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Riggs Family Blog www.riggsfamilyblog.com
Table of Contents Meeting Samrawit............................ 7
Abby is in remission! ...................... 50
Soccer............................................... 9
I'm Free! ......................................... 52
Wordless Wednesday - Dress-up Fun with Friends ................................... 87
Reckless Faith ................................... 9
Bring Me a Diaper .......................... 52
One of Those Days ......................... 89
Indoor Fun........................................ 9
Landis Needs a Poke ...................... 52
New "do" ;-) ................................... 10
Learning From Abby ....................... 54
Update Prayer request and Favorite Foto Friday and Happy Birthday .... 89
a painful blessing ........................... 11
Favorite Foto Friday ....................... 54
Sami's 9th Birthday Party ............... 14
Update, Prayer Requests and Beautiful Friends, Inside and Out... 56
Just Having Fun .............................. 15
Saturday with the Riggs‌............... 91 Abby and Bob Stoops ..................... 92 Please Pray ..................................... 92
Update on Abby... pretty rough times... ........................................... 59
Stressful Day, but praising God for good news. ..................................... 92
Update on the Riggs Family ........... 60
Read what my husband wrote... .... 93
Nope, Not Faking ........................... 61
Wordless Wednesday .................... 94
Abby's Home .................................. 21
Monday-Wednesday update on Abby... ............................................ 62
Update on Abby & some comments about a comment........................... 95
Update on Abby - Day 8 and Hospital Pictures .......................................... 23
Trying To Be Brave ......................... 63
Favorite Foto Friday - fav family picture ............................................ 95
Time to Confess ............................. 16 Please Pray for Abby ...................... 18 Update on Abby and Pictures ........ 19 God's Statistics ............................... 21
Thanks and Update ........................ 25 Abby's Chocolate Blood ................. 25 Get Up In There Daddy .................. 26 Morning Instructions From Landis . 26 Samrawit's First Haircut and Prayer Request .......................................... 26 Praise, Requests and Pictures ........ 29 Time To Cry .................................... 31 Hannah's Hope Reunion ................ 33 Abby update and more HH pictures ....................................................... 35 Update on Abby Riggs - Aug 13 - Last Day of Induction ............................. 37
Mee Maw Covers For Landis .......... 64 Prison Break ................................... 64 Virtual Shower and Some Younger Pictures of Abby ............................. 68 Thank you All God's Children, Update and Prayer Requests ...................... 69
Sisters ........................................... 100
GREAT News and Followers Question ....................................................... 71
Losing Ground .............................. 103
Favorite Foto Friday - Octoberest (Can You Help Me) ......................... 73
Abby... and Meet A Friend ........... 105
Abby, Book & Mag Monday ......... 104 Abby's Day.................................... 105
The Voice Of Adventure: OPERATION PRINCESS HAIR BEGINS! ................. 74
Hungry Princess ........................... 106
Abby's Wish.................................... 77
Great News, Bad News and Request for Prayers.................................... 106
Abby in the Hospital - Aug 15th ..... 40
Sad Day For Mommy, Haircuts, Two Year Old Prayers and Magazine Monday .......................................... 79
Immediate Prayer Requests ........... 43
Abby Goes Home... A Post from Brent... ........................................... 99 Favorite Foto Friday ..................... 101
Favorite Foto Friday - Friends ........ 78
Update on Abby & the family... ..... 42
Candy, Kya and Coach Stoops ........ 97
Wordless Wednesday .................... 71
Abby is in the Hospital ................... 39 Abby's Saturday ............................. 40
Surfer Girl ....................................... 96
Please Pray for Abby, temp 103 and rising............................................... 80
Guess Who is in Trouble Now? .... 107 Favorite Foto Friday - Thankful and Prayer Request For Hair :-)........... 109 Holy Cow! There IS Hope! ............ 111 Last Night and Today ................... 111
Update on Abby Doing Much Better ....................................................... 44
Update and Thanks ........................ 81
FFF - Abby .................................... 111
Wordless Wednesday, almost ....... 82
Abby and Her 50 Boyfriends ........ 111
Abby's Home .................................. 45
Chocolate Blood ............................. 83
Christmas Blessings ...................... 113
Slurp, Slurp ..................................... 47
Favorite Foto Friday - Pumpkins .... 84
Trick or Treat... and Abby update 116
Abby: The Next Few Months.......... 47
Abby: A Taste of Our World ........... 85
Weenie, Weenie, Weenie .............. 48
Party at the Hospital ...................... 86
It Was Great While It Lasted.... Abby's Back in the Hospital .......... 119
Prayer Request and Red Onions .... 48
Video of Abby and Facebook ......... 87
Update and Prayer Request ......... 119
Update, Prayer Request and Make a Wish.............................................. 120
Something for YOU... And Proud of Abby But Heartbroken.................. 150
Abby Update: 7am Sunday Morning ...................................................... 181
Abby is in Love .............................. 122
Abby, Spidey, Sami ....................... 151
Abby Update: Sunday Night ......... 182
Abby & Sami Meet Santa (FFF) ..... 122
Hi/Lo Thursday... Parties and Potties ...................................................... 151
Abby - Get up and dance!............. 184
Riggs: important update on Abby Dec. 23rd... ................................... 123
Abby Has A Message For You ....... 152
Riggs: Update on Abby... .............. 124
Abby Is Having a Very Hard Day ... 153
Riggs: Abby is back in the hospital... ...................................................... 125
Mr. Johnny Comes A-Knockin' ...... 154
FFF - Christmas With Abby and Family ........................................... 126 Christmas Lights ........................... 127 2008 - God's Blessings, A Tribute Video for Abby.............................. 127 Happy Birthday Abby.................... 128 Thank you and thank you again... 128 Abby - Photo Caption Contest ...... 128 FFF - Favorite Photo of 2008 ........ 128
Abby's Saturday: I Hope You Dance ...................................................... 154 Photography & Nausea ................ 158
Abby Daily Update: Turning The Corner........................................... 184 Abby, Videos & Dancing With Daddy ...................................................... 185 Abby's Video: About Her .............. 185 Laughter Lives Tuesday: Funny Pics ...................................................... 186
Update - Abby & The Ice Storm .... 159
Abby Update - Scary Day, God Protects... Pray for Me, Pray for Others ........................................... 187
Updated Update on the Update... 162
Abby Daily Update: Wonderful!... 188
Abby Update... Laughter Lives Tuesday ........................................ 162
Abby Daily Update: Coming Home! ...................................................... 188
Abby Going Back to Hospital ........ 162
Abby's Home... For A Few Days .... 190
Pray For Me... Pray For Others... .. 163
Abby & Ice Storm.......................... 159
Landis At A Campout - Happiness and Relationships ................................ 129
Abby Update................................. 163
Sunday Night... Valentines, Birthdays and Grandparents ........................ 191
More Christmas Fun ..................... 130
Hi/Lo Thursday: Prayer List... Peter Parker... Abby Update .................. 164
Living Life - Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way .................................... 193
Early Pics of Abby & Landis... Picture Caption Contest... ......................... 165
Tuesday... Abby Back in the Hospital for the 19th Time Since July ......... 197
Abby Daily Update: Headaches .... 169
Abby Update: Part Two ................ 197
Laughter Lives Tuesday: Funny Things That Happened At... ..................... 169
Laughter Lives Tuesday ................ 198
Abby & The Gingerbread Brigade . 133 Mommy, the Doctor said "Hell"... 135 Does It Matter If More People Pray for Abby? Can We Force God to Do What We Want? ........................... 135 The Valley Begins Wednesday... Would You Pray For Abby and Let Others Know About Her? ............. 137 Tomorrow is Now... The Really Tough Treatment Starts Today ................ 137 Abby's Home & Hi/Lo Thursday ... 140 Cryin' Over Bernie Mac... Abby Doing Craps... Funny Things Your Kids Say ...................................................... 141 Abby Is Back In The Hospital ........ 143
Abby Daily Update: Eye Exam ...... 171
Abby Daily Update: Videos, Gifts & Hospital ........................................ 198
Abby Daily Update: The Sores Are Back .............................................. 171
Pray for Me... Pray for Others ...... 199
Why Keep Going? Is It Because We Are Super Christians? ................... 172
The Dog House and Pictures (Not Of The Dog House) ............................ 201
Hi/Lo Thursday ............................. 174
Hi/Lo Thursday ............................. 202
Abby Daily Update... ..................... 174
SpideyLandis Prays & Dances... Abby's Gifts................................... 203
Update to the Thursday Abby Update... ....................................... 174
Abby Daily Update: Home ............ 199
Please Pray for Cody ..................... 204
Abby Got To Come Home - The Spider Party Is On Like Spider Kong ...................................................... 143
Abby Daily Update: Very Concerning ...................................................... 175
Fav Foto Friday... We're a Bunch of Fakes............................................. 204
Abby Daily Update: Part Two ....... 177
Tough Saturday & Twitter ............ 205
Spidey Bash! ................................. 143
New Every Morning For Abby, Us & You................................................ 177
Pictures from the Blocks and You Are Going to Miss This ........................ 205
Abby Daily Update: Saturday Late Night ............................................. 180
Weird Weekend ........................... 209
Abby Update: 2am Sunday Morning ...................................................... 180
Melt Your Heart... ......................... 213
Heartbreaker: Mommy, Do I Get To Grow Up? ..................................... 146 Not Me! Princess Pull-ups and Blue Teeth ............................................ 147 Laughter Lives Tuesday! Where Once a Week You Can Come to Have Your Heart Lifted by Laughter! ............. 148
Abby Update: 4am Sunday Morning ...................................................... 181
Abby Update & Update ................ 212 Abby Update & Signs of the Times ...................................................... 213
Open Season Answers - Kick Your Feet Up, Go to the Bathroom First, Get Something to Drink ............... 217
Abby Update: Turn for the Worse, Very Concerning ........................... 249
April Fool's & Bad Boys & More Awful Comments .................................... 276
Open Season Answers 9 & 10: Praying & Being Still ..................... 250
Update to the Last Post.... ........... 277
Shake Yo Bootay, Whoo! ............. 227 Abby Update: Storm Clouds are Brewing ........................................ 227
Open Season Answers 11: My Intolerance ................................... 251
Abby Update: Sunday, 6:30pm .... 228 Blog Post Chat .............................. 228
Open Season Answers 12, 13 & 14 ..................................................... 252
Daddy, Are You Going To Be Sick Like Me? .............................................. 228
Open Season Answers 15: Follow Up on My "Insults" ............................ 253
Abby Update & Captain Abby the Pirate Patient ............................... 229
Abby Update: Long Day, Few Answers........................................ 253
Laughter Lives Tuesday is in a Coma ..................................................... 231
Exploitation of Our Daughter? ..... 254
Abby Update & Quick Blog Chat .. 232
Surgery ......................................... 255
Abby Daily Update: Need Your Advice ..................................................... 233
Abby Update ................................ 255
Answer 1: Ugly Comments ........... 234 Answer 3: Fundraisers and Hospitals ..................................................... 234 Answer 4: Is Death Real to You? .. 235 Answer 5: How Do Your Respond To Others Stressed Over Lesser Problems ...................................... 235 Answer 6: Sunday Morning Online Ministry? ...................................... 236 Answers 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14: Mail, Kids, Chemo & Scrubs ......... 236 Abby Update: Port Pics, Great Idea & How She is Doing ......................... 238 Abby Update: Scary Liver ............. 240 I Wanted Everyone To Know That... ..................................................... 241 Guess the Right Answer & Be Famous ..................................................... 241 Abby Update: Pain & Liver ........... 242 Abby Update: More Chemo, Almost Done With This Phase, Magazine, A Guest on the Blog Tomorrow....... 242 Abby & Special Guest ................... 244 Abby Update & Purple Tongues ... 245 Abby Update: Scary...................... 246 Purple Tongues of Love For Abby PICS IN SLIDESHOW NOW ............ 246 Open Season: Answers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 ............................................. 247
Abby Update: Surgery #1 ............. 255
Abby Update & Comment Clarification .................................. 277 Open Season Answers - A Bunch of Them... ......................................... 279 Update and Open Season Answers ..................................................... 282 Laughter Lives Tuesday ................ 284 We're Still Here ............................ 284 Project Linus and Pictures ............ 285 Open Season Answers & It's Good to Be Back ......................................... 285 Abby Update Hair Watch ............. 289
Abby Update & Thank You!! ........ 256
New Pics... Abby Update - Great, Okay, Ugly .................................... 291
Laughter Still on Vacation Tuesday ..................................................... 258
Abby On the News & Picture Caption Winner ......................................... 294
A Pic, A Video & A Date! .............. 258
Landis Wants Something ............. 296
Kisses for Abby - Published in the April Issue of Serious.Life Magazine ..................................................... 258
Brent Photoshop Never Ending Challenge: Mount Riggsmore....... 297
It's Official... I Know I'm Gittin' Old ..................................................... 259
In Case You Didn't Believe Us... ... 297
Abby Update: Why Is 748 A Great Number? ...................................... 260 Open Season Friday & Abby Update ..................................................... 261 Open Season Answers 1, 2, 3, & 4 261 Open Season Answers 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11.............................................. 262 Abby & Landis .............................. 264 Abby Update & Open Season Answers 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 & 20 and a Lesson... Whew! ........ 265 Monday.... .................................... 268 Getting Closer .............................. 268
Abby on the News ........................ 297 Monday.... .................................... 298 Open Season Answers From Last Friday ........................................... 298 Laughter Lives Tuesday ................ 299 Pray for Me... Pray for Others... April 22, 2009 ....................................... 300 Abby Update ................................ 301 Open Season Answers by Michelle ..................................................... 302 Open Season Answers From Brent ..................................................... 303 True or Not True? Travel Day in Hades ........................................... 308
New Pics ....................................... 268
Laughter Lives Tuesday & the Truth About True or Not True................ 309
About Nine Months & One Kid .... 269
Mud Puddle Thunderstorm Pics .. 310
Open Season Answers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9 ......................................... 269
Update on Abby ........................... 312
Abby Update, Comments About Comments & the Next Two Years 272 Laughter Lives Tuesday ................ 275 Urgent Update About Riggs Family Blog .............................................. 276
Abby Update & Wedding Dresses 312 Outside Pics & Open Season Friday ..................................................... 313 Open Season Answers from Michelle ..................................................... 315
Open Season Answers by Brent ... 316
Open Season Answers & Pics ....... 357
Balloon Release -Remembering Noah ...................................................... 319
True or Not True: the Hummer Adventure..................................... 358
Laughter Lives Tuesday ................ 320
Abby Pics ...................................... 361
True or Not True: Car Wreck Canal ...................................................... 320
True or Not Truth: Hummer Adventure Confession .................. 362
Open Season Answers from Brent 394
True or Not True Confession... Pray for Me, Pray for Others ................ 322
Open Season Answers From Brent & Winner Pics................................... 363
Open Season Answers from Brent 395
Locks of Love ................................ 324
Pray for Me... Pray for Others... ... 365
Pictures & Open Season Answers from Michelle (1) .......................... 325
Open Season Answers From Brent ...................................................... 365
Open Season Answers from Michelle (2) & a Few Pics ............................ 326
True or Not True... You Better Not Tell Mom ...................................... 367
Open Season Answers from Michelle (3) & Couple More Pics................. 327
True or Not True... You Better Not Tell Mom ...................................... 369
Open Season Answers From Brent (1) & Some Early Pics ......................... 328
Open Season Answers By Brent ... 370
Laughter Lives Tuesday ................ 331 Open Season Answers From Brent (2) & Some More Artwork ................. 331 Open Season Answers From Brent (3) & Some Graphics .......................... 334 Open Season Answers From Brent (4) ...................................................... 337 I Need Your Advice and Fun Pictures ...................................................... 339 Open Season Answers From Brent (5) & Info about Portraits .................. 340 Happy Birthday Brent ................... 341 Abby Update & Prayer Request.... 341 Update on Abby, Praises and Tough Decisions. ..................................... 342 Open Season Answers From Brent & Birthday Party ............................... 343 Hi/Lo Thursday & Good Friends ... 348 Open Season Answers From Brent & Pics ............................................... 349
Bone Marrow Drive ...................... 371 Pray for Me... Pray for Others... June 10, 2009 ........................................ 371 Open Season Answers By Brent ... 372 Open Season Answers By Brent ... 373 Eagle's Nest Reunion: New Friends and Answered Prayers.................. 374 Pray for Me... Pray for Others... June 17, 2009 ........................................ 376 From Michelle: Abby Update, Pictures & Open Season Answers. 376 Open Season Answers By Brent ... 378 Open Season Answers By Brent ... 378 So You Think I Do It For Fun or Popularity? ................................... 379 Abby's Clinic & New Pics .............. 380 Open Season Answers By Brent ... 382 About Our Blog & Answers to "What Happened?".................................. 384
Open Season Answers From Brent & New Pics ....................................... 392 New Theme & Open Season Answers From Brent ................................... 393 Open Season Answers from Brent 394 Prayer Requests for Abby ............. 396 True or Not True: The Elvis Impersonator................................ 397 True or Not True: The Elvis Story Is... ...................................................... 398 Elderly Neighbor & Abby Update: Urgent .......................................... 400 Pray for Me, Pray for Others ........ 400 Open Season Answers from Brent 401 Abby Update - VERY SERIOUS URGENT ........................................ 402 Abby Update - Monday 7pm ........ 402 Abby Update - Monday 8:18pm ... 403 Photos .......................................... 403 Abby Update & Pics, Pray for Me Pray for Others ..................................... 404 Abby Update & Pictures ............... 405 Open "Season Answer: Response to Hardship ....................................... 406 Abby Update & Pics ...................... 407 Open Season Answers from Brent 409 Abby on the Local News Today, Brent Speaks to 350 About Giving Blood412 Pics of the Girls ............................. 413 Roller Coaster Week & Pics .......... 414 Junk Mail and Fly Hell And the Forbidden Subject ........................ 415
Pics! .............................................. 385
MckLinky Blog Hop - Favorite Photo(s) ........................................ 416
Laughter Lives Tuesday & Win A Photo Gift From Brent .................. 351
Update: Abby at the Hospital & MckLinky Notification................... 386
Pray for Me, Pray for Others ........ 417
Open Season Answers From Last Week's Questions & Sami Soccer Pictures ......................................... 352
747's, Frogs and Summer Glow - New Photos .......................................... 387
Open Season Answers From Brent & Pics ............................................... 354
Open Season Answers From Michelle & New Pics.................................... 389
Pray for Me... Pray for Others... May 27, 2009 ........................................ 355
Abby Update & Pics ...................... 391
Update on Dad and Abby ............. 421
MckLinky Blog Hop for July 14, 2009 3 Things You Didn't Know ............. 392
Life BEFORE Cancer and Update on Abby ............................................. 422
Open Season Answers From Brent & Pics ............................................... 356
Pics ............................................... 388
Instead of Dead, Pre-K .................. 417 For Everyone Who Prayed For Abby... This is For You............................... 419 Do You Love Until It Hurts? .......... 420 Smith Soup and Prayer Request ... 420
Riggs Family Blog
www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
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 7
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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.
