/16/2008 2:35:00 PM

Soccer

Sami LOVES LOVES LOVES soccer. We signed her up for a church league before she was even home. We debated about signing her up for something that would begin 48 hours after she landed in America, but ended up deciding to let her try to play the game that she loves.

I naively thought that because she is an athletic girl, who played soccer almost everyday in Ethiopia, that it would be something that would be very easy for her to do here.

The basic skills were very easy for her, but taking even very simple directions from her coach was difficult. We are blessed to have a christian man ,who is the father of 5 children, as her coach. He has done a great job teaching her the words that she needed to learn and the rule of the game.

Samrawit was used to playing coed soccer on a cement "field" that had no boundaries marked. Playing with 6-9 year old girls has been a little bit of an adjustment for our princess when she was used to tangling with boys of all ages. While she made some mistakes because of communication problems, her athletic ability made her a real asset to her team.

Watching Samrawit play soccer has taught us so much about her. Even though it hasn't always been easy for her, she has worked hard, played VERY hard and has an absolute blast doing it. Samrawit is one determined young lady. I am going to love watching her explore America.

4/20/2008 11:02:00 PM

Reckless Faith I first saw this video on Angel's Blog. It did such a great job of reminding me how many children there are who need our help. My heart breaks for the orphans. I would love to be doing more, but it is hard to where to start. I hope and pray that God would allow me to help these precious children.

4/22/2008 11:25:00 AM

Indoor Fun This are a few pictures from last week. I love being able to take Samrawit's picture whenever I want to.

Samrawit and Abby before church. Abby idolizes Sami.

Samrawit at an indoor playground. She is fearless.

Samrawit and her 2 year old brother, Landis.

4/28/2008 4:06:00 PM

New "do" ;-) Samrawit's two year old brother "helped" her with her hair. Just so you know, moisturizer, a ton of gel and sand are a very bad combination. I love it that Sami can have so much fun with her little brother and sister.

5/2/2008 11:09:00 PM

a painful blessing For a month now Sami has been talking about getting her ears pierced. In typical preteen fashion, she would bring it up every day..........at 9:00 at night, after the mall closed. :-) At 9 PM she was VERY sure that she wanted them pierced, but when she woke up the next morning she of course had changed her mind. For the last week she has said that she wanted them pierced, without wavering, so I took her to the mall. She brought her favorite big brother, Garrett, to hold her hand and she wanted Abby, her three year old sister to come too. Garrett was great with her and Abby said "ohhhhhhhhhhhh my sister Sami is hurting" at all the appropriate times. Those girls have fun with their dramas.

This is a typical pose if I forget to tell her that I will send the picture to her friends. :-)

before picture

This is a picture of Sami getting instructions from technician. It was one of those moments when she wished that she hadn't learned so much English. :-)

Sami was excited about the earrings, but nervous too. Sami is hilarious so much of the time. When she is playing it up because of nerves, she will have you laughing until you cry. It is such a blessing that we were able to laugh before they started, because after they began we didn't feel like laughing anymore. The first ear was pierced without having any problems, but the gun malfunctioned when they were piercing the second ear.

The earring didn't go all of the way through her ear. They gave her the option of taking the earring out and coming back tomorrow to repierce it or letting them push it through with their hands. The earring was close to coming through the back, so I let her decide. She without hesitation chose for them to push it through by hand. She was uncomfortable, but handled it beautifully.

It was one of those moments when things don't go the way that you wish that they would, but in the end turn out to be a blessing. I would never want her to hurt, but God taught me a lot about my daughter in those few moments. First it was so neat to know that I could explain the options to her and have her truly understand what I was trying to tell her. In the past, we have had an interpreter explain things that were important for her to fully comprehend. It is so nice to know that the language challenge is getting a little easier. Second of all, I learned that my daughter is willing to choose to face a painful situation head on and not procrastinate. So many times the things that God calls us to do aren't easy, but they are for the best. If Samrawit has the character to face the pain head on and not try to avoid it at 9 years old, she is well on her way to learning to follow God no matter where He leads her.

This is Sami looking at her earrings for the first time.

After we were done Abby wanted to ride on one of the kid rides. Abby loved it and Sami played along because her sister was excited. Sami is a GREAT big sister.

5/26/2008 1:03:00 AM

Sami's 9th Birthday Party My Internet has been out for most of the last week. It has been completely down since Friday. Not a good thing for someone who LOVES to read other people's blogs. I am at my in-laws house for a day, so I will try to catch up a little bit, while they sleep.

Sami's "real" birth date will always be a mystery to us, but it is legally in March. She had her birthday while she was in Ethiopia, but she wanted to celebrate it here too. We felt that we needed to put off having the party until she had been home for a while. When she first came home she was very quiet in group situations and didn't have a lot of fun being the center of attention in new settings. I know that it might seem weird to start her in soccer 2 days after she arrived home, but wait two months for a simple party. I can't really explain why, but it was definitely the right thing for this child.

One of the many reasons that we waited was that we wanted her to more fully understand what what "normal" life was in our family. Giving her a lot of gifts as soon as she arrived could give her a very wrong impression of what she can expect in America. An added bonus to waiting was that we could give her some of the things that we knew that she would like, instead of guessing.

Sami LOVED her party, even though it was a small family party. She was excited about it all~ balloons, streamers, cake and of course the gifts.

She wanted to wear her Ethiopian dress to the party and she looked beautiful in it. Sami is fearless on the soccer field, but so girlie at other times. She LOVES playing with Barbies and has spent hours playing with all of her new things. I don't know how she does it with a 2 year old brother and a 3 year old sister, who like to "play" with her, but she has kept all of the little pieces together and organized. She is incredible.

Landis loved the chocolate cake and ice cream. That boy can eat sweets. One good thing about having so many brothers and sister is that we have a lot of parties.

Garrett and Abby had fun watching Sami open her gifts. Abby had a few moments of jealously when she saw girl gifts that were not for her, but part of growing up is learning to celebrate when someone else has a special day.

Hmmm where to start...........

Sami loves to play with dolls. Maybe, just maybe with all of the new dolls, she will take a little break from playing dress-up with her baby brother.

I would post the pictures of some of the outfits that she has put on the boy, but I don't think that Daddy would think it was as funny as I do.

This is one of first attempts at cornrows. Sami has been so sweet about letting me practice.

I am not the most artistic person, so I have had to spend a lot of time to get to this point. I love her hair, but to be honest, it has been hard for me to learn to style it. We are blessed that God has lead us to a very sweet hairdresser, who has patiently taught me how to braid and care for her hair. I have friends that can help us too, but it has been hard to find a block of time when we can work on her hair, uninterrupted.

6/13/2008Â 11:29:00Â PMÂ

Just Having Fun We have been busy getting ready for a garage sale. Not my favorite activity, but it will help simplify things once it is over. We are getting rid of a ton of things that are taking time to maintain, crowding our space and costing us money to store. I wondered what Sami would think of the garage sale, but she is very relieved to get rid of things that we don't use. My girl likes things organized.

I will write more later, but I wanted to post some pictures of Samrawit, Abby and Landis clowning around and having fun. Don't you love it that kids can turn anything into a party?

6/25/2008 8:43:00 AM

Time to Confess Have you ever looked at a picture of one of your children and seen yourself in their expression? My husband took some pictures of our 2 year old son that reminded me so much of myself that it took my breath away.

Can you see me in these pictures?

You have to trust me when I say that they could have been pictures of me each time God called me to adopt. We have two children who were adopted as infants from Guatemala. God provided the money that we needed to adopt them, blessed me with a wonderful agency and incountry lawyers to help us complete their adoptions and most importantly of all, He choose children for our family who are beautiful, affectionate and so funny that we routinely laugh until our sides hurt. We have been blessed by these precious children more than you could ever imagine.

After competing the first adoption in 05 and the second in 06 you would have thought that I would be excited and confident when God called us once again to adopt. After all, we have two reminders of God's love walking through our home, hugging our necks and telling us that they loved us. In December of 07 God called us once again to adopt, but this time we were called to adopt a beautiful 9 year old girl from Ethiopia. We heard God's call and we moved forward on her adoption, but I will admit that I was nervous. I fell in love with her pictures and was committed to being her mom, but the unknowns scared me. You can read so many stories of challenges and problems that can occur with older child adoptions and it was easy for me to take my eyes off of Christ. I am not proud of the fact that I am weak, but if I am honest with you, at times I am.

Samrawit was at the orphanage longer than any other child. I can't imagine how hard it would be to watch sibling groups and older friends be chosen, knowing that no one had picked you to be their daughter. Sami said good-bye to a lot of friends while she waited for her turn. Some of the pictures that we received, as we were praying about adopting her, showed her beautiful smile, but a few others gave us a glimpse into the the pain that she was feeling as she waited. When I looked at the pictures of her when she was sad, it drove to me complete the paperwork as fast as I possibly could~so that was a good thing. But, if I took my eyes off of Christ, it was easy to imagine that she would need a lot of help and support when she came home.

We were committed to giving her the time, love and attention that she needed to heal, but we didn't know what she would need from us until she came home. What God knew, that we didn't, was that the girl who would join our family was a confident, affectionate and loving child, who would instantly embrace her new family with all of her heart. Yes, like every child, she will have moments of sadness, but those moments never define her and are very infrequent. She is one of the funniest people I have ever met, loves God and chooses to love her new family~those are the things that define her. We could have easily justified not adopting her because of problems that we IMAGINED that she MIGHT have, but we chose to take a step of faith and adopt this precious girl. We knew that we were willing to do God's will and serve Him by caring for this orphan.

What we didn't know was that God, our Father, wanted to bless us beyond our wildest dreams with a daughter who would give us a millions of hugs and kisses, and a house filled with laughter and joy.

Just like we knew that Landis would love slides, if he would just trust us and go own that slide one time (he actually did once he finally slid down, despite the terrified look at the top), God knew that our lives would be blessed by taking that step of faith.

God initially put this post on my heart a couple of weeks ago. At the time I thought that maybe there was one person who needed to hear my story. Then a week ago my husband announced, to a group of friends, that we wanted to adopt again... and I found myself looking like this once more.

Samrawit, Abby and my husband would love to have another child join our family. After a week of praying, I can honestly say that I am beginning to get excited too. I have no idea when it will happen, where the child will be from or whether the child will be a boy or girl, but what I do know is that is that God is calling us and we are willing to take that step of faith.

7/13/2008 9:29:00 AM

Please Pray for Abby Our three year old daughter, who was adopted from Guatemala, was diagnosed Friday with Leukemia. We are so sad that she is going through this, but also praising God that He chose her to be our daughter and brought her to the United States, where she can receive excellent medical care. This is so hard for us to go through as a family, I can't even imagine the pain that mothers and fathers in poor countries feel when there children are ill or hungry. Today we are praying as much for those other parents, as we are for our daughter.

We would deeply appreciate it if you would pray for our daughter's healing and add her to your prayer lists. Some have asked if they could tell our daughter's story on their blog. We would love it if you would tell her story or and link to our blog. The prayers mean more than we can express.

Below is what my husband wrote to his many thousands of readers on his ministry site, www.seriousfaith.com: An Opportunity of Faith 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (NKJV) The Lord has chosen to bless our family with an opportunity for faith, trust, witness and spiritual growth. The Bible says to give thanks in ALL things, rejoice in ALL, never stop praying... so my wife and I thank God for however, whoever and whatever He is going to do in our lives during this trying time.

On Friday July 11, 2008, our 3 year old daughter, Abby, adopted from Guatemala at six months old, was diagnosed with Leukemia.

The previous Wednesday, she acting a little sluggish, and by Thursday it was obvious she was getting a “cold”, probably strep or tonsillitis, a common malady in our brood of seven. Thursday evening we took her to a minor care facility and she tested positive for strep. That night we

also noticed she was getting petechiae (tiny “blood dots”) on her neck and cheek. My wife is an RN, I’m fairly medically savvy, and we both knew this was a concern. We decided we would get her in to our Pediatrician immediately the next day.

By morning, several bruises began to appear on Abby, and we were honest enough with ourselves to expect that the word “leukemia” was probably going to be part of our vocabulary in the future. After a day of running tests, When the Doctor walked in to give us results around 3 p.m., the diagnosis was written all over her face before the words passed over her lips. By sunset, we were at Children’s Hospital in OKC, pumping our three year old full of antibiotics, fresh blood and fluids.

On Monday (I’m writing this Saturday night), Abby will get a bone marrow aspiration, a biopsy, a spinal tap and her first dose of chemo. The leukemia type will be determined and a treatment journey laid out. Monday will not be fun, but should be full of blessing and opportunity to minister.

“How are you doing?” we are repeatedly asked.

We are neither casual nor despondent. As Christians, we have no reason to despair, nor is this a light burden. Abby could die. Abby could be healed. Abby could live a long life. Abby could be with us a few years and relapse, which statistically, is probable death. We pray of course for Abby’s total healing, and ask you to pray for the same. The end result however, is in the Sovereign Lord’s gracious hands, and we freely place our daughter in His most capable care, and accept the future as God’s perfect will.

The "facts" in any situation are tempered by the spiritual truths we know as Christians.

Intellectually and emotionally, we understand the medical facts of this cancer, and yet, it is all tempered spiritually. Our faith in God ensures us with both clarity and finality that all medical statistics and human experience is subject to the blessed sovereignty of God. It is in that omnicompassion that we take refuge, find rest, and place our hope. God may miraculously heal. God may have other plans. No matter, God will see us through and He is most glorified when His children genuinely place their trust in Him. We know that God has not blinked. He is not busy somewhere else. No matter the eventual outcome, we have the hope of eternity which overshadows this vapor of temporal life, and the anticipation of God’s glory revealed through the inevitability of His sufficient grace. God’s hand is already clear and evident in the circumstances.

Consider this…

Out of tens of thousands of kids that we could have adopted from Guatemala, God providentially orchestrated Abby to be that child. He already knew her future needs, both spiritually and physically. God arranged for her to have family and community that have shown her the love of God and begun to teach her about Jesus, as well the ability to provide life-saving medical treatment.

As for me and my wife, I know that God will have some SPECIFIC purposes for this trial, meant just for us and our family. I cannot tell you what those are now, but sometime in the future, I believe they will be clearly revealed. However, from Scripture, I can tell you some general blessings God has for us through this hour of difficulty (and it is just as true for YOU too in your times of trial):

              

Produce patience - Rom. 5:3; James 1:3–4; Heb. 10:36 Bring joy - Ps. 30:5; 126:5–6 Help us mature - Eccles. 7:3; 1 Pet. 5:10 Increase righteousness - Heb. 12:11 Transform us into the image of Christ - Heb. 12:9, 10; 1 Pet. 4:12–13; Phil. 3:10; 2 Cor. 4:7–10 Bring glory to God - Ps. 50:15; John 9:1–3; 11:1–4; 21:18–19; Phil. 1:19–20 Prove our relationship with God - Heb. 12:5–6 Cultivate prayer - Isa. 26:16 Be an example to others - 2 Cor. 6:4–5; 1 Thess. 1:6–7 Help us to counsel others - Rom. 12:15; Gal. 6:2; 2 Cor. 1:3–5 Be a witness of salvation - Acts 8:1–5; 16:25–34; Phil. 1:12–13; 2 Tim. 4:6–8, 16–17 Make us victorious - 2 Cor. 2:14; Rom. 8:35, 37 Drive us to God - 1 Pet. 4:14; 2 Cor. 12:10 Prepare us for ministry - 1 Kings 17–18; John 12:24 Reveal God’s sovereignty - Rom. 8:28; 1 Cor. 10:13; Ps. 66:10–12; Gen. 45:5–8; 50:20

Has God presented you with an opportunity of faith and thanksgiving? Maybe He has but you haven’t learn to see it that way yet. While increased faith comes in many ways, VERY often it is achieved through trials, hardship, suffering and uncertainty. Do you see it for the blessing that it is? Do you thank God for it?

My wife and I would ask you to pray for Abby, and for our family. While this will be fleeting “news” for friends and family, short of God’s miraculous intervention, it will become “life” for us for the next 2-3 years. That is not a criticism of people or I would have to criticize myself first.

It is the natural order and process of life. Life moves on. We don’t forget those who labor or suffer, but life does in fact, move on. Even as life moves on for all of us, would you put us on your prayer list for the foreseeable future, and make brief mention of us in your supplications to God? We would specifically ask you to pray for the following:

   

The complete healing of the Leukemia by whatever means, in whatever way, and in whatever time frame brings God the most glory… from the miraculous to the medicinal.

Trust and faith in God no matter what happens. Patience and strength for the actual procedures and responsibilities that lie ahead.

Wisdom and provision for what will be a significant financial issue for us. Opportunity to share the love of Jesus with the staff and doctors.

Please pray for those families and children who do not have the blessing of the health care we have in America.

I pray that through this, I personally will have a better understanding of faith, compassion, human nature and God’s nature… so that all in all, I can be a better minister, teacher, husband and father.

Visit Brent's site at: www.seriousfaith.com

7/15/2008 9:59:00 PM

Update on Abby and Pictures Update on Abby: Abby was diagnosed with Leukemia on July 11th. Monday, the 14th, she had all the bone marrow and spinal fluid examinations.

She has “A.L.L.”, which is the more treatable kind of Leukemia with an 80% cure average. She has a “high risk” version of ALL though, and has to be treated more aggressively because her white blood cells were DOUBLING every day… that is an unusual high risk development that shows the Leukemia to be extremely aggressive.

She’ll receive a lot of chemo and medication for the next month, in and out of the hospital weekly.

After the first month, the doctors will re-evaluate how she is responding and lay out a long term plan for her, but it will likely be six months with lots of treatment, and then 2-3 years of monthly treatment.

Of the 20% of children that are not cured, they relapse in the first three years and have less than a 5% recovery rate from a relapse.

We ask your prayers for:

      

Abby's healing For the nausea and vomiting to subside Rest; we’re only getting a handful of hours a night, and we’re very tired Clarity in making decisions about her treatment, juggling high risk considerations Wisdom to deal with the changes in our life, financial matters and arrangements Strength enough to not let our other children slip through the cracks of our attention and parenting Opportunities to minister to all those around us.

We covet your prayers and thank you for them in advance.

Brent & Michelle Riggs

This is Abby before her first chemo

Abby rested well after the treatments, but was so tired.

Abby has a crush on a wonderful boy whose family is friends of ours. Abby loves him so much and tells EVERYONE about him. He made her day when he visited her in the hospital.He is an incredible kid.

Thanks again for praying for Abby and our family, and for asking others to pray. Knowing that others are praying for our precious daughter means more to us than we can express. Thank you also for all of your comments and emails. They are read and reread especially during those quiet times when my daughter is asleep.

7/18/2008 12:57:00 AM

God's Statistics Yesterday I posted pictures and an update on Abby. Today I wanted to post something that my husband wrote, because it means so much to me.

Abby is getting close to going home. Thank you so much for praying for her and for our whole family.

Below is what my husband wrote on http://www.seriousfaith.com/ on Tuesday.

God's Statistics Hebrews 13:5-6 ... “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (NKJV) Our adopted Guatemalan daughter, Abby, was diagnosed with Leukemia 4 days ago. Here are some statistics about kids with Leukemia:

      

5000 - The number of kids in America who will be diagnosed with Leukemia this year 9x - The factor of children who are 2-4 years old when diagnosed with Leukemia 60% - The percentage of children who get the more curable version of Leukema called A.L.L. (which we found out last night is the kind Abby has) 66% - The percentage of people who completely recover from A.L.L. 90% - The percentage of children ages 2-4 that recover from Leukemia 10% - The percentage of children who relapse, usually within three years 5% - The chance of recovering from a relapse of Leukemia

Those are medical statistics. Let me give you some "God Statistics":

        

1 - The number of times Jesus gave His life to pay for our sins 0 - The number of times God is not watching over every second of our life and every hair on our head 0% - The chance that God will forsake or forget one of His children 0% - The percentage of children with Leukemia that God does not care about 100% - The percentage of hope that Christians have no matter what the circumstances 100% - The chance that God will hear the prayers of His suffering children 100% - The percentage of times that every single situation works out exactly the way God wants it to 100% - The percentage of people who are blessed when they trust God, thank God, and rejoice in God no matter what the circumstances Infinite - The amount of love, patience, mercy, compassion and attention God has for each and every one of His own.

Medical statistics are very real. By themselves, they can be very difficult, sometimes impossible to confront and accept. As Christians, we have the blessing of filtering all human statistics through "God's statistics". Notice that God's numbers are absolutes... all or none. No guessing, no gray area, no margin of error. It is in those absolutes, that Christians find security. It is in those boundaries and constraints we get comfort. It is the surety of "all" or "never" that we anchor the frail ships of this life.

God never forgets about us.

God always does what is best for us.

God never deceives us.

God always cares.

The absolutes of God's statistics... have you ever considered them? What's going on in your life? Are you anchored to, hoping in, and look towards the "always" and "never" of God's promises?

7/20/2008 9:39:00 PM

Abby's Home Thank you all so much for praying for our family. Abby was able to go home over the weekend. Praise God. It was wonderful to be together as a family again. Abby's brothers and sister are so happy to have her home. Tomorrow we are going back to the hospital for more tests and chemo, but we are praising God for the time that we had together today.

Tomorrow (Monday) Abby will have another bone marrow aspiration, spinal tap and 3 chemo drugs. We will know tomorrow how she is responding to the medication. I am excited that we will find out how she is responding to the treatment, but my heart is breaking that she will have to go though so much tomorrow.

Daddy cut her hair yesterday. I love how he cut it. Shorter hair will make it look better as it thins and not so scary when it starts to come out.

Abby has been very fascinated with the all of the wigs and hair pieces that you can buy at black hair stores. She has watched Sami wear drawstring ponytails and she loves them. We have had so much fun "playing" with Sami's hair. How wonderful that God used our fun to help prepare Abby for what is happening now.

Would you please pray that Abby would be free of pain and nausea and that she wouldn't be scared. Please also continue to also pray for her healing. I can't even imagine saying good-bye to my precious little girl.

7/22/2008 8:43:00 PM

Update on Abby - Day 8 and Hospital Pictures Abby had her Day 8 treatments today, bone marrow aspiration, spinal tap, chemo. She still has 6% leukemia in her bone marrow. That was disappointing, we were hoping for, and expecting, zero.