4/20/2008 11:02:00 PM
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.
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.
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.
4/22/2008 11:25:00 AM
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.
Indoor Fun This are a few pictures from last week. I love being able to take Samrawit's picture whenever I want to.
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Riggs Family Blog
www.riggsfamilyblog.com Samrawit at an indoor playground. She is fearless.
Samrawit and Abby before church. Abby idolizes Sami. 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.
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This is a typical pose if I forget to tell her that I will send the picture to her friends. :-)
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.
before picture
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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.
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. :-)
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.
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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. This is Sami looking at her earrings for the first time.
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
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.
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.
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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.
Hmmm where to start...........
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.
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.
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?
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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 in-country 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.
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?
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 16
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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.
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.
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. 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.
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
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. 17
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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.
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.
7/13/2008 9:29:00 AM
Please Pray for Abby
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.
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.
“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.
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:
The "facts" in any situation are tempered by the spiritual truths we know as Christians.
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)
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 omni-compassion 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.
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.
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.
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
Consider this…
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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.
We would specifically ask you to pray for the following:
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
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.
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?
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.
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?
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. 19
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com This is Abby before her first chemo
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
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
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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.
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.
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)
God never forgets about us. God always does what is best for us. God never deceives us. God always cares.
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
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.
Those are medical statistics. Let me give you some "God Statistics":
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.
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 21
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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 goodbye to my precious little girl.
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
7/22/2008 8:43:00 PM
Update on Abby - Day 8 and Hospital Pictures
Abby doing crafts with Sami before procedures.
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 23
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Sami passes time while Abby is getting treated.
Sami with a new doll from the clinic folks.
Abby hams it up with the finger paint; still getting some fresh blood.
Abby gets to finger paint while getting fresh blood. 24
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
Sami gets in on the finger paint action.
7/26/2008 9:53:00 AM
7/25/2008 10:38:00 PM
Abby's Chocolate Blood
Thanks and Update
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".
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.
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.
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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." Abby after cutting about half the length off her hair. "I would like someone to come here and get me out of this bed... ... ... RIGHT NOW... ... ... please."
7/26/2008 5:19:00 PM
Perfect enunciation and timing. We thought we were hearing things. He was so proud of himself.
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.
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. 26
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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.
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Sami calls "T" her glue friend because they stick together.
Big brother, Dane, with Landis
Samrawit eating her first snow cone.
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 28
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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.
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. Abby's favorite guy playing with Sami's hair. "L" goofing off helped Abby see that some of the changes will be fun.
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:
'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 29
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
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com even when she is feeling bad. We are praying that she will have some good days this weekend.
This picture was taken on Wednesday at the clinic. The chemo was making her so sick.
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
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,
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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
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. We’ve watched her intensely throw up over and over. 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:
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.
“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
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mean just needing a good cry. I’m talking about the erosion of your emotional reserve across the board.
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:
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?
“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:
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.
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.
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.
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. 32
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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.
12 friends reunited
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.
Pool Time Fun
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.
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These boys were friends BEFORE they were at Hannah's Hope. How wonderful that they are able to maintain their friendship.
The older girls had a sleepover on the first night. I loved hearing them whisper in Amharic and giggle.
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/
Sami loves playing with dolls, especially if she is with great friends.
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.
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Check out their families blogs at http://www.youneekgang.blogspot.com/ http://www.holdingfasttoyou.blogspot.com/ Thank you Maria and Isabella. Abby loved the shirt that you sent her. You made her day!
8/11/2008 4:19:00 PM
Abby update and more HH pictures 35
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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. This was my favorite picture. It is of the girls praying together, before we left the reunion.
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.
The kids loved doing crafts.
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.
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.
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Their smiles say it all.
8/13/2008 7:15:00 PM At church on Sunday.
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).
Water balloon volleyball was a hit.
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.
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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.
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).
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.
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).
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.
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.) 38
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
Abby eating her favorite snack after waking up from a feverish nap. Like always she smiles and is loving even though she feels bad.
8/15/2008 7:29:00 PM
Abby in the Hospital - Aug 15th
8/17/2008 12:04:00 AM
Abby's Saturday
From Brent From Michelle: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Boy, he had to work hard to get her to laugh, but Abby is STILL laughing about his silly dance.
This picture was taken of Abby on Saturday. She is so tired.
Abby and "L" coloring. I love seeing her smile.
Friday with her favorite guy, she was feeling tired, but still able to have some fun. Here she is signing "L" cast.
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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. Here is a recent picture of Landis, just because I miss him.
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.
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.
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 42
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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.
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.
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.
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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).
Her face was so red and swollen.
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. Thank you so much for praying for her during these procedures.
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com Abby flirting with Daddy.
Landis liked the tools best.
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.
Abby loved playing with her new toys today. She kept asking about her "Guatemala friend". Thank you Phylis and Kristen for brightening her day.
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 45
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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.
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 is so excited to be a kid again.
Abby has a list of things that she wants to do today. She wants to ride her bike, blow bubbles 46
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and play with her sister and brothers. I think that it is the perfect "to do" list.
8/25/2008 2:48:00 PM
Abby: The Next Few Months
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.
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:
8/25/2008 9:18:00 AM
Slurp, Slurp
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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!
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
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.
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.
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. 48
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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.
The big kids moved slow so that Abby could play too. Big sisters and good friends are gifts from God.
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. :-)
"L" makes Abby feel like a special little girl.
These pictures were taken on Monday.
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Landis loves playing with the big kids.
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.
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.
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. 50
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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.
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8/29/2008 10:02:00 PM
9/1/2008 12:07:00 AM
I'm Free!
Bring Me a Diaper
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.
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”.
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.
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
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 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.
Abby asleep at home, in her own bed.
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Abby is our perfectionist. She had to do it all right.
Hey Mom, his tummy is talking to me. 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.
This is Landis pretending that he is scared. 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 53
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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.
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.”
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.
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
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)
How about you? Can you learn something from a child’s innocence, trust, short memory and unconditional love?
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.
Abby and Landis play on Sami's bunkbed. Abby touches the ceiling as Landis is probably wanting to jump off, knowing him.
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
9/4/2008 10:45:00 PM
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
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.
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.
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. :-)
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.
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
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
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.
that we went to his orphanage in Guatemala to see him.
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.
Landis and Daddy when we visited him when he was 4 months old.
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?
9/12/2008 2:20:00 AM
Update, Prayer Requests and Beautiful Friends, Inside and Out
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.
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 56
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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.
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 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.
Abby, Kristen and Maggie.
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Abby loves all of her grandparents. She is so blessed to have such loving people in her life.
Kristen had fun playing with Abby's papa.
I love Maggies smile.
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com Phylis and Kristen made Abby a beautiful cake. Your guys are very talented. You made Abby feel so special.
We can't wait to see them again.
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...
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.
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 nonimmunity). 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.
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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. 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.
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…)
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).
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.
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.
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.
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
----------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.
To all,
The swelling was head to toe, down her throat, and in her lungs. She had spider-web-like red hives all over her entire 60
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Brent For Brent & Michelle
Nope, not faking.
9/22/2008 4:18:00 PM
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.
Nope, Not Faking By Brent
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Are we to doubt Him now, and act like He is not with us in this dark hour? God forbid.
Many thanks for all the kind prayers, and for the continued meals from our dear Christian brothers and sisters.
9/25/2008 4:56:00 AM
Wednesday, from Brent:
Monday-Wednesday update on Abby...
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. 62
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Thank you for your kindness and prayers. You are a blessing and we are blessed to have such kind brethren.
Praise God, Abby's pain is improving and the sores are looking a little better.
Wednesday, from Michelle:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
9/27/2008 12:03:00 PM
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com husband. Thank you so much for praying for our family and for encouraging us. You are all such a blessing.
9/28/2008 7:58:00 PM
Mee Maw Covers For Landis
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.
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!
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. ;-)
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
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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
Abby and Landis are very close. Abby was very excited to see her brothers and sister.
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
Sami, Abby and I miss you so much that it hurts. We love you.
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-
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, 66
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com Abby and Grandmother Baker on Saturday. Abby loves her Grandmother very much.
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.
I took Abby down to physical therapy on Sunday. They are masters at making exercise fun. Carol http://thevoiceofadventure.blogspot.com/2007/03/okayheres-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.
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.
John and Lori thanks for the great reading material. We miss you both so much.
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.
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
10/4/2008 9:54:00 PM
Virtual Shower and Some Younger Pictures of Abby
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.
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.
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.
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.
Abby and Aleigha
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 68
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com Abby, Addie 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.
Abby and Aleigha
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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.
Abby cooking with Mommy. I love seeing her smile again.
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.
Sami at her doctor's appointment. I can't wait to go somewhere besides doctor's offices. 70
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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
10/8/2008 9:23:00 PM
Okay, I am never truly wordless. :-) I took these a little over a week ago at the hospital.
GREAT News and Followers Question
You know your child is feeling better when..........................
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 71
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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.
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.
Thank you so much for praying for Abby.
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 72
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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.
Abby's first Halloween
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.
Garrett and Abby. Thirteen years apart in age, but they have a very special relationship.
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A year later, it was Landis's first Halloween. He didn't know what to think about it all, but eventually had fun.
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 74
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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/operationprincess-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
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.
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....
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.... 75
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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.
These are the battle scars she has right now in her fight against cancer...
This is sweet Abby right now....
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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.
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.
SOOOOOO TODAY WE BEGIN....
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."
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.
IF YOU WANT TO SEND ABBY A CARE PACKAGE INCLUDING A CUTSIE NEW BASEBALL CAP PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT angelweir@gmail.com
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.
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 It's hard for me to fathom what this family is facing. I want to do whatever I can to support them.
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? 77
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Mickey Mouse? Donald Duck? A big party? A cruise? Nope.
your photos click here. http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/submit_content_forms.a sp?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-hopereunion.html
"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 78
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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!
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.
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:
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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:
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:
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...
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 80
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
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.
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.
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 81
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com understand that Abby could end up with internal bleeding, from being tackled.
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. Teasing Daddy, who hates broccoli. Abby ordered it twice today.
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
Mirror Fun
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Tickle Fun. Oh I love seeing her smile again. Thanks again for praying for Abby.
10/23/2008 12:02:00 AM
Chocolate Blood
So proud of herself for telling her nurse how much she drank~in milliliters.
By Brent (http://www.brentriggsblog.com/ ) 83
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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.
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.
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.
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".
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:
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.
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.
Fuh Fuh Room: Well that's the family room of course, but I'm sure you already had that one figured out.
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".
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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 84
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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 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.
Abby: A Taste of Our World
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.
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
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.
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. 86
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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 The hospital chaplain dressed up as a mummy. Abby was too "cool" to act scared, so she ignored him instead.
Wordless Wednesday Dress-up Fun with Friends
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. Abby and Sami love to play dress up, especially if their friends play too.
10/28/2008 9:01:00 PM
Video of Abby and Facebook 87
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T., Abby and Samrawit. Sami and T. are wearing beautiful dresses that we bought in Ethiopia.
Abby and Sami wanted us to take there picture together. L. crashed their picture. :-)
L and Landis.......................WWF
Working like Daddy. 88
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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.
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. 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?
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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.
Abby at a Halloween party downstairs.
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 with two of her favorite nurses. Most of her other favorites were dressed a little scary for Miss Abby.
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. 90
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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.
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.
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.
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.
11/2/2008 12:11:00 AM
Saturday with the Riggs…
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.
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.
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 91
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second home, were all thinking the same thing: Next time it might be us.
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."
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.
Read the rest of the story in the magazine: http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/ Here is a picture of Mason in the hospital:
That was our Saturday. What’d you guys do?
11/3/2008 12:04:00 PM
Abby and Bob Stoops
11/3/2008 2:29:00 PM Have you seen the November Issue of Serious.Life Magazine yet? There is a story about Bob Stoops visiting Abby in the hospital.
Please Pray
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.
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.
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:
11/3/2008 8:03:00 PM
"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.
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.
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 92
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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 93
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
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 94
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
Kristen worked hard to cheer Abby up. Kristen is a very sweet and fun friend.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
11/6/2008 9:03:00 AM
Update on Abby & some comments about a comment.. 95
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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.
Abby "playing" a video game.
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.
I have seen this look a hundred times in the last few days.
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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
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.
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.
It didn't take long for her to get tired. It is frustraiting to be so weak.
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 97
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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.
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.
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. Kya and Abby having a tea party. 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.
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.
(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 98
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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/ Abby and Kay, Abby's favorite volunteer.
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. 99
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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. Sami tried to distract Abby when she was hurting. Sami you are the best big sister!
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 100
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
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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.
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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 you are so much fun. I can't imagine our family with out you.
11/16/2008 1:54:00 PM Landis tells EVERY story with enthusiasm.
Losing Ground Abby is not doing so well. 103
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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 104
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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.
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.
11/18/2008 7:50:00 PM
Would you please pray that:
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.
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???
Brent and I each came to the decision independent of each other, that Abby needed a Gtube 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.
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
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. 105
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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 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).
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 106
Riggs Family Blog 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.
www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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!
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 107
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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. 109
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Landis and Samrawit
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Landis wishing that Dane would start texting again.
Abby and Sami on Thanksgiving
Dane texting, and texting
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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 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.
Brent & Michelle and Kids
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.
12/5/2008 1:47:00 PM
Thank you so much for praying.
More later tonight after the excitement!
Last Night and Today
12/7/2008 10:37:00 PM
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
Abby and Her 50 Boyfriends
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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.
The guys unload the new playhouse they drove TWO HOURS to get!
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.
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.
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.
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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!
12/9/2008 10:30:00 PM
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.
Samrawit decorating a tree for the first time. Abby loves watching her big sister.
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. :-)
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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.
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12/12/2008 12:09:00 PM
Trick or Treat... and Abby update
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.
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. Thank you all so much for decorating our home and making our Christmas special.
Short version: Abby was not tolerating the chemo medication to the point that we thought we were going to lose her. 116
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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.
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com I love Landis's smile.
Abby and Grandmother. I love that you can see she is smiling, even with the mask on.
Landis watching the play. He is scared of people in masks, but he was trying to be brave.
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. 118
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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 with her favorite "boyfriend".
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 119
Riggs Family Blog 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!
www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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 leftsided 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.
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
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.
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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. :-)
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. Heather and Tracy, Abby says thank you for the princess costume. She LOVES wearing it! 121
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12/18/2008 10:50:00 PM
Abby is in Love
www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
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.ht ml Sami's gift from Santa.
Samrawit, Santa and Abby
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 122
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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.
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.
12/23/2008 1:24:00 AM
Riggs: important update on Abby - Dec. 23rd...
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:
(For new readers, our daughter, Abby, three years old, adopted from Guatemala, was diagnosed with Leukemia in July this year).
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 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...
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 123
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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 re-growing 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
(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. th
Starting Jan 16 , Abby enters the hardest 60 to 90 days of her treatment. So…
Abby recovered from the weird symptoms and gets to be home for Christmas
12/23/2008 9:18:00 PM
Riggs: Update on Abby...
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 124
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com love. Others who don’t know God are being drawn to Him as they watch the caring sacrifice of our Christian brethren.
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…
Blessings, Brent (and Michelle) www.brentriggs.com
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
12/25/2008 8:42:00 PM
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.
Riggs: Abby is back in the hospital...
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…
(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
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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.
Abby and Dane
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.
Landis, who is almost 3, loves Spiderman. He does this hilarious and impressive split "Spidey" pose!
Abby, Dane and Sami. The girls love their oldest brother.
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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.
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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.
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.
12/31/2008 3:31:00 AM
Thank you and thank you again...
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.
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.
1/3/2009 12:53:00 PM 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
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 128
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
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 129
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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.
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com It never takes him long to decide to have fun.
Abby and Sami love to do everything together.
He mostly had fun, but had a few moments were he thought our project was a a little nutty.
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.
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Abby you are a sweetheart.
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.
There is the smile I love.
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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
"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.
Abby was so proud of her gingerbread tower.
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The gingerbread house production line. 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.
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. 134
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1/10/2009 1:42:00 PM
Mommy, the Doctor said "Hell"...
www.riggsfamilyblog.com 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.
(Abby slept peacefully after a very rough procedure on Friday that left her in much pain.)
1/11/2009 7:40:00 PM “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.
Does It Matter If More People Pray for Abby? Can We Force God to Do What We Want? I was asked today why getting more and more people to pray for Abby does any good. Does a thousand prayers get God moving more than one, or ten? James 5:16 ...the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. In context, this verse follows a series of questions: are you in trouble? Are you happy? Are you sick? Have you sinned? In other words, no matter what the situation: pray, praise, confess, worship. James states plainly:
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/aboutabby.html If you know of other prayer groups, walls, chains, lists, websites, etc. would you sign up or include Abby in them?
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. So if the prayer of one is powerful and effective, how much more is ten thousand prayers of the righteous? The answer is obvious but let's be very clear... One prayer from one person is as effective as a million prayers from a million people – the result is not in our hands… we cannot sway God by numbers or coercion. God’s will is done no matter what. We don't pray because WE are tricking God, manipulating God, forcing God or obligating God (despite much today about "spiritual laws" that supposedly obligate God to act...). Praying changes, and benefits us.... and brings joy and glory to God. God's WILL will be done even if no one ever prayed... so our prayer is not a force that gets God doing what we want.
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Abby’s life, if it is to be short, will result in the growing faith, increased unity and blessing of thousands of people who grew spiritually, experienced God and brought others into God’s presence because of it. THAT is why we continue to ask people to tell everyone they know about Abby and ask them to pray. If she dies at fours years old, she will end up having a tremendous impact on great multitude of people’s lives and faith. So each day this week, we will ask and remind everyone we know to please:
Abby was perfectly content today just laying next to her little friend who was visiting...
By asking people to join a prayer effort, we bring God joy as He sees His children care for each other; we demonstrate to the world that we are knit together in love and have concern for those in our Christian family we have never even met; we witness to others who are without faith or weak in faith as the widening prayer circle encompasses those in different phases of spiritual growth (or have none). We follow God’s leading to influence as many people as possible through our trials by asking them to join us and pray, and then by keeping everyone informed of everything God is doing in answer to that prayer. Our faith is built, God's glory is increased. By praying, others become emotionally invested in the situation and share the goodness of God to even more people because they have a tangible story to communicate. We cannot the number of people who have written us to say they were blessed by praying for Abby, that they have grown spiritually because of what they are witnessing in her life (the care for her, God’s goodness to us), and countless stories of “I told someone else and now they have been blessed and their faith has grown…” No, sheer numbers do not coerce God or cause one hair on His fiery head to be even slightly moved. One sincere word from any of His children can move mountains if God responds.
Would you remember to pray for Abby on Wednesday, th the 14 as she begins this new phase? Would you email your friends and family, ask them to: o Pray for Abby o Here is a link that will open up a prewritten email you can quickly send to friends and family: http://www.brentriggsblog.com/abbylink.asp o Visit the blog for updates about her: www.riggsfamilyblog.com o If they are not familiar with her, here is a page about Abby: http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/2009/01/aboutabby.html If you know of other prayer groups, walls, chains, lists, websites, etc. would you sign up or include Abby in them?
At this point, there are many thousands of people who are knit together in love, sharing a story of faith and God's blessing because of one little girl. How much joy do you think God Our Father gets because of that? How many lives will be touched, and how much glory would God get if there were tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands praying, watching, praising, proclaiming and testifying to God's love for one precious little child? THAT is why we keeping asking more people to pray....
Being created in God’s image, and being a father myself, I can certainly understand the pleasure it must bring Him to see multitudes of people offer prayers on one little child’s behalf (as a parent, would you not be overjoyed?)… prayers for healing, prayers of thanks, prayers of love, prayers of wanting to see God’s will done. By ever-widening the circle of folks praying for Abby, we everwiden the number of people who now have testimony of God’s goodness and faithfulness which transforms the difficulty and trial we face into a reason to rejoice and praise God. 136
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com heaven, but know that she will be in a far better place. That's not just poetic rhetoric or a feel-good cliche... we BELIEVE it as sure as we believe anything. We are not asking people to pray to coerce God, but rather to knit together a community with a common point of unity. Imagine the joy of a Father when His children petition Him on behalf of those He considers the MODEL of who will enter the Kingdom: little children. We are overwhelmed, humbled and undeserving of the love, prayers and encouragement we have received... on behalf of Abby, our family is forever grateful and deeply moved by the demonstration of love from people all over our nation, and the world. Please continue to let other people know, share our blog with them, put us on prayer lists, and let us know how we can pray for you. Again:
Abby opened a late Christmas present while dressed all in pink.
Here is a link that will open up a pre-written, preformatted email asking folks to pray for Abby
We have hope and true joy as we move into the "valley of the shadow" because our hope in is God, and His only Son.
1/12/2009 9:12:00 PM
The Valley Begins Wednesday... Would You Pray For Abby and Let Others Know About Her? Tomorrow, Abby starts a phase of her treatment where she is least likely to survive.
How can we be a blessing to you today? Leave us a comment and let us know...
1/14/2009 12:56:00 AM
Tomorrow is Now... The Really Tough Treatment Starts Today
For the past few days, we have been asking everyone to ask everyone they know to join us in praying for Abby, and for God to be glorified through this troublesome journey. We aren't trying to focus on death, or the negative aspects because we feel hopeless... we just wanted to use the four days leading up to this next phase to communicate how serious this time is, and bring people into the prayer group with us. Are you a new visitor? Here is a video I did last night to quickly let you know who Abby is, and where her journey has taken her: As we begin this new phase, we want to emphasize that we TRUST GOD and His will. We would be sad if Abby goes to 137
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com One new friend wrote that they were spiritually bottomed out before coming across Abby's story. She said that Abby's smile and our story about God's faithfulness reignited her Christianity and she is alive again in her faith. Countless others have told us how Abby is the focus of their children's prayers... what a wonderful, precious treasure to know that children all over are praying on behalf of our child. Still others often comment how amazed they are at OUR faith.... no, it's not our faith.... our faith is weak and prone to falter. It's God's FAITHFULNESS that allows us to have any measure of faith in our lives. We only have faith and hope and joy because of God, and Him alone. If you are amazed, be amazed that God is patient and merciful with our small faith. By the time you read this, Abby will probably be getting pumped full of a scary amount of chemotherapy. We pray for her survival, and her long life that we want to witness. We pray even more though that God's will is known, accepted and praised no matter what the outcome. If you didn't see her latest video, view it here: http://www.brentriggs.com/?ItemID=349&CategoryID=187 We do not live in a vacuum, and do not want to be selfconsumed... how can we pray FOR YOU today? Leave a comment and let us know...
[Pic: Abby had a hard day, throwing up often and crying. And this was her "easy" time... poor kid.] Well, tomorrow is here. We are SO GRATEFUL to everyone for their tireless efforts this week getting people to come over and join in the prayer efforts for Abby. If you didn't see her latest video, view it here: http://www.brentriggs.com/?ItemID=349&CategoryID=187 Special thanks to our MckFriend over at http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ who made a special mention to her audience about Abby. We are indebted to all the kind comments and encouragement that have come from her MckReaders... please check out her blog, you'll love it, I promise. I had already planned to do story on her in the February issue of Serious.Life Magazine.
Abby had a great time playing in the yard today. She stopped for a litte R&R as Dad stealthed in for a pic.
We truly know what it means to have JOY no matter what the circumstance because God, through gathering thousands of praying, encouraging Believers around us, has given us joy. Only God is capable of having a little three year old girl influence so many lives.
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Landis with his best fake smile for the camera...
SpiderLandis on his SpiderTrike...
Abby was often contemplative and "blank" today, a combination of tired, and knowing that tomorrow she was headed back to start more chemo.
Abby was tickled to be out in the sunshine playing with Landis and Sami. 139
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com past week... the highlight and lowlight... the best and worst. We invite you to post your "hi/low" on your own blog (or leave a comment if you don't have a blog) and use the simple form below (it puts your link in this post) to help us create a wonderful, interesting list of hi/lo's for others to read! Our High from this past week: That's easy... it's the overwhelming response we have seen from people who have visited our blog and told us they were praying for Abby as she started this difficult phase of treatment. It is incredible to watch as people tell people who tell people who tell people about Abby. We are touched everyday with the stories of people who find renewed faith from some contact with our journey. Our Low from this past week: Unfortunately, that's easy too. Yesterday. Abby came home tired and emotional which was predictable. Sadly, it's predictable too that she will hit rock bottom probably by the weekend. She cries easily because of the constant discomfort and uncertainty, but in between those times, she is happy and just looking to have fun like any four year old, although it's very fragile fun. Okay, now its YOUR turn... Here's how you get your link on our blog for Hi/Lo Thursday:
1/15/2009 1:31:00 AM
Abby's Home & Hi/Lo Thursday
[pic: yep, that about sums it up. This was Abby shortly after getting home today.] Here is Abby's latest video if you haven't seen it: http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/2009/01/about-abby.htmlWe can hardly say "thank you" enough for the thousands of prayers being lifted on her behalf. We have been so encouraged by all the kindness and comments. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO IS PRAYING AND LETTING PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT ABBY! Dozens of you left prayer requests in our comments, and by email, and as we get time to read those, we'll comment more on them.
This post is part of "Hi/Lo Thursday" on Riggs Family Blog (www.riggsfamilyblog.com):
When she went to bed two nights ago, she told us she was feeling really bad, but couldn't tell us what was "feeling bad". By the time we got to the clinic today, she was very cranky not normal at all. Her doctor checked the pressure in her head when they injected chemo in her spinal column. Her intracranial pressure was 3 times normal. Ouch. No wonder she was cranky. Thank goodness morphine can take away the pain even when she communicate what is going on. Please keep praying for either healing and a solution to this problem. They increased her medication for the pressure. For those who have asked about surgically correcting the problem (VP shunt), it is not an option at this time. The chemo is wiping out her immune system. By the time we got home, Abby was feeling much better. We had a quiet evening, doing craft projects (Abby's new favorite thing) and watching Leap Frog videos. Normally the videos would have driven us batty, but we treasured every moment. Now on to.... Hi/Lo Thursday Hi/Lo Thursday is when we post our "high" and "low" for this
Go to your blog, write your post about "Hi/Lo" Thursday. Begin your blog with the following sentence. Just copy and paste this to begin your post:
After writing your post, use the form below to enter your blog title, and the link to YOUR POST.
That's it! You'll be linked in today's entries and we'll have a fun and inspiring list of "hi/lo's" for everyone to read! We look forward to reading and leaving a comment on your Hi/Lo Thursday post!
Sami loving on her friend, Elliana. 140
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1/15/2009 9:11:00 PM
Cryin' Over Bernie Mac... Abby Doing Craps... Funny Things Your Kids Say
Abby with a BIG yawn after a long day.
SpiderLandis and his patented webslinger slide; there's no escaping him when the fingers and tongue are in sync.
SpideyLandis doing his thing, ready to launch off the side of a building onto an unsuspecting villian (victim?) 141
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So I'm sitting here working (Brent) and Bernie Mac was on in the background. He had some touching moment with his daughter and I found myself in tears. Over Bernie Mac! ...and I'm stupid enough to tell the whole world. You know something is a little askew in your world when you waterwork over Bernie Mac (and then admit it). That's especially funny for me since I'm always harping on the "sissification" of Western men, but there's a difference between tears that originate from compassion, trauma, trials and joy. That's what God made tears for. For obvious reasons, I'm especially emotional about my own daughter right now.pic right: Abby is talking on the phone with her "boyfriend" Logan, knowing that Daddy is jealous. Abby Doing Craps Not what you think... she's really doing CRAFTS but she cannot pronounce it correctly. Now I know the folks who got offended when I said "buttcrack" in a previous post will probably really get sideways about me typing "craps" on our blog, but it is screamin' funny when you hear her say it. "Mommy, can I color and do craps?"
We are, after all, the house "...where laughter lives." I know my limits, so I won't tell you about how our oldest daughter pronounced FORK when she was two, doing so loudly for the first time in a restaurant. We almost got kicked out because she kept asking for her "FORK" and we couldn't keep from busting a laugh. We're horrible parents, I know.
Abby loves coloring and painting, a daily activity for her.
The boy is just STINKING cute, ain't he? Abby doing cra.... okay, CRAFTS. 142
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SpiderLandis is hero by night (when he's in his spidey‐jamas) and cagey cracker thief by day. This time he was busted with the loot in a vain attempt to conceal his identity. THE FUNNIEST "CAN'T SAY IT RIGHT" FROM YOUR KIDS
1/16/2009 12:50:00 PM
Abby Is Back In The Hospital Abby is being admitted today. She made it two days after her chemo. Her spinal pressure is shooting up again. She is miserable.
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SpideyLandis is having a birthday tomorrow, so we are glad that didn't get cancelled. He'll be webslinging with friends, presents and spidercake. (it's fun when your SpideyDad is a graphic designer...) Thanks for all your kind encouragement and prayers for Abby. If you can leave a spiderwish for Landis in the comments, that would be cool. You have to "spideytalk" though, or SpideyLandis won't understand...
1/17/2009 5:42:00 PM
Spidey Bash!
If you missed that last post below ("Bernie Mac..."), be sure to read it. The post and comments are hilarious, and I don't know about you, but we could use a good laugh. Brent
1/16/2009 10:48:00 PM
Abby Got To Come Home - The Spider Party Is On Like Spider Kong
SpideyLandis loved his SpideyCake! Thanks so much to webfriend Toni for making the cake and bringing decorations.
Abby got to come home late tonight. She had a bunch of fluid drained off her brain, but there was no reason to keep her longer so they let her come home. She feels awful and is throwing up a lot. But we are home. 143
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SpideyLandis tries out a new webslinger pose. He saw the picture on the bag behind him, and HAD to practice until he got it right.
SpideyLandis shows off his worldclass webshooting technique.
SpideyLandis cutting up with his spiderrific girlfriend, Bethanie. SpideyLandis with new spideypants and spideyshorts holding a new spideytoy.
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SpideyLandis loved his new spiderunderpants so much, he kissed them over and over again!
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Cute baby moment... I caught Susie Grace by surprise with this great shot with Momma, Carol.
Toni Baker... special thanks to her as she has helped us celebrate both Abby and Landis' birthday, making decorations, a cake and fun games!
The Meeks have a beautiful "Abby" too, with proud Dad looking on in the background.
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Carl and Christine came over and talked us all into getting Bunn coffee makers and Garmin watches!
1/17/2009 9:46:00 PM
Heartbreaker: Mommy, Do I Get To Grow Up? Today at Landis' birthday party, Abby had fun in short spurts, but for the most part she's been miserable all day. She basically spent the entire time watching the other kids having fun. After everyone left, she walked up to Michelle and said something that just rips your heart out. "Mommy, am I going to grow up and be big?" Michelle, "Yes, you will get bigger." "Promise Mommy? Do you promise? Really Mommy? Promise me?"
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1/18/2009 11:42:00 PM
Not Me! Princess Pull-ups and Blue Teeth Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.
Let me tell you, we absolutely did NOT put SpideyLandis in "Princess Pull-ups" because it's all we could find. And we most certainly did not leave him with instructions of "don't pee on the Princess".
Abby used to say "I want to grow up like Bubba" (her 16 year old brother). Now she just wants to grow up and get bigger. Yes, she knows what she's asking and why it's a question. She's four, and has heard Doctors and adults talk for months about her being sick. When kids are that sick, they instinctively know about death. Ask any parent who has been through it. Would you agree? Leave a comment and let us know what you've experienced or observed...
"Dad! You cannot be serious??? Spiderman cannot wear princess pull‐ups! What will the other superheroes think when they see this?" The other thing we couldn't possibly have done is feed everyone BLUE ICING at the Spidey Party knowing it would result in SpideyLandis filling his Princess Pull-up with BLUE, bright blue, spiderman blue POOP. Whew, I'm glad we didn't do that. 147
Riggs Family Blog I (Brent) cannot be accused of hogging out on some incredible pizza with our friends last Tuesday night because everyone knows I'm eating right and exercising consistently.
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This week's theme is "things our kids have done" that are either rib-splitting hilarious or embarrassed the stew out of us. Here's a few to kick off the party:
One other thing... there is NO WAY we got tricked by our friends, the Meeks. We were supposed to go to dinner with them, and we had a gift certificate to pay for dinner. They've been wonderful helping with our kids. I told them not to show up if we couldn't pay... show they did NOT show up early, preorder and prepay, fooling me until the very end until I did NOT try to pay for dinner! Oh no, you did NOT do that! For more "Not Me!", be sure to drop by MckMama's blog...
1/19/2009 9:19:00 PM
Laughter Lives Tuesday! Where Once a Week You Can Come to Have Your Heart Lifted by Laughter! laughter lives." That's not a marketing gimmick, it's the truth. Our home is filled with laughter and humor constantly. It really is an identifying trait of our life, my writing and our family. Last week, I posted "Cryin' Over Bernie Mac... Abby Doing Craps... Funny Things Your Kids Say" and asked you guys to leave a comment with your "funny things kids say". We were flooded with emails about how enjoyable that post was. It was so funny and so popular, I had way more than enough content (even after removing the stories about INNOCENT but not very nice words) to create a new book. It is going to be ready to print next week. (everyone who is included gets their screen name and blog address published...) Because that brought so much laughter and joy to people, we thought it would become the perfect theme for us to do every week. We all have funny "stuff" about our families and kids, and we could all use a GOOD LAUGH every week during our busy and often hard lives. Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. Each week, we'll introduce a theme, and write our "Laughter Lives" post, and then it's YOUR turn. Together we should be able to cheer up a LOT of people each week, and provide a respite of joy and laughter for a lot of hurting hearts!
Landis Changes His Mind Landis, two years old, was sitting at the table in the kitchen while I (Brent) was cooking dinner. I was talking about something to Garrett (16 year old brother), and Landis bellows out a command in our direction: “I said BE quiet!”
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I looked over at him with my best “oh no you didn’t” mad Drill Sargeant look, and asked him: “WHAT did you say???”