It was a bit difficult to hear the Doctor put the best face on it by saying "the bright side is that she is making progress."

She has significant problems with her liver that they are trying to figure out. It is a serious complication. They are bringing a specialist on board to help decide what is wrong, and what to do.

We spent all day yesterday, and most of the day today in the hospital. We aren't getting much sleep, and so our most specific prayer request besides Abby's healing, is for my wife and I to get rest. Today is our wedding anniversary... not our favorite choice of how to celebrate, but at least we were together all day.

Sami goes to the hospital with us every time and helps Abby with every little thing she needs. God obviously brought Sami hear to be part of Abby's life at just the right time.

Abby doing crafts with Sami before procedures.

Sami with a new doll from the clinic folks.

Abby gets to finger paint while getting fresh blood.

Sami passes time while Abby is getting treated.

Abby hams it up with the finger paint; still getting some fresh blood.

Sami gets in on the finger paint action.

7/25/2008 10:38:00 PM

Thanks and Update Thank you so much for all of your prayers and comments. They encourage and bless us so much. Our family is pretty tired tonight. Abby began bruising again today and her doctor wanted us to bring her back to the hospital. It is pretty normal to need transfusions at this stage of treatment.

They admitted us into a room with lots of space and a tv/vcr that helps the girls pass the time. It is such a blessing to be able to relax while Abby is being treated. She only needed platelets, so we will be able to go home when they are done. We will probably be here six hours total. I know that sounds bad, but we are excited that we will be able to go home.

Samrawit wanted to come with us and the girls had a lot of fun watching movies. I am proud of them for turning something that is pretty boring into a slumber party.

Tomorrow we have our six month postplacement visit for Sami. I can hardly believe that it is only been a short time since she has been home. It is very hard to remember what it was like before she arrived. She is a joy to be with. I love caring for my precious daughter.

Well the platelets are finished and we get to go home! I am very tired, so I am not sure that this is making a lot of sense, but I wanted to update you tonight, so that I could thank everyone for all that you are doing for our family. So many people have reached out to our family and we are more grateful that I can express.

We would appreciate your continued prayers.

7/26/2008 9:53:00 AM

Abby's Chocolate Blood The first time Abby got a blood transfusion I (Brent) told her it was "chocolate pudding". She knew I was joking but has since always referred to it as "chocolate blood".

She was home this morning from a transfusion and she said to me this morning, "Daddy, I got a whole bunch of chocolate blood last night".

She's so cute. The first thing she asks when she wakes up every morning, "Dad-dee, I need to take me pee-uhl." (pill) She hates the nasty tasting things but she knows they a make her "sick blood well". So every morning, and before bed she reminds us to give her "pee-uhl" and several other meds.

We wake up every morning now expecting her hair to have fallen out. Each day we have it, we enjoy it, and take more pics of her. I cut off about 6 inches last week, so that it wouldn't be quite so traumatic on her. It sounds kind of silly coming from a grown man, but giving her that haircut myself (I cut all the boys hair, but only trim the girls and my wife who go to the stylist for the real stuff)... giving Abby that haircut was a very special to me, and was something I'll never forget given the circumstances.

Abby after cutting about half the length off her hair.

7/26/2008 5:19:00 PM

Get Up In There Daddy I (Brent) was playing around with Sami, and in the course of joking around said “you got a bunch of boogers in your nose…”

To which she coolly replied, (now remember, she’s only been speaking English 4 months): “Well then why don’t you just get all up in there, Dad…” The girl is a laugh a minute… and she knows it.

7/29/2008 10:09:00 AM

Morning Instructions From Landis Our kids wake up in the morning, and they aren't allowed to get out of their bed until we come and get them. They will play and make "quiet noise" hoping to get our attention, but they stay in their beds.

This morning, our TWO YEAR OLD, whose communication skills are obviously increasing exponentially, gave us a big laugh with the most clear and concise sentence he kept repeating loudly enough for us to hear. It's the first time he said it, and my wife and I were about to bust a gut laughing over it.

"I would like someone to come here and get me out of this bed... ... ... RIGHT NOW... ... ... please."

"I would like someone to come here and get me out of this bed... ... ... RIGHT NOW... ... ... please."

Perfect enunciation and timing. We thought we were hearing things. He was so proud of himself.

Yes, he's THAT full of himself!

7/29/2008 11:11:00 PM

Samrawit's First Haircut and Prayer Request No, Sami didn't get her hair cut. She got to help give her first haircut. Sami has been talking a lot about wanting to cut hair when she is older.

Brent decided to let her help cut Landis's hair. Sami was thrilled to get to do it.

Landis the guinea pig...

Landis... having the time of his life! Not scared one bit!

Sami and one of her favorite friends at our churches picnic.

Sami calls "T" her glue friend because they stick together.

Samrawit eating her first snow cone.

Sami having fun...

Big brother, Dane, with Landis

Dane and Abby. Abby loves her big brother. We are on day 15 of chemo. Abby's hair is starting to get thinner, but it is still looking good. I am loving every extra day that she still has it. Abby know that after it is out she will get to cut daddy's hair off. Every time Abby looses a hair she tries to talk me into giving her the scissors for Daddy's hair. Today she said that she was going to cut off his chest hair too. LOL.

Abby's favorite guy playing with Sami's hair. "L" goofing off helped Abby see that some of the changes will be fun.

'L" is going to be a great daddy someday.

Abby has had some tummy troubles tonight and tomorrow is her bone marrow aspiration and chemo. We are hoping to learn why her liver is not functioning as well as they would like. Please pray for her pain, nausea and that her liver will be functioning well enough to get the chemo tomorrow. Please also pray for us and her doctors to make wise decisions concerning her liver.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.

7/31/2008 2:11:00 PM

Praise, Requests and Pictures Very good news today about Abby. She has ZERO Leukemia cells in her bone marrow now, so the chemo is working properly. Her doctors are very optimistic that she will be in remission in 2 weeks. Her liver problems seem to have corrected as well and what we thought were going to be serious complications, appear to be less serious than they suspected. Her doctors are still waiting for results from one liver test, but we are very encouraged by the results that we already have.

Now the purpose of the chemo is to 1) find any Leukemia that is "hiding" elsewhere in her body, 2) keep the Leukemia from coming back (this will take 6 months), and 3) for 2.5 years of treatment (chemo), keep her "Leukemia-free". After decades of medical history, they know this is the optimal treatment time to achieve the 90% cure rate they now have for her type of Leukemia.

That's all great news for the big picture, but... poor Abby had a REALLY tough day after the bone marrow aspiration and chemo. She has been throwing up and going to the bathroom non-stop, and just looks pitiful. Her hair appears to be starting to fall out. She hasn't moved off our lap all day.

So rejoice with us that she seems to be heading towards remission, and pray with us that her little 28lb. body will endure the discomfort and quickly recover.

Would you please pray that:

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Praise God for the healing that has already taken place For relief from her stomach problems. She has lost 3 pounds this week.

That the liver tests would come back negative

This picture was taken on Wednesday at the clinic. The chemo was making her so sick.

The rest of the pictures were taken last weekend. Abby usually has a few days were she is feeling better, in between rounds of chemo.

She is such a sweet girl, even when she is feeling bad. We are praying that she will have some good days this weekend.

Samrawit has a reunion this weekend. A lot of the older kids from her orphanage will be meeting on Saturday about 9 hours from us. Sami has talked about seeing the girls for months. The plan is for Michelle to take her, if Abby is doing OK. Please pray that Abby will have a good weekend, that things will go smoothly at home and that the reunion will be fun for Samrawit. Please also say a prayer for me (Michelle). It is going to be so hard to leave Abby, but it is important for all of our children to know that we love them and that we are going to take care of them, even in the midst of caring for Abby.

8/1/2008 11:25:00 PM

Time To Cry

By Brent Riggs There are times in life when circumstances are so intense it’s hard to communicate the range and depth of emotion, even for a writer. The diagnosis of cancer for your three year old adopted daughter would qualify as such a time.

My wife and I are “managers” in the face of crisis. We bandage first, express shock later; mend broken bones first, feel upset later. So for two weeks since the diagnosis of Leukemia, we’ve done what we’ve had to do to care for Abby and get her on the road to recovery.

The lack of many tears (oh, there's been some, yes) up until now is not callousness, it’s self control mixed with a little “natural personality”. It strength for each other, strength for our family and friends, strength for Abby. She’s scared enough (as are the other children and family). She, and they, don’t need to see us over-wrought with grief or sadness.

Over the past two weeks, concerning Abby:

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We’ve watched the bruises and rashes appear.

We’ve wondered about her wanting to sleep all the time.

We were concerned about her getting sick easily.



We watched as two doctors entered the examining room and asked if the other children could go down the hall and play. No good news ever comes following that.

We heard the words “cancer” and “leukemia” for the first time, and “yes, we are sure”.

We’ve listened to the phrases“high risk”, “extremely aggressive” and “three years of chemo”.

We’ve watched a dozen needles buried in her back, hip and spine.

We’ve had to HOLD DOWN Abby screaming as they plunged two syringes deep into both thighs, at the same time. Remember, we’re talking about a three year old that doesn’t even understand what’s wrong.

We’ve had to restrain her while yet another adhesive bandage is torn off the same delicate, broken-down, inflamed skin, over and over.

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We’ve watched her intensely throw up over and over.

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She’s in the bathroom a dozen times a day.

She is weak and wonders why she can’t do what the other kids do.

We’ve watched her drop several pounds off her little 30lb frame.

We’re witnessing her hair falling out, and her lack of energy.

We listen to her pretend about far too many things that child her age should not know about:

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“Daddy, I want to put an IV in your arm” “Look Mommy, I’m putting new blood in my tube” “I’m listening to babies heartbeat” (Landis, 2 year old brother) “My blood is sick and I have to have medicine or I won’t grow up like Bubba” (16 year old brother) “That little girl (in the hospital) has cancer too, like me” “Momma, I don’t like him” (a scared response to seeing a child who is particularly sickly in appearance; what she means is ‘I’m scared of how they look, and I don’t want that to happen to me’)

Self-control or not, “management-of-crisis personality” or not, at some point things start getting to you emotionally. I don’t mean just needing a good cry. I’m talking about the erosion of your emotional reserve across the board.

Our day today (Friday, August 1st) would testify to that reality.

This morning, I got all impatient about some trash in the car. The trash was left over from our trips to the hospital. My poor wife had already unloaded stuff from the car several times (as we all had). But her JERK husband comes along and gets frustrated because he is “getting tired of finding straw wrappers, cups, toys and crumbs” in the car. Does a straw wrapper and a spilled drink in the car really mean ANYTHING in light of the reason why the stuff was in the car in the car in the first place? Geez… what was I thinking?

My wife, already on the edge of emotional strain, and very tired from whole ordeal, is instantly in a flood of tears even though she almost never cries over such things. To her credit, I was able to apologize, and of course she forgave me. She just asked me to hug her and love her. She’s a blessing. I was selfish.

How can something so inconsequential get elevated to tearful conflict? It's not typical for us.

A couple of hours later, she had to leave with Samrawit (our 9 yr old from Ethiopia), to a long awaited reunion with the other orphans she lived with in Africa. It’s hard to explain how sad I was watching them drive away, and before their car was out of sight, I was genuinely overcome with missing both of them. This trip was a long time coming. There was no real reason to feel overly emotional. As I said, I think it’s ALL catching up to me (us) now. I’m happy for my wife to get a couple of days break… even more so given my ridiculous griping that morning.

The final straw tonight was insignificant on the surface, but very revealing nonetheless. I was watching a movie while the kids were napping. It was some cop/crime movie, nothing all that memorable. About halfway through, this cop and his family (wife, daughter, brother, niece) actually hold hands and say “grace” for dinner. It was two sentences:



“Heavenly Father, thank you for this food and the hands who prepared it. Thank you for all your many blessings, Amen”.

In the time it took to say those two sentences, tears were dripping down my face. Why? I think largely in part to the already overstrained emotions, and I’d like to think partly because I was genuinely touched that the pagans in Hollywood actually portrayed a NORMAL Christian activity with no implication of them being weird, perverts, backwards or hypocritical.

I ask God to help me control my tears. I pray that they may be shed only when it glorifies God, in whatever way, for genuinely righteous reasons, whether public or private. I do not like, nor want to be part of the overly-feminized, ‘self esteem’, emotionally weak culture that dominates the males in our society. Our families and wives need MEN, strong Godly men, not metro-sexual, cry-baby weaklings.

Don’t mistake “self control” (or more appropriately, ‘submission to the Holy Spirit’) for callousness, or a hard heart. No, sir. I cry at the drop of a hat over the hurt of others, tender moments between loved ones and genuine suffered loss. The closer the situation is to God’s heart, the more prone I am to tears:

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A child’s earnest prayer The rejection of God by a soul destined for hell The persecution of other Christians The suffering of the innocent The joy of seeing God bless His children

I would like to think that comes from spiritual compassion and love for God that the Creator ALONE grants us through His unfathomable mercy and grace. WE cannot manufacture it… we are blessed with it by a loving God. I thank God for these intensely emotional, even heartbreaking times.

They remind us we are alive, that life is unpredictable, and that God is ALWAYS there to protect, love, comfort and keep us from being lonely. Is there anything warmer and more soothing than the arms of our dear Savior when life is at it’s worst?

As I type this sentence the tears are streaming down my face.

My wife will read this while being 10 hours away from me this weekend... sweetheart, I love you with all my heart. Thank you for forgiving me.

I’m here for you. I can’t imagine life without you.

I’m going to go hug Abby.

8/7/2008 10:16:00 PM

Hannah's Hope Reunion It was hard to leave Abby when I took Samrawit to the reunion, but we felt that it was very important for her to attend. Samrawit's friends greeted her with huge smiles and tears of happiness. Seeing them together confirmed that we were exactly where God wanted us to be.

Samrawit loved every minute that she was with her friends. I am thankful that we were able to attend.

Sharron (http://www.youneekgang.blogspot.com/) Lori and the other local families did a wonderful job organizing the weekend. There were lots of fun activities for the kids and plenty of time for kids and adults to talk. I loved meeting the parents and seeing how all of the kids were adjusting to their new homes. The children love their new families so much. The love their parents have for them was beautiful to watch. The weeks before the reunion were tough but spending time with so many wonderful Christian women was just what I needed to recharge my batteries. I hope this will be an annual event.

The colors of the Ethiopian flag are red, yellow and green. The Ethiopian adoptees wore yellow, their siblings wore green shirts and their parents wore red shirts.

12 friends reunited

Pool Time Fun

These boys were friends BEFORE they were at Hannah's Hope. How wonderful that they are able to maintain their friendship.

Three of the original children at Hannah's Hope. You can see a video of them arriving at the orphanage at http://www.allgodschildren.org/about/videos/

All of the siblings had a blast at the reunion.

I can't for Abby to meet Sharron's daughter.

Abby will love having a new friend from Guatemala.

The older girls had a sleepover on the first night. I loved hearing them whisper in Amharic and giggle.

Sami loves playing with dolls, especially if she is with great friends.

Check out their families blogs at http://www.youneekgang.blogspot.com/ http://www.holdingfasttoyou.blogspot.com/

8/11/2008 4:19:00 PM

Abby update and more HH pictures

Thank you Maria and Isabella.

Abby loved the shirt that you sent her. You made her day!

Two seconds later, Abby "tooted" and as you can see, was VERY proud of herself!

About a week after Abby’s Leukemia diagnosis, she had elevated liver enzymes and the doctors were very concerned about it. Abby initially tested reactive to Hepatitis C, so the Docs ran some more specific and accurate tests to verify. Those test came back last week NEGATIVE for Hep-C. Her liver enzymes have also now come back into acceptable ranges (for Leukemia), so we praise God for that, and sincerely thank everyone who prayed for Abby.

The doctors will watch her liver numbers closely as she was 12 times higher than normal when all this began. It is truly an answer to prayer.

Thank you for praying with us. We hope you will take joy in this answered prayer too.

Abby has a very important clinic appointment on Wednesday. It will be her 29th day of treatment. Her doctors will do a bone marrow aspiration and spinal tap to determine if she is in remission. If she is not in remission, they will need to continue giving her high doses of chemo until she is in remission. We are praying and fully expecting that she is in remission on Wednesday.

Remission (no Leukemia in the bone marrow), on the 29th day of treatment means that her chemo for the next six months will be less severe and most important to us, her chances of survival (statistically speaking according to the Doctors) are much higher (as opposed to not being remission). We know that God can heal her, no matter what the statistics say, but of course we are still praying for good news on Wednesday.

We believe God heals both miraculously, and through the providential gifts of healthcare and medicine as He sees fit to His glory.

So far, Abby has not experienced most of the harsher side effects of her treatment. We are very thankful for that blessing from God. She is weak and very tired most of the time. Chemo has a cumulative effect and each week she gets more tired. She struggles with being constipated and an aching stomach. She is such a sweetheart. She has had the best attitude during the last month. Thank you again for praying for her.

This was my favorite picture.

It is of the girls praying together, before we left the reunion.

The kids loved doing crafts.

At the older girls slumber party, some of the girls have been home for a year and others just arrived.

Samrawit was at the orphanage longer than any other child.

She new all of the girls and enjoyed continuing their friendships.

At church on Sunday.

Water balloon volleyball was a hit.

Their smiles say it all.

8/13/2008 7:15:00 PM

Update on Abby Riggs - Aug 13 - Last Day of Induction

By Brent Today was a milestone day. It was the last day of “induction” which is the initial treatment phase of cancer. The goal of induction is to attack the cancer with all guns blazing, and get Abby into “remission” (no cancer present in the bone marrow).

Induction is followed by 6 months of “consolidation” which is, in lay terms, “kick’em while they’re down”. The treatments are meant to find and kill any Leukemia that might have migrated in the body to “hide”, and to keep any new cancer forming. After induction, you've got the cancer on the run, and consolidation is meant to be the "coup de grace" (knockout punch).

Consolidation is followed by 2.5-3.0 years of “maintenance” chemotherapy meant to keep any new cancer from forming, and kill it if it does.

Each phase (induction, consolidation, maintenance) is less intense.

Within those three phases, a patient has a risk level: normal, high, ultra high. Abby was “high risk” immediately because her white blood cells skyrocketed exponentially the first week of her diagnosis. This was an indication of an extremely aggressive cancer. The higher the risk, the more intense the chemotherapy which comes with greater degrees of side effects, and a lesser chance of survival.

Today we had fully expected, and the doctors as well, that Abby would be declared in complete remission and be cancer free. From the bone marrow examination this morning, the doctors still they think see Leukemia but need a more sophisticated test to know for sure. They are going to try and do the test with the bone marrow they extracted today, but may need another sample, which would happen next Wednesday. If this advanced test comes back negative for cancer cells, Abby will be officially in remission. If not, then her “consolidation” period will be much more intense therapy.

Either way (positive or negative) she will not be treated as "normal risk"; she is either going to be "high risk" or "ultra high risk", both of which come with lesser degrees of optimistic prognosis. This is because she started out high risk, and her remission is in question at this point, when normally, it would not be. So she will be a high risk patient… it’s the degree of high risk we don’t know yet.

Her blood counts look good at this point (for a cancer patient in chemotherapy). Abby still cannot be out in public, or around anyone that sick.

She is off the steroids now, so her energy should return quickly, and her poor little bloated tummy should go away.

Honestly, it was not a very happy result today (circumstantially), but God is in control, and we put everything in His hands. We knew this process was not going to be smooth or easy, and there would be lots of opportunity for faith along the way. We rejoice in the peaks and valleys because God walks with us in both.

Please pray with us that the advanced tests will be available (the doctors are cashing in a favor because this test is not officially available right now), that the tests will show her to be cancer-free; that God will heal Abby; and that we will continue to trust God and look for opportunities to minister to others.

Abby just minutes before today's procedures.

Her smile betrays how tired she is all the time. You can see here that the steroids have puffed up her face (her tummy too).

She will be off steroids for a while, so her energy should return quickly, and the puffiness will go away. Her hair is noticeably thinner now. We still pray she'll keep some hair, but the upcoming chemo, according to doctors, will probably cause the rest of it to fall out. Abby is looking forward to cutting off Daddy's hair if her hair falls out (a deal I made with her when she first noticed other children with no hair).

Dad and Abby going for a ride on the four wheeler a few days ago. Our neighbor has a big yard that we

take nice slow, but fun, rides across. Abby loves it. (for all you Mom's out there, we ride on nice soft grass, about 1mph... so no helmets are necessary.)

8/14/2008 6:43:00 PM

Abby is in the Hospital The post before this one gives an update on the results of Abby's cancer tests and updated prayer requests.

Today Abby is on her way back to the hospital. She is being admitted to the hospital as of 3:30pm today. She is running a high fever.

For cancer patients doing intense chemo, this is very serious. You don’t wait… you just head straight for the hospital. Abby has almost no ability to fight an infection, which a high fever indicates, and unlike people with normal blood and immunity, anything from a cold to internal bleeding can kill her. Her blood counts are good for a “chemo patient” but WAY below what is normal for you and I.

   

Please pray for her to get to the hospital quickly and safely.

Please pray that the antibiotics they will give her will work quickly and effectively.

Please pray for wisdom for the doctors.

Please pray for us to have opportunity for faith and ministry to those around us.

She’ll most likely be in the hospital two or three days MINIMUM. Abby's energy is up, because she is off of the steroids. Even though she has an infection, she is feeling better than she did last week. Any improvement is a blessing and we are enjoying our time together.

Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement.

This is Abby a short time before her diagnosis. You can see in current pics, compared to the past,how the steroids have made her tired and puffy.

Her hair is really thick and long here.

She's off the steroids for a while, so we look forward to her getting her energy back, and losing the puffiness.

Despite being really tired all the time, and dealing with the effects of the steriods (bloating, stomach aches), Abby is still happy and a joy to be around.

Here is Abby tonight in the hospital. She got a "poke" (IV) and is running a fever, but like always is still a joy and ready to smile. She's getting antibiotics and fluids that we pray will kill off whatever infection is present. Despite all the discomfort Abby remains loving, pleasant and affectionate.

8/15/2008 7:29:00 PM

Abby in the Hospital - Aug 15th From Brent Abby is in the hospital and looks like she’ll be there for a few days. She has been on antibiotics for 24 hours, and her fever did not go down. This afternoon they gave her a fever reducer, and her temperature went UP… so we’re a little concerned for obvious reasons.