Out of 500 hundred people busting a gut laughing, there were only TWO who were not. Can you guess which two people were NOT laughing?
Landis with a completely changed tone and demeanor, sheepishly informed me, “I said, I sowwry”.
Sami Learns English Sami is 10 years old from Ethiopia and is just learning English. The other day I was pestering her and teasingly said "get over here so I can whomp your fanny..." to which she replied, "You can whip yo' momma's fanny!" Ah, America... where kids learn "yo mama" before they even learn proper English.
[pic: Landis gets busted trying to low crawl away with his ill‐ gotten tootsie roll.] Garret Does Fireballs Okay, he's going to kill me for telling you this one, but we have laughed over it for years. A few years ago, he's 16 now, Garrett came into possession of a entire bag of Atomic Fireballs. All was well that Friday evening as we went to bed, and left him to enjoy a movie and his fireballs in the living room.
Weenie, Weenie, Weenie
The next morning, I walk down the hall, and I was immediately puzzled to find several "half consumed" fireballs on the floor. Then I go into the bathroom, and there are several more on the sink, and a bunch in the bathtub... all HALF eaten, sucked on, consumed... whatever. Sticky, half-gone-atomic-fireballs. So I trek off to the living room to find him, and there are about 20 more fireballs on the living room floor here and there. When I asked him "WHY????" he had absolutely no explanation, just that he loved fireballs. He genuinely had no good reason why he would suck on one for a little bit, then just discard it whereever he was. Not put in the trash, not in one pile, just randomly, all over the house, wherever he happened to be. Bizarre!!
Like any family, we have some words that our kids will try out, and then we tell them “we don’t say that word.” Like any family, we have kids who figure out ways to beat the system. Even kids with cancer are still kids. 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.”
All of us, even him, still get a roaring laugh out of remembering that scene even now. It was even more funny because he simply had no answer or reason why he did it. It just "was".
So as you can see, Abby no longer says “weenie”.
My Brothers Kid We are sitting it the back of a big church one Sunday. My older brother and his family were up in the second row with their children. The Preacher is a-preachin' away. Their five year old girl gets up, leaves the auditorium to go to the bathroom or something. When she comes back in, she starts tip-toeing down the aisle, stealth mode, slowly sneaking up to the front row. This was a 100 ft of aisle, and everyone she passes can hardly keep from laughing, and the Preacher is now sneaking curious glances her way, trying to act like nothing is happening. She gets all the way down the aisle to the 2nd row, creeps up behind her Daddy, and yells "BOO!!!!!!" at the top of her lungs. The whole church erupted in a roar, even the Preacher had to simply stop, laugh, and acknowledge the obvious. I bet God even got a laugh out of that one! Blessed are the children... 149
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1/20/2009 10:48:00 PM
www.riggsfamilyblog.com hold her while she sleeps. I wish she had more energy, but I love being able to comfort her.
Something for YOU... And Proud of Abby But Heartbroken This pic was taken by our friend Amy when Abby got to accompany Mom on a rare visit away from home. Update on Abby (From Michelle...) For those of you who didn't know Abby before she got leukemia, she was a very normal three year old. She was a smart, independent and very capable young lady. She let me help her when she wanted some attention from Mommy, but didn't NEED my help very often. She had better table manners than our teenagers!
Abby sleeps alot, and is pretty weak. She throws up constantly. A week into her toughest phase of treatment, Abby is really weak, constantly shakes and is very nauseated. She has thrown up almost 30 times in one day. Her doctors increased one of her medications, and it seems to be helping, but it will be a few more days, before we know for sure. Tomorrow at clinic, I am going to talk to them again about how hard this is for Abby. I would love it if they would try to find a better way to help her. The increased pressure in her head seems better but since they drained off the excess spinal fluid on Friday, it will take a little longer before we know for sure if it is going to stay better.
Because of the side effects of the chemo, she is now a much different girl. Sunday, when eating at a friends home, Abby wanted to sit at the kid's table with her friends. After most of her friends were finished and off playing, I sat beside her and offered to help her. Most of her food was still on her plate. When she was spooning her rice, her hand was shaking so badly it was falling off of the spoon. In the end, she asked me to feed her, so she could finish and play with her friends.
As bad as all of that sounds, she is really handling the chemo much better than we and her doctors thought she would. Praise God. Here is what I am praying for.Would you join me in praying for Abby?
Today, she wanted to dress herself. What normal 4 year old girl doesn't? I let her try, but she shakes so badly, (especially while standing) you can see her tremble from 10 yards away. Watching her try to balance on one foot, so she could pull on a pants leg looked like an impossible task, but she stuck it out and did it by herself. I am so proud of her for working hard to be a big girl, but it makes me sad that it is SO difficult for her. Most days, she plows ahead with a smile on her face, having fun even though it takes her considerably more effort than it should.
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I thank God she is alive today. I thank God she is home, surrounded by people who love her. I thank God so many people are praying for Abby and asking others to pray as well. I thank God so many wonderful people are encouraging use and helping us care for Abby and our other children. I pray she she remains cancer-free and that she is protected from any permanent damage from the chemo. I pray God shields her from any nausea and pain. I pray God protects her from infections and illnesses, for her safety, but also because I love her being home, instead of in the hospital. I pray for wisdom for the doctors and Brent and I, as we decide what chemo to give her and how to treat the increased intracranial pressure.
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I pray Brent and I have the strength, energy and wisdom, to make the most of the time we have with our children. We pray for the wisdom to deal with all the details, responsibilities and expenses.
Thank you all so much for standing beside us, encouraging us, asking others to pray, and praying for our family. I can't imagine walking down this road without you.
1/21/2009 9:44:00 PM
Abby, Spidey, Sami Sami is so pretty. What you don't know, is that her hair was crazy messy so I had to promise to crop it out. Sami is so sweet to Abby. She sat and made balloon art for her all night, and then Abby, never shy around the camera, had to pose for us and get into the photo shoot. We are so blessed in our family. We rejoice every day for EVERY memory. Even the tough times are to be cherished and embraced. It is our sacrifices for each other, and our shared hardships that go a long ways towards bonding our lives together. Hey, if you want some quick, fun, random updates about Abby and our family, follow me on Twitter. It's pretty fun... go to http://www.twitter.com/ and my Twitter name is Brent_Riggs (there is a "brentriggs", but that's not me.)
1/22/2009 10:15:00 AM Abby loved the balloons Sami made for her; SpideyLandis was not about to be ignored. Abby had chemo today and has been up and down. She rollercoasters from miserable to almost not miserable. Nice choices, huh? But, she's still a kid. Tonight she didn't want to go to bed, so she kept saying her tummy hurt, she needed to go to the bathroom, and even "threw up". One big problem though... she was faking all of it. And you wouldn't believe the performance... Oscar worthy. Kids are kids no matter what they are going through! We continue to be encouraged by everyone's kind comments and notes. We are so blessed to have so many people caring about us, keeping up with things, and loving our whole family, not just Abby. I (Brent) was shooting some pics tonight because SpideyLandis wanted to show off his mask and websling out the window of the playhouse. That boy is a HOOT!
Hi/Lo Thursday... Parties and Potties Welcome to Hi/Lo Thursday, our regular feature where we all share our high and our low for the week. WHY? Because people get to know each other better when they see both ends of the spectrum. What things do we consider our happiest events and moments? What struggles and trials are the lowest point of our life? You become much more attached to people when you share the times that are the most emotionally embedded. Our High This Week: We could name several, like Abby being home and not in the 151
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hospital but we have to give the nod to SpiderParty. SpideyLandis turned three and last Saturday we had a great party for him, with several of our good friends over to celebrate. You can check out some great pics here if you missed them. SpideyLandis got some really great spideytoys and we have been enjoying him webslinging all over the house this past week. He is never shy of posing for the camera, and rarely breaks character! He is SpideyLandis pretty much all day, every day. Our Low This Week: I said "potty" because that is the object in question and involved both SpideyLandis and Abby.
Another even lower predictably involves Abby. She is in the bathroom about 20 times a day with tummy problems on both ends. Every day. She throws up 10-20 times A DAY, and goes to the bathroom probably a dozen times or more. It's a REALLY low point for us. She's so miserable.
1/23/2009 10:44:00 AM
Abby Has A Message For You Abby wanted to let you know how she feels about the prayers, cards, comments, encouragement and gifts she has received from all of you:
SpideyLandis cannot be convinced that real superheroes use the potty instead of "using the Pullup" if you know what I mean. He has absolutely NO interest in being potty trained. We have tried every angle from shameless bribery to appealing to his spidey-ego (Spiderman doesn't poop his pants...) to trips to the woodshed. But nothing works. Any suggestions?
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Then she cries from the intensity of throwing up so many times...
Any questions? Then she drifts back off into a fatigued slumber...
1/23/2009 2:57:00 PM
Abby Is Having a Very Hard Day Abby is having a miserable day (week, actually). She is throwing up every few minutes, over and over. She's been throwing up 20-30 times a day. It is physically exhausting and very rough on her. I'd say it's hard on me and her mom too, but our discomfort is irrelevant compared to hers. I hated taking a picture of her, but I had my camera next to her when she woke up all of a sudden. She wakes up from a restless, whimpering sleep, knowing what it is about to happen...
She is really having it rough this week. We have a call into the doctors because even with everything she is going through, throwing up 30 times in one day seems like it is more than expected. Thank you for your prayers. 153
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1/23/2009 10:10:00 PM
Mr. Johnny Comes AKnockin'
www.riggsfamilyblog.com so I launch from my perch, and get to the front door as quick as one can "get" from that porcelain position. I answered the door to find out (you know where this is going, don't you?)... Mr. Johnny got Channel Five finally and didn't need my help. So Mr. Johnny got his TV tuned in; our son got his ride to school and I was left searching in vain for a bottle of Grandpa's old cough medicine. (not really, I was just trying to be funny... about the ride to school.) It was SO aggravating that it finally disintegrated into "funny". Have you ever had a situation that was so outrageously annoying, interuptive, chaotic or frustrating that you ended up only being able to laugh about it? Leave us a comment with your s0-aggravating-you-can-onlylaugh-about-it story. I need a good chuckle right now after the day I had...
1/24/2009 7:32:00 PM
It was an extremely frustrating night last night. Abby was up and down until about 4am throwing up and needing to go to the bathroom. Anyone who has ever slept in :30 minute or 1 hour increments, waking up over and over, knows how draining it is. We had finally fallen asleep, and our dear 80 year old neighbor (the best neighbor you could ever ask for) came pounding on the front door about 8am. For a frail fella, he can knock LOUD. I get up, half awake, and answer the door to find that Mr. Johnny couldn't get his new-fangled flat screen TV "to go over to channel 5". So I told him I would be over to help him later, and returned to bed for a few minutes of desperate sleep. About 60 seconds after I fall asleep, one of our teenage boys bangs on our bedroom door, and comes walking on in! "Get... out... of... here!", I grumble knowing full well that HE knows full well he's not to simply come prancing in our bedroom when we are in bed - not to mention the fact my mood was already plummeting faster than Britney Spears reputation. So I stumble out of bed, and go to the bathroom. No sooner than I had sat down, and someone is banging on the front door again and I'm sure this time that they are going to wake up the kids and Michelle - probably one of my teenager's friends on the way to school. Our bathroom window gives view to the front door, so I peaked out the window. It was Mr. Johnny on a return visit. What was it this time? His refrigerator door leaking ice and water out the front again? Johnny knocks a second time, even louder. Then a third... fourth and fifth pounding, with increasing conviction each time. Giving up on the door, Mr. Johnny turns and I figured he was giving up. Wrong. He goes over to the front living room window and begins rapping on the glass! Everyone else, including Abby, is still sound asleep,
Abby's Saturday: I Hope You Dance Abby's friends, Kya Blu and Kristen came over to visit today. So did MeeMaw and PawPaw. Between bouts of throwing up and falling asleep, Abby managed to have a good time playing, coloring and having a "dance party" with Sami and the other girls (and SpideyLandis got in on the action too.) It was hard to watch Abby having such a difficult time for most of the day, but it was priceless to see Abby have some fun and get to be with her friends.
Kristen, Kya Blu & Sami ham it up on the top bunk. Arent' they all beautiful!
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com Abby is wearing one of her ponytails that YOU got her. A large group of readers got together and raise the money for ponytails and wigs when Abby got sick. We already received one wig but it just didn't look natural on her. We figured out after that first one how to get the hair color, thickness and length correct. We have another full wig on order and it should be here soon. Abby loves her ponytails and has several she wears under hats and scarves. She's very comfortable with her "bald like Daddy" head, but loves to have hair once in a while too.
Sami with Kya Blu.
Big brother Dane, 21, targets some bad guys with his little webslinging partner, SpideyLandis.
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SpideyLandis assumes his trademark pose while fully robed in his webgear. When he takes it off, he immediately reminds you his name is Peter Parker, not Landis.
Kya Blu got to enjoy her very FIRST piece of bubble gum. Getting her to NOT swallow it proved fruitless.
MeeMaw loves on Abby who was not feeling good at all for most of her grandparents visit which you can see in the somewhat strained smile.
PawPaw and Peter Parker ham it up for the camera.
You would not BELIEVE how much I had to beg to get my bride to let me post these pics. This was her version of trying to ignore me while I was snapping off shots. She thinks she takes terrible pictures and most of the time I have no luck getting her to sign off on the release form. Ain't she perty? Kyla Blu and her Mom, Candy, show off Abby's "Jasmine" costume.
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com Abby didn't feel well (that's an understatement) for much of the day. Here she gets some love and comfort from Kristen's Mom, Phyllis.
Abby, showing off one of her ponytails. Michelle and I were so blessed to have friends from all over the Internet, including Phyllis and Candy, get together and raise money for her hair pieces.
A normal day for us, Abby had to stop frequently and get medicine into her feeding tube port. She just takes it in stride and accepts it as part of life.
Kristen is a GREAT dancer... she was spinning, lip-syncing and having a great time leading the dance party.
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Abby dancing with Kristen. Sami, Landis, Kyla and even Candy were all in the room showing off their best moves. Matt 19:14 - Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." You know why the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like the children? Because children can have cancer, be in agony, throw up 30 times a day, barely able to walk, need morphine just to keep from crying... and still give hugs, say 'I love you', dance with her friends, smile, be thankful and never once complain. As I was writing this, Abby got a bloody nose out of the blue. Not sure what that means medically yet, probably low platelets. But it's a good example of how to turn any scene into a fun pic. She had the toilet paper in her nose to stop the bleeding, so of course, Dad had to have some too. I hollered for Mom to grab that camera, and a few minutes later - presto - pic for the blog.
Then we grow up... and moan about unfairness, express discontent about what we don't have, murmur and grump over every discomfort, say 'I love you' only when we feel like it is deserved, forget to be thankful and of course, we are WAY too embarrassed to dance, showing our love for just being alive. People often ask why we are so public about Abby's journey... do you still need to know? How many lives can a four year old influence as a living example of Jesus words: "Let the little children come to me... for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Leave a comment with your gripe, complaint or murmur. We'll send you a picture of Abby.
1/25/2009 8:10:00 AM
Photography & Nausea
While some of it is professional equipment, software and years of image editing experience, there are a LOT of great tricks/techniques and free software I could show you. There are a set of basic of guidelines, easy techniques, cheap‐ to‐free software and simple demonstrations that I can teach anyone, no matter what your experience, or what camera you have (from a decent pocket digital to a professional camera). You can learn to create the same quality images I have on my sites or in the magazine (http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/). Would you be interested in a FREE ebook or demonstration on this?
How 'bout Them Pics? I routinely have people ask about the photos I put on our blog. What camera? What tricks I use? What software automatically gives the color, depth, pizzazz and "pop"? (automatically? I wish)
I need to gauge the interest level (I don't want to spend time on something nobody wants). If YES, you are interested, leave your email on the form below, and I'll shoot you a quick reply if I have questions, need to clarify something, or to let you know when it is ready (again, it will be a FREE item; just wanted you to know that so you don't think you are signing up to buy something). By the way, we NEVER share your email with anyone, EVER. Period. Ad Nauseum As you know, Abby is REALLY suffering from nausea. She throws up 20 or 30 times a day, literally. It is fatiguing and miserable for her. We received a few tips on nausea relief, and want to ask everyone specifically: WHAT ARE YOUR IDEAS, TIPS, 158
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HOME REMEDIES, EXPERIENCE OR ADVICE ABOUT NAUSEA? The chemo is going to make her nauseated, can't get around that. But we do have the blessed opportunity to ask tens of thousands of people for advice about it. Would you leave us a comment about this? We are hoping to find something that will give her some relief...
1/26/2009 12:59:00 PM
Abby & Ice Storm The doctors have become very alarmed at the amount of throwing up Abby is doing. They want to see her immediately. Despite the fact that we are currently in an ice storm, we have to take Abby to the hospital. We are on the way now... Please pray for God to protect us from accidents on the ice, both driving and walking. It is treacherous outside. Will keep you posted.
1/26/2009 6:00:00 PM
Update - Abby & The Ice Storm The ice storm continues. For those of you who have never dealt with ice, it's not like anything else. The whole world comes to a screeching halt. In snow, you can get traction. Not ice. The roads will be abandoned after the sun goes down, and probably all day tomorrow. Ice accumulates on trees and power lines causing them to snap and break. It gets in the fans of your heat pump and compressor and freezes them up. Doors and lids are welded shut. It is paralyzing but incredibly beautiful. It's too late to get any shots of today's storm, but here are some from out last one:
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Told ya... beautiful, amazing, wondrous. But don't let it fool you. Ice storms are dangerous and thankfully, don't happen very often. Here in Oklahoma, we are in just the right place for them... much farther north, and it's usually snow; farther south, rain. Update on Abby Before the ice started to stick, Abby made it to a local clinic to get her blood work done. By the time Michelle got half way to Children's hospital (about 40 miles), they had decided to close the clinic/doctor's-office where she was headed and they had to do a Louie back to Norman. She ended up going to a minor emergency center in Norman to get Abby's blood drawn. They determined she needs a transfusion but there's no way to get her to the hospital until tomorrow at the earliest, if the ice melts. Michelle's mother lives a couple miles from the minor emergency they ended up at, so she and the kids inched their way over there to spend the night tonight.