She has to be in the hospital 24-48 hours with no fever, and so far, her temperature has only gone up.

Please pray that the antibiotics they will give her will work quickly and effectively.

Please pray for wisdom for the doctors.

Please pray for us to have opportunity for faith and ministry to those around us.

She has to be in the hospital for 48 hours WITH NO FEVER. As of 7:13pm Friday, she is still floating between 101 and 102, even with a fever reducer.

Abby eating her favorite snack after waking up from a feverish nap. Like always she smiles and is loving even though she feels bad.

8/17/2008 12:04:00 AM

Abby's Saturday From Michelle: Saturday was the hardest day so far. Abby's fever got as high as 103. They are giving her IV antibiotics and medicine to reduce her fever, but it isn't working as well as we wished it would. She is still laughing and smiling a lot of the time, but there are more moments where she is saying she hurts and she has cried a few times. Boy it hurts to have her lay quietly in my arms and feel her tears drip off of her face. She is so sweet and happy most of the time, that it is easy to forget, for a minute, how much her little body is going through.

We are not complainers. The room that we have been in was very small and only had a foldout chair for me to sleep on. Tonight I asked if we could get a larger room and thankfully they said yes. Our new room has a fold out couch that Abby and I can sleep on together. Abby was so happy that she could be closer to Mommy. It is such a little thing, but it was comforting to her.

This picture was taken of Abby on Saturday. She is so tired.

Friday with her favorite guy, she was feeling tired, but still able to have some fun.

Here she is signing "L" cast.

Boy, he had to work hard to get her to laugh, but Abby is STILL laughing about his silly dance.

Abby and "L" coloring. I love seeing her smile.

Here is a recent picture of Landis, just because I miss him.

Sami is staying with her "best" friend. Sami says that she is her glue friend, because they stick so close together. I love it that she is close to kids at our church. With a larger hospital room, they can be here more, as soon as Abby starts doing a little better. I miss them all so much. Daddy has been going back and forth between home and the hospital. Spending time with Abby, making sure that all of the other kids are ok and working hasn't been easy for him, but he does it without a complaint. I am so blessed to have Brent for a husband.We really appreciate all of your prayers, comments and emails. So many people have stepped forward to help us locally. We are blessed to have great family and friends. Thanks for everything.

8/19/2008 12:18:00 AM

Update on Abby & the family...

By Brent Abby is still in the hospital, her fever has not gone down. As of tonight, it was actually up over 102. She’s had a fever now for almost a week. She is supposed to have surgery and a bone marrow aspiration tomorrow, a consultation on Thursday, and new chemo drugs on Monday. All of that is in question because of the fever. It is critical that her next phase of chemo begin before the Leukemia can regroup and attack.

Of course, that is all medically speaking. We know that God is in control, and He is watching over our precious daughter.

There are so many things happening, it would almost be comical, if it wasn’t all so serious. As of today, my wife is getting treated for an infection that she probably picked up in the hospital. Tonight, Sami is in the emergency room with her grandmother downstairs at the same hospital as Abby, with some sort of infection on her leg. My wife thinks it might be a spider bite. It is a grouping of blistered, swollen spots on the back of her leg.

While my poor wife is stuck at the hospital, and sick herself, I'm juggling kids, school, house, laundry and work. We have family and friends graciously helping with the children so that I can give sufficient attention to my job. My employer is having some legitimate financial issues due to the economy, and we were notified last week it would require a 50% pay cut for us. We appreciate, for obvious reasons, that our health insurance will remain in force. I have no negative feelings towards my employer. They are good people, and other people actually got laid off while I did not. I’m thankful they genuinely care about our situation with Abby.

We are not in a crisis financially. We live fairly frugally and do not use consumer debt. We live financially the way I teach other people on http://www.brentriggsmoney.com/. Debt-free living anticipates increases and decreases in income. We will certainly have to make some major adjustments, but adjustments are not the same as turmoil or crisis. Our loving God is providing for us, and it is patently clear already that this cut in pay is no surprise to Him. He has never failed us on any level.

Thank you for your prayers and kind encouragement. It is greatly appreciated. Please pray for the health and healing of our family, and most of all, that we will draw people to God by continuing to trust in the Lord. God is so good and we are full of joy to have such a wonderful opportunity to increase our faith and see God answering prayer every day. God’s grace is sufficient for us and in our weakness, His power is perfected.

Landis, Abby and Sami shortly after Sami arrived from Ethiopia.

This is a fresh pic of Abby tonight.

They have to keep sticking her with needles to draw blood samples, and they have just poked her full of holes trying. Please pray they will get blood the first time they try without digging around on her.

8/19/2008 12:24:00 PM

Immediate Prayer Requests There is a detailed post under this one, but we have some new requests to add.

Abby's doctors/nurses hope to do her bone marrow aspiration and place a PICC line today, under conscious sedation. This will mean that she will not feel the procedure and will not remember it. With the new PICC line, they will not have to stick her for most blood draws or to give IV medication.

They also want to do an ultrasound of her tummy, to try to find out what is causing her liver enzymes to go up.

They ordered a more powerful antibiotic to be given, in addition to the other antibiotics. Abby is having a reaction to it. It is a medication that she really needs, but it is making her very uncomfortable. She is swelling, has a rash and is itching. She keeps scratching her head, and a ton of hair is falling out, which is making her itch more. They have given her medicine to help her with these side effects, but it took a while for them to go away. She needs this medication every 8 hours. They hope that by giving her benadryl before each dose, that it will be much easier for her.

Her face was so red and swollen.

Thank you so much for praying for her during these procedures.

8/20/2008 8:50:00 PM

Update on Abby Doing Much Better Abby had a busy day yesterday, but a productive one. She was really tired last night, but gradually felt much better through the day.

It feels so good to have my daughter back. Yesterday they placed a PICC line, so they won't need to stick Abby when they need to get a sample of her blood or give her IV fluids. Because of Abby's eczema, the PICC line is a temporary solution, but it is wonderful to have it until she can get the more permanent kind of port.

They were able to do the bone marrow aspiration, so that we can get the highly specialized test done. They continue to give her powerful antibiotics (that seem to be working since the fever is down) that made her itch like nuts, then some Benadryl to stop the itch. The ultrasound of her liver showed no problems and they continue to run tests on it.

She has not had a fever since last night. If her temperature remains normal we will get to go home tomorrow after a consultation with our primary Doctor about what the course of treatment is for the next six months (known as the "consolidation" phase).

Abby and Samrawit playing the hospitals play room. This was the first time that Abby felt up to playing in it since we have been here.

Landis liked the tools best.

Abby loved playing with her new toys today.

She kept asking about her "Guatemala friend".

Thank you Phylis and Kristen for brightening her day.

Abby flirting with Daddy.

Thanks to my sister, Abby was able to eat the food that she has been craving. Thanks you Mimi, from the Queen of Sheba, for making Abby's favorite food extra hot. Abby and Sami loved every bite.

Seeing her smile again made my day.

8/22/2008 1:18:00 PM

Abby's Home Abby was able to go home from the hospital last night. Praise God! Thank you so much for praying for us. She was so excited to sleep in her own bed and to play with her toys. It feels so good to be home.

We are still waiting on the results on the specialized bone marrow test. It will tell us if there are any cancer cells left. This test will determine whether Abby will a "normal" high risk patient or a ultra high risk patient. Our doctor met with us yesterday, to talk to us about the next 2 1/2 years of treatment. Since we don't have the test results back, she told us the plan for both the normal high risk and the plan if she turns out to be the ultra high risk. The next phase of treatment is going to be a lot harder for Abby and for our family than we thought that it would be. Since Abby's cancer has shown itself to be very aggressive, she is going to need a lot of chemotherapy.

We are still processing what that will mean for all of us, so we will write more about it later. Thank you so much for keeping us in your prayers.

We will be back in the hospital Tuesday, for more treatment. We are praising God for the time we will have at home. We are so thankful that we are together again and that Abby is full of energy and pain free.

Abby is so excited to be a kid again.

A few days ago, when Abby was almost finished with day full of tests and procedures, she looked up at me and said, "I am a very brave girl, Mommy. " I am so thankful that she doesn't need to be brave today.

Abby has a list of things that she wants to do today.

She wants to ride her bike, blow bubbles and play with her sister and brothers.

I think that it is the perfect "to do" list.

We are blessed to have a wonderful neighbor, who loves Abby and our other children. She is also a great cook. She is bringing us a home cooked dinner tonight, so that we can focus on other things. I am so thankful that I will be able to have extra time with the kids. They all need a little extra time with Brent and I.

8/25/2008 9:18:00 AM

Slurp, Slurp

We were at the tail end of dinner one night, and a couple of the kids had already finished, were excused and running around playing.

My wife and I were playing cards, and one or two kids were still at the table when we kept hearing, "slurp, slurp, slurp...." Like someone sipping soup from a bowl.

It took us a minute to track it down and finally we found our two year old, Landis, under his chair, laying flat on his belly, retrieving some spilled Koolaid off the floor using only the tongue and lips God gave him.

You wouldn't believe how proud he was to not only be saving his spilled Koolaid, but to be cleaning up his mess too! He had his eye on some spaghetti noodles under another chair, but we intercepted him before he could "clean up" that lost pasta!

8/25/2008 2:48:00 PM

Abby: The Next Few Months Thank you so much for praying for Abby. Here's what is going on the next few months: Originally, we had the impression the first month was the hardest, but evidently, it was just a warm-up for the next 5. Starting this week:

    

2 weeks- four days of chemo each week 2 weeks- one day of chemo each week 2 weeks- four days of chemo each week 2 weeks- one day of chemo each week 4-8 weeks - chemo 1-3 times a week

That doesn't include the daily chemo at home. Each of the chemo treatments above are at the hospital, with several days of InPatient scheduled in. Any fevers, hospital. Complications... hospital.

Abby will be treated as "high risk", possibly "ultra high" risk depending on some tests we are waiting on. Higher risks don't change the time frame, just the amount, variety and intensity of the drugs she receives.The chemo will make her to be severely anemic and her immune system will be compromised. Also, because they are injecting chemo directly into her spinal fluid, her brain will be bathed in chemo.

Since Abby is getting such a large amount of chemo, I am trying to feed her as many "chemical free" (organic) foods as I can. She is still having trouble with her liver, so we have to avoid every unnecessary chemical, so that she can handle all of the chemo that she needs.

It's going to be a trying time, and your prayers are deeply appreciated. We thank God for the opportunity to trust Him, both in His power to heal, and His power to divinely guide the Doctors.

Abby has had a week break from steroids and chemo, so she is looking much better.

It's hard knowing that it is the calm before the storm for her.

Thank you Candy, Kya and Jagger for the gift for Abby. http://guateawonderfulworld.blogspot.com/. You were so sweet to think of her. Abby wants to play with you all soon.

Thank you to our family at Wildwood who have relentlessly pursued opportunities to help us during this time. Special thanks to the anonymous gift giver this past Sunday. We don't know who you are, but God does. May He credit your heavenly account with abundant treasure.

8/27/2008 5:40:00 AM

Weenie, Weenie, Weenie Like any family, we have some words that our kids will try out, and then we tell them “don’t say that word.”

Like any family, we have some kids who figure out ways to get around the system.

Abby decided the other day to declare to all of us that “Landis has a weenie”, which of course he does, and which of course we already knew.

But “weenie” is obviously one of those “hee, hee… snicker, snicker” words for a three year old.

We laughed the first time she said it, and that just spurred her to greater heights. So I had to tell her, “Abby, don’t say weenie. That’s enough, don’t say it again.”

Not to be deterred, she now obediently informs us: “We can’t say weenie. Daddy said don’t say weenie. I don’t say weenie. Weenie is not a word we can say. So I don’t say weenie anymore.”

So as you can see, Abby no longer says “weenie”. J

8/27/2008 7:36:00 AM

Prayer Request and Red Onions Two posts under this one tells about Abby's treatment for the next 5 months. It is under her "weenie" post. :-) Abby was admitted to the hospital yesterday for chemo. She was so brave yesterday, but to be honest she is one tired little girl. One of the procedures that they did was a spinal tap, so that they could inject chemo into her spinal fluid. Because of the risks associated with sedation, she wasn't allowed to eat anything after midnight and nothing to drink after 9 am. Because of delays, she didn't get to eat for 14 hours. She didn't fuss about it, but she was HUNGRY. Unfortunately, she isn't allowed to have anything to eat today either, because her surgery is scheduled for 1:00 PM. They hope that she will be able to go home this evening, and do the last two days on chemo in their outpatient clinic.

The surgery is to place the port that she will need for the next 3 years. I am thankful that she is getting it, because it will mean a lot less "pokes" for blood draws and IV medications. All surgeries have risks, and since this will be so close to her heart and lungs, it carries some very serious risks. I wish that she didn't have to go through this, but she is God's daughter first. He chose this path for us and we trust Him completely.

Prayer requests for this week: 1. Successful surgery with no complications 2. No discomfort from hunger before surgery and good pain control during and after surgery 3. Muscles to regain strength that she lost because of a side effect of the chemo. She looks like an elderly woman when she stands or goes up steps~no exaggeration at all.

4. That we will be able to go home tonight 5. That we will have fun today and be able to minister to others.6. No nausea from the chemo.

We have had some wonderful people (adoption friends, family and friends from our church) step forward to provide us with meals and babysitting. My mom is even homeschooling Sami during medical appointments. We want to thank everyone who is helping us. You have made this so much, much easier for us and we thank you.

Some of you asked what Abby's food preferences are and I honestly told you that the child will eat anything. Two hours after I said that Abby ate red onion slices like they were candy. :-P She also ate two kinds of pickles, tomatoes, spiced pumpkin seeds, an apple and a bacon cheeseburger.

A real blogger would have taken a picture of her eating the onion, but I was in shock. :-) These pictures were taken on Monday.

The big kids moved slow so that Abby could play too. Big sisters and good friends are gifts from God.

"L" makes Abby feel like a special little girl.

Landis loves playing with the big kids.

When Abby was trying to stand, everyone had to be very still so that she balance and push herself up. It is so hard to stand back and let her do it by herself, but I know she has to do it on her own in order to rebuild her strength.

Lots of effort for a little jump, but it was worth it.

Abby loves to play and I love to see her being a kid.

8/28/2008 6:47:00 PM

Abby is in remission!

Praise God, Abby is in remission! The specialized bone marrow test, that we were waiting for, showed zero cancer cells. Abby's cancer is still categorized as high risk, because it has shown itself to be an aggressive cancer, but we are very thankful that it won't be placed in the higher category. "Ultra" high risk would have meant much more chemo, so we are grateful.

Abby's port surgery was successful, but she is still in a lot of pain. They are treating her pain with IV morphine, but it is only taking away part of her pain. She is crying more than she ever has and is very tired. They are increasing her pain medication in an effort to control her pain more effectively.

They discharged us a few hours after her surgery yesterday, but by the time we arrived back at home her temperature had spiked and her doctor decided to re-admit her after we had only been home an hour. Her fever might be from an infection, it might be her bodies response to surgery, or it could be a side effect of one of the harsher chemo medications. To be safe, we have to remain at the hospital until they rule out an infection. Even if she would have remained at home, she would have needed to come back to the hospital for chemo on Thursday and Friday.

We knew that this was going to be a tough week no matter what.

Today, Abby got a clot in her IV port tubing. It was a pretty intense for a few hours, possibly facing another surgery to insert a new port but they were able to use "clot busting" drugs to clear her line. Crisis averted... praise the Lord!

Samrawit has an infection on one of her legs, that is being treated with an antibiotic. It hurts when she walks. She is at the hospital with Abby and I (Michelle). She has her first flag football game on Saturday and is really looking forward to it. I am praying that she is able to play. Sami loves sports and is very athletic. She has been so wonderful with Abby. I really hope that she can play and have fun.

Our other kids are doing fine. Brent and I are very tired. It is hard on both of us when Abby is in the hospital. Brent has been working and taking care of our other children, which is not easy. My family has been wonderful about babysitting and running errands for us. It is very important to us that our children are with us as much as they can, but unfortunately Brent and I are are getting tired and probably are not all that fun or very good parents right now.

8/29/2008Â 10:02:00Â PMÂ

I'm Free!

Praise God, we were able to go home from the hospital tonight. As we were driving away from the hospital Abby got a huge mile on her face, wiggled her little body and danced in pure delight. She kept announcing over and over, " I'm free!" No pictures, since I was driving. I know that my husband appreciates my restraint. Hearing her laughter was such a healing blessing for me.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and encouragement. I don't even know how to begin to thank all of you. Your willingness to help with meals and childcare has done so much make this tine in our lives easier. Angel, Amy B, Amy, Carol and Phylis, you guys are amaizing. I also want to thank everyone who has mentioned Abby on their blog or pu her on their churches prayer list. Knowing that others care and are praying has been so encouraging to us.

Many of you prayed about Abby's pain. Because of her leukemia, she can't take Motrin. With her liver problems, she shouldn't take Tylenol either. When she is in pain she sits still and wont play or even walk, if it is not required of her. The chemo is making her very weak, and Abby being in too much pain to walk was making it worse. Her doctors were able to find a narcotic that is controlling her pain, without causing any other problems. She is now much more comfortable. She is not taking enough to be sedated, just enough to be a happy active little girl again.

She is getting stronger and that makes Abby very happy.

Abby asleep at home, in her own bed.

9/1/2008 12:07:00 AM

Bring Me a Diaper I’m getting Landis ready for bed one night, and tell him “run get me a diaper”. So he takes off for his room to get one.

About 3 minutes later he comes prancing back in, butt-nekkid, bringing me a diaper, just like I asked.

It was only after I put it back on him, and realized it was not very “fresh” that it dawned on me how he had “obeyed”.

You guessed it… he went to the other room, stripped off his clothes and diaper, and brought me back the used one along with a proud look of accomplishment. Hey, he did what I told him!

9/2/2008 11:41:00 PM

Landis Needs a Poke Abby has collected a lot of medical supplies in the last few months. Some are real and others are just play. The hospital even gave her a stuffed animal that has a port just like Abby's. Everyone in the house is fair game for Abby and Samrawit to "practice" medicine on, but Landis is their favorite. Fortunately Landis loves any and all attention that he can get from his sisters. Sami even had Landis's daddy sign a surgery consent form, before they began.

Abby asks at least once a day if she is going to get a poke today. She always breaths a sigh of relief when she hears that there will be no blood draws today. Landis gets a pretend poke at least once a day, but since it doesn't hurt and he gets a really cool bandaid, he is happy to play along.

Hey Mom, his tummy is talking to me.

This is Landis pretending that he is scared.

Abby is our perfectionist. She had to do it all right.

Abby wasn't allowed to swim until she got her port.

This was her first time to swim since July 11 and she was thrilled to be in the pool.

Landis was so glad that his sister was able to swim too.

Today started another long week of chemo. Tomorrow we will have chemo and a blood transfusion. That makes for a very long day, but Abby loves getting blood, because she has so much more energy after she gets it. We hope that we will be able to do all 4 days of chemo at the hospital's outpatient clinic, but depending on how she does, she could be admitted to the hospital. Abby is not scared to go to the hospital, but she misses her family when she is there. Abby has mouth sores that are causing her a lot of pain. With chemo she can get sores that go all the way down her digestive tract. We would appreciate your prayers this week.

Praise God, we had a wonderful weekend at home. Abby had more energy than she has had in weeks. She loved seeing friends and family. I will post pictures and more about it if I get permission from their parents. My in-laws couldn't stop talking about how blessed we are to have such wonderful friends. We were in shock when we saw how many wonderful frozen meals they brought us. They made this week so much easier for us and we are very grateful.

9/3/2008 11:26:00 PM

Learning From Abby

By Brent (www.seriousfaith.com) Luke 18:16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. (NKJV; emphasis mine) Jesus loved children and plainly said we should be just like them. Jesus wasn’t just talking trust, but also happiness, the ability to be care free most of the time, not worrying, easily getting over and forgetting trials, quickly put the past behind, not becoming bitter and accepting God’s comfort.

Abby’s had four days of chemo this week after almost two weeks in the hospital with only a couple days break.

She is throwing up, the chemo makes her joints and muscles hurt, and they have her on morphine. She is really tired all the time, and has mouth sores a lot. Her IV port causes her to cringe every time someone bumps it or it gets pressed on.

Even still, her demeanor and attitude is amazing. Though she moves like a little old man most of the time, she is happy, and pretends she likes taking medicine and playing nurse. She smiles and plays and teases and hugs and kisses and cuddles like she doesn’t have a care or problem in the world.

She never doubts that we (her parents) love her, will protect her and even when we are doing something that is causing her discomfort, she knows that if Mom and Dad are doing it, it must be okay. She throws her toenails up one minute, and is wanting to color or play the next. She comes homes from days of “pokes” (needles) in the hospital and painful chemo, and she still wants to be tickled at bedtime.

It’s amazing how kids deal with trials and are still happy and worry-free. We could and should learn a lot from them. Again, I think Jesus meant much more than simply “childlike faith” when He said: Luke 18:16-17 (NKJV) But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

Sometimes it takes a real life object lesson for us to see the depth involved. My Abby has caused me to realize that I need to be more like her.

Above, I described her response to what life has thrown at her. From it, I can determine that I should: Accept life’s difficulties without complaining Have complete and unquestioning faith and trust in God Quickly get past the hurts and disappointments Readily forget the past and smile at the future Smile and be happy much more, especially when things are tough Never doubt what God is allowing or causing in my life Expect God’s goodness and a joyful life even when things are rough How about you? Can you learn something from a child’s innocence, trust, short memory and unconditional love?

Abby and Landis play on Sami's bunkbed.

Abby touches the ceiling as Landis is probably wanting to jump off, knowing him.

9/4/2008 10:45:00 PM

Favorite Foto Friday I love looking at the baby photos of my children. With Abby's illness, my memories of when I first met her in Guatemala are even more important to me. I don't have baby pictures of my older kids scanned onto my computer, but here are a few of Abby and Landis.

Abby during my first visit trip to see her. I spent hours watching her sleep. Amy B. Do you remember these pictures? I bet I made you look at almost 500 of them. :-)

This was one of my favorite update pictures. Most all of her pictures were of her smiling. Her smile was a gift to an impatiently waiting mom.

This is one of my earliest pictures of Abby. She was the sweetest, cuddliest baby. Now, she is the sweetest, cuddliest preschooler. I am so glad that some things haven't changed.

Landis was an adorable baby. I love his eyes. He looked so sweet and quiet in all of his pictures. Who knew that he would turn out to be a laugh a minute, future football player. That sweet baby has turned into a hilarious tank.

This is the first time Abby ever saw Landis. Abby was 16 months old and Landis was 4 months old. She loved HER baby from the very beginning. I am so glad that we went to his orphanage in Guatemala to see him.

Landis and Daddy when we visited him when he was 4 months old.

9/12/2008 2:20:00 AM

Update, Prayer Requests and Beautiful Friends, Inside and Out Today, Abby had a lumbar puncture and chemo. The chemo from the last few weeks has really been hard on Abby. She is pale and bruising. It was no surprise to us when her she was admitted into the hospital yesterday, so that she could receive several blood transfusions. I love being with her after she gets the blood, because she has so much energy after the transfusion. We are so thankful that people who don't know Abby were willing to take the time to donate blood, so that she can live to fight this disease.

We are very tired and Sami is hurting. Sami was originally diagnosed with a spider bite, then and "infection" and this week we found out it is MRSA. Sami has an MRSA infection in her elbow, leg and forehead that is painful and she has a bad rash from one of the antibiotics that she is taking. Most people can get over this kind of infection relatively easily, but Abby's doctors are very concerned about her, because of her weak immune system, it will be VERY serious if she gets this infection. We are following our doctors suggestions (change bedding once a day on every bed in the house, change into clean clothing several times a day, showering with a soap surgeons use before they perform surgery (yuck) ..........................................). We are one very clean family, but we probably smell like a hospital.

FYI... we don't want people to worry about the MRSA when they come over to the house, or see us. Sami is the only one who has tested positive for it, and 1) she is on strong antibiotics, and 2) else you have skin-to-skin contact with an open wound in the skin, you cannot get the MRSA from her. At any given moment, 30% of the population will test positive for MRSA, but unless it gets into a break in the skin, it does not turn into an infection. It used to be a "hospital disease" but now it is out in the community too, like a cold.

Sami's doctor doesn't want Sami to even touch Abby (because of Abby's low immunity) and we were told to have them sleep in different rooms.

Abby and Sami are normally inseparable. They both understand why we are asking them to do this, but they are sad that they can't be together right now. 5 days ago they tested 7 areas on Abby's body to determine if she had staph growing on her skin. Praise God all tests are negative! We will still need to be careful until Sami no longer tests positive, but we are so thankful that God has protected Abby so far and that He is healing Sami.

We would really appreciate your prayers. Would you pray that God would heal Sami completely, that Abby would not get the infection, and for Brent and I to have energy to handle everything? And for us to have the wisdom to protect Abby without disrupting normal family life anymore than is absolutely necessary?

This journey is hard, but God has brought so many wonderful people into our lives to help us. We are truly blessed. My mother has spent countless hours helping with our children, the Lentz's have cooked us meals and babysat Landis, and more people than I can count have provided meals and diversions for our children. You all made a difficult time, so much easier. Thank you so much.

Laurie, http://www.thehausams.blogspot.com/ sent an incredible care package for Abby, Sami and Landis. I wish that you could have seen their smiles when they saw it. Abby was thrilled to see the educational workbooks. You made her feel like such a big girl. She says, "please save me my homework" before she goes to bed and asks or it again as soon as she wakes up. Laurie you are amazing.

Abby dreams about seeing penguins, dolphins, whales and fishes, when she is finally well. A dear friend, Sunday L., knew Abby's dream and sent her some very cute stuffed marine animals. Abby loved everyone of them. If she knew where you live Sunday, Abby would beg to visit you. Thank you so much for your thoughtful gift.

A few weeks ago, some friends surprised us with some wonderful frozen meals in addition to the meals we were getting from our gracious friends at church. It's great to have those in the freezer for the unexpected times we need them. Phylis http://kristensjourney.spaces.live.com/ Stacey and Maria http://annasjourney.spaces.live.com/default.aspx you guys are wonderful. Abby had so much fun playing with your daughters.

The girls first met when they were first home. It was fun to see them together again. Thank you so much for bring the meals and for playing with Abby. You made her day. Amy B. thank you so much for helping coordinate from afar.

Abby, Kristen and Maggie.

Kristen had fun playing with Abby's papa.

Abby loves all of her grandparents. She is so blessed to have such loving people in her life.

I love Maggies smile.

We can't wait to see them again.

Maggie and Abby met for the first time at a hotel in Guatemala City. The girls were so little when they came home. It was wonderful seeing Maggie again.

Phylis and Kristen made Abby a beautiful cake.

Your guys are very talented.

You made Abby feel so special.

It was so special to see Abby playing and having fun. Since she has been so sick, moments of fun are treasured. Thank you all for taking the time to bless our family. Abby is watching me write this. She wants to know if she can see her friends again.

9/18/2008 3:27:00 PM

Update on Abby... pretty rough times...

Abby is doing really poorly with her chemo right now. Throwing up, high fever, weak muscles, in a lot of pain. Her hair is now falling out in handfuls. She is very weak, and has zero immunity (the fever is probably a viral infection due to her non-immunity).

She was admitted back to the hospital today because of it. From experience, I'm sure she'll be there 2-4 days, maybe five.

Thank you for your prayers. Thank you to all our wonderful friends who have been bringing us meals. That act of kindness has REALLY been a huge blessing for our family. I know our teenagers really appreciate not eating sandwiches and cereal 20 times a week.

Pray for us to get some sleep, have physical strength/health, and clarity of mind as we deal with Abby's needs, take care of the other children, and adjust to a significant decrease income that has kicked into affect this month (we found out last month it was going to happen).

God is good, He takes care of our every need. We are truly joyful and thankful for these priceless opportunities to have faith, trust God, and minister to others.

Abby was sad when her hair started to come out, but she was able to joke about it some. she gathered up a handful of her hair and put it down her shirt, so that she could have chest hair like Daddy.

9/20/2008 2:12:00 PM

Update on the Riggs Family To all,

This would feel like a classic I Love Lucy episode if it weren’t so tiring and difficult. It seems to just be a circus of events.

Abby is still in the hospital with a high fever, and really feeling pretty bad. She is very achy, has “mystery” pains all over that are no doubt effects of the chemo. And her beautiful black hair gathers in small piles on the floor each day. That she still has quite a bit left, is a testament to how much she started with.

Sami had to go to the doctor again this morning with another infection on her opposite arm. That’s five infection sites for her in about three weeks. She’ll have to go back to the doctor Monday. She continues to have to be isolated from Abby, and semi-isolated from the rest of the family. (Sami is not contagious/infectious accept by open wound to open wound contact…)

Because of Sami’s infection, we have to wash all the sheets every day, wash all laundry after one use, no matter how slight; use a special cleanser in the shower every day (that can be quite itchy to the nether regions), disinfectant the whole house continually, and put some goop up everyone’s nose twice a day. Sami continues on three times a day antibiotics.

Michelle is sick and feverish, but has to stay with Abby. She can actually get more rest there, than if she was at home dealing with everything there. So, I’m at home, and she is there. Today, she has had some sort of allergic reaction causing her to break out in swollen hives from head to toe. I just spoke to her on the phone, and the swelling hives are getting noticeably worse. Her mother is coming over to watch Abby while Michelle goes to the emergency room.

----------UPDATE ON MICHELLE: Michelle went to the emergency room. They think she had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic course of Bactrim she finished last week.

The swelling was head to toe, down her throat, and in her lungs. She had spider-web-like red hives all over her entire body. It was pretty scary looking.

They have her on steroids and antihistamines, and an inhaler…. She is back at the hospital with Abby.

Thanks for your prayers and concern. Looks like we are going to have Landis go to my parents house next week, and Sami is going to Michelle’s Mom’s house. Abby will be at the hospital most of the week, and I will be home washing/disinfecting everything in sight.

We are going to try and separate everyone for a week and get all these various ills knocked out.

----------I think we are just picking up bugs/germs at the hospital since we have to be there so much. Abby will be in the hospital AT LEAST until Monday, and she has four scheduled days at the hospital next week for chemo.

I hope that doesn’t come across as whining. Lots of people ask for updates, so those are the facts.

It is all a bit difficult and stressful, but we find strength every day as we depend on God. Thank you for your continued prayers, and many, many thanks to all the dear friends who have been bringing a meal to our house each and every evening. That has been a TREMENDOUS practical blessing.

I think we are just picking up bugs/germs at the hospital since we have to be there so much. Abby will be in the hospital AT LEAST until Monday, and she has four scheduled days at the hospital next week for chemo.

I hope that doesn’t come across as whining. Lots of people ask for updates, so those are the facts.

It is all a bit difficult and stressful, but we find strength every day as we depend on God. Thank you for your continued prayers, and many, many thanks to all the dear friends who have been bringing a meal to our house each and every evening. That has been a TREMENDOUS practical blessing.

Brent For Brent & Michelle

9/22/2008 4:18:00 PM

Nope, Not Faking

By Brent It's life-changing and potentially devastating to face the possibility of a child dying. Unlike an accidental death (which is horrible enough), death from disease or injury where you get to sit around and see it coming for week or months, can be particularly cruel.

Given that, it's understandable that people might think I have one face for my readers - strong, full of faith - and then a "real" face in private sad, worried, fearful. Or maybe somewhere in between. I've had readers ask both directly, and "read between the lines" if my wife and I really think all this difficulty is an "opportunity for faith" and something to rejoice about.

Maybe we are "faking it" for the readers, in order to teach others something that we are not personally experiencing, but should be. Maybe I'm writing what I SHOULD write, instead of what I really feel or what is really happening.

At this point, you're probably expecting me to say "Nope! I'm Johnny Rock." Yes, as a teacher and example to others, I emphasize the faith, the trust in God and standing on Scriptural promises. But of course, I have moments of fear, moments of doubt, moments of sadness and moments of confusion. MOMENTS... but those moments are surrounded by, subject to and encapsulated by the faith and trust.

Moments of doubt and confusion should be encapsulated and insulated by faith and trust in God. It's been said that true courage is brave action despite fear. I would say the same principle applies to faith. Real faith, is the CHOICE to trust God despite circumstances that challenge faith. In light of that, I would say to you: Nope, not faking.

What you see, is what you get. While I certainly do emphasize the stronger aspects of faith and trust in my writing during these events, it's not insincere or hyped. It's how we truly feel, and genuinely live. People have commented several times, even doctors, that we must be in "shock" and it "just hasn't hit us yet" because we aren't emotionally distraught, and all torn up on the outside.

We are fully aware the cancer might kill Abby. We know perfectly well the full extent of her illness. There have been times in private when I can't think of anything else, and stay on the verge of tears for hours. There have been times when I find myself in the "blue stare" where I've been sitting for quite a while, kind of slouched over, staring at the floor, wondering if all this will simply end up with Abby dead. It's not "negative confession". It's REALITY. Those moments are prolonged by all the other "side trials" that have come with the main course.

We are sad. It's hard to talk about without starting to cry. But overall, we understand that the worse thing that can happen is that Abby will get to go be with Jesus a little sooner than the rest of us. We might be without her for a few years, or a few decades, but then like King David and his son, we will be reunited with her for all eternity.

It is because of our eternal perspective that we can comprehend and accept the VERY worst that is possible for Abby (or anyone for that matter).

Knowing that, believing that, understanding that, and anchoring to that, keeps despair and grief at bay. I shed more tears for those families I see in the hospital that obviously have NO hope, NO eternal perspective, NO anchor. They are truly to be pitied as they agonizingly face death without knowledge, hope or understanding of eternity and God's mercy.

We are neither casual about life's hardship, nor despondent. We have talked about, and fully comprehend the seriousness of our daughter's cancer, but that is filtered through the reality of God's power and an eternal perspective about life.

Nope, no faking here. Our hope, the truth, and faith, allows us to face this storm with a tear, and a smile, and joy. It is truly the continued discovery of the "peace that passes all understanding". The Lord God has never failed us, and has proven His care on countless occasions in our life.

Are we to doubt Him now, and act like He is not with us in this dark hour? God forbid.

9/25/2008 4:56:00 AM

Monday-Wednesday update on Abby...

Monday, from Brent: Abby is doing very poorly. She’ll be in hospital several more days, minimum. She can’t eat. Her fever isn’t going down. She is swelling up with an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. She is in constant pain that is requiring a morphine drip just to keep her from constantly crying.

Please pray for Michelle as she cares for her at the hospital.

Tuesday, from Brent: Abby is still pretty rock bottom. High fever, mouth/stomach/intestine sores from the toxic chemo… very painful. She is on a constant morphine drip, can hardly talk and is completely devoid of any body strength. She has constant tremors, is throwing up, and now has a urinal tract infection that is pretty serious and requiring additional, stronger antibiotics.

Michelle is stretched pretty thin. She is stuck in the hospital room and cannot leave Abby’s side while I shuffle back and forth to take care of the rest of the family. Please pray for Michelle. This is really hard on her to have to watch Abby suffer hour after hour.

Many thanks for all the kind prayers, and for the continued meals from our dear Christian brothers and sisters.

Wednesday, from Brent: Abby is improving little, if any, at this point. I’ve got a severe migraine today (too many days with little sleep catches up to me this way), and an appt tomorrow for what appears to be a staph infection under my chin. We are both extremely tired, but God is good and we rejoice in the greater opportunity to see Him work, and take care of us.

My heart aches most for Michelle being stuck up at the hospital 24 hours a day, and for little Abby suffering so. I miss them both terribly.

Thank you for your kindness and prayers. You are a blessing and we are blessed to have such kind brethren.

Wednesday, from Michelle: This has been without a doubt the hardest seven days for me, (Michelle) since this whole thing began. As all the parents know, it is very hard to see our children in pain and suffering. Abby has been in so much pain. Even though her doctors and nurses are trying to control it with hourly IV morphine, she has been having break though pain that needs to be treated with extra morphine and even that is not working well today. She has been crying both when she is awake and in her sleep.

There is so much going on with Abby right now that it is difficult to know where to begin. As most of you know, Abby was admitted to the hospital last Thursday because of a high fever. She is still in the hospital and will be here for a while longer. She has an elevated temperature and is on IV antibiotics. They identified pseudomonas in her bladder. This can be a dangerous and hard to treat microorganism.

Sunday, she developed mucositis. Her immune system is so low that the "good" bacteria that is supposed to live on your skin to project you is attacking the lining of her whole digestive tract. She has "canker" sores all inside her mouth, down her esophagus, in her intestines, and on her bottom. I knew that she was miserable, I just didn't know why until I learned how many sores she has. This is so hard for a little girl to handle.

Her doctors said that the only things that will heal the sores is for her WBC to build back up, so that they can heal her. She won't be able to do chemo until she is better. All they can do now is give her IV fluids, and pain medicine. They are giving her Morphine via a PCA pump. It gives her a dose of morphine every hour and then she can press a button to get an additional dose every 15 minutes. I didn't know how quickly she would understand the instructions, but she got it in under 3 seconds. She is holding on the the PCA button like it is her best friend.

Since Abby's immune system is suppressed because of the chemo, she is running a fever, and has all of those sores, we may be here a while this time. It is my understanding that her white blood cell counts have to return to a normal level, before she will begin to heal from this. They are working to keep her comfortable until then.

We would appreciate your prayers. Your prayers, comments and emails mean so much to us.

9/27/2008Â 12:03:00Â PMÂ

Trying To Be Brave Praise God, Abby's pain is improving and the sores are looking a little better.

Abby's bone marrow is beginning to recover from the last round of chemo. This is very good news, because it means her body will begin to heal the sores.

She is still running a temperature (103 last night). She has been on up to 4 antibiotics during the last week, so the had really expected her to not be running a fever by now. Her doctor ordered a C.A.T. scan to try to determine what is causing the fevers.

We truly appreciate every comment and email that you all have written. We always love reading them, but when things get really tough, they are a huge blessing to us. In the middle of the night, they are a wonderful reminder that we are not alone and that others are praying too. Thank you so much for taking the time to write and pray.

Abby tries so hard to be a good girl. She is smiling here, not because we asked her to and not because she felt like it, she just thinks that she is supposed too. The circles under her eyes tell how hard the last week has been on her, but she is still fighting hard.

Please say an extra prayer for her today. C.A.T. scans can be a little scary when you are 3 years old. I am also praying for wisdom for her doctors as they decide what to do next.

9/28/2008 7:58:00 PM

Mee Maw Covers For Landis Landis, 2 years old, spent this week with this grandparents, MeeMaw and PawPaw. After he came home, I called MeeMaw (my mother; Brent) and asked her how he behaved. She said he was wonderful, was really well behaved and a pleasure to have around. I have no doubt it was true, or they would have told me.

I got off the phone and asked the ball of energy, “Landis, MeeMaw said you were a really good boy this week. Is that true, or was she just covering for you?”

To which he replied without hesitation, “she was just covering for me”.

Of course he has no clue what that means, but he said it with such conviction that I about broke a rib laughing!

9/29/2008 8:30:00 PM

Prison Break Update 9‐30‐08: Abby and I (Michelle) are home. It is wonderful for our family to be together again. I walked into my home to find happy, well groomed kids, a clean house and all the laundry done. I love my husband. I REALLY love my husband.

Thank you so much for praying for our family and for encouraging us. You are all such a blessing.

Kristen and her mom, Phyllis, http://kristensjourney.spaces.live.com/ visited us at the hospital on Saturday. Abby was in a lot of pain and pretty weak, so the visit wasn't as much fun for them as I wished that it was. They were both so sweet to Abby and me. They cooked us a delicious supper. It was the first time that Abby ate in a week. She LOVED every bite. Thank you both so much.

A week and a half with out seeing the sun is a lifetime to a 3 year old. We dressed her in "real" clothes and sprung her from the clink for a few minutes. Man I hope that Dr. M. doesn't read our blog. ;-)

Together again

Abby and Landis are very close. Abby was very excited to see her brothers and sister.

Big brothers are the best. We love you and miss you Garrett.

Abby thanks God for "my Garrett who loves me" You are a great big brother.

Garrett and Abby

Sami, Abby and I miss you so much that it hurts. We love you.

Thank you so much for praying for Abby during her CAT scan. She cried for a few seconds when I placed her on the gurney, but then fell into a deep sleep. She didn't wake up until the test was done. She did the test with no sedation. Prayer is always the best help. What a blessing.

Her doctors were concerned that she might have a fungal infection in her abdomen. This would have been VERY hard to treat. Praise God the only "problem" they found was that her bladder was full. :-)

Yesterday, Abby's smile and energy returned. She went from only being able to take a couple of steps on Saturday, to dancing and doing laps in the halls on Sunday.

Abby received several care packages from some special people. Thank you so much Doreen, http://foreverhugs.blogspot.com/, Melinda http://devenougesfamily.blogspot.com/ , Carol http://thevoiceofadventure.blogspot.com/2007/03/okay-heres-what-we-have-been-up-to.html I saved the gifts for those really tough moments. What a blessing to have new things to distract her with when Abby was scared or hurting. She loved ALL of the gifts and I really appreciate you all sending them.

Carol http://thevoiceofadventure.blogspot.com/2007/03/okay-heres-what-we-have-been-up-to.html (the link is to a great story) thank you so much for adding a few things for me as well. You pack a bag like only someone who has been there and done that can. You are such a blessing.

John and Lori thanks for the great reading material. We miss you both so much.

Abby and Grandmother Baker on Saturday.

Abby loves her Grandmother very much.

I took Abby down to physical therapy on Sunday. They are masters at making exercise fun.

Abby's temperature is down, she is off all antibiotics, and her sores are all healing nicely. They are weaning her down on the pain medicine, with plans to go home tomorrow.

She needs more blood today, even though her bone marrow is working better. She was one sick little girl and every bit of extra support is helpful.

Her doctor decided to wait another week to start her chemo. It is a little scary for us, because we don't want the cancer to come back, but we also want her sores to completely heal. Praise God that He doesn't need chemo to heal her.

Her doctors and nurses said that Abby's sores were the worst they had ever seen. We have been warned that it is likely that she will go through this again. Some children go through this almost every time they get chemo. It is very unusual, but Abby has shown that she has the tendency to get them, so they are preparing us.

Thanks again for all of you prayers, comments and emails. It is such a blessing to know that others care about our daughter and are praying for her.

10/4/2008Â 9:54:00Â PMÂ

Virtual Shower and Some Younger Pictures of Abby I am so excited that I have the privilege of introducing some of you to some incredible friends of ours, Amy and Todd. This family has loved us through thick and thin, supporting us when we are hurting and celebrating every victory with us. They are truly special people.

Amy and Todd Amy and Todd have a heart for serving God and a desire to care for children in need. They are masters at helping children understand that they are safe, loved and cherished. They currently have 7 children, 4 homegrown and 3 adopted. Their children are all confident, happy, loving kids, who love each other and who care about other people.

Their incredible children.

Amy and Todd just received word that they have been chosen to adopt a sibling group of five children. I am thrilled that these special children will now have two parents who love them with all of their hearts and 7 new brothers and sisters to love on them and cheer them on. Five more precious children will now know that they are loved completely, by their new parents, their new siblings and our Savior.

Amy and Todd do an amazing job teaching their children to love and care for others, to set high goals and to work hard to accomplish the goals they chose for themselves. No matter what these wonderful children decide to try, they will have 9 more people in their lives to work beside them and cheer them on every step of the way.

The Blocks are taking a step of faith and doing God's will. They are now needing to buy 5 more of MANY, MANY things. Won't you join us in helping them by participating in our "virtual baby/kid shower". God commanded all of us to care for orphans, this is a perfect opportunity to do so. They would never ask for help, but I am asking for them. The link to their shower is on the upper right corner of my blog.

My children LOVE spending time with the Blocks. Here are some pictures that we took years ago of Abby and their children. I thought it might be fun for you to see some younger pictures of Abby, with a few of her favorite friends.