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Abby needs to get blood soon. She is in metabolic acidosis, which means her body acid is TOO LOW. That, the chemo, and her spinal fluid pressure (probably rising again) are most likely conspiring to keep her throwing up every 10-15 minutes.
you." I Lub You Daddy
We would appreciate your prayers for Abby's health, for the ice to melt quickly tomorrow, and for safe travel in the nasty weather.
Abby, sweet little thing, will walk up to us out of the blue, hug your leg and say with great conviction, "I... lub... you... Daddy". When she says that, she is hugging your leg, laying her head on you, and it comes out like a great big sigh, as if she is very tired and now finally everything is okay. It is so sweet.
Enjoy the "ice" pictures. It is truly magnificent - the kind of wonders God designed (not "evolution") for us to both enjoy, and to stand in respectful awe of.
'Cause I'm a Stinky Little Kid
Tomorrow is "Laughter Lives Tuesday". Our theme this week is "Funny, Cute & Endearing Ways We Say I Love You". I hope you're going to participate... it's been REALLY fun!
1/26/2009 8:06:00 PM
Updated Update on the Update... Even with the ice storm, Abby is sick enough she had to go to the hospital anyway.
We have this thing with the two babies (Abby and Landis) where we hug them and say "I love you so much. I love you too much. Do you know why I love you too much?" To this, they reply: "Because I'm a stinky little kid." Don't ask me how or why this came about, I don't remember but it's what we do. Other people hear it and either think its funny, or sweet (or weird!). Sign Language My wife and I taught our kids sign language when they were a few months old to help them learn to communicate. They could say "please", "more" and other simple words even before they could speak. It was really cute, and helpful.
So Abby, Michelle and our friend Toni are making their way there now. The roads aren't too bad right now because rush hour melted them off, but I'm really concerned about them if they try to send her home in the middle of the night (after getting blood) rather than admitting her.
Michelle and I often respond "I love you more..." when the other says "I love you". Because we were teaching the kids sign language for "more", the "more" sign became our secret way to say "I love you" and it meant, "I love you more". We could say "I love you more" across the room, or driving away using our little sign.
We live out in the sticks and I can't even get out of the driveway.
That's right, I'm a sap. Don't tell any of my ex-Drill Sargeant buddies.
This is nerve-racking... Brent
1/27/2009 3:29:00 AM
1/28/2009 11:05:00 AM
Abby Going Back to Hospital
Abby Update... Laughter Lives Tuesday This weeks theme is going to be both funny and sweet. I look forward to enjoying the posts you write, and also learning from them. We can always use more creative ways to say "I love 162
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com through with Abby is so hard, SO BIG, most people aren't sharing requests with us as much they used to. I really miss praying for things that are on the hearts of others. I love to pray for both "big" and "small" things. Seeing God bless us by taking care of those little details is a beautiful reminder to me of how much He loves us and how He is watching over us.
Abby is throwing up blood this morning. We are taking her back to the hospital. Please pray it is something minor. Pray for wisdom for the doctors. ~
1/28/2009 12:44:00 PM
Pray For Me... Pray For Others...
One example of this in my life was yesterday when I was instructed by Abby's doctor to bring her in for a blood transfusion, during an ice storm. Abby needed to get to the hospital, but Brent was home with the other children and I was with Abby, 20 miles away, at a doctor's office. With the sun going down, the roads were refreezing. Oklahomans get few opportunities to drive on ice, so I was out of practice and everyone else driving was out of practice too. Many of you prayed that God would keep us safe while we were driving and He did. Praise God. But what you didn't know was how He provided for us. One of my best friends, Toni, called to check on us, and when she heard what was going on, she offered to drive us to the hospital, stay with us during the transfusion (usually 6-8 hours) and drive us home. Toni moved to Oklahoma a couple of years ago, from Alaska. So we not we not only got to spend some time with one of our favorite people, we were driven by someone who cut her teeth driving on snow and ice. While Abby was getting the transfusion, Toni read stories to Abby, colored with her and made her feel like a princess. Once Abby was asleep, Toni and I were able to talk. A rare treat when you have a house full of little people. An night that we could have just endured, turned into a blessing. Thank you Toni. You are the best. Don't you love how God takes care of those little details, too? Would you let us pray for you? I would love to hear what is on your heart and to pray for each of you.
When Landis prays... he really prays. He is like a little preacher and at times it is almost impossible to keep from laughing. He goes on and on with original petitions every night. From Michelle: Even before Abby became sick, prayer was one of the most important things in my life. I took the Bible's admonition to pray without ceasing literally and ran with it. While I can be quiet in social settings, it is natural to me to keep a running dialog with God, as I go through my day. Life goes so much better when I am focused on serving God and on praying for OTHERS.
My incredibly talented husband is setting things up so that it will be easy to read everyone's requests, in list form, but so you can also link your blog to ours, so that you can leave more details for us to read and hopefully some pictures too. Thank you again for praying for our family. I hope you will allow us to pray for you, too.
1/28/2009 4:25:00 PM
Abby Update
I love that people are praying for Abby. You are such a blessing to Abby and our family. But, because what we are going 163
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Abby is getting chemo. They aren't sure what is causing the bleeding and they cannot scope her because her blood counts are too low. We suspect is it caused by internal sores that come from the chemo. After her chemo, she'll come home this evening, and we'll keep an eye on her. It has been a stressful few days and we are overwhelmed by all the prayers and kind encouragement from everyone. We will keep you updated. Do you have any questions about Abby? If yes, leave a comment, and we'll answer.
1/29/2009 12:56:00 AM
Hi/Lo Thursday: Prayer List... Peter Parker... Abby Update It's Hi/Lo Thursday where we get to know each other by sharing our HIGH and our LOW for the week. What a great way to really find out something about each other. Our HIGHS: (from Brent) Prayer List There was a great response to Pray for Me... Pray for Others. I'm sure over time this will become a huge community of prayer each Wednesday.
SpideyLandis gives love to his new spideythrone. One great idea was to have Spiderman call him and congratulate SpideyLandis (Scott B? Are you listening? You know you're the man for this job!). So after a few more days of success we'll have Spiderman call his spideysidekick and give him a personal thumbs up. In the meantime, here's SpideyLandis LIVE tell you all about it: Our LOWS: (from Michelle) Predictably, our lows have to do with Abby being sick. We don't want people to think we focus on, or unnecessarily linger on the negative about her. There are tremendous trials the come with her Leukemia and we try to transparently share the whole reality even though that is considered a "negative confession" by some of our friends (and yes, they are still our friends; we can disagree and still love each other).
Did you check back a couple of times to see new entries today? Did you pray for any of them? Peter Parker SpideyLandis is a hoot. He is well on his way to being potty trained, thanks to some of your GREAT ideas. He is enamored with his spidey-drawers and says he "poops on the potty like Peter Parker!".
Abby gets some blue gatorade from Mom into her feeding tube with medicine that raises her acid level. This is supposed to help with her nausea. Abby's Throwing Up
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Thank you so much for praying for Abby and for allowing us to pray for you. I love getting to know you and having the opportunity to pray for you. The doctors best guess for the blood Abby was throwing up yesterday is a tear in her esophagus, caused by the vomiting. It breaks my heart. They can't run tests to confirm it since she is so weak from the tough chemo, but they are giving her with medication to help it. Thanks to your suggestions and prayers, Abby is throwing up less than she was before. At the worst, she was getting sick 30 times a day, now it is less than 15. Still not good, but at least better. Before we asked for your suggestions, we were already giving her Zofran every 6 hours and Phenegran every 4 hours, around the clock. Those help, but she was still very sick. We are have been trying your suggestion, and many seem to be helping. Of the ones we have tried, sniffing rubbing alcohol, Emetrol and cokes seem to be helping the most. The alcohol trick surprised me, but it really helps break the cycle, when she is getting sick. We are trying more of your suggestions every day trying to find a combination that works. Thank you so much for taking the time to give us your suggestions. Abby has been admitted to the hospital 17 times, since she was diagnosed on July 11, 08. We appreciate her doctors making an effort to keep her home as much as possible.
1/30/2009 6:47:00 PM
Early Pics of Abby & Landis... Picture Caption Contest...
Big Sis, Jordan with Abby.
Folks who are new to the site ask occassionally about pics of them when they were younger right before or after we adopted them. Here's a few for your viewing pleasure....
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Abby and her trademark grin.
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Abby was so curious and cute at that age.
Abby with her foster Dad in Guatemala.
Abby and Mom at Guatemala Day.
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Abby & Landis with Mom and Abby's foster family in Guatemala.
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A beautiful lake in the mountains near Landis' orphanage.
The first day Abby and Landis were together.
A picture of Landis before we saw him for the first time.
Our first visit with Landis, at a restaurant in Guatemala.
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Future SpideyLandis with Dad in the orphanage where we first held him. Mom adoring Landis seconds after seeing him the first time. Here is MY (Brent) personal favorite picture of Mom and Abby:
Mom with Abby and Landis within minutes of seeing Landis for the first time.
And finally, one that BEGS for a caption... can you help us figure one out? Abby holdling Landis at the orphanage where she became the "big sister" and not "the baby" anymore.
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Go ahead, make fun of me. I give you permission. Have fun. Leave a comment with your caption suggestion... we'll choose a winner and rustle up a prize.
that they suspected were causing her stomach problems. There is now no doubt they were the cause. The medicines they discontinued were to control her increased intracranial pressure (spine and brain). When the pressure goes up she gets migraines. If the pressure is too high, too long it can damage her eyes and brain. Abby is having headaches today. We are taking her to get blood work done. The headaches are most likely because of her spinal fluid pressure. Since they've taken her off the medicines that kept the spinal pressure under control, the only alternative is to have them stick a needle in her spine and drain off fluid. It's pick your poison right now (no pun intended since chemo is pure poison): either high spinal pressure and frequent spinal drains, or medicine that makes you throw up constantly. How would you like to have that choice?
2/2/2009 12:56:00 PM
2/3/2009 1:01:00 AM
Abby Daily Update: Headaches
Laughter Lives Tuesday: Funny Things That Happened At...
Abby has had a rough couple of weeks. I won't gross you out with the details, but lets just say her "stomach" problems included more than end of her body. For those of you who have adopted internationally, I even got to collect "samples" again. ;-0
We are getting some FANTASTIC comments about it, and in the first day out, over 7000 people viewed it. It has some great stuff, and thanks to all you blogger friends who helped promote it. We look forward to figuring out more ways to get you involved, and get people seeing YOU in the magazine. If you have ideas for stories, or want to submit content, contact me (brent@brentriggs.com) Laughter Lives Tuesday: Funny Things That Happened At... Church, weddings, funeral, anniversary... any family event. This should be a LOT of fun, kinda of like "America's Funniest Home Videos" in story form. Looking back, I wish I would have written down every funny thing that's ever happened to us. What incredible joy and stress relief it would be to have those memories at hand whenever you want.
The great news is: she has now gone over 24 hours without vomiting or having diarrhea. Now that she isn't nauseated she is eating like a pig (her words). She ate more last night than she has eaten in the last 2 weeks combined (literally). We are praising God her stomach problems are better and that she is eating.
Oh well, we can always start today! I've got several "it happened at church" stories, so here we go: My Brothers Kid Okay, I know I shared this once before, but it fits so perfectly today, that I have to do it again.
The not so good news is: they took her off of two medicines 169
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We are sitting it the back of a big church one Sunday. My older brother and his family were up in the second row with their children. The Preacher is a-preachin' away. Their five year old girl gets up, leaves the auditorium to go to the bathroom or something. When she comes back in, she starts tip-toeing down the aisle, stealth mode, slowly sneaking up to the front row. This was a 100 ft of aisle, and everyone she passes can hardly keep from laughing, and the Preacher is now sneaking curious glances her way, trying to act like nothing is happening. She gets all the way down the aisle to the 2nd row, creeps up behind her Daddy, and yells "BOO!!!!!!" at the top of her lungs. The whole church erupted in a roar, even the Preacher had to simply stop, laugh, and acknowledge the obvious. I bet God even got a laugh out of that one! Blessed are the children... Out of 500 hundred people busting a gut laughing, there were only TWO who were not. Can you guess which two people were NOT laughing?
Sally straight-jackets Kalie and marches her out, Greg keeps on preaching and never skips a beat although he had that "I know that was hilarious but I'm going to prove I can keep going" twinkle in his eye. Everyone else was snickering and snorting and probably didn't hear much of the sermon after that. Kalie probably didn't hear much of anything either after Sally got her out of ear shot. You Coulda Said Something I was getting ready to teach one morning and scurrying around the church getting stuff ready. I'm about to wet my pants, so I hustle down the hall towards the restroom. I say "hi" to a couple of ladies standing outside the bathroom door as I go in. I must have been in a REALLY big hurry not to notice the flowery wall paper and pretty smell in the MEN's room... oh, wait a minute... holy cow!!!!!
Stage Fright
I high-tailed it out the door to the grins of the two ladies having a good time waiting for me. "How come you didn't say anything" I asked bewildered.
My friends Monty and Sally have some beautiful kids. There youngest girl was a riot. One Sunday morning she almost caused a riot.
"What fun would that be?" they exclaimed. Tell me God doesn't get a chuckle over stuff like that. Never trust those innocent looking Church Ladies.
We are sitting there in church, and my good friend Greg was preachin' away. Right in the middle of the sermon, Kalie, about three years old, takes off running down the aisle towards the platform and the pulpit. Before she got up on stage, she looked up at Greg and said in that sweet voice of hers, "Hi, Boogers!"
20/20 Hindsight
She launches up on to the stage, runs across behind Greg over to the other side of the platform, then turns around with the biggest "I dare you to try and catch me" grin. In the meantime, more to save Sally the embarrassment than anything, Greg just ignores the whole thing and keeps on preaching, with a slight grin of course. Sally calmly walks up to the stage and gives Kalie the "you better come here" look and finger motion which of course to a child is just all part of the game. So Kalie does exactly what you would expect... she turns around and dives under one of the chairs behind Greg, and like a puppy who won't come out from under the bed, scoots all the way back and as far under as possible. So Mom hops up on the platform and has to go over the chair and literally drags Kalie out from under the chair who is still thinking this is all a great fun game because Sally has maintained an "I know this is funny but I'm going to kill you when I get you out the door" smile. Smiles means "fun" right? Not, "I have 60 seconds left to live."
Poor women... who hasn't seen this one? Sitting in church, a lady gets up and goes out. I would guess that she probably visited the powder room because of my superior observation skills a few minutes later. She comes walking back in, down the aisle, passes us.... skirt hiked up and stuck in her waste band. A few sympathetic women trying to get her attention and even reaching out to pull her dress down as she passes by. In hindsight, pun intended, I'm glad I'm a guy. But of course that leads me to the next story... Why Are You Snickering At Me? For many years I've led worship, taught and occassionally preached, so I'm up in front of the congregation routinely. One Sunday, I'm leading worship and I notice some people kind of whisper-snickering, but didn't think much about it. The worship went on, and at the end I scampered down the steps and took a seat on the front row. As I reached over and got my Bible, set it on my lap and opened it, can you guess what I saw? Can you guess why they 170
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com because it would be easy to fix that problem. It turns out her blood work looked great. Her bone marrow is recovering quickly from the last chemo round and she didn't need a transfusion of red cells or platelets. For a kid who needed up to 3 transfusions a week, it is amazing what God is doing for Abby. Her white cells are still very, very low. This is also great news. Abby's cancer mimics white blood cells, so by keeping her white blood cells low, they are killing off the cancer cells too. The goal is to destroy any remaining cancer cells. A normal immune system has a ANC (number that expresses how well an immune system is working) of at least 1500. Abby's ANC is 63. Her immune system is dangerously low, so we will need to be very cautious. She is only going out in public when it is absolutely necessary and then she wears a mask. As I said, it is good that it is low, because that is how it kills the cancer, but we need to be very careful with Abby. For now they will wait to give her any more chemo until her white blood cells recover. We hope we will begin the last month of this phase in a week.
I Gotta Pee My mom loves to tell this one on me. We were sitting in church when I was about three or so. The preacher says, "let's pray..." and begins to pray. Now in the church we grew up in, prayer time was stone silent; no Pentecostal joining in... you listened quietly to someone lead in prayer. Right dab in the middle of it, I announced loudly (according to Mom), "I GOTTA GO PEE..." I'm glad I was too young to remember that now although I have plenty of other things to be embarrassed about.
Abby's muscles are weak because of the chemo, but she is getting stronger every day. She even had to stand in the corner today because she pinched Landis's nose, because he was "bugging me". I love it when she is feeling well enough to be a normal kid. She is getting an eye exam today to make sure that the spinal/brain fluid pressure is not putting pressure on and damaging her retina. Thanks for your prayers and kind notes. We are very encouraged by them. We will keep watching for headaches and praying for a miracle.
2/4/2009 1:13:00 PM 2/3/2009 1:19:00 AM
Abby Daily Update: Eye Exam
Abby Daily Update: The Sores Are Back
If you haven't done "Laughter Lives Tuesday!" yet, hope you will. Brent will probably turn this weeks content into a book because the stories are hilarious. Yesterday went really well. Abby had a headache in the morning, but by nighttime she was running around the house playing. No stomach problems for over 48 hours! They did blood work because of her headaches. We were hoping her headaches were caused by low red blood cells, 171
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com keep you updated, ask you to pray for her healing, her comfort, wisdom for us and the doctors, strength and health for us so we can care for her, God’s provision for the expense and care. We will keep you posted….