Abby and Aleigha

Abby, Addie and Aleigha

Abby and Aleigha

Abby and Aleigha

Aleigha, Addie and Abby

10/6/2008 4:00:00 PM

Thank you All God's Children, Update and Prayer Requests The last few weeks were very hard on Abby. Our great agency, All God's Children http://www.allgodschildren.org/ , sent her a beautiful bouquet of flowers. They made her feel so special. She was so weak when we took this picture, but she truly loved them. I saw her many times during the last few days smelling them and touching them, with the sweetest smile on her face. Thank you all for thinking of Abby. You have been so wonderful about checking on her and praying for her. Thank you. You guys are the best.

Many people ask us us how Abby is REALLY doing. While we are honest about how things are going, it is sometimes hard to know how much information people want to read. Abby is doing much better than she was a few weeks ago, but she is still healing from the last round of chemo.

We are praising God for:



Healing her liver. Her liver enzymes were up to 30 times greater than normal and now they are normal for a HEALTHY child. Chemo can damage her liver, so we are still praying for protection, while we are praising God.

  

Abby is still in remission.

Abby's sores are healing and no longer painful.

Abby is still happy girl who loves to play and laugh.

Unfortunately, today Abby is beginning the next round of chemo. This round is a repeat of the last round of chemo, and it was VERY hard on her little body. The plan is for her to get chemo 4 days this week, 4 days next week and then only one day a week for the next 2 weeks. We have learned that while the weeks with only one chemo day are easier on us time wise, the drug they will give Abby is the very hardest on her. It causes severe leg pain and muscle weakness.

We are already 2 weeks late starting this series of chemo. She will begin the round at least 25% weaker and 5 pounds lighter than she was at the beginning last time. The nausea is taking its toil. Her sores still have not completely healed.

Would you join us in praying for:

    

Abby to regain the weight she lost, so her body will be better prepared to fight the cancer.

For the pain to be less or at least better controlled.

For her not to run a temperature or be admitted to the hospital. She will be getting the medicine, that caused fevers, 8 times in the next 2 weeks.

I am asking for her doctors to allow me to give Abby chemo at home any time that she will not be seeing a doctor or having labs done. This would save us 2-3 trips to the hospital's clinic on our tough weeks. Have I told you all that I am an RN? :-) Truly any parent can learn to do it.

For Sami to get permission to come with us to Abby's oncology clinic visits. She has to test negative for staph several times before she will be allowed to come. I am glad that they are careful, but we miss her.

Abby cooking with Mommy. I love seeing her smile again.

Sami at her doctor's appointment. I can't wait to go somewhere besides doctor's offices.

Sami is growing up too fast. She is going to be an incredible woman some day.

10/8/2008 11:38:00 AM

Wordless Wednesday Okay, I am never truly wordless. :-) I took these a little over a week ago at the hospital.

You know your child is feeling better when..........................

10/8/2008 9:23:00 PM

GREAT News and Followers Question Blogger has a new gadget that allows you to post a list of people who follow your blog on your side bar. I love this option, because it is a visual reminder of how many people are praying for Abby. Thank you so much for encouraging us by signing up.

I have been adding your blogs to the list of blogs that I follow as you sign up to follow ours. I would love to add more people to the list of blogs that I follow, if you would like me too. In the whirlwind of activity over the last few months, I have lost so many blog links that I loved reading. If I haven't added yours to my blog roll or followers list, it isn't because I don't love your blog. With the stress we have been under, I have lost links, and lost track of who I have added and who I haven't.

When I add blogs to my follower list, blogger tells me when you post a new message, in my blogger dashboard. This is making it so much easier for me to keep up with people that I care about.

Most of you know that Samrawit has been fighting a staph infection for a couple of months. Today we learned that she tested negative for MRSA for the 2nd time. This means that life in the Riggs house can return to "normal" (which is only one kid sick, not two). Abby is so excited that she can be with Sami again. The girls were inseparable before this started. God is so good! Thank you for praying.

Here is picture that we took when we got the first tested negative a few weeks ago.

Thank you so much for praying for Abby.

Abby joking around at clinic. She makes a long day so much fun.

We had asked for prayers for some very specific things. One thing I REALLY hoped and prayed for was for permission to give some of Abby's chemo at home, specifically the one that they give her 4 days a week. Three of those days there is no lab drawn and no one even needs to examine Abby. They just give her the medicine in her port and we go home. This "simple" thing has taken us up to 5 hours to accomplish, on a bad day, all but 10 minute of that were waiting to start.

I was told on Monday that they had never let a parent give chemo to their child themselves in their IV, but that she would see if the doctor would allow me to. Yesterday I got the permission from Abby's doctor, it was approved by our insurance and home health is scheduled to drop off the supplies today. This means two less trips to the hospital's clinic this week and we will only have to go there once next week instead of four times. Praise God. This is the same medication that caused Abby to get a high fever and to be hospitalized last time she got it, so I am not promising the kids that

the next two weeks will be easier~ I am hopeful, but not promising them. Brent and I are doing everything we can to help Abby's life to be as normal as we can, while still being as safe as possible. By doing this at home, she will actually be safer, because she will not be exposed to all of the sick people at the hospital.

A week ago, Abby had an allergic reaction to the extra sticky tape that a nurse used to secure her port's bandage. They used a lot of it. Her skin was so irritated that it bled as they took it off. Every since then, Abby is terrified (I am not exaggerating) of anyone accessing her port or taking off the bandage. We hope that with her Daddy and I caring for her port and taking the bandage off on Thursday at home ourselves, we will be able to begin to teach her to be calmer and trust again. She used to handle this beautifully, and I hope for her sake, she will be able to learn to again.

We are very thankful that God is taking such wonderful care of our daughters and family. Thank you so much for praying for our family, especially Samrawit and Abby and for encouraging us.

10/10/2008 12:01:00 AM

Favorite Foto Friday - Octoberest (Can You Help Me) Abby like most girls loves to dress up in pretty girlie costumes. The problem this year is, because of her chemo schedule, her immunity is going to be VERY low on the 31st. She will still be allowed to go to a few houses, but she will need to wear a mask that will keep her from breathing in any germs.

Have you seen a costume that looks pretty, but that would cover up the mask? I would love for her to be able to participate, but she needs to be safe too.

Abby's first Halloween

Garrett and Abby. Thirteen years apart in age, but they have a very special relationship.

A year later, it was Landis's first Halloween. He didn't know what to think about it all, but eventually had fun.

Aunt Rhonda and Landis

Abby and Uncle Kelly This was a fun theme and a gentle reminder that I need to go shopping for costumes. :-)

10/11/2008 1:38:00 PM

The Voice Of Adventure: OPERATION PRINCESS HAIR BEGINS! First, I want to thank everyone who took the time to help me come up with a costume for Abby to wear on Halloween. You are a very creative group and I loved every idea.

Thank you. I plan on showing them to Abby tonight an letting the princess pick. I can't wait.

What I didn't write about yesterday, was that I was wondering what I was going to do about her hair. For the last few weeks it has been coming out fast. Abby used to love choosing hair styles and picking out bows and barrettes. Abby is sad that she is loosing her hair, and has been telling me that she wants to get "wig" hair. When I looked into applying for one, a well known charity said they didn't think that she would be approved, because of her age. I understand there is limits to how many children they can help, but I was sad for Abby.

Last night some wonderful friends, Angel and Amy Block, decided to raise money help Abby get a beautiful wig. Many, many wonderful woman have come along side them, joining together to help Abby. Thank you all so much. The list of people helping can be seen at the bottom on Angel's post at http://thevoiceofadventure.blogspot.com/2008/10/operation-princess-hair-begins.html It has been changing, so I am afraid to list the names here, because I don't want to leave anyone off. We want thank everyone who is helping Abby. I bawled when they told me that they were going to help Abby. Thank you all for helping our precious daughter.

I debated about posting pictures of Abby, but since they are everywhere else, I decided to go ahead and post them here too. We gave the pictures to them, with permission to post them. Brent feels that this is Abby's story. When she looks back at the blog when she is older, we want her to understand how much she has overcome and how brave she was.

Below is a post about Abby, that I copied from Angel's blog.http://thevoiceofadventure.blogspot.com Amy and Angel, thanks again for all that you are doing for Abby.

Friday, October 10, 2008

OPERATION PRINCESS HAIR BEGINS! It's hard for me to even start this post. Already I feel a big lump forming in my throat.

Someone that many of us care about is walking through a deep valley. That someone is sweet Abby....

I have serious doubts that I will get through writing this without crying..... Ok now it's too late... I am already there...with tears flowing. This is Abby. You will find her precious family at this blog address.

Abby is so many wonderful things. She is part of an amazing family. There are 7 wonderful kiddos in her family. 3 of those sweeties- including Abby came by way of adoption. Abby is a bouncing, happy, funny princess of a 3 year old....

Now she is also a dear little warrior fighting for her life. She was diagnosed with Leukemia and life suddenly took a radical turn for this amazing family. Her concerns of which princess dress she should wear have turned to whether she will get poked or be able to keep her food down today.

This is sweet Abby right now....

These are the battle scars she has right now in her fight against cancer...

Just one of the MANY things she has been forced to give up is her GORGEOUS princess hair and it makes her very sad.... What is it like to be the mommy that has to tell your 3 year old that she has to take medicine that will give her horrible sores, make her throw up constantly, and cause

her to lose her hair? What is that like? What is it like to watch tears slide down your sweet baby's cheeks even in her sleep cause that's how much it hurts.

THIS is not OK with me. If I could I would make this go away. If I could I would change this- I wish there was a way. I know there are so many of us who wish that. We CAN'T MAKE IT GO AWAY! We just can't.

What we can do is give Abby back her princess hair. It's expensive and not something this family needs to worry about during this stressful financial time of paying for medicine and gas and hospital bills. We can not make this all go away but we can give Abby back her hair and make her smile.

SOOOOOO TODAY WE BEGIN....

I am so excited about this! It is going to be custom made to look a lot like her hair did before she needed to start chemo. So when Abby wants to dress up nice and look like the Abby she remembers she will have this. This wig will cost about $450. It is made of real hair and created just for her little head.

4. If there are donations exceeding the needed amount for the princess hair we will invite the family to use this money to help with whatever extra expenses they are facing during this difficult time.

It's hard for me to fathom what this family is facing. I want to do whatever I can to support them.

They are full of faith and strong. Cancer FEARS this little fighter! Let's do whatever we can to love and walk with this family during this time. I can't begin to imagine what they are facing but I PRAY that people would be there for me if we ever did walk this path.

TO HELP ABBY GET HER PRINCESS HAIR YOU JUST NEED TO CLICK ON THE PAY PAL BUTTON ON THE TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER THAT SAYS "OPERATION PRINCESS HAIR." IF YOU WANT TO SEND ABBY A CARE PACKAGE INCLUDING A CUTSIE NEW BASEBALL CAP PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT angelweir@gmail.com

Thank you from the BOTTOM of my little ol' Texas heart for taking care of a little girl named Abby. What we do matters. What we do makes life better or worse for those around us EVERY SINGLE DAY. Let's take time to stop and care. Hugs, Angel PS If you would like to spread the word on your blog PLEASE do it!! Feel free to take this whole post or part of it. Then please link your blog to mine so everyone can see how many people are loving and praying for Abby.

Posted by Angel

10/15/2008 9:16:00 AM

Abby's Wish Note: If you didn't see the "Magazine Monday" post from yesterday, check it out below...)

A friend gave Abby's name to the Make a Wish Foundation. After they contacted us, we talked to Abby about what her wish would be.

Disney World?

Mickey Mouse?

Donald Duck?

A big party?

A cruise?

Nope.

"You don't want to go to Disney world and see Cinderella?"

"Nooooooooooooo...", she replied.

"Ariel? Lion King? The Dalmatians? Wouldn't you like to see them and play with them?"

"Noooooooooo", she repeated.

"Well, what is your wish, sweetheart?"

I wish for big boobies and a bra!!!"

Can you tell she has older sisters?

10/17/2008 3:37:00 PM

Favorite Foto Friday - Friends I had planned a better FFF post, but it is not to be, at least not today. Abby's doctor office called and said that she needed another blood transfusion (red cells) , her second one this week, so we will be heading back to the hospital soon. She will probably need a third transfusions in a few days, of platelets. The chemo is doing its job,but it is taking its toil.

We are looking for some great photos. with captions, for our Serious.Life and Serious.Adoption magazines. We would love to publish some of your pictures. If you would like to submit your photos click here. http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/submit_content_forms.asp?c=photos These are some pictures of some of Sami's friends in Ethiopia. Some of her friends are still waiting to come home, so I will have to wait to post their pictures. You can see more pictures of her friends here. http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/2008/08/hannahs-hope-reunion.html

I began to look to picture of Abby's faster family in Guatemala, but didn't get far. We have a wonderful friendship with them and it breaks my heart that it will be years before we can safely travel to see them, because of Abby's medical needs. When we adopted Abby, they reached out to us and offered us a beautiful friendship. We miss our Guatemalan family.

10/19/2008 6:26:00 PM

Sad Day For Mommy, Haircuts, Two Year Old Prayers and Magazine Monday It’s amazing the twists, and turns and curves that life throws at you.

This week we gave our child chemo - at home. We pulled out access ports that feed into her heart and then cut off all her hair. We can tell you pretty much all you’d ever want to know about cancer, MRSA, hospitals, insurance, drugs, side effects and IV’s. We’re experts at bleach baths, germ control, antibiotics, infections and isolation contagious kids. We live with kids who are far too educated about medical topics, even a two year old who prays about being sick and getting well every night.

I (Brent) recorded Landis praying tonight. He is only two, and can pray like a long-winded preacher. He doesn’t repeat stuff either. It’s all fresh and new every night. Listen to what I recorded last night... a lot of it is “kid speak” that only a childs’ parents will understand but you’ll hear stuff about tacos, dinner, Ms. Dorothy and Mr. Johnny (our neighbors), MeeMaw and PawPaw, Abby and Sami “get better”, and something about not pooping in his diaper. He’s a HOOT! If only our own prayers were so simple and sincere. Listen here…

We finally cut Abby’s hair tonight. We had been waiting for HER to say she wanted it, and today she simply asked “Daddy, will you cut my hair off now?” For weeks Abby has been mostly bald. She had just enough hair left to make her look sickly. We knew that she would look better with her hair cut off, but she was holding on tight to those last strands. We didn't push her, just waited until she was ready.

She has known from the start that when her hair was gone, she would get to whack off Daddy's hair. The "prize" was finally enticing enough for her to take the plunge. With low platelets and immunity, we had to be very careful to not nick her head with clippers but Daddy is the family barber, and pretty skilled at it. It was a family event:

Abby did great! Smiled the whole time… loved her new look. Garrett, Christian, Sami and Landis? They all rubbed her head and told her that she was beautiful. Here's a look at her hair since she was diagnosed:

How did Mommy do? Fine in front of Abby, but it is honestly a very sad day for me (Michelle). I am thankful that she is beautiful with and without hair. But, it is a very visual reminder of just how sick our precious daughter is.

Abby has very tough day today (Monday). She gets two shots of a thick liquid in her legs. She hates them and they are legitimately very painful.

She is also supposed to get the chemo that makes her muscles very weak and her legs hurt. We have tough decisions about how MUCH chemo to give her; balancing between killing the aggressive cancer, and not making her so sick she will die from it. Please pray for God’s guidance for us.

Along with being “at home doctors”, we are also now experts witnesses of the kindness of Christian love. The list of charity and care for our family could go on and on but here’s a few samples:

        

Meals every night for the past two months (do you have any idea how much time, money, driving and emotional energy this saves us?)

Money for gas and food Help with medical bills Frozen food and snacks for the kids Vitamin supplements and nutritional items It looks like some kind friends are going to replace the carpet with wood floors in the side of the house where Abby sleeps to cut down on the germs and allergens Baby sitters whenever we need it Family members helping in any way we ask Christians from all over the country sending Abby gifts, and raising money for various needs like hair pieces, hats and supplies

That’s not to mention the COUNTLESS numbers of prayers that have been lifted up on our behalf. It is abundantly clear that God answers prayers and that we have been the recipient of His provision, grace and mercy on a grand scale.

And yet, as I (Brent) write this, I’m reminded that normal life goes on as a stinkin’ fly is relentlessly tormenting me. Every time I grab the fly swatter he takes off, then as soon as I get back to this post, he attacks me again. Ironically, it is a reminder that life simply goes on, and the typical, routine, ordinary things that need attention, still need attention.

Now, I’ve got to go kill this Rambo‐fly‐on‐steroids before it drives me crazy.

10/21/2008 3:23:00 PM

Please Pray for Abby, temp 103 and rising...

Abby woke up from her nap today with a temp of 102 and going up by the minute, now almost 103. We are heading to the hospital fast, to be admitted.

Would you please pray that Abby would be calm during the proceedures, that they would be able to draw her blood, and get her fever under control. She is on the harshest chemo right now and has been miserable this.

I will write more later tonight.

10/21/2008 7:52:00 PM

Update and Thanks I am pretty tired and my computer is acting up, so I apologize for the poor job in editing.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and comments. They encourage more than you can imagine.

Abby's temperature is still over 102, but she is getting the IV fluids/antibiotics she needs.

She has the tiniest veins, so blood draws are always hard. Anytime she runs a fever, they take blood from both her veins and port, in order to determine where the infection is coming from. Today, she was stuck with needles 7 times. It was a hard day for Abby and a tough to watch her endure it.

Now her pain is controlled and she is quietly playing with some toys. Soon I will listen to her prayers and tuck her in bed. Would you pray that she is able to sleep tonight? She is a good sleeper, but there are a lot of interruptions in the night at a hospital.

It was so hard for me to leave our other children again. I miss them so much. Brent is my best friend and I hate being away from him. I don't sleep well when we are apart and Brent doesn't have time to sleep, even if he could.

Would you pray for my family while we are in the hospital?

We are tired from our long day, but very thankful that God is here with us. We praise God for giving us such wonderful friends, but old and new.

The yellow ducky hat was a gift from Holly at http://ursheadwear.com/ She let us pick between 1000 different fabrics. Thank you Holly. You were a bright spot in our day.

Beautiful eyes, but oh so sad. She said that her legs weren't hurting, but cried when they were moved. So hard to figure things out when everything hurt some and you are only 3 years old. A little pain medicine and she is up walking and playing. Since the princess is inviting me to a tea party, I think I will end this update and enjoy being with my daughter. I think that she earned a little later bed time.

Thanks again for praying.

10/22/2008 7:21:00 PM

Wordless Wednesday, almost Thank you so much for praying for Abby. We are still in the hospital, but she is feeling much better tonight. We have had a lot of fun today. My day was filled with tea parties, baby dolls, play dough and lots of laughter and singing. Abby got a blood transfusion today and it added to the energy she already possessed.

She has gone 24 hours without a fever. If she as a normal temperature and labs in the morning, she will get to go home. Oh I hope we get to go home.

I am praying they give her platelets before they discharge her. They are pretty low and her two year old brother is a tank. We watch them very closely, especially when her platelets are low, but that boy can run like the wind. He is just too young to understand that Abby could end up with internal bleeding, from being tackled.

Teasing Daddy, who hates broccoli. Abby ordered it twice today.

Mirror Fun

Oh I love seeing her smile again. Thanks again for praying for Abby.

So proud of herself for telling her nurse how much she drank~in milliliters.

Tickle Fun.

10/23/2008 12:02:00 AM

Chocolate Blood

By Brent (http://www.brentriggsblog.com/ ) If I had to pick one adjective to describe the everyday life of our family it would be "humor". The title to our family blog "…where laughter lives" is not just some cute moniker, it really does define the atmosphere in our home.

My wife is the closest thing in our family to NOT being a jokester or a prankster, but don't let her quiet demeanor fool you. She has quite a sense of humor as well. One thing that is funny about our family, and sometimes embarrassing, is that we have a long list of words and phrases that make up our own special vocabulary.

Here's just a few of our many family phrases that have popped up recently as we spend a lot of time at the hospital. We have a long list and this is just a drop in the Chuck’it Buck’it: Chuck’it Buck’it: You know those pink plastic boxes that they give you in the hospital to throw up in? Even at three years old, poor little Abby has gotten to be an expert at vomiting in the most proper and neat manner. If you ask her where the "Chuck’it Buck’its" are, she will confidently inform you that there's one in each car, one in her bedroom and one in the living room.

Poop‐A Lot: A lot of the chemotherapy and medication that Abby has to take causes her to be constipated. So we frequently have to mix a medication with whatever she is drinking to remedy that side effect. Because her stomach is so sensitive, she often is only able to drink chocolate PediaSure, the vitamin fortified infant and toddler drink. So we mix a powdered laxative medicine into it for relief of constipation and PediaSure is magically transformed into "Poop-A Lot".

Chocolate Blood: The first time Abby saw her own blood in an IV, it was really dark in color. For whatever reason, it looked like chocolate being pumped through the tube so now every time Abby gets blood, it's referred to as getting the "chocolate blood". Her two-year-old brother can't figure it out when Abby wants to give him some chocolate blood because he can never seem to find the candy she's talking about.

Tickle Poke: Abby has been stuck with needles countless times in the last four months. There are two kinds of needle sticks that she understands: ow-wee pokes and tickle pokes. Ow-wee pokes are needle sticks that go into fresh skin that has not been numbed. Tickle pokes are when a special cream has been put on the skin to numb her so it doesn't hurt. Abby often administers "tickle pokes" to the ribs of her brother and sister.

Buttcrack Alert: No buttcrack that is showing is safe in our house. It's not that we go around displaying them on purpose, but with seven kids and all the activity, it is bound to happen to anyone at any time... so you better hope our two-year-old is not around. Any accessible buttcrack that is visible is fair game for the "buttcrack alert" which involves the little fella running up behind you and inserting his pointer finger into the area of violation and declaring "BUTTCRACK!" for all to hear.

Porcupines: This would be when daddy hasn't shaved that day and goes to kiss one of the kids on the cheek and scratches them with his "porcupines".

Two Eyes: There are certain medications and sedation that cause Abby to be groggy and have a hard time focusing her eyes. During those times you're likely to get informed that you have "two eyes". The first couple of times she said, "daddy you have two eyes", I just thought she was being cute and couldn't figure out why she was saying it. I'm kind of dull but my wife filled me in on the obvious: when Abby is groggy she sees double.

Thus, everyone has two eyes, two noses and two mouths.

Fuh Fuh Room: Well that's the family room of course, but I'm sure you already had that one figured out.

Pig Meat: And that would be Sami and Abby's favorite ham luncheon meat.

That's just a partial list. Over the years, we have forgotten more than we can remember. The Bible says that laughter is good medicine and during this particularly difficult time in the life of our family we can personally testify to the truth of that.

Now if you'll pardon me, I have to go take care of my porcupines in the same room where the porcelain chuckit buckit resides (you thought I'd end it with a Poop-A-Lot comment, but my wife would kill me).

10/24/2008 7:18:00 PM

Favorite Foto Friday - Pumpkins Abby was discharged from the hospital late last night. Praise God. It was the shortest hospital stay we have ever had.

I am sorry it has taken me a while to send out an update. When we got home I hit the ground running and haven't stopped. Abby and the other children are doing great. But there is a lot of work that needs to be done. I would appreciate your continued prayers.

Abby returns to the hospital clinic on Monday. She will get chemo, which is not so fun. They are also having a Halloween party for the patients, so Abby is very excited about going.

I hope that you all have a wonderful time with your families this weekend. Thank you so much for your prayers.

10/25/2008 11:46:00 AM

Abby: A Taste of Our World

As you can see, Abby loves to cook. Helping bake cookies is one of her favorite things. When we were adopting Abby, Landis and Sami one of the ways we raised money was by creating the adoption cookbook.

We compiled dozens of recipes from the countries and families of adopted children. Salads, appetizers, main dishes, soups, desserts... over 150 pages of great recipes.

We have several cases of the cookbooks leftover from that fundraising effort. We would like to offer them again to do some fundraising for the expenses related to Abby's leukemia. Gas, food, prescriptions, hospitals, doctors, tests... at a time when our income was unexpectedly and dramatically cut, our expenses went up.

But, we don't simply want to ask for money. We want to sell this fantastic recipe book for a price you would happily pay at a book store. The recipes are wonderful, and the pictures of the adopted kids heartwarming.

On the cover is a picture Abby, and Amy Block's daughter, Aleigha. Many of you know Amy already but if you don't make sure you check out her blog here... you won't be disappointed.

If you would like to buy one, it would be a real blessing for Abby and our family.

Making cookies with Mee Maw... secret recipe!

10/28/2008 12:00:00 AM

Party at the Hospital Abby enjoyed doing crafts at the Halloween party at her hospital. She was nervous about getting poked by the nurse later, but didn't let that stop her from playing.

The volunteers apologized for all of the candy, but I was thankful for every tempting calorie. Abby would eat only fruits and vegetables if you let her. Healthy, but not enough calories to help her gain weight.

The hospital chaplain dressed up as a mummy.

Abby was too "cool" to act scared, so she ignored him instead.

I am thankful that she was able to do something fun, while she waited to get her chemo.

Later, some good friends came over. We got some great pictures of all of the kids. I will try to post them tomorrow.

Thank you so much for praying for Abby today. She didn't get sick at all and was able to have some fun. For a chemo day, that is pretty amazing.

10/28/2008 9:01:00 PM

Video of Abby and Facebook Tara made a video of Abby and posted it to YouTube. We loved the video and Abby was so excited to see it. Tara, thank you so much for making a video of Abby.

Please let everyone know who is praying for Abby so they can enjoy this.

Lisa Prather created a Facebook group called I Pray for Abby. Please take a minute and check it out...

What a great way tell others about Abby and to ask for prayers. Lisa, thank you so much for doing this for Abby. You were so sweet to take the time to help Abby.

10/29/2008 11:35:00 PM

Wordless Wednesday - Dress-up Fun with Friends

Abby and Sami love to play dress up, especially if their friends play too.

T., Abby and Samrawit. Sami and T. are wearing beautiful dresses that we bought in Ethiopia.

L and Landis.......................WWF

Abby and Sami wanted us to take there picture together. L. crashed their picture. :-)

Working like Daddy.

Abby isn't able to go around crowds, because her body can't fight infections. Abby LOVES, LOVES, LOVES when friends come to our home to play.

Sisters and great friends

10/30/2008 2:32:00 PM

One of Those Days I decided to get all of our winter clothes out of storage, wash them, organize them and put away our summer clothes. Not a big deal, but since we have so many kids it takes some work.

After I pulled all the clothes out, Landis came down with a stomach virus. Not fun, but still not hard to handle.

Now it looks like Abby will need a blood transfusion soon. She has many tiny red bruises on her body and an old bruise is growing bigger and her arm is beginning to swell.

The girls were just being silly, but the picture fits.

10/31/2008 10:06:00 PM

Update Prayer request and Favorite Foto Friday and Happy Birthday These are pictures from today. Can you guess where we are?

Abby at a Halloween party downstairs.

Abby with two of her favorite nurses. Most of her other favorites were dressed a little scary for Miss Abby.

Abby as I am typing this post.

The last picture is my favorite of the day, not because it is a great picture, but because it shows Abby finally comfortable and resting.

Thursday night we came to the hospital for 2 units of blood. If everything went well, we were supposed to go home after they were finished. As they finished transfusing, at 3 am, Abby's temperature spiked to 101. This guaranteed her at least 48 hours in the hospital.

Friday morning Abby started hurting. She has developed mucositis; canker sores on her digestive, urinary and reproductive systems. The last time she had this problem she was in intense pain and hospitalized for 2 weeks. So far, it is not as severe as last time, but still very painful. I don't know if we just caught it sooner, but we hope things will be less severe this time.

Abby is getting morphine continuously, with extra doses when she pushes a button, so for now she is comfortable. They will increase the dose if things get worse.

We would appreciate it if you would pray that the sores would heal quickly, that Abby's pain would be controlled and that she would be free of infection or other illnesses. Abby is also saying that her neck is hurting a lot. That is something that she never complains about.

Landis and Daddy have a stomach virus that is tough enough on them. I am praying they are better soon and that Abby would not catch this virus too. I hate being away from them when they are sick.

This is one time I am glad that most of you live far away. ;-) I thought that we would just be at the hospital for a few hours, so I only packed a few things to pass the time. While I am glad that I have my laptop and camera, it would be nice if I would have packed a change of clothes, makeup, brush and few other things. Thank goodness that will be taken care of tomorrow.

Abby only wants the pillow her Guatemalan Foster parents gave her. That pillow has was sewn with love and it is a treasure. Today is my Godson's birthday. Happy Birthday Carlos Roberto. We wish we were in Guatemala celebrating with you. We love you so much and are very proud of you.

11/2/2008 12:11:00 AM

Saturday with the Riggs…

By Brent Abby is in the hospital doing pretty poorly. Her central nervous system pressure was sky high giving her a migraine, and they had to bleed spinal fluid from her. There's nothing quite like watching someone stick a 6" needle into your child's spine like juice box straw and watch the liquid pour out.

She has sores head to toe, and literally cries and moans even when she is sound asleep. I would have never believed someone could cry while sound asleep if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes today. To make it more fun, the sores hurt so bad she just couldn't work up the courage to go tinkle until her bladder became so full it felt like an overinflated basketball.

So there we are - myself, Michelle and Sami - in the hospital with Abby hitting rock bottom. All the emotions already jacked and whacked from the stress of watching Abby, and for me in no small part because I was working on one hour sleep - about a quarter of most other "normal" nights.

Suddenly… two doors down from our room, a 9 year girl codes.

For those of you who never watched ER, “code” means they are dead or about to be dead. “Code Blue Room 112; Code Blue Room 112; Code Blue Room 112”. An army of medical staff flood the hallways heading for the door. The atmosphere of the hospital is instantly charged and you can feel the collective heart rate of the entire floor double.

1Thess 4:13 .. so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.

The mother and father lost all sense of control and despaired so pitifully that they interfered with the medical efforts to resuscitate the child and had to restrained. The father did not make it far until he collapsed, wailing and lamenting, finally throwing up on the floor and refusing to get up.

The mother was inconsolable and cried so loudly that you could see the doors to other rooms begin to close as parents tried to both shelter and

explain what was happening to their frightened child. I say this with complete sympathy but she was so uncooperative and consumed with emotion that she became at best a distraction to the doctors as they tried to revive the daughter.

I’ve seen many people grieve, and while I did not know that poor family, they certainly seemed to be “grieving without hope”. It is a truly sad thing to face death without The Anchor, The Hope, The Comforter.

At the moment all this was occurring, Abby had just had her spinal-tap-fluid-drain and several types of medications for sedation. We couldn’t wake her up. She should have regained alertness an hour previous to that, and we simply could not get her to open her eyes. Normally, this would be an exercise in patience, giving it some time, monitoring her vitals. In the midst of the “code blue”, all we wanted was to see Abby’s eyes open.

The floor today was full. Every room had a family with a child in various stages of cancer. Each of the parents there today, who for many the “cancer floor” at a children’s hospital is their second home, were all thinking the same thing: Next time it might be us.

If it is, we will grieve WITH hope because we know who Hope is. The Lord gives, the Lord receives back to Himself according to His will. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

That was our Saturday. What’d you guys do?

11/3/2008 12:04:00 PM

Abby and Bob Stoops

Have you seen the November Issue of Serious.Life Magazine yet? There is a story about Bob Stoops visiting Abby in the hospital.

There’s also a great a story from Carol Bauman about one of her adopted children and the incredible trial that they went through. And another from Erin Henderson, and another and another…. A bunch of great stories you’ll love.

I hope you’ll take a minute to look at it. Go here: http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/ Here's an excerpt from Carol's story: "Parker was 2 ½ years old and had the face of an angel. Mason was five months old and fulfilled my dream of having a baby. While Parker was lacking nutrition, Mason was terribly ill. He was suffering from a very rare male genetic disorder called Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome. His immune system was greatly compromised, as washis platelet production. Mason’s only hope was a bone marrow transplant.

Faced with a long and painful road ahead, we became very strong through Mason. He pulled through every illness, overcame every set back, and survived a stroke and a transplant. After spending 18 months in the hospital and receiving more than 200 blood transfusions, one would never know he was ever so sick. Today, Mason is a courageous and energetic four year old."

Read the rest of the story in the magazine: http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/ Here is a picture of Mason in the hospital:

11/3/2008 2:29:00 PM

Please Pray Quick update. Abby has an MRI at around 3 PM to check for blood clots in her brain. Please pray that she is calm during the MRI and that we get accurate results. Also please pray for her safety.

11/3/2008 8:03:00 PM

Stressful Day, but praising God for good news.

The MRI took almost 2 hours to complete. Because of her age and the length of the test, her doctor decided to use general anesthetic. This was great news for Abby, because she would only know that she was in my arms when she went to sleep and that I was there when she woke up.

For the anesthesiologist and me, it was a time to weigh risks and make difficult decisions. Abby's platelets are very low, because of her leukemia.

Platelets are normally at least 150,000 and Abby's are currently 21,000. Low platelets mean that your blood will not clot, so the risk of internal bleeding is significant. The first anesthesiologist refused to do the anesthesia for the MRI, because of the risk of Abby bleeding. The second anesthesiologist worked for 8 years at St. Jude, so he was very knowledgeable and comfortable treating with kids with leukemia. That anesthesiologist, Abby's Oncologist and a Neurosurgeon discussed what to do for Abby. An elective surgery or procedure could wait until morning after an infusion of platelets, but because the need for Abby's MRI was urgent, they felt it was worth the risk to proceed. If she had a blood clot or hemorrhage causing the pressure in her head, they needed to know immediately.

So I prayed and signed the papers, giving them permission to use general anesthesia on Abby. I carried her into the surgery suite, and held her in my arms while they gave her the medicine that made her go into a deep sleep.

My Mom and I sat in a waiting room for 2 hours, where we prayed for Abby, and waited to find out how she did. Two hours is a long time to wait, when you make a decision that serious about your child. What a comfort it was to see that so many people were praying. I couldn't focus well enough to write anything on the blog at that point or to moderate comments, but I could read them. Watching the encouraging comments come in, knowing that each person who was writing them was also praying, was very comforting. Thanks so much for praying for Abby and for taking the time to comfort me.

Today, Brent is sick and has an awful migraine, much too sick for him to be around Abby. He is not getting enough sleep. I hope that I never have to go through a day like this again without him by my side. [Note: this is Brent... I couldn't help but interject a note here in my wife's post; I am fine. It is Abby and my dear wife who have it hard. They are up here in the hospital, isolated, suffering non‐stop. I miss my wife. She is the one who has it tough during these hospital stays, not me.]

A resident tracked down the test results and gave me the preliminary findings. the official report will be back tomorrow. For now they believe that there are no blood clots in her brain and no obvious hemorrhages or tumors. Praise God. The only test still pending is for meningitis. If that is negative, they will most likely decide that her increased intracranial pressure is caused by the chemo. If it continues we will begin an intricate medical dance to protect her eyes, ears, and brain from permanent damage, while still using the chemo she needs to battle the cancer.

Abby in recovery. She looks so little and fragile.

My sweet girl an hour after we got to her room. I am so thankful that she is did great during during the proceedure and that there were no problems with the anesthesia.

11/4/2008 11:30:00 AM

Read what my husband wrote...

A quick update to last nights late update.

Abby's team of doctors are running out of things to test Abby for. We will soon be at the point where they will assume that her increased in intracranial pressure is a side effect of the chemo. Today the plan is to do a spinal tap to draw off excess fluid and test for a few more viruses.

Abby is in pain both from the fluid in her skull and from the canker-like sores that are in her digestive and reproductive tracks. Would you please continue to pray for an accurate diagnosis and for pain relief.

Thank you so much for praying for our daughter and the rest of the family. The comments are so encouraging to all of our family. Thank you so much for taking the time to write us.

My husband wrote something on his blog today about Abby and I wanted you to read it.

Some of you may not know that he is a prolific writer; and a great writer, if I do say so myself. Often he writes things for our family blog but most of his writing is over on his blog and sites. Here is an excerpt of what he wrote today: "Openly facing the very real possibility of Abby’s death is NOT tantamount to giving up, losing heart or lacking faith. Every person in human history has either died, or will die. It is a fact of our existence. God numbers the days of each person, and just as He breathed in the breath of life, He determines when that breath will end. It is not our place to question it, make some futile attempt to derail it, or engage in some shallow positive thinking while crossing our fingers behind our back."

Here's a link to read the entire post: http://www.brentriggs.com/?ItemID=305 I hope you'll take a few minutes to read it.

11/5/2008 8:42:00 PM

Wordless Wednesday Phyllis and Kristen visited us at the hospital yesterday and today. Yesterday, Abby was in a lot of pain. They were so sweet to her, but Abby was obviously hurting.

Kristen worked hard to cheer Abby up. Kristen is a very sweet and fun friend.

Today was a much better day. Abby's doctors increased her pain medicene and consulted the pain management team. Please pray that her pain is controled and that she is well enough to go home soon.

Abby's doctors are still running tests to determine the cause of the increased presure in her skull. I am praying that Abby has relief from the presure soon. Thank you so much for praying for Abby. The last few days have seemed long to both of us. It breaks my heart to see her hurting like this. Please pray for wisdom for the doctors and myself and healing for Abby.

11/6/2008 9:03:00 AM

Update on Abby & some comments about a comment..

Abby is still in the hospital. She has very bad sores all over and they still haven’t figured out what is causing all the pressure on her brain. At this point she will still be in the hospital several more days, minimum. They increased her morphine to help her deal with the pain of all it. They haven't ruled out meningitis yet, so we are praying for that to be negative.

Thank you for your continued prayers and concern.

We recently had a comment left on our blog that went somthing like this "your child's illness is not an opportunity for you to learn about your God..."

Brent has responded to this comment on his blog. I hope you'll take time to read it. http://www.brentriggs.com/?ItemID=306

11/7/2008 11:45:00 PM

Favorite Foto Friday - fav family picture The theme this week at http://kissthefrog4me.blogspot.com/ is favorite family foto. This photo is special to me because Brent took it while our nine year old daughter was still living in an orphanage in Ethiopia. She had been at the orphanage longer than any other child, so she had seen many children go home with new families. How heartbreaking it would be to see so many children find families, while you were still alone.

To introduce her to her new brothers and sisters, we took this photo of our children. We not only wanted her to see her new family, we also wanted her to begin to picture herself with her forever family. We sent her a copy of the original picture and a copy of the one that Brent photo shopped her in to.

Samrawit, I can't imagine our family without you in in it. We love you with all of our hearts. You are a blessing to everyone you meet and we are very proud of you.

11/9/2008 4:42:00 PM

Surfer Girl We are still in the hospital and I am not sure how much longer we will be here. Many people have asked me questions about Abby. My answer to most of them is, "I don't know." I will update you the best that I can, but we would appreciate your prayers as we continue to try to find the best way to help Abby now.

Her canker sores are much better. This is a huge blessing. Thanks so much for praying for her to be healed from them.

Her body is recovering from the last round of chemo. This means that her body will begin to heal and she will soon be ready to start the next round of chemo. She still has muscle weakness and pain in her legs from the chemo. she is so weak and she shakes when she walks. Walking with Abby is just like walking along side an old frail woman.

Abby's doctors believe that her increased intracranial pressure is caused by the chemo. Every test for infection (meningitis, TB, ...) was negative.

Unfortunately the chemo that is probably causing it is necessary to fight her cancer and she will need it a long time. She needs the chemo to fight the cancer and the increased pressure in her head, left UNTREATED, can cause brain damage, vision loss and hearing loss. They are now giving her a medication that might decrease the pressure. It will be at least a week before we will know if it will work and it may take longer.

If it doesn't work the neurologist is telling us that she will probably need surgery to place a shunt from her cranium to her abdomen, so that the fluid can drain. They shunt would be something that would have to be replaced every few years as she grows and then every time it stops working as an adult. This is not something that I want for her. To permanently alter her body, to solve a temporary problem, is not something that I was to do. The third option is to take her to the hospital about every 3 days to get the extra spinal fluid drained off. The biggest risk with this option is infection. Honestly we don't like any of the options. We are praying that she is either healed from the increased pressure or that the medications work. If those don't happen, then I guess that the princess and I will be doing a lot of driving, because we don't want her to have a shunt, if it can be avoided.

How is Abby doing? Much better than she was a few days ago, but she is still hurting some and is very tired. The pictures below answer you questions much better than I can. The waves of fatigue and pain still hit her, but she is a fighter. She fights by choosing to smile and giggle and laugh. The last week and a half was tough, but I have treasured every moment with Abby. What a blessing to be her mother.

Abby "playing" a video game.

I have seen this look a hundred times in the last few days.

Abby loves to "surf" by standing on the base of the pole and hanging on. When her legs are strong, I love to push her down the halls.

It didn't take long for her to get tired. It is frustraiting to be so weak.

Abby and Grandmother. Abby loved dressing up as Ariel. She got the Little Mermaid hat in the mail on the same day as she got the dress, from two diferent people. How cool is that?

11/11/2008Â 9:30:00Â PMÂ

Candy, Kya and Coach Stoops Today, Abby had another spinal tap. Her intracranial pressures were 3 times normal, again. They drained off excess spinal fluid (17 plus ml.). The plan is to double the medication that is supposed to decrease the pressure and then wait and watch. At this point it looks like this is going to take a while for this problem to be solved. Our choices are to stay in the hospital, where they can manage her pain, or try to go home. If we go home, we will be giving her the same type of pain medicine, but we will have to go to the ER of hospital if they aren't working. We will also need to go to the hospital every 2-3 days for a spinal tap.

Her doctors are changing her to medication that can be given at home and we are at least trying to move in that direction. If we go home, we will not be bringing home the same daughter we left with.

It's hard to accurately describe this to people. Abby is simply not the same Abby. She is in constant pain, migraine headaches and discomfort. So she comes across as grouchy and hard to please even though we are consistent parenting her (manners, treating people politely, etc). I can't imagine having that bad of a headache for a 2 weeks non-stop. Loud noises are grating and lights make the pain worse. We normally have a fun and active home but Abby just swings in and out of complete impatient and irritability. Brent has migraines sometimes, so he can relate a little bit to how she feels. Please pray that we have the wisdom we need to make adjustments and to help her learn to cope with this.

It is never easy to watch a child in pain. The last 13 days have been very hard and frankly lonely. When my children are hurting, my focus is on them. Writing is never something that is easy for me and when I am stressed it is much harder. I don't think to pick up the phone until the nurses and doctors stop parading through our room, unfortunately that is usually about midnight.

When friends have asked me about visiting, I told them that Abby was in a lot of pain, and that it wasn't easy to witness. A week ago, Brent and I filmed a few minutes of Abby crying in her sleep, but decided not to post it. Even that few minutes was more than we wanted to burden people with.

Three friends in particular politely listened to me when I described to them how hard things were for Abby and then told me that they were coming to visit us anyway. Toni, Phyllis and Candy (who blogged about her visit here ) I will always love you for coming to see us when we were hurting. And yes, Stacey we would love to see you too. But, it would be much more fun for Maggie when Abby is not hurting so much. Abby is not even close to her "normal" self.

Others stopped by to say hi and to pray with us. Old friends and new were a blessing to us.

Our Christian family and friends from Wildwood Church in Norman continue to bless us in many ways. Someone took the time to arrange for a builder to donate the wood laminate materials to replace the carpet in our house to help Abby with allergies. Another dear couple found out that our living room wood laminate floors had been water damaged from an A/C leak the first time Abby was in the hospital, and they went right down to Lowe's and bought flooring for our living room! We had a whole team of people help finish laying the floors, and clean the house top to bottom to get rid of all the sawdust and dirt, as well as put the house back together (everything had to be moved to put the flooring in). People

from our church pray for us, bring us meals and groceries.

(Note from Brent: I've received some emails from people who have felt left out and lonely when in need or enduring a trial. I will have something on my blog about this late Tuesday night... Here's an exerpt: I've received some emails from people telling me that they have experienced, or are experiencing a grievous crisis, and they are all but ignored by their Christian family. There is no intention to make us feel guilty about being helped, they just feel discouraged and let down not to receive the same. I can feel the sadness and frankly, I don't have any magic answers for them. Read the entire post: http://www.brentriggs.com/ ) We continue to be overwhelmed, thankful and grateful for all the prayers, visits and practical help. It is hard to overstate how loving and kind our family at Wildwood Church has been.

Kya and Abby having a tea party.

Kya was an absolute doll. Candy you have a beautiful girl, inside and out. Thank you so much for taking hte time to visit Abby. I really enjoyed talking to you. You both were a blessing.