2/4/2009 6:36:00 PM
Why Keep Going? Is It Because We Are Super Christians? A reader wrote to us: I have such GREAT respect and admiration for you and Michelle. I just don't know how you can keep going like this. I keep telling myself, I would stop, put her on strong medications and live at Disney world until the end. BUT, I know it is much easier for me to say when I'm not the one going through it. I believe in God, Jesus and Heaven. What exactly is it that makes you and Michelle continue with Abby's treatments? How do you keep going? I hope I have not offended you in anyway. I would just like to be enlightened. Some people may find those questions too personal or insensitive. WE DO NOT. The whole purpose of our public journey is to be available to answer the hard questions for people. That is our gift, to communicate the "why?" to people and hopefully build their faith. What better way can we honor Abby's life than to bring others nearer to God by illuminating the truths of faith and hope to those who seek it?
Looks like the hard part is beginning. Abby is starting to get sores all over the soft tissues: bottom, mouth, private areas, her G-tube site…. which means that she sores all through her digestive, urinary and reproductive tracts too. She is in a lot of pain, and we having to give her morphine again. The sores are "mucositis" (lesions of the soft tissue). We are waiting on the Docs to call, but she will most likely be headed back to the hospital today. (UPDATE: yes, already direct admitted; going now...)
First, we don't deserve any one's admiration or respect. For the parts of our life where we have victory and some perseverance during this trial, all credit goes to God. Without Him giving us 100% of what we need emotionally, spiritually and financially, this difficulty would have consumed us long ago. So if you have admiration, admire God for caring for us. If you have respect, respect God for His unfailing attentiveness. If you have are moved, inspired or strengthened, thank God for it because we are utterly incapable except in that which God empowers us. Along those lines, you might not have any admiration for us if you witnessed our weaknesses. You might lose respect if you saw us when we struggle. You might not think so highly of us if you found out we aren't always wearing smiles. You might not be so impressed if you witnessed stress over expenses, insurance, bills, travel, etc.
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com No, dear friends, there is really nothing to "enlighten" you about. The best we can do is set an example of total dependence on God, and if you want to admire us for that, okay. But it's nothing special. It's a choice. And even the power to depend on God is a blessing that comes from God. Starting to see a pattern? It's all God... you just have to choose Him. In fact, its the EASY choice. What's the alternative? Worry? Anxiety? Bitterness? Uncertainty. No thanks. When you consider the options, it is no great act of faith to embrace that which cannot fail you (God) so you do not have to depend on what will always fail you (me).
We want to be honest about those things because the fallacy of "the super Christian" ruins the faith of many. You see the Super Pastor or Holy Popular Speaker and formulate this unrealistic idea about their lives. People come to believe that they can't live up to the apparent standards of the "super spiritual"; they could never be "as faithful", that they would fall apart and fail if they were to be in the same situation. Why? Because they believe the "super Christian" has some innate level of faith and spirituality that is out of their reach. WRONG! First of all, truth be known, we all have relatively the same struggles, weakness, failure and inconsistency. It only APPEARS different for the "super Christians" because you don't know them well enough. The only real difference is the degree to which we avail ourselves of God's provisions. We all have the same access, but not everyone embraces the full benefit of it.
We give in to worry occasionally but then remember God is in control. We get concerned about bills and finances but then God taps us on the shoulder and gives us "the look" ("hey, did you forget I own everything?") We get tired and impatient but one prayer, together or privately, erases it all We yearn for a life that is not about cancer, but then we see all the ways that God is using this to His glory and we realize that it is truly an example of "all things work together".
Why do we "go on", the reader asks. Simple: God hasn't told us to let Abby go yet. We've talked about that possibility. We've talked about how to know when God says "enough, I'm bringing her home." We know God will make that clear if it is His will. Otherwise, we continue to believe it is His will that Abby will be healed and we'll stand on that belief, IN FAITH, until such time God clearly reveals otherwise. That is why we "go on". God has taken care of us every step of the way. If He makes it clear to us it is His will to "let go" then we'll stop "going on". Do not think highly of us. We struggle. We fail. We are having the monster-mother-of-all-trials (relative to our experience) with the predictable difficulties. God gives us strength, and we lean on Him. God gives us wisdom and we rely on it. God gives us faith, so we do not lose heart.
Those who do, seem "super spiritual" but they are not. They are just more fully accepting what God has made available to us ALL as Christians.
If you want to respect someone, respect God. If you want to admire someone, admire Jesus. Without them, we would have folded, doubted, crumbled, gave up and cursed this trial a long time ago.
The same Jesus that gives Michelle and I faith when we start to waiver, can give you faith. The same God who still cares for us when we begin to doubt, will still care for you. The same Holy Spirit that leads us back to the path when we have wandered off it, will lead you too.
What are your questions for us? We live an open life for the benefit and edification of others. How can we help you in your spiritual walk today? ~ Brent 173
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2/5/2009 5:54:00 AM
Hi/Lo Thursday It's Hi/Lo Thursday where we get to know each other by sharing our HIGH and our LOW for the week. What a great way to really find out something about each other. Our HIGHS: Serious.Life Magazine The Feb issue went out on Monday. As of yesterday, it had an incredible 448,000 page views, in only three days! No doubt, BIG thanks go to our blogger friends who helped tell everyone about it! Of course those same people saw your Blog Directory listing/ad too.... that was the whole point.
Our LOWS: Abby In the Hospital Predictable for us... Abby is in the hospital again. The terrible mucositis sores have returned. She is on constant morphine for pain.
www.riggsfamilyblog.com blood cells again, so we are waiting and trying to keep her comfortable. She is on continuous morphine, can get extra doses of morphine by pressing a button. She also still has a narcotic pain patch. I am thankful her doctors are trying so hard to help her. Abby's headaches have returned and her doctors are trying to decide what to do to help her. Abby isn't sleeping well and spends most of her time being rocked by me. I love getting to hold her, but wish it wasn't because she is hurting. I am reading emails and comments, but it is very hard to respond while I am holding Abby. Thank you so much for praying for Abby and for encouraging me. Your comments encourage me so much. Last time Abby was admitted for the sores, she was here 2 weeks. I hope it will not take that long this time.
Abby is on a lot of pain medication, but only sleeps if Michelle is holding her because of the discomfort. We would also like to thank everyone who sent Abby care packages. The toys and crafts are distracting Abby and making all of this much easier for her. We really appreciate you sending her so many wonderful things. Thank you so much for praying.
2/5/2009 8:30:00 PM
Abby Daily Update... Abby Update From Michelle Abby is a more comfortable, because they increased her pain medicine. She is still hurting, but at least it is better than it was. Her sores will not begin to heal until she starts making white
(Note from Brent: I know Michelle would appreciate some extra notes while she is stuck in the hospital. If you have a few minutes to write her, it would be a blessing. ~Brent)
2/5/2009 10:14:00 PM
Update to the Thursday Abby Update... 174
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Abby is doing worse this evening.
anything like her normally.
Her lungs have become “junky” and she is having a hard time breathing, and taking quick, choppy breaths. Her oxygen levels are down some. She has no immune system at all at this point. Her sores are worse today. Not sure what the docs are going to do, but we are watching her closely.
Today, Abby will receive three transfusions (packed red cells, platelets, and albumin). They can't transfuse white blood cells, because they only live 4 hours after they are transfused. Her doctors started 2 different kinds of two IV antibiotics and we are using 2 different antibiotic creams on her stomach, one of them is used for serious burn victims. She is getting I.V. Lasix to draw water into her blood. She is bloated from the steroids and continues to have diarrhea.
Without trying to over alarm or be melodramatic, it is COMPLICATIONS that are usual cause of death for kids in Abby’s situation. So every complication that arises at this point is very concerning. God is in control and we rejoice in the opportunity to depend on Him and observe His mercy and goodness. We appreciate your prayers. We appreciate you letting other people know to pray. We appreciate are blogger friends posting to their readers when they can. We’ll keep you updated. Blessings, Brent & Michelle
2/6/2009 7:15:00 PM
Abby Daily Update: Very Concerning Abby is not well. Things are getting pretty concerning. We are trying not to over react, or be melodramatic, but the situation is getting serious.
Her upper airway is still "junky" but she is getting antibiotics to treat it and it has not worsened since last night.
Since yesterday Abby has had a fever, her abdomen is swollen and is painful. The area around her gastric port (feeding tube in her stomach) is swollen, red and blistered so badly it looks like a serious burn. For those of you who have experience with gtubes, Abby has never leaked stomach contents and always looked very healthy. The red area is getting bigger and the blisters are spreading. Her medical team said that it is "very concerning."
We are very thankful that her pain is much better controlled and she is not nauseated. She is on continuous morphine for pain, and since they took her off the medicine that controlled her spinal fluid pressure, she had not been nauseated, although her pressure is going up. Obviously we would appreciate your prayers at this time. Would you let others know, and ask them to pray?
Abby is producing almost zero white blood cells, so is unable to fight any infection (and her IGG is 671 and ANC is 29). Pic: this is a difficult picture for us to post. Abby is blanked out on morphine, can't sit still because her stomach hurts so bad, doesn't want to sit at all because of the sores between her legs, and is bloated and swollen. This was one of the GOOD pictures... we just didn't have the heart to post the ones where she is really in pain and suffering. Even this one doesn't look
Some of our friends have offered to pray and fast for Abby, and of course we would be deeply grateful. For those of you who do not understand fasting, it can be, but does not have to be abstaining from food. Fasting is the act of abstaining from something that is important to our FLESH, so that it may free up opportunity to concentrate on the spiritual. Food is an obvious choice, but not
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appropriate for everyone. It might be TV, news, games, phone time... something that satisfies our fleshly desires that can be given up to make time to pray and consider spiritual concerns. When our flesh feels "denied", it causes us to lean towards God to fulfill what is missing. Sorry, didn't mean to put on my Bible teacher hat... but many people have no clue about fasting. We've included some medical details for our doctor, nurse and cancer-experienced friends. If you have any advice or suggestions, please leave a comment. We are VERY grateful. We’ll keep you updated on the blog, Facebook and Twitter (our sign up links to those are up there in the right column). A Final Thought Before going, I wanted to leave you with this thought: don't mistake our current concern for a lack of faith, joy or hope.
I wanted to leave you with some happier pics. Despite all her discomfort and pain, Abby still manages a smile for me today in the hospital room. She has a remarkable spirit.
We are not questioning God. Our faith in Him has not waivered the breadth of an atom. If anything, it is strengthened because we see God's hand daily, over and over and over. Our joy is a choice. We are commanded to "count it all joy brethren when you fall into various trials..." That is not dependent on feeling. It is a choice. The feelings follow your God-given, Spirit-empowered ability to CHOOSE to obey God. Don't understand the command to be joyful? Doesn't matter. Don't feel like it? Doesn't matter. When you bypass your feelings, the reason becomes clear: we count it all joy because we know God is in complete control, that His perfect Will is done and that His Son will be glorified through any and all circumstances. How can you not be joyful about that? Our hope is in God. Our hope is that Abby is healed. Our hope is that we spend a long life here with her. But our GREATER HOPE is that God's will is done, and that no matter what, Abby is in His care. Should God call her to Him, then our hope is fulfilled knowing that she is in heaven, waiting for us to join her. That is true hope.
One of Abby's favorite times now is getting to "shave off Daddy's porcupines". That's what she calls my whiskers or short hair. I promised Abby she could shave off my hair as long as she doesn't have any hair. Small sacrifice of love...
Faith, joy, hope. Life can only take those from you IF you give them away by your own choice. Blessings, Brent (from home with the other kids) (and Michelle, in the hospital with Abby)
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2/7/2009 9:29:00 AM
New Every Morning For Abby, Us & You I was at the hospital with Michelle and Abby until about 5.30am this morning, then came home for a little while so SpideyLandis and the other kids wouldn't wake up parentless. Pic: Abby usually talks MeeMaw into making cookies when we are at her house. MeeMaw makes the best cookies, and someone has to learn to carry on the tradition. The nurses were in and out all night every few minutes. If you've never enjoyed that experience, it is a little maddening getting woke up over and over and over and over all night long. I am a light sleeper, and wake up frequently anyway but Michelle is a sound sleeper, and it is hard on her. She stays at the hospital every single night that Abby is there, so she doesn't get alot of sleep. I run back and forth between the hospital and the house. That's the pattern we've settled into since Abby got sick.
Finally, I wanted you to leave tonight with a funny, joy-filled picture of Abby. After shaving my head, she wanted to shave her face. So I cut her and Sami loose with a can of shaving cream. They had a quite a party with it!
This morning, Abby is about the same. Her little tummy is so swollen, she looks like she is going to explode. The infection area on her stomach around her feeding tube covers about the area of a dollar bill... red, blistered, inflamed. Just touching Abby's feeding tube sends her into a tailspin. The sores have not begun to improve yet and she can barely tolerate even wearing a soft diaper or panties. Going to the bathroom is torture.
2/6/2009 9:50:00 PM
Abby Daily Update: Part Two I was at home tonight with the other kids. Michelle called and said Abby is getting worse. I'm going to the hospital now. Michelle has never asked me to drop everything and come to the hospital.
Michelle is really tired but patiently tends to every need Abby has... taking her to potty, changing her clothes and bedding, feeding her, putting medicine and cremes on her, monitoring her I.V.'s, getting her drinks, keeping her distracted... watching the same video over and over 50 fifty times because that is what Abby wants to watch. (when Abby is done with chemo, I'm burning "Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast")
Thank you for your prayers and encouraging notes. There is a full update in the previous post if have not read that yet. ~ Brent
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com The same way that guy I just saw on TV keeps going every day. He fell asleep driving, hit a truck head-on, destroyed his spleen and liver, broke all his ribs and had to have his leg cut off. When they cut him open to operate after the wreck, they found out he had liver cancer too. How's that for a "bad deal" in life? How do you keep going? How do you keep going with joy, hope and thankfulness? The answer is the same whether you're a parent of a child with Leukemia, a guy with one leg and cancer, a cheated-on spouse, an unfairly fired employee, or just someone dealing with the typical life struggles that conspire to rob us of joy and contentment. The answer is the same for the couple about to lose their house to foreclosure, or the parents who are finding out how hard parenting really is. The answer is the same for healthy, active folks who don't feel loved or at peace... or the older couple with seemingly-never-ending health problems. The answer is the same for Americans who take for granted unparalleled personal freedom and an unprecedented level of affluent lifestyle, or the multitudes of people across the globe who are hungry, poor, cold, imprisoned for their faith or beliefs, persecuted and largely ignored by the world. The answer is the same... The answer to "how do you keep going?" and "how do you have joy and hope?" is the same for every single person in ANY situation, and here it is, my favorite passage, Lamentations 3: 20-25:
Michelle is the epitome of a mother willing to give up every comfort, all her time and ignore her own needs... to take care of her child. For those who hold the opinion that "adopted" kids are "not as much your child" as biological kids... well, I don't have to make any comments about that. Everyone who has ever adopted knows how absurd that is. New Every Morning How do we do this? How do we keep going? How can we be joyful, thankful, content and happy living the "life of cancer" month after month? People ask this on a daily basis. Answer: the same way YOU can keep going. The same way YOU can be joyful, thankful, content and happy day after day no matter what life throws at you.
I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
Notice that the Bible does not ignore the "negative" realities of life, or pretend that it should never be talked about or acknowledged. King David, the only person ever labeled "a man after God's own heart" penned dozens of Psalms full of lament, struggle and pouring his heart out about life's hardships. David would not be very popular in much of our modern church or culture. But you know what friends... the honest admission and lament of heartache in the Psalms has spoken deeply to and soothed the heart of legions of hurting souls throughout history. 178
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com God's mercy, love and compassion is there no matter what we do, even if we ignore it. But God calls us to action if we want to benefit from it. We have to get our mind right. We have to deliberately focus on this Truth. We have to "call to mind" the Word of God and tell ourselves:
Acknowledging Is Not the Same As Being Consumed Acknowledging the hard realities of the human experience is not the same as being consumed by them, or having a "negative" outlook. We are to be positive people who also see the blessings (positive) that come when we depend on God during the "negative". We remember (accept, acknowledge) there are frequent times in life when our "soul is downcast" but that the proper response is:
"God is enough. God is my hope. I will wait on God."
"... I will call to mind and therefore have hope"... what?
I will call to mind that God's great love is NEVER consumed; it never ends; there is always more I will call to mind that God's compassions NEVER fail; His compassions always WIN; in other words, if we avail ourselves of God's compassion, it is ALWAYS enough to overcome our sorrows no matter what they are I will call to mind that God's love and compassion is NEW every morning...
Why does God emphasize "every morning"? Does His compassion wear out by the end of the day and then overnight God gets back in gear and puts out a fresh batch when the sun comes up? "New every morning" is a point of reference for us. We all live day by day. The sun rises on every person, every day, in every situation. It is a guidepost, a marker, a timestamp that we can all relate to, count on and understand. So God uses that inescapable reality to give us a common ground that leaves none of us being able to say "I didn't understand, I wasn't aware..." We all understand that the sun rises every day. We all understand that morning comes each day no matter WHAT WE ARE STRUGGLING WITH. Every morning, for every person, God's love, compassion and mercies are "new" and available. Not "new" in the sense that they got "old" or "worn" the day before but "new" in the sense they are waiting for us, without fail, with the dawn of each new day. They are "new" in that they are totally sufficient for whatever that day holds for us, even when our "soul is downcast"... in fact, I would say ESPECIALLY when our soul is downcast. When is God's compassion sweetest? When life is great or hard? When does God's mercy seem most real? On the mountain top, or in the valley? When is His love feel the greatest? When we already feel loved by others, or when we feel lonely and abandoned by the world? Mercy, love and compassion are particularly precious when we feel "downcast". I Will Call To Mind And Say To Myself
Wait on God? The meaning here is that we will look to God, focus on God, depend on God, keep our eyes on God. It doesn't mean He will delay His love ("wait"); it is the picture of us putting our full attention on God. The Lord God is GOOD to those who seek Him. Isn't that a marvelous truth? Do you truly believe it? If yes, are you daily seeking Him? I like to summarize things for easy recall, so let me wrap up with this... Are you downcast? Is life hard? How can you be joyful, hopeful, content and loved despite any hardship?