Abby and Kay, Abby's favorite volunteer.

Abby's coach, Bob Stoops and Samrawit. Coach Stoops makes Abby feel so special. If you haven't seen it yet, you should read the article about Abby and Coach Stoops in Serious.Life Magazine: http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/

Kya and Abby painting.

11/12/2008 3:05:00 PM

Abby Goes Home... A Post from Brent...

Abby is getting to come home today but not because she is "better".

We are pretty good at taking care of her at home. We convinced the Doctors to let us give her chemo at home, and now we've convinced them to let us manage her medication and pain at home.

We think she will do much better at home with her family. She is too isolated at the hospital, and of course, Mom is too. We have spent about half our time at hospitals and clinics since Abby was diagnosed in July and it is starting to wear on us.

I (Brent) went up last night to spend some time with my wife and Abby. As I was rocking Abby, and interacting with her, it was obvious, and sad, how much her personality was being affected by the medication and pain.

It brought to mind some things we should keep in mind as we deal with other people. I wrote about it on my blog today. You can read it here: http://www.brentriggs.com/?ItemID=309 We'll update you on Abby later tonight or tomorrow morning after she is home.

11/13/2008 4:37:00 PM

Sisters Abby and I got home late last night. Yeah! Thank you so much for Praying for Abby. She is weak and tired, but so happy to be home. Much of today was spent holding Abby and rocking her.

Angel, this one is for you. Thank you so much for Abby's new hat. Abby wore her "Make a Wish" hat to her procedure. Her doctors laughed. If you don't know what Abby wished for, read about it here. http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/2008/10/abbys-wish.html

Sami tried to distract Abby when she was hurting. Sami you are the best big sister!

Abby at home.

Abby pretending to be a mermaid.

Trying to fake being asleep. It would have worked better if they could have stopped smiling.

11/14/2008 10:28:00 PM

Favorite Foto Friday These pictures are a month old. The FFF theme was the perfect excuse to reach back in time. The FFF theme this week is blowing kisses. These are more kissing bandit than blowing kisses, but they are still fun. Landis is our families smoocher. You have to love a kid who is 100% personality.

Don't let Abby fool you. She loves Landis's kisses.

There are days when cancer stinks. We have had a string of those kind of days. Right now Abby is weak, nauseated and has NO energy. Today, I need desperately to remind myself that she has been here twice before and she HAS rebuilt her strength. I love this picture from last month.

Two weeks before this was taken she couldn't even take more than 2 steps and had to be carried up stairs. This picture is of her climbing UP a slide.

So proud of herself for climbing up the slide.

Abby has to wear a mask anytime there are other people around. No fun, but she never complains.

Landis tells EVERY story with enthusiasm.

Landis you are so much fun. I can't imagine our family with out you.

11/16/2008 1:54:00 PM

Losing Ground Abby is not doing so well.

She is not complaining about pain, and we are VERY thankful for that. She is being so sweet and cuddly, but has NO energy (zero), is eating almost nothing and what she is eating, she’s not keeping down.

The chemo she will receive over the next two months is going to be rough, but no harder than what she has already endured. For the two months following that, she is going to begin the HARDEST phase of her treatment. She really needs to be gaining weight now, to prepare, but is

losing weight because she can’t eat. Brent and I have tried for 2 months to help her gain weight, and she just keeps losing.

You won’t understand this if you’ve never dealt with cancer, but we allow her to eat anything with high calories - no restrictions, no “balancing nutrition”. She needs calories, period. Butter, ice cream, cheese, pie… anything she wants… and we still can’t get her to eat.

Would you pray for Abby today? Would you also pray for wisdom for Brent and I, as well as her doctors.Thank you so much.

11/17/2008 3:14:00 PM

Abby, Book & Mag Monday Abby Update: Abby is back in the hospital. They are going to schedule surgery for a G-Tube which will allow us to feed her directly into her stomach. She lost another pound this week, and she only weighed 30lbs when all this started. She’s down to about 25 or 26 pounds I think.

She has been pretty weak and frail. She eats about an ounce of food a day, then takes her medicine and promptly throws it all up. Hopefully with a feeding tube we’ll be able to “fatten her up” because the worst is still to come. The next 60 day cycle of treatment will be difficult, but the following 60 days after that is going to be the MOST difficult of the entire process. Hard to imagine since we didn’t think she would survive the last couple rounds.

11/18/2008 7:50:00 PM

Abby... and Meet A Friend Updated: Abby's surgery is moved to 9 am. Brent at home getting kids to school and other family is not here yet either. Please pray for peace as we adjust. I feel so much better with Brent by my side.

First of all, thank you so much for praying for us on Monday.

Brent and I each came to the decision independent of each other, that Abby needed a G-tube because she is not eating. What a blessing that we came to the decision at the same time. I was a little nervous about talking to Abby's oncologist on Monday, but she said that she strongly believed that Abby needed one before I brought it up. It is wonderful that everyone involved believes that this is the best thing for Abby. Praise God that He is directing things for us.

We have a very small window of opportunity to do the surgery. Abby has had a break from chemo, so she is stronger than she was, but we begin chemo again with her surgery scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday) at approximately 12:30 (but it could be moved forward or backwards at the last minute.

I am not looking forward to the surgery but I am very glad that we will be able to stop focusing on her eating and spend our time on more fun things. As an added benefit, Abby will not need to swallow those yucky pills anymore either because they can be given through the tube. Abby has heard the doctors explain the surgery and she GETS a lot more of what they are saying than a normal almost 4 year old. We have already prepared her the best we can on a child's level, and I will try to shield her better tomorrow.

Abby is having dangerous side effects from the medication for the increased intracranial pressure. Her doctors have cut her dose in half. They think she may need a permanent shunt placed to drain the excess fluid. Not something that I want to think about today.

We appreciate your prayers and covet them greatly.

Would you please pray that:

  

Abby is not scared and is pain free, both during surgery and after.

That the surgery is successful. No infection. All procedures done that are needed.

For peace for Brent and I during surgery.

Thank again for your prayers, comments and emails. We are blessed to have so many people praying for Abby and us. Specifically, thank you for prayers about the financial issues. We had a hospital call us and say they were returning a big payment because our deductible had been met.

That payment was due to another group of doctors, and now we won't have to pay that amount twice. Can anyone BUT GOD get insurance companies and hospitals to send you money BACK???

FROM BRENT: I have someone I want you to meet. If you will give me about 2 minutes of your time, I PROMISE you will be glad you did. Check it out here: http://www.brentriggs.com/?ItemID=311

11/19/2008 7:24:00 PM

Abby's Day

Abby had surgery yesterday morning and was very calm before the surgery. She slept most of the time. They let me gown up and carry her back to the operating room and she stayed in my arms until she was given the anesthesia and fell sound asleep. No fear, safe in Mommy's arms. Then, Brent and I were both with her when she woke up. I love it when God takes care of the "small" details.

Her surgeon expected her to be able to drink liquids 2 hours after surgery, but that was not to be. We knew that Abby has muscle loss from all the weight she was losing. What we didn't know was that the muscles that makeup her organs were getting weak and thin too including her stomach so she is not allowed to have anything through the tube before they run tests on it tomorrow morning. If everything is okay, we will be able to feed her then. They are letting her drink some small amounts of clear liquid tonight (by mouth, not the tube). She is so weak and malnourished. It is hard to be patient. Please pray for healing and wisdom, for all involved.

Some have asked if she will be able to eat anything with her mouth anymore. Of course. This tube HELPS her eat not replaces how she eats. She will be able to drink liquids normally starting tonight, then very soft foods for 2 weeks and then after that she can eat like normal. They just want the swelling to go down before she eats anything hard. In a couple of weeks, Abby will be able to eat as much or little as she wants, and then we can make up the difference with the tube. And that’s the point… the tube allows us to feed her and give her medicine even if she doesn’t feel like eating (a frequent side affect).

The dietitian says that Abby needs to get 1500 calories a day, to rebuild and fight the cancer. Good grief. Can you imagine getting a child whose very favorite foods are raw vegetables and fruit and who LOVES to drink water, to eat 1500 calories a day. At this point, if we spent every waking minute forcing her to eat, it wouldn’t be 200 calories. I am VERY, VERY thankful that she will have the g-tube.

Abby is in a lot of pain because of the chemo yesterday and today, I need to take her to the bathroom every 2 hours (so that the chemo doesn't burn her bladder). Tough when it hurts to move at all. Please pray for good pain control. Her to be free of infection, her stomach and incisions to heal; wisdom for her doctors, nurses and Brent and I. Thank you so much for praying for Abby.

11/21/2008 7:26:00 AM

Hungry Princess Abby ate jello last night. She loved it.

Abby is supposed to have an Upper GI in a few minutes. If the g-tube is healing well, we will get to us it and she will be able to eat. If it is leaking a lot, she will go back to surgery and if it is leaking only a little, Abby will not be able to use the g-tube OR eat. Needless to say, I am praying that it is working great.

Abby is so hungry. They are not letting her eat until the test is finished.

It looks like Christmas at our house, thanks to all of you. Thank you all so much for making Abby feel special.

Hagens and Cooleys thank you so much for providing this mornings distraction. Abby LOVE the things that you picked out and I truly appreciate the distraction from the hunger pains.

11/21/2008 9:20:00 PM

Great News, Bad News and Request for Prayers The surgeon's report today said that Abby's stomach is paper thin. Paper thin. She is severely malnourished because of the problems that she has had from the chemo. Abby needs desperately to rebuild, repair and gain weight. She only has two months to prepare for the toughest phase of chemo.

Yesterday they did an Upper GI, to see if Abby's stomach had healed enough, where they inserted the g-tube, to use the gastric tube. She was malnourished, went 60 hours without eating anything nutritious, and her paper-thin stomach wasn't closing around the sutures like they wanted it to DURING surgery, because the muscle was weak.

48 hours later, praise God, the G-tube worked perfectly. They are feeding her small amounts of Pediasure through it and are gradually increasing the amount. Yeah!

The bad news is that the place that they did the hernia repair is swollen and having a few problems. This is keeping her from eating anything that is not liquid. Please pray that the swelling goes down quickly.

Also, her headaches have returned. Headaches for Abby means there is too much fluid around her brain. Please pray that the fluid goes away without them needing to do surgery.

We would appreciate your prayers:

      

To thank God for the miracle of her g-tube working perfectly. Any leaks would have meant that we could not have used it until they stopped.

To praise God that her pain is decreasing and that she has no signs of infection.

The swelling to go down from her hernia repair and for other problems with it to be fixed.

The the headaches from excess fluid to go away without surgery.

Pain to continue to decrease.

Remain infection free.

That Brent would be healthy, as he is working and caring for our other kids.

Thank you so much for your prayers and encouraging comments.

11/24/2008 8:20:00 PM

Guess Who is in Trouble Now? UPDATED to add that it is 2 am and Abby and I are home. Praise God. Thank you for praying.

I always know when Abby is ready to go home from the hospital. First she starts to say, "I'll can do it myself." Then she does something truly ornery, that reminds me that first and foremost, Abby is a normal three year old girl. Then she says she misses her Daddy.

Looks like we'll get to go home late Monday night. What an answer to prayer!

Wanna hear something funny? Abby was messing with a craft project while I was talking to her doctors. We look down and the little princess is cutting her feeding tube with the scissors. We thought we caught her before we damaged it, but a few days later, when the feeding amount was increased, we got hosed with PediaSure spewing out the line where Abby cut it!

Abby's feeding tube is working great. We are still slowly increasing the amount of nutrition, and she has finally stopped losing weight! She is pain free, most of the time, no headaches, nausea is better. She is feeling great.

Thanks for praying!

11/28/2008 7:28:00 PM

Favorite Foto Friday - Thankful and Prayer Request For Hair :-) I started this last night, but Abby had to go to the hospital for platelets, so this is late, but still fun. We got to go home late last night. You can see other FFF posts here.

Brent and I have gotten in the habit of not making many promises to our children and the promises that we do make are proceeded by "If Abby is not in the hospital, we will..........."

Wonderful friends from our church brought us Thanksgiving dinner and Brent's parents came to celebrate with us. The food was wonderful and Abby was out of the hospital. I am so thankful that we were able to celebrate together.

Abby has a low grade temperature today. If it goes over 101 she will be admitted to the hospital. We have been trying to get Abby's wig cut for months, but every time we get an appointment to get it cut, she gets admitted to the hospital. She has an appointment for this afternoon. Abby is so excited. Please pray that Abby will be able to make this appointment. How's that for a frivolous pray request? :-) Thank you so much for praying for our family. We are loving every moment together.

Landis and Samrawit

Abby and Sami on Thanksgiving

Dane texting, and texting

Landis wishing that Dane would start texting again.

Abby LOVED her Thanksgiving hat with a turkey bow. Thanks Holly.

12/4/2008 4:44:00 PM

Holy Cow! There IS Hope!

Holy Cow! We just found out that 54 frat house guys from OU are on their way over to say hi to Abby. They heard about her being sick, and wanted to come bring her a present! FIFTY FOUR! Makes you have in the future generations.

More later tonight after the excitement!

Brent & Michelle and Kids

12/5/2008 1:47:00 PM

Last Night and Today Last night was wonderful.... more on that later.

Abby is going to the hospital again. We almost made it ten days at home. She's had a rollercoastering fever all day, and they are going to do a work up on her. If her counts are high enough (good blood numbers) she'll get to come home but they will have to be really good to keep her out of the hospital. Michelle is on the way there now.

If her numbers are low, she'll be admitted right back in the hospital because of the fever...

Sigh.....

Brent

12/5/2008 10:51:00 PM

FFF - Abby

Abby had a fever of 102.6 in ER, BUT her white blood counts looked good, so she is going home, instead of being admitted into the hospital.

Yeah!!! We are very thankful Abby is home. God is so good. Thank you so much for praying!

Tomorrow we will post about the 54 frat guys and decorating our tree.

Thank you so much for praying.

12/7/2008 10:37:00 PM

Abby and Her 50 Boyfriends I guess there is hope after all…

That’s what I wrote when we found out 50 frat guys from Oklahoma University were headed over to our house to bring Abby a present and visit her. If it had been a group of girls, everyone would think “how sweet”. But for college guys to do something so kind, and be so selfless and mature truly was VERY heartwarming. Here’s what happened: We got a call a couple of weeks ago from John, who attends our church. He said he heard about Abby at church one day, and just really felt like doing something for her, him and his frat house. “How nice” we thought.

Thursday afternoon we get a phone call to find out that 40-50 guys are headed to our house! Holy cow… we had no idea what to expect. But here they came, down the road like a caravan.

They had traveled a couple of hours the day before to go get Abby a big playhouse for the back yard. The drove TWELVE HOURS, yes 12, to get a little girl a present they had never met. They showed up and set it up in the back yard.

One group of guys took our 17 and 16 year old out to an OU/USC basketball game. Another group stayed at our house for a couple of hours and played with Landis, Sami and Abby (our sister was here caring for Abby medically). Another group went out and bought presents for the kids for Christmas. Another group took me and Michelle out to dinner, made us reservations and paid for the whole thing.

It was truly heartwarming and amazing. I’m going to write a story on it in the next issue of Serious.Life Magazine and not only cover what they did, but talk about their fraternity and some of the members. It will be a good story on a good group of guys.

We could not have been more impressed and touched by what they did.

Abby with all her new "boyfriends" She now refers to them all as her boyfriends, and just grins every time they are mentioned.

She was a little docile in this picture having had chemo that day.

The guys unload the new playhouse they drove TWO HOURS to get!

Mission accomplished! The playhouse is set up, but it would be the next day, sunny and warm before the kids would get to play on it.

Abby playing outside! That is first for her in several months.

She couldn't wait to get out to her new playhouse, set up by her 50 boyfriends!

12/9/2008Â 10:30:00Â PMÂ

Christmas Blessings Every room in our home is filled with reminders that we serve an awesome and loving God and blessed with great friends, both here at home and new friends from all over the world.

Our freezer was filled with meals from the adoption community, Red Letter, and our church. We have received many care packages and soon Abby will have new hair. Thanks to some great guys from OU, the kids have a new club house to play in.

Thank you all so much for helping us care for Abby and for making her feel so loved. She carries your cards and letters around with her all day long and tells everyone that her friends love her and are praying for her. Thanks.

I love everything about Christmas, especially decorating our home, doing fun projects with the kids and teaching our children why we celebrate.

This year is tough because we are so tired, stretched to our limits and behind on many tasks. It is more important than ever to have a great Christmas, because she is so sick. We don't want to squander any chance to have some memories with her in case God calls her on home.

Another reason we want to have wonderful Christmas is because this will be our nine year old daughter's, Samrawit, first Christmas with our family. Last Christmas she was living at an orphanage in Ethiopia. I want us to have happy memories of this year, even in the midst of all of our challenges. I was worried about how we would be able to do everything that we want to do, while still caring for Abby.

Sunday, friends from our church decorated the outside of our home with Christmas lights and decorated our Christmas tree. They brought cider and cookies for the kids to decorate. The kids were so excited. We didn't ask them to do it, they are just kind and loving friends. We are very grateful they decorated and had a lot of fun while they were here.

You'll notice all these pictures are of the children. Every picture I took of the adults had at least one humbug adult trying to dive out of the picture. I though I was the only one who did that. :-)

Samrawit decorating a tree for the first time. Abby loves watching her big sister.

Abby, Abby's friend Megan and Landis. Abby calls her "MY Megan".

Landis had more icing on his shirt than he did on the cookies.

Thank you all for making this holiday special.

Samrawit had never decorated cookies before. While we were waiting for her adoption to be complete and her to come home , I was sad that we had missed so many of those firsts that all parents love to see. Since she has been home, we have seen her experience so many new things. It was fun to show her something else new.

Thank you all so much for decorating our home and making our Christmas special.

12/12/2008 12:09:00 PM

Trick or Treat... and Abby update

Some of you know that Abby was in the hospital on Halloween. She was disappointed that she was not able to go Trick or Treating, but we told her that as soon as she was at home and feeling better she could "Trick or Treat" family members, who had saved her candy. She loved the idea and talked about it often, but had the wisdom to know that it would be more fun when she could eat the candy.

I never imagined, when we were first talking about it, that it would be the second week in December before she was both home from the hospital and able to swallow candy. She waited a long, long time for that sack of candy.

Abby is doing much better now, and I would love to not think about or talk about how much she has gone though in the last couple of months, but I also know that in order for the people who are new to our blog to understand how exciting it is for Abby to be doing better, a brief review is in order.

Short version: Abby was not tolerating the chemo medication to the point that we thought we were going to lose her.

Longer version: In the last few months, Abby has had mucosytis three times (canker sores on her whole digestive tract), she lost 25% of her weight (she was thin to start with), had increased intracranial pressure (up to 4 times normal) from the chemotherapy, had surgery to place a feeding tube in her stomach and to repair a hernia (she had a hernia because of weak muscles and vomiting so much). Her surgeon said that her stomach was paper-thin, because of malnutrition that was caused by the side effects of the chemo.

Abby's throat has been swollen since she had surgery three weeks ago. The only thing she could swallow was liquids. It has been a long three weeks. She still gained weight and wasn't hungry because of the feeding tube, but she missed eating.

Abby is doing GREAT now, praise God. She has gained almost SIX pounds! She has more energy, needs less sleep, and can eat any any food she wants to. The chemo she is taking is still hard on her body, but she is much stronger than she is normally, during rounds of chemo. We love having our happy, energetic and affectionate daughter back. Thank you so much for praying for Abby and our family. God is so good.

Several months ago my blogger buddies came up with some great ideas for costumes that Abby could wear, that would cover up her beautiful bald head. She loved all of the ideas, but her favorite the bridal gown. She wanted wanted to wear a beautiful dress, so that she could marry Daddy. I love that.

Before Halloween our church had a dress rehearsal for a play, The Chronicles of Narnia, that they were doing during their Fall Festival. Since there wasn't as many people at the rehearsal, Abby was able to go, as long as she wore her mask when she was around groups of people.

Abby with one of her favorite friends, Megan.

Landis watching the play. He is scared of people in masks, but he was trying to be brave.

I love Landis's smile.

Abby and Grandmother. I love that you can see she is smiling, even with the mask on.

Samrawit had so much fun dressing up. The hat she wore was sent to Abby when she was first diagnosed. My friend Tony, collected the funnest hats, from friends that live all over the country.

Abby with her favorite "boyfriend".

12/14/2008 6:43:00 PM

It Was Great While It Lasted.... Abby's Back in the Hospital Well, we had a good run of a couple of weeks out of the hospital, but that came to an end tonight. Abby is back in….

She has been throwing up non-stop for several days. With the loop they put around her esophagus, she’s not actually throwing up any contents up, but she is dry heaving every few minutes, and all night long, which is miserable for her (especially) and all of us. She’s been non-stop nauseated for days. While chemo causes a lot of symptoms like this, we suspected something else was going on because this is beyond “normal” for the chemo.

They did her blood tests tonight and she has acidosis, another wonderful side effect of all her drug therapy. Acidosis is where the body fluids have too much acid. This can cause all sorts of weird side effects. For Abby, she has been feeling awful, and “throwing up” every few minutes for days. If you can think of how hard it is on your body to throw up once or twice, imagine doing it ten or twenty times a day for several days straight. It doesn’t matter if any contents are expelled from the stomach, it’s still the same physical wear and tear.

We’ll keep you posted, but for now, she’s back in the hospital getting blood, blood tests, and the doctors are trying to see what they can do for her.

12/16/2008 9:37:00 AM

Update and Prayer Request Quick prayer request and then more info below. Today especially, your prayers mean the world to us.

Abby will have CAT scan and spinal tap today. Would you pray that she is calm and that she is not in any pain.? Most children are well sedated for spinal taps, but because Abby has had increased pressure, they can't give her the same medicine as other children. Would you also pray for wisdom for the doctors, and for Brent and I? Abby had a rough day, yesterday. at its highest her temperature was 103.9 (after they gave her Tylenol). She had a rash over most of her body, but her doctors don't know what is causing it.