Focus your mind on God and tell yourself the Truth God's great love means your troubles will not consume you God's compassion NEVER fails us God's love and mercy is waiting for you every morning, every day, every time The Lord is ENOUGH for ANYTHING you are going through God is good to everyone who puts their hope in Him God is good to everyone who seeks Him Because of all these things you can say...
"Therefore I have hope". If you have hope, then you can keep going. No matter how hard life is, no matter what dark valley your journey has you in, you can keep going because you have hope. That is my answer to "how do you keep going?" and it can be your answer too. Are you encouraged by this message? Do you know someone today who is struggling and could use some hope? Do you know anyone who needs mercy, compassion and love? You have an answer for them now. Tell your friends, Put this post on your blog. Send it out to your email list Copy and paste the whole thing. I don't care about getting credit for the writing. I care about helping people. We'll post an update about Abby later today. We have been reminded of God's compassion every day because of YOU. Your notes, comments and prayers are the manifestation of God's love. 179
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What are you hurting about today? How can we be a blessing to you?
2/7/2009 8:34:00 PM
Abby Daily Update: Saturday Late Night If you want quick little random notes (tweets, facebook status updates) from us... Michelle primarily shouts out about Abby/family, and I (Brent) do a mixture of Abby/family and personal thoughts/questions.
Don't let Abby's expression fool you. Yes, she was in a lot of pain but she was thrilled about her "box of love". She took every single item out and said "look Daddy...". She sleeps with the box on her bed.
:: Brent: Facebook - Twitter :: Michelle: Facebook Yesterday, the plan was to give Abby 3 blood transfusions. Yes, they gave them to her, but it was harder on her than I hoped. Since they can't give her morphine at the same time they give her blood, Abby got very behind on her pain control. It made for a long day for a 4 year old sweetheart. We finally have her comfortable again, but we are going into the night. It is very hard to help her with her pain (push the pain button for her or remind her to press it) in the middle of the night. I got very little sleep last night and am starting this night more tired than usual. Please pray that I have the strength and wisdom to help her. Unfortunately Abby is crying in her sleep while I am writing this. We just finished a dressing change and even with extra doses of morphine, it was very hard on her. Abby's stomach is still very bloated today. She looks like a miniature pregnant woman. She even has people come up to her and rub her belly. She really doesn't look anything like the pictures you are seeing right now. She appears to weigh 20 pounds MORE in these latest pics than she really does. She is that bloated and swollen. The canker sores on her bottom are spreading and the area, on her stomach, her doctor described as a bad burn, is spreading and more inflamed. I am planning on requesting a wound care specialist tomorrow. Abby's blood work showed some signs her bone marrow may be beginning to recover. We are hoping and praying it makes enough white blood cells to repair the damage soon. It is so hard to watch Abby deal with all of this pain. Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement. While writing is hard for me right now, reading your comments and knowing you are praying makes all of this so much easier.
Today, Abby was visited by some very special girls from a local church. They heard about Abby's fight with cancer and decided to reach out to her. They gave her homemade notes, candy and fun toys. Each thing they made her or purchased showed so much thought and love. Hey girls... You are very special young ladies. Abby was hurting a lot when you were here, but after you left, she spent hours looking at her presents and reading your cards. Thank you so much for making Abby feel loved and special. We would love for you to come to our home someday when Abby is stronger. Kay thank you for asking others to pray for Abby and for showing her so much love. Abby was so excited you were here today.
2/8/2009 2:08:00 AM
Abby Update: 2am Sunday Morning Michelle just called me at home. I've been back 3 or so hours. Abby is in agony. I'm going back to the hospital. The morphine and Fentanyl are not even helping. Abby is in terrible pain; she cries while sound asleep, and when awake cries out loudly in the most pitiful way. The infection on her stomach is now red and inflamed even worse; the sores on her bottom and girl-parts are bleeding. She has to have constant attention because her every move, going to the bathroom, sitting up, anything... is agonizing for her. We are both exhausted. Please pray for supernatural strength. I'll keep you posted... 180
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com out, "I understand you want the surgery team to look at her feeding tube site?"
2/8/2009 4:18:00 AM
Abby Update: 4am Sunday Morning Still up with Abby. Hopefully will get some sleep in a few minutes.
Normally we don't hear from anyone resembling a doctor until late morning or noon, but here's this guy invading what little sleep we had promptly at "O dark thirty" (that's :30 minutes after sunrise for you civilians). Of course Michelle has not even blinked. When she is this tired, you could drive a beer truck with snow chains over her, and she wouldn't even roll over.
They now have Abby on morphine, Ativan and Fentanyl. They have upped her morphine significantly. She's as high as Woodstock hippie, and finally starting to settle down. The sores on her bottom and girl parts have gotten extremely raw... it's gone from agony to excruciating now. She is terrified to have to go the bathroom and hysterical when it's time to wipe. Tomorrow, they are going to have the surgery team look at her feeding tube because they are concerned the site might be damaged beyond use. They are having a wound care specialist look at it too. Lord willing, we will be asleep in a few minutes. We pray it will last a few hours at least. Thanks for your kind encouragement and notes all day today. You have been so kind to us. We don't want to be self-consumed thinking only of ourselves. Don't hesitate to write if you need encouragement, advice or prayer.
2/8/2009 8:19:00 AM
Abby Update: 7am Sunday Morning Fluorescent lights and a sing-songey "good morning" disintegrates my one and half hours of exhaustion-induced sleep with the same traumatic effect of banging metal pots and a bullhorn. "Good morning, folks", I hear a second time, room lights at full nuclear glare now. I'm in one torture rack (code word for hospital pretend bed); Michelle and Abby are on another, a pullout couch sort of thingy. I sit up on an elbow, "um, yeah, hey, she didn't fall asleep until about 5.30am... so if we could not wake her...."
"Yeah, that's right... her port entry has a bad infection", I groaned almost at the point of getting one eye open without burning my retina, not sure if this was really happening or if the Tribulation had begun and the "Mid/Post" folks were right after all. "Well, let's take a look," Mr Cheery Young Doctor says and proceeds to start pulling back covers and lifting Abby's shirt... still in bed, still asleep (or should I say still "under") with Mom in a coma about 2 ft away. I cringed as he fiddled around with Abby's feeding tube thinking any minute she would wake and plunge once again into shrieks of pain. Mercifully, praise God, she didn't wake up. Only an hour of sleep and enough pain killers to sedate a small family of elephants will do that to a four year old. "Okay, well, I'll let'em know..." he announces and walks out.
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"I'll let'em know????" Let who know what? Didn't he just examine her?
now easier for all of us to get more sleep and it's not so traumatic for Abby to go potty and change dressings.
Turns out, Mr Morning Sunshine With Apparently No Sense of Grasping the Obvious Slumber Misery In Front Of Him isn't "the" doctor. He was just coming to check on our request to have "them" (the right Doctors evidently) come look at Abby.
Abby's oncologist thought Abby would need surgery on her stomach wound and have her g-tube surgically moved to a different spot. The surgeon looked at Abby's stomach this
(Note: I may have all the facts totally messed up, but I only had a little over an hour sleep AND it makes for a lot better story if I tell it this way!) I turn out the lights, silently thank God that all this didn't wake up Abby, and return to my backache machine and faux pillow. I close my eyes.... I'm drifting... drifting... drif..... Skip ahead an ENTIRE ten minutes... the nurses have changed shifts, so now the new nurse is in here checking vitals and my last hope of going to sleep became our blog's good fortune because the only quiet and sane thing I can do at this point is write something while Abby and Michelle slumber peacefully, oblivious to the Dante's dance of the revolving hospital room door that has become my own private breakfast of "h", "e", "double toothpicks". Okay, that's an exaggeration too, but I'm a writer, I'm tired, and it's my blog, so what-a ya gonna do about it? The least I can do is make the most of the morning by making up a good story and booby-trapping the hospital room door. Whew... I'm actually getting sleepy again... I think I'll go ahead and catch a few more winks.... zz... zzzz... zzzzzzzzzzz.... "Da-dee.... I have to pah-tee....." ~Brent
2/8/2009 2:29:00 PM
Abby Update: Sunday Night Things are still rough with Abby, but we have many things to be thankful for today. First, Abby's doctor increased the amount of continuous morphine Abby is getting, so she is more comfortable and needs less extra doses of pain medicine. He also ordered a much larger boluses (extra single doses) so when she does need extra medicine she feels relief right away, instead of getting a tiny dose every 15 minutes that has little effect. It is 182
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morning and he believes that burn-like tissue around her GTube would heal without surgery. VERY good news. He seemed to be unquestionably confident in his evaluation. He deals with G-tubes daily, so we felt really good about his opinion. Abby is now producing enough white blood cells to begin to heal her mouth and bottom sores (ANC 671). This is great news too. In a week or so they should be healed. Unfortunately the wounds around her g-tube will take much longer to heal. Abby was supposed to begin her next phase of chemo (second month of delayed intensification) on Tuesday. This will have to be put off until the sores and wound around her g-tube site heal. This has to be done, but it puts her at a higher risk for relapse (the leukemia to come back) when we have to delay treatment.... that's BAD news. For those of you who are newer to Abby's story. Abby has a genetic marker that makes her much more likely to have toxic side effects from the chemo, but she is also much more likely to relapse than leukemia patients who do not have this genetic marker. Her doctor thinks that most patients with this marker relapse because of the long breaks they need from chemo, to recover from the toxic side effects. Check out "About Abby..." if you want to know more. We are so grateful for your prayers:
For great pain relief The sores to heal The wound on her stomach to heal quickly Relief from diarrhea (the canker sores in her intestines have caused this) For Abby to resume chemo soon Remain cancer free
Abby's emotions are understandably raw because of the pain she is experiencing. Our normally contented and smiling girl is getting her "feelings hurt" by something a simple as a look from a stranger. We are attempting to obtain second opinions from St. Jude and a hospital in Dallas.We have been warned that St Jude does not accept patients who have already begun their treatment elsewhere. Please pray that they will advise us., the second opinions are completed soon and that they provide clear direction and the best advice for Abby. Brent's employer is changing insurance... that's not exactly good news either. Besides being a pain, it's going to cause some extra expense and more details to deal with. Please pray this doesn't effect Abby's treatment and for God's provision (which has never failed). 183
Riggs Family Blog We read each of your comments and emails. We have tried many of your suggestions. Thank you so much for taking the time to advise, encourage and pray for our family. We are so blessed that each of you have invested your time and life to care about us. Though it is NOT joyful that Abby suffers, we do "count it all joy" that God takes our most grievious trials and transforms them to blessing.
www.riggsfamilyblog.com Abby's bone marrow is still fighting to recover. She had less white blood cells today when they checked her blood. There is so much work for them to do, that it is going to take time. Her smaller sores are much better. Her diarrhea is better, which means the canker sores in her intestines are healing. Praise God. The worst sores look a little bit better~well maybe. The wound care specialist, who evaluated Abby today, had some wonderful advice about caring for them and was very gentle with Abby. She said it would take quite a while for the wounds to heal, but won't put a number on it.
2/9/2009 1:20:00 AM
Abby - Get up and dance! GET UP! GET ON YOUR FEET! Turn up those speakers... I'M THE "CANCER DANCER"... IF I CAN SMILE AND DANCE, SO CAN YOU!!!!! NOTHIN' CAN KEEP ME FROM SHAKIN' MY BOOTY!
2/9/2009 6:37:00 PM
Abby Daily Update: Turning The Corner From Michelle: Thank you so much for praying for pain relief and healing. Her pain control is great right now, not surprising since she is on enough narcotics to make an NFL linebacker pass out. It amazes me how quickly a child can develop a tolerance to medication.
It makes me nervous that she will not be able to take any chemo until they are healed. Trusting God is always the best choice, but it is not always easy. Would you pray:
She is still alert, happy and up playing, even with all of the medication. It is really a blessing that she has enough to be comfortable. If she is hurting too much to move, she gets weak quickly. When she is tired, she just wants me to hold her and "rock her like a baby". I have to admit I love that too.
With Abby's wounds improving, she is in less pain and as she heals she will need less medication. Tomorrow the plan is to begin slowly lowering her pain medicines. Her doctors will do this very carefully, with the help of the pain management team. If she is not ready. they will just increase them again. No one wants her to hurt, but we also don't want her on medication she doesn't need. It is a delicate dance.
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Thank God her sores are healing. Thank God for the pain relief and pray she continues to not feel any pain. Thank God for the wonderful care she has received from the nurses and doctors. Her sores would heal quickly. She would remain cancer free. That Abby would not get any infection, while her white cells are so low. Abby would be able to smile, laugh and continue to be a kid. Please also pray for our other children, while Abby is at the hospital. Pray also that Brent would be able to get his work done without missing too much sleep.
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Please pray for Brent's health. He works very hard to take care of us, but often pays a hefty price physically.
From Brent: Abby spirits were lifted HIGH by your messages, pics and videos!! Abby just had a GREAT time listening to your voice mails (my box filled up in about 5 minutes and I saws dozens of calls that got the "mailbox full" message). I'm going to do the "voice message to Abby thing" pretty routinely, so I hope you'll try again when I let you know. She REALLY loved them.... she was delighted the whole time. We sat and watched a parade of video messages to Abby. What a THRILL!! She was enthralled. She was worn out after dancing and laughing and listening to it all. You'll hear how tired she is, but most of that is from the pain and medicine. Here is a goodnight message from Abby to you all: http://www.brentriggs.com/abby/goodnight2909.mp3 "Thank you for my messages. Thank you for my videos. Goodnight everybody. I love you.." The videos and messages were such a blessing... we really should start a ministry of posting videos like that for other sick kids and hurting families. It really lifted Abby's spirits AND OURS. What do you all think of that idea? If I build the online application where you could enter a link, message, blog URL and the ability to link to a YouTube video encouraging a sick child or families in struggles... would you participate when you could? We could keep it down to 2-3 times a month... I would build the system if you guy would join in... thoughts? Look for a special something by tomorrow about those videos you sent tonight..... Tomorrow is "Laugher Lives Tuesday". We're going to be doing "Our Funny Photos" so have some picked out. The photo itself doesn't have to be funny... it could be WHAT IS HAPPENING is funny. I'll have a few of my own of as examples of course! I have a birthday request for Michelle (Feb 13... she turns.... uh.... 24... or so): My wife loves index cards with handwritten Bible verses, and a little note of encouragement. If some of you dear ladies had time to send me some of those, I would box them all up for her birthday. If you have a big ladies group, maybe everyone could write a few. I hesitate to make requests of your time for me or Michelle, but this would be incredibly special to her. Shoot me an email (brent@brentriggs.com) if you want to send a few, and I'll give you our address. (Shhh... don't tell Michelle or leave a comment about this. I'm hoping to slip it by her without her seeing this... I'm going to remove this paragraph in a few hours. I don't think she'll read it tonight)
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2/10/2009 2:56:00 AM
Abby, Videos & Dancing With Daddy We had a couple of hours worth of wonderful videos sent to us! Abby loved them! We recorded Abby watching the videos, and it was HARD trying to just pick out a few minutes to show you. Abby loved them all and sat glued to the computer screen the whole time. Here's a few minutes of her watch them: After it was finished, Abby needed some Dad time, and finished off the night with father-daughter dance: You guys are THE BEST! You really cheered up Abby.... priceless.
2/10/2009 7:59:00 AM
Abby's Video: About Her One thing I didn't mention last night, and I almost hesitate to now, is that every time there was another little girl leaving a message, especially if she looked Guatemalan, or mentioned being sick, Abby would say: "Dad-dee, her don't feel better? Her sick? Is she haff to be in da hah-pit-tul?" She did this several times. It was all I could do to keep smiling and not ruin her fun. It just tears your heart out when your child knows they are "sick"... not "I've got a cough sick" but sick as a way of life. Abby knows this about herself. She is very self-aware that her "sick" is different than other kids. She also grasps on her own, that her "sick" is life threatening as she will ask us, "Mommy, do I get to grow up and be a big girl? Promise?" Try getting on with your day after being asked that. If you watched the video of her, you can see several effects of the cancer treatment: when not distracted, she rocks herself and makes humming noises, she docile compare to her preLeukemia days. In some ways she is very mature (about illness, doctors and pain) but in other ways she is "frozen" at three years old (language development, motor skills, mobility); and she often can go for hours basically expressionless when the chemo is hitting her. Once in a while on really good days, we get a little peek at her real personality when it is able to cut through the medicine, weakness and pain for a brief appearance. We long for the day 185
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com Let's do some good stuff and I'll put some of it in the next issue of Serious.Life Magazine!