Her eyes aren't focusing well on occasion. She is having more trouble "finding" words (this was bad after the first time that her intracranial pressures went up, but had been getting better). Also, when she smiles, one corner of her mouth goes up and the other stays down. This could be a sign that the fluid pressure is up in her head, mild stroke, that her cancer has relapsed or it could just be some weird side effect of chemo that will resolve on its own. Of that yucky list, I am hoping for weird chemo side effect. We will know more after her spinal tap and CAT scan.

Our great news for today is that Abby has gained another 1 1/2 pounds, for a grand total of 6 1/2 pounds! Abby says that she is getting "fatty mcfat, fat". :-) I love that she is getting stronger. Praise God!

12/18/2008 12:14:00 AM

Update, Prayer Request and Make a Wish Thank you so much for praying for Abby and the rest of the family.

Tuesday was very hard for Abby, but Wednesday was much better. Abby did great during the CAT scan. She cried for a couple of seconds when I laid her on the gurney, but after that laid still and held my hand tight. We talked about swimming in the ocean, petting dolphins and building castles in the sand. She didn't need any sedation and handled it like the pro she is. They needed her to be perfectly still for the whole test and she did it on the first try. Praise God! Thanks for praying that she wouldn't be scared.

Unfortunately, The spinal tap didn't go very well at all. Her doctor and physician's assistant worked hard to sedate her, giving her many times the medicine that she should have needed. She should have been at least very, very sleepy. The doctor kept sending the nurse for more and more medicine. Even after all of that, she was talking, sitting up and coloring. Abby remembers what the spinal taps feel like, so she was scared when

we tried to lay her on her side. It broke my heart. After about an hour and a half we got her sedated a little and calm enough. Her intracranial pressure was 28 and the goal is for it to stay at 7-15, so he drained off some of the spinal fluid.

The good thing that came out of all of this is that people are coming together, to try and find a way to help Abby more during the procedures.

Please continue to pray for Abby and for wisdom for her doctors and Brent and I. For those of you who have been through this trial, we would welcome any suggestions.

Abby and I were both drained Wednesday morning, but by afternoon, she was laughing, dancing and having a ball playing with Samrawit.

Tuesday I couldn't write because I was too exhausted, Wednesday I couldn't write during the day, because I was following after an energetic three year old. I loved seeing her play and listening to her laughing. Just when I think I can't handle anymore, God blesses us with a wonderful day.

Thursday will be another long, long day. Because of her left-sided facial weakness, her doctor wants to do a very detailed MRI. I will be shocked if they find anything, but it is good that he is being cautious. They will do this under general anesthetic. The hardest part of the day for Abby is going without food before the test. The hardest part for me will be waiting for her to come out of the surgical suite.

Would you pray that the doctor would allow me to carry her back to the room that they will do the MRI in and to hold her in my arms until she is asleep? They have let me do this every time they have done either surgeries on her or MRIs, but it is the doctors decision and some of them say yes and others prefer not.

Would you also pray that they are able to sedate her well and that she is safe during the procedure?

If we get good results, quickly enough, we will get to go home this Thursday. Obviously I am praying that we will be able to go home after the test. Abby, Samrawit and I miss the rest of our family.

The pictures below were taken when Abby's Make a Wish representatives visited her at home a week ago. She knew that she could wish to meet one person at Disney or Universal Studios, but only ONE person. For a couple of days before they came, all she would say is that she wanted to meet Spiderman. Abby doesn't even like Spiderman, but her "baby" brother Landis LOVES ,LOVES, LOVES Spiderman. She kept telling him, "Don't worry Landis, I will get you your Spiderman." We finally got her to say that she would like to meet Little Mermaid too. She is a sweetie.

Abby loved being the center of attention.

Abby loved meeting Heather and talking about a wish. Heather and her mom Tracy were very fun to talk to and made Abby feel like a princess.

Thanks guys.

Tracy talking to Abby when she brought up her first wish. :-) http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/2008/10/abbys-wish.html She whispered it so the boys wouldn't hear. :-)

Heather and Tracy, Abby says thank you for the princess costume. She LOVES wearing it!

12/18/2008 10:50:00 PM

Abby is in Love Abby is HOME!!! Thank you so much for praying for Abby. We will write more tomorrow, but we wanted you to know how God answered your prayers and blessed our family. Abby is so excited to be home.

This hospital stay had many stressful moments, but there were also many blessings, too. Abby's favorite moment was when she got a package from Mary Beth. Mary Beth was so sweet to send Abby a beautiful Guatemalan doll. Abby has spent hours looking at her cute toes and fingers, combing her hair and holding her tight. She was so excited to get a doll that looked just like her. https://www2900.ssldomain.com/preciousbabydolls/index.html

12/20/2008 12:04:00 AM

Abby & Sami Meet Santa (FFF) A couple a weeks ago, Abby and Samrawit went to a Christmas party at the cancer clinic.

Abby was very excited that she was able to go to a party with her friends and getting to meet Santa. Samrawit had never seen Santa before, so even though she was trying to act "cool", she was more excited than Abby.

Sami's gift from Santa.

Samrawit, Santa and Abby

The clown quizzed all of the children as they were standing in line for Santa, asking them what they had done this year that was good. Sami said, "I obey my Mom and Dad." Very true.

12/23/2008 1:24:00 AM

Riggs: important update on Abby - Dec. 23rd...

(For new readers, our daughter, Abby, three years old, adopted from Guatemala, was diagnosed with Leukemia in July this year).

We thought Abby maybe had a stroke last week; MRI's were negative; she has recovered from the strange symptoms.

Update on Abby...

We got a call late last week that our Doctor wanted to consult with us. Never good... Here's the short version about this latest development with Abby:

  

8% of the population has a specific genetic variation...

That variation is NOT a factor in getting Leukemia...

However, if you get Leukemia and you have that variation, you are FOUR TIMES more likely to die during the first year of treatment from complications or relapse.

One effect of this gene variation is increased toxicity from specific drugs. Our doctor is going to help us monitor this particular aspect so that we can keep those complications to a minimum.

Our kind Doctor said it was "not a death sentence, but no, not good news". I asked her if that took Abby from her previous 70% chance of survival down to around 20 or 30% and she replied "it's hard to put a number to it..." but did not offer another figure.

For the next couple of weeks, Abby is in “interim maintenance” an easier period of chemo, which is kind of laughable if you saw how many drugs and chemo she is still getting. On Jan 16, she begins “delayed intensification” which is the hardest part of her entire treatment. Given today’s news, you can guess how much this 60 day period concerns us since we almost lost her a couple of times already in lesser intensity therapy periods.

We are already planning to get some help during those two months of “delayed intensification” because based on history, we will probably be in the hospital the majority of the time dealing with significant complications. Would you:

  

Please pray for us to have wisdom, strength and health to take care of Abby Put Abby on any prayer lists or groups and prayer for her healing Pray that God will be glorified no matter what the outcome Pray that God will make provision for the increased needs and expenses coming up

We know that God can safeguard Abby no matter what – four times, ten times, a hundred times “more likely…” whatever. God is bigger than genetics, cancer or any other difficulty we face.

We also know that Abby is in a win/win situation: she wins if we get to keep her here; she wins if she gets to go be with God and wait for us there. However, it goes without saying that we would be unspeakably sad to have to let her go, so we pray for her healing, and ask you to do the same.

Looks like Abby gets to be home for Christmas, and that is WONDERFUL. She went to see Christmas lights last night, and will get to see them again tomorrow night. Our wonderful friends, Carol and Scott, are picking up our three little ones in a LIMO and taking them to see Christmas

lights! We have received Christmas gifts for the children from Scott’s office and co-workers. Carol and Scott have just been SO kind and generous to us. We are so thankful for them. They have really gone above and beyond to be a blessing to us.

We also received Christmas gifts for the kids from our wonderful church family, who also continue to bring us meals and help us however they can. We are truly blessed with incredible friends and Christian family. Our own families of course have done much for us too during this difficult time. We could go on and on about people reaching out to help care for Abby. One particular friend, J.N., knows how deeply grateful we are to him. He’s not about getting public praise, but he has been a life changing blessing to us.

If you have any questions, leave a comment, and we will be glad to respond. Thank you for your prayers. We pray that no matter what happens, everyone will see God clearer and be drawn to Him. God hasn’t gone to sleep, He’s not busy somewhere else. He cares for every tiny little regrowing hair on Abby’s head, and every missing hair on my head.

Our faith is unshaken, and God has already been more than glorified through our trial.

Blessings, Brent (and Michelle) www.brentriggs.com www.riggsfamilyblog.com

Abby recovered from the weird symptoms and gets to be home for Christmas

12/23/2008 9:18:00 PM

Riggs: Update on Abby...

(The kids flipped out when they first got in the limo; they couldn’t believe how big the car was and how many windows… This is our three youngest kids, and Scott and Carol Bauman’s three; there are two more Bauman babies behind... The camera, twins, enjoying the ride… Abby is having a good day today and excited to get to go with her friends) To all:

Some wonderful friends came by tonight IN A LIMO and picked up Abby, Landis and Sami to go look at Christmas lights… it was really cool. God is so good to us.

My wife and I have been discussing this latest very serious news about Abby (read here if you don’t know about it: http://www.brentriggs.com?ItemID=325 ). Typically, we have been REACTIVE to Abby’s complications/hospitalization and it has truthfully taken quite a toll on us in every aspect. Even with all the wonderful kindness people have shown, it seems like it is hard to just get through a day when Abby is having significant problems.

Starting Jan 16th, Abby enters the hardest 60 to 90 days of her treatment. So…

    

Given her high risk factors…

Given her history with so many complications…

Given that we know how much the chemo is going to debilitate her…

Given her history of hospitalizations that are pretty predictable at this point… we expect her to be in the hospital most, if not all, of this phase…

Given our experience with the logistics of caring for both Abby and our other children…

Given all that, we are going to try to PLAN AHEAD for this period rather than simply reacting. If Abby doesn’t make it, it is more likely to be during this period than any other, especially given the genetic problem that was discovered last week. On the flip side, if she survives this period of treatment and gets into “maintenance” chemotherapy (the long term – 2 years – much lighter, safer treatment mean to keep the cancer from coming back), her prognosis begins brighten.

Mostly it involves juggling this reality



Spending as much time with Abby in hospital as possible not only to care for her but because we don’t want to miss out on being with her…

Juggled with:

   

Taking care of the other 4 kids at home, school, church House, laundry, food, mail, banking, trips to the pharmacy Brent’s work Paying bills, paperwork, insurance

We know that there are a lot of great people that care about Abby. So if you have any suggestions, from your experience or intuition, on how we can better prepare, please let us know. We are appealing to the mass experience and wisdom of all our friends and family to prepare for this next period.

One thing we have decided to do for sure, is to hire someone to come to our house every weekday for 4-6 weeks to help with the kids, school, cleaning, laundry, babysitting, etc. We’ve talked about it at length, and see no alternative to this. Otherwise, I (Brent) am lucky to get to see Abby a couple of hours every day or two, and Michelle is all alone at the hospital for days on end. I don’t want Michelle dealing with this alone, and I certainly don’t want to miss what could be the last time I have with Abby.

So we will do whatever it takes to hire someone to “nanny” for us for about 6 weeks. For those of you that live locally, if you know of someone who might be interested in this temporary situation (roughly 6 weeks, starting Jan 16; weekdays, probably 8 hours a day, $????/hr, not sure on the wage yet), please let us know. It could be a maybe an older woman, or college age. Maybe a lady with older kids in school, or even a very mature teenage girl experienced with caring for kids and house. If you know someone who might be interested, please let us know.

We appreciate your prayers for:

   

Wisdom and strength to care for Abby Opportunity to find someone for this “nanny” need God’s provision for financial needs Healing for Abby

Sorry for the long emails. You have been so instrumental in helping us through this trial. Your friendship, encouragement, prayers and practical help have been priceless. We are very sad for those who do not have such a “family” around them during their trials. It is truly a TREASURE. Please include Abby on your prayer lists and groups…

We know that God is watching over us, and we take joy in our trials as we watch so many people displaying their Christian love. Others who don’t know God are being drawn to Him as they watch the caring sacrifice of our Christian brethren.

Blessings, Brent (and Michelle) www.brentriggs.com

12/25/2008 8:42:00 PM

Riggs: Abby is back in the hospital...

(This picture pretty much sums up things. Abby had a great time opening her gifts, as we all did, But she felt terrible and had fevers all day. About 7pm her fever went way up. She had a sad, soulful look all day, but really did enjoy her presents.)

To all: Abby is back in the hospital.

We are grateful that God allowed her to be home with us for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. She has a high fever, and has been acting depleted all day.

Of course with last week’s news, every hospital visit now becomes a grave concern. We appreciate your kindness and prayers...

We count it all joy that during this time, Abby’s situation will allows us to share the real reason for Christmas.

Blessings, Brent (and Michelle) www.brentriggs.com

12/26/2008 6:59:00 PM

FFF - Christmas With Abby and Family Abby is still in the hospital, her fever is down, but she is throwing up non-stop.

I am very thankful she was able to be home for most of Christmas day. We wanted so much for her to be home to open presents and eat with us.

I loved seeing her eyes light up when she saw the gifts under the tree. I treasured every moment with the kids this year, especially Abby. We all know that it will take a miracle for her to be with us next year. We are praying for that miracle, while we make a point to treasure every moment we have with her. It is so hard to face the reality that this may be our last year with her, and still enjoy the time we have. I can honestly say we are doing that very thing, but we need your prayers for strength and wisdom to continue to enjoy the time we have.

Samrawit and I (Michelle) are at the hospital with Abby. Most of our pictures are on Brent's camera at home, but I want to share a few of the pictures that I have with me. Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement. You are a blessing. Money is tight, because of medical expenses and free time to shop is nonexistent, but our kids had more gifts this year than ever before.

Abby, Dane and Sami. The girls love their oldest brother.

Abby and Dane

Landis, who is almost 3, loves Spiderman.

He does this hilarious and impressive split "Spidey" pose!

Abby's gift from the Frat boys.

12/27/2008 11:22:00 PM

Christmas Lights Thank you for praying for Abby while she was in the hospital. We got home late last night. Praise God. We are thrilled to be home. Abby was pretty quiet while she was at the hospital, but is now back to her smiling, energetic and happy self. A week ago we were able to take the kids to see some special Christmas lights. The house and yard was covered with thousands of lights and they were synchronized to music. The kids loved the show so much they wanted to see it twice.

12/28/2008 9:14:00 PM

2008 - God's Blessings, A Tribute Video for Abby I (Brent) had the blessing of getting to share with our church family this morning about the many blessings God has showered on us during 2008.

As I get older, as I write more, teach more, and hear from readers more, I realize that very often God's greatest blessings come during our times of greatest hardship. I had a few minutes allotted to convey this to our Christian family, and since a picture is worth a thousand words, I thought a video might be worth a million. So I spent a couple of hours putting one together.

I hope you'll take a few minutes to view it, then leave a comment for us that we can make part of our family history in the years to come when we look back on this time.

12/30/2008 5:51:00 PM

Happy Birthday Abby Abby's 4th Birthday was yesterday. Thanks to a wonderful friend, Toni, she had a very fun party. We are still sorting through the pictures and we'll put up more tomorrow with some details... but we wanted you to get to enjoy how happy she was.

12/31/2008 3:31:00 AM

Thank you and thank you again...

Hey folks, this is Brent.

Thanks for all your WONDERFUL feedback on Abby's video. You guys are SO kind and encouraging. Thank you even more for your continued prayers. And thank you again for the gifts and cards to Abby and our family.

A lot of people have been asking about my other blog, http://www.brentriggs.com/ so I wanted to drop a quick note about it.

For ease of reading, and your convenience, I recently divided my single blog into SEVEN blogs on specific topics. Here is the list:

      

the mind of Brent personal growth money religion online business parenting relationships

The "mind of Brent" is whatever pops in my silly head.... the others are self explanatory.

If you haven't checked out the new interface, or haven't seen my blog at all, I hope you'll take a minute to visit.

Blessings, Brent http://www.brentriggs.com/

1/1/2009 3:42:00 PM

Abby - Photo Caption Contest This photo is just TOO TEMPTING to pass up for a caption contest. Leave a comment with your caption suggestion.

We'll choose a "winner", and the prize will be your choice of 1) a copy of the Adoption cookbook, 2) or a copy of Brent's latest book, "Life Without Debt", 3) or a link to your blog or site, or 4) a nice big "thanks, that was fun!"... your choice.

1/3/2009 12:53:00 PM

FFF - Favorite Photo of 2008 Sarah at http://kissthefrog4me.blogspot.com/ challenged us to pick our favorite photo of 2008. Impossible really, but fun to try. I picked a picture of Abby, that was taken a couple of months before she was diagnosed with leukemia. She looks so sweet and innocent.

1/4/2009 12:18:00 PM

Landis At A Campout - Happiness and Relationships Here's Landis last night in a living room campout with the Meeks children their dog, Ranger.

Quick... define happiness... what immediately comes to mind?

Is it money? "Stuff"? Getting to do what you want when you want? I dare you to define true happiness outside of RELATIONSHIP. You can't take money with you... you can't take power, leisure or all your stuff. The only thing that lasts, the only the thing that transfers into

eternity is RELATIONSHIP, first and foremost your relationship with God (or absence of it).

Above is a picture from last night when Landis was at our friends house, the Meeks. This is happiness. This is what matters. No, not just a cute, sentimental "kid pic"... but what it represents: two families who love each other, two families who trust each other with their children, two families who love and help each other, and share, and bless... RELATIONSHIP. This picture encapsulates love, life, blessing, happiness and eternity. Do you have the eyes to see it?

We are blessed to have several families who we have this kind of relationship with. How about you? No? Are you BEING a friend to anyone? Or just waiting for others to befriend you? Are YOU extending relationship to others, or waiting for someone to act first?

RELATIONSHIP involves TWO but begins with us individually... be a friend first, invest your life first, give to others first. That's how you build relationships.

RELATIONSHIPS are the only thing we take into eternity. Leave a comment and tell us about your favorite relationships, or even the one you wish you had. It will encourage those who need some new meaningful relationships in their life.

Landis having a relationship with a plate of Lasagna at the Meeks house.

1/6/2009 11:30:00 PM

More Christmas Fun There are so many things I want to share with you, but have gotten very behind. We have been focusing on spending every available moment with the kids and making memories with Abby. Abby begins the toughest phase of chemo on January 14th. Until then, she gets to have a break from chemo, so she has more energy to be a kid. Many of you are praying for Abby and our time with her. God has truly blessed us with many wonderful times with Abby and she has had so much fun doing things she was to weak to do a few months ago. I can't wait to show you some of the pictures.

We are blessed with many friends who have brought joy to our lives. One of our best friends has been so wonderful about visiting us and doing fun things with the kids. Before Christmas she decided to make Christmas shirts with our kids. I love doing craft projects with the kids, but it is difficult for me to organize them, because Abby's immune system is to weak to go in stores or other public places. Toni spent hours of her time buying the supplies needed and the shirts for us to paint. She even helped the kids do a shirt for me, that has Sami, Landis and Abby's hand and footprints on it. We had so much fun making the shirts and I love that I have something with their hand prints on it.

Toni and Samrawit. Toni you are an incredible friend.

Thank you so much for everything you are doing for our family.

Landis is always expressive.

He mostly had fun, but had a few moments were he thought our project was a a little nutty.

It never takes him long to decide to have fun.

Abby and Sami love to do everything together.

Sami was a great sport. She did everything we asked her to with a smile on her face. I love that she is so willing to try new things.

Princess Abby was our drama queen for the evening.

She loved making the shirts, She couldn't resist the urge to get some attention. It was so much fun to watch her ham it up.

Abby you are a sweetheart.

There is the smile I love.

"I'm kicking cancers butt... do I have to kick yours too?" Thanks Tracey for the great caption.

I love those cute little brown toes.

Landis wearing the final product.

I think this is the first picture ever of him being quiet.

1/9/2009 1:45:00 PM

Abby & The Gingerbread Brigade

Abby was so proud of her gingerbread tower.

Sami, shy around the camera as usual.

Tay flashes a smile and blue eyes.

Landis goes to town on the icing packets.

He was in hog sugar heaven.

The gingerbread house production line.

Abby was really feeling good and grinned the whole time.

We enjoyed having her so upbeat; it was almost like old times.

Abby got her spinal fluid drained today. Her pressure was over four times normal which made her feel terrible. Ironically, she'll feel worse for a couple of days because of the procedure, but then she'll feel pretty good... just in time to start the new phase next week.

The next phase will be brutal. If she survives, she may have to do it twice. Each phase is 60 TREATMENT days, which might drag out for 90 on the calendar.

In the next few days, we'll give you more information, and we are going to spend the time leading up to it really getting the word out and building prayer support for her. It is by far the most dangerous time of her treatment, and the part she is least likely to survive (medically speaking).

But we serve a loving God, and whether one person or a million are praying, His WILL be done both in her life and everyone praying for her. The fervent prayers of faithful Christians avail much, so we'll enlist as many people to pray for Abby as we can.

YOU are blessing to us, and we appreciate all your kind encouragement and prayers.

1/10/2009 1:42:00 PM

Mommy, the Doctor said "Hell"...

(Abby slept peacefully after a very rough procedure on Friday that left her in much pain.)

“Hell”… that is the word Abby’s doctor used to describe the 60 days of treatment that starts on Wednesday.

As Christians, we cringe a little to compare anything in this life to the real Biblical Hell, but we understand what the Doctor is trying to communicate. This is a life-threatening, miserable time of suffering for Abby. Her smallest chance of survival will come during this phase of chemotherapy, and if she does get through it, she may have to do it twice.

Over the next few days leading up to her first treatment, we’ll be asking you to consider various ways to prayer, and ways to include more people in Abby’s prayer support. Here are a couple for today:

 



Would you remember to pray for Abby on Wednesday, the 14th as she begins this new phase? o Here is a link that will open up a preformatted email you can quickly send to friends and family: http://www.brentriggs.com/abbylink.asp Would you email your friends and family, ask them to: o Pray for Abby o Visit the blog for updates about her: http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/ o If they are not familiar with her, here is a page about Abby: o http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/2009/01/about-abby.html If you know of other prayer groups, walls, chains, lists, websites, etc. would you sign up or include Abby in them?

We are truly a grateful to all our friends and family who have stood by us during this difficulty. No matter what happens, we trust God, and His will be done.

If you have any ideas how we can involve more people in praying for Abby, please leave a comment and let us know.