Joel 2:25 "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten..." We pray God will restore abundantly the time she has had taken from her in which her suffering has brought faith to those whose faith had wained, and allowed many to see God when their spiritual eyes had grown dim. And to answer the anonymous question yesterday, "if there is a God, why does he let your daughter suffer like this?"... we answer with her testimony that at four years old she has inspired more people to pray, more people to appreciate their own lives, and more people to grow in compassion that most of adults will an entire life. The answer is, that suffering is not from God... suffering is the result of the sin-curse, and as Solomon tells us, "the sun rises and falls on the rich and poor", "the rain descends on both good men and evil". In other words, we are ALL subject to the consequences of sin which brought sickness and death into the world. None of us get a pass, even our dear children. We can thank OURSELVES for this as it is the result of humanity's rebellion against their Creator. The difference for those who love God, is that our suffering is turned to blessing, our suffering is comforted by God, and our suffering is used to bring glory to Him who then rewards us eternally for our brief discomfort in this life. We HATE that Abby is sick and suffers. But we also know that her suffering is not in vain, not without purpose, not without blessing, and not without ultimately being repaid by eternal reward. That is what separates genuine Christianity from the unbelieving world or superficial religion.
I know I used this one recently, but I laugh everytime I look at it. They ran around with this shaving cream on their face all night.
2/10/2009 9:44:00 AM
Laughter Lives Tuesday: Funny Pics Laughter Lives Tuesday: Funny Things That Happened And I'm Glad I Had My Camera... This week we are doing funny pics and funny things happening in a picture... in other words, the picture might not be funny unless you explain it! Videos too! A little taste of America's Funniest Videos right here for us to enjoy.
Landis got busted sneaking away with a cracker... he really thought that covering his face meant we counldn't see him doing it.
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You tell me what evil thought was lurking behind Abby's eyes, holding a water hose in front of her two year old brother... and the water was COLD too! And finally, a funny video. I didn't take this, but I just had to share it.
2/10/2009 8:53:00 PM
Abby Update - Scary Day, God Protects... Pray for Me, Pray for Others Coulda Been Scary But God is Caring For Us Today we began taking steps towards getting Abby ready to go home. I can't wait to be home! Best case scenario, it will take a few more days, but we are seeing the end in sight. Before Abby can go home she needs to be off of IV pain medicine, her blood counts need to improve a little more and we need to find the best way to treat her skin wounds. The last thing we tried on her skin made it worse. Abby is allergic to many things and has VERY sensitive skin. Poor baby. Pic: Abby went on a Frito binge last night. It was good to see her with an appetite. Notice her eyes still clearly shows how medicated she is. More "video night" pics next post. They started lowering Abby's pain medicine and getting her off of IV meds today. So far so good. I was nervous about weaning her, but she is really doing great. We know there will still be a lot of pain before it all heals, and they are switching her over to non-I.V. prescriptions that will help her be comfortable, but also be safe at home.
I really debated about sharing this with you, but I decided it was important for you to know how God was answering your prayers. Everyone makes mistakes. We are not the types, contrary to the current culture, who think everyone should be perfect 100% or face dire consequences. The person who made the mistake really cares about people, they just made a mistake. The nurses and staff at Children's have taken good care of Abby, and we appreciate it. There's a huge difference between negligence, incompetence or apathy as compared to an honest mistake. Our whole country would be alot better off believing that way, but then we wouldn't have any commercials for ambulance chasers airing during Jerry Springer would we? Instead of ordering an extended release tablet (for pain), they ordered a liquid that is absorbed immedately. If the mistake hadn't been caught, Abby would have recieved 5 times the normal dose of Morphine. Added to that, Abby also has a narcotic pain patch on and has IV morphine infusing. Best case, she would have ended up in ICU; worse case... I (Michelle) caught the mistake, right before it was administered. We can only give God the credit for leading me to discover it because I am pretty much exhausted, running on autopilot (I'm glad that as Christians our autopilot is the Holy Spirit). As more evidence that God providentially protected Abby, He knew when Abby was a baby in Guatemala she would have Leukemia. God orchestrated her adoption. God also knew that this moment in time would come today and my nurse's experience and instinct would be the tools He would use to save Abby's life again today. Incidents like this are nerve-racking and emotionally draining but they are powerful demonstrations of God's ever-watchful eye and His tender loving care. Please take a moment to thank God that He has honored the prayers of tens of thousands of people and plainly shown Himself as the God Who Cares for any who have eyes to see. Thank God for His mercy, and may we as a society be more merciful towards those who make honest mistakes. How Have You Seen God This Week? We want to hear how you've clearly seen God at work in your life this week. Or maybe you haven't. We'd like to hear why you think He is silent, or your not seeing. Leave a comment and let's see how God is working in our lives...
A Big Mistake Shows God's Caring Hand Someone made a potentially life-threatening mistake with a 187
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com tests and procedures. Today her counts were high enough to be a "real" kid. Sami and Abby played games, flirted with babies and literally RAN down the hallway. Abby's muscles are still weak, but she is one determined young lady. I love her spirit. Thanks again to everyone who has been praying and leaving comments and emails. It makes long days in the hospital so much more tolerable.
I need to record Landis and let you hear him pray. It is inspiring. Our Requests: We ask you to pray for Abby's comfort and healing. We ask you to pray that she will get to come home soon. Please pray for our strength and God's provision financially during this difficult time. We ask you to pray for a young lady in New Orleans who emailed me today TO ASK HOW SHE COULD BE A BLESSING TO US AND HELP US!!! She has a tumor and was told she has a year to live. We ask you to pray for her sister who is pregnant, that the stress of her sister's diagnosis will not effect the pregnancy. We ask you to pray for this dear sister's parents who are no doubt heart broken over this news. We ask you to pray for her healing. We ask you to pray that no matter the result, she will be a LIGHT to others.
2/11/2009 8:17:00 PM
Abby Daily Update: Wonderful!...
We are praying for good news tomorrow. We won't see her doctor until tomorrow evening, but we may get to go home tomorrow night! An amazing turnaround from this weekend when it didn't seem sure what the week would bring.
2/12/2009 5:44:00 PM
Abby Daily Update: Coming Home! Abby is on her way home! They have to stop and get some prescriptions but should be home within a couple of hours. Here are some pics from her last day THIS TIME... Abby had been in the hospital 18 time, EIGHTEEN TIMES, since July. Yes, 18 times. Despite how scary this week was, we still have the MOST scary chemo still coming up in the next month. But for now, Abby is coming home. For those of you who follow me (Michelle) on Twitter, Abby's xray looked great and her G-tube is fixed! Abby had a noisy night, with a feeding pump alarming for hours, which kept her awake. She amused herself looking into my ears, up my nose and putting stickers on my back. Any wonder that she doesn't sleep with Brent and I.
Abby Update: Wonderful Day From Michelle: A couple of days ago, Abby lost almost every hair on her head, most of her eyelashes and her eyebrows.
One of our favorite people, Kay, visited us, bringing with her a tea party. Abby and Sami loved dressing up. After the tea party, Kay asked Abby to do an art project for a cancer auction. Abby had so much fun!
She looked up at me with big, brown, puppy dog eyes and asked if I could please make her hair look pretty. It broke my heart. Thanks again to everyone who took part in Operation Princess Hair because of you, I was able to get out her ponytail wig and make Abby feel beautiful again. Her smile when she was swishing her ponytail around was priceless. Abby had a wonderful day. She finally got to ditch her IV and was free to run and play. She had so much fun running through the halls and talking to everyone. When her white blood cells are low, she has to stay in the room, only leaving for medical 188
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Our friend, Kay, having a tea part with the girls.
Abby being all grown up with a spot of tea....
Cancer or not, dress up is always fun!
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The culture and sophistication takes a back seat as soon as the chocolate donut shows up.
Sami has been such a wonderful big sister. She spends a lot of time with Abby when she is in the hospital.
2/13/2009 12:48:00 AM
Abby's Home... For A Few Days Five days ago, Abby had regrown about two inches of hair. It disappeared in about a day. Abby, Michelle and Sami are home. Abby seems to be in good spirits, though she is still on significant pain control meds. It's good to have her home, but it's going to be short lived. She will be admitted Tuesday for chemo that is even worse than what's she's already had. In her weakened condition, we anticipate a rough couple of weeks. Abby has a month or so of the most dangerous and intense chemo still to go. We will keep you updated and covet your prayers and encouragement. You're a blessing. Please don't hesitate to write and let us know how we can be a blessing to YOU. ~ Brent
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2/15/2009 11:23:00 PM
Sunday Night... Valentines, Birthdays and Grandparents From Michelle: Sami and Abby have become best friends and sisters. Sami is a WONDERFUL help with the different needs Abby has.
I can't believe how many of you sent birthday cards and scripture cards. It is so much fun to hear from you and read the verses you picked out. You made this birthday very special. The cards were fun and will be such a blessing this week. Abby goes into the oncology clinic Monday morning and will be admitted to the hospital for chemo on Tuesday. She has had most of these chemos before and they were very hard on her. She was admitted to the hospital 2 times for 2 weeks each) to treat mucositis that was caused by these same medications. I am not looking forward to beginning this 30 days of chemo. The Bible verse index cards will be a wonderful reminder of God's grace, power and love. Thank you so much for taking the time to reach out to me. Brent made my birthday and Valentine's Day very special. He always does. We were able to go out on a date, for my birthday, because good friends offered to watch our younger children. Many are willing to watch Sami and Landis, but when Abby is especially fragile it takes someone who is comfortable with her medical needs. Scott and Carol have been through much of what we are going through, so they are wonderful with Abby, even when she is pretty sick. The kids LOVE playing at their home. You guys are wonderful.
MeeMaw gets a laugh from Abby who was as energetic today as she has been in many months. It was pretty mind-boggling that we were concerned about her survival just one week ago. Praise the Lord, and thank you to our doctors.
For my birthday, Brent bought me some clothes. He picked out stuff that I absolutely love AND they fit. How cool is that? How many guys out there know their wife's clothing size (shoes too) and even knows about "petite"? (Note from Brent: thanks honey. So much for my macho image as a former Army Drill Sgt and Black Belt. Now I'm an expert in women's clothes, dirty diapers and doing laundry. I better go take these panty hose off...) Valentines was so special. I loved the flowers Brent gave me, but my favorite moment was watching Sami and Abby get Valentines from their Daddy. There is something so special about little girls with their Daddy. I know Sami waited a long time to know a father's love. This was her very first Valentine's Day and I am so thankful Brent made it special for her. I am so grateful God let us be her parents.
SpideyLandis critiques Abby's webslinging technique. One of our friends makes the scarf/hats for Abby, and sent Landis a spiderhat to go with Abby's spider-frog hat.
Photos From Brent
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Peter Parker (he's not wearing spidey clothes here) gets an Oklahoma ear stretch from big brother Garrett. But lest we forget she's only nine, here's her silly side when I ask her to smile.
Michelle celebrates her "24th" birthday. That's what the candles say...
Yes, it's scares me. She's NINE (almost ten). Sami's already stunning and that's without a stitch of makeup or "done" hair. I'm going to to have to beat the boys off our doorstep.
Any wonder why she is so loved? This pictures shows her personality and sweetness.
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What is PawPaw saying?Help us decide what PawPaw is saying that's got Landis speechless, and Abby giving him the "you are so busted" look. Abby wants to blow out those candles so bad, she can't stand it. She looks to Mom to see what kind of trouble she'll get into.
Leave a comment and tell us what you think PawPaw is saying that's got Landis and Abby shocked. We'll choose a winner tomorrow and let everyone know how to go visit your blog.
2/16/2009 10:36:00 AM
Sami and Abby posing with Mom's Valentine and Birthday flowers.
Living Life - Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way [Note: Abby received a lot of cards and gifts over the past week. Instead of having her open them all at once, we are doling them out a little here and there so she can enjoy them. We'll post up pics when we have them but wanted you ALL to know how much we appreciate you, and how delighted Abby is getting to open something new almost every day.]
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Now, I might be dumb, but I aint's that dumb. She just called me fat! Even after knowing English for only six months, she discovered a delicate, politically correct way to let me know I need to lose some weight. On a scale from one to ten, with "one" being a yawner, here's how that ranked: Score ‐ Emotion(4), Joy(0), Additional Hair Loss(4), Need for Comfort Food(10) For the past few days I've been trying to get a hold of my 19 yr old daughter who lives in Tulsa. She routinely calls or text messages me every day. She has a penchant for finding herself in, shall we say, difficult circumstances. I have not heard from her or been able to contact her for two weeks. Anyone out there know her? If yes, can you tell her to call her father? It's always a little distressing to be unable to reach one of your kids unexpectedly. Score ‐ Emotion(6), Joy(0), Additional Hair Loss(4), Need for Comfort Food(4) Abby was as energetic this weekend as she has been in many months. A remarkable fact given that we were concerned for her survival just a week ago. Along with her renewed energy, the "four year old" came out in her too: she was unkind to Landis and Sami a couple of times, backtalked Momma and was slow to obey Dad once or twice. Now, to her defense, she really has not had the CHANCE to "act up" in a long time, so she hasn't had a lot of parental discipline because she simply has not needed it. The better part of the last 8 months she has spent lying around too tired and too nauseated to even get up. We decided the week she got sick that we would not allow her to become an "indulged monster" which happens once in a while with pediatric cancer patients whose parents mistakenly feel so sorry for their kids they quit being parents. We LOVE Abby SO much, that we will never stop parenting her, no matter WHAT the circumstance. It does her no good to survive cancer only to become a demanding, spoiled brat.
Living Life It's amazing the range of emotions and experience you get as a parent each and every day, especially in a big family. It can be both maddening, and exhilarating. A sampling from yesterday: Sami comes up and sits by me (Brent) on the couch. She looks over at me and says nonchalantly, "Daddy, you take up a lot of space."
Even when she is in the hospital, feeling miserable, she is required to be polite, ask please, say thank you, and be reasonably kind and UNdemanding. In return, we shower her with comfort and care. However, this weekend, we had to get on to her, even threaten to give her a swat for misbehaving (which we wouldn't in her condition, but she doesn't know that). But... and yes, this is a true story (my wife will kill me for telling you this).... there is nothing quite so funny as a kid with their nose in the "naughty corner" standing next to their I.V. pole! Sick humor, I know... but it was absolutely screamin' funny. It was a JOY to see Abby feeling so well she could actually get in trouble for being not being nice to her brother. How's that for 194
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some sort of backwards parenting? Score ‐ Emotion(4), Joy(7), Additional Hair Loss(0), Need for Comfort Food(0) Landis is so much fun, except for potty training. He is getting better every day, but when he doesn't care, he doesn't care. "Landis, you need to go potty?" "No Dad." "Go anyway..." So I march him in, put him on the toilet and make him sit there for a few minutes. NOTHING. "Okay son, don't you poop or pee in you spideyunderwear, or you'll be in big trouble".
SpideyLandis stops for a moment of silence to pity a poor piece of chocolate that is about to meet it's Maker.
"Okay, Dad". Of course you know where this is going. In the time it took to walk from the bathroom to the living room, he had dumped a load in his britches and soaked everything. Not thirty seconds after being on the potty... Score ‐ Emotion(4), Joy(0), Additional Hair Loss(2), Need for Comfort Food(0, I was changing pooped‐in‐underwear) We had a birthday party for Michelle. My Mom and Dad drove down. The kids were all feeling well. Abby was doing great. The clothes I bought Michelle actually fit. The teenagers didn't whine or gripe about anything. Landis used the potty. I whupped the snot out of my Dad in a game of cards. Score ‐ Emotion(8), Joy(8), Additional Hair Loss(0), Need for Comfort Food(8, we had bought a new cake by then) I love, and hate, and love, how any single day in our big family is a rollercoaster of experience, emotion, heartache, laughter, tears of joy, tears of stress, disappointment, fulfillment, aggravation and amazement. They call that "life" and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love my wife. I love you Michelle. I love you dearly with all my heart. I would not be "living life" if it was lived without you. Score ‐ Emotion(10), Joy(10) How about you? Do you love life? ~ Brent Some more "life" pictures from our weekend:
Abby gets a hug from her Bubba. She is particularly attached to Garrett who spends a lot of time with her.
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com A new spideybottle brings a smile.
Abby opens her Valentine's card from Daddy while wearing her new Valentine's head scarf.
SpideyLandis gets a kiss from Abby as they show off their matching head scarfs. Abby loves "baby" (as she calls him).
SpideyLandis had competition now as Abby dons her superhero outfit which was sent to her by one of our blogging friends.
Sami shows off her Valentine's cand box from Dad. This was Sami's first sweetheart day with a "Dad" in her life.
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Abby's sores still hurt, but they are healed enough to start the next round of chemo. They are painful enough that she still needs continuous morphine, but her cancer is just too aggressive to wait any longer. At least they are keeping her comfortable. Abby had a great weekend with only a few times of discomfort. We look forward to her not being on morphine constantly but her enjoyment of life was so remarkably improved for a few days.
Ah, Cheri... your eyes are like caramel. Your skin is like milk chocolate. How shall I eat thee and make a mess? Let me count the ways....
2/16/2009 8:10:00 PM
Tuesday... Abby Back in the Hospital for the 19th Time Since July
Tomorrow, Tuesday, she will be admitted to the hospital for a spinal tap and some nasty chemo. In the past they have had trouble sedating her for the spinal, so I would appreciate your prayers for her comfort. They will also be checking her intracranial pressure. Some members of Abby's medical team wanted her to get a lower dose of one of her chemo drugs, but her primary doctor feels strongly that she needs the full dose to remain in remission. I am praying that God protects her from the harsher side effects. We are very happy with how Abby is handling one of her meaner chemo drugs, Vincristine. In the past she has had muscle wasting, nerve pain and her reflexes were absent. At its worst, she was unable to stand for more than a couple of seconds. Today she was able to impress us with her strength (walking on tippy toes and heals) and she has reflexes for the first time since JULY! In the past, she would barely be able to walk at this point. Thank you for praying! We anticipate her being in the hospital 2-3 days while they monitor her for reactions to the chemo and keep her fluid levels up. We really covet your prayers over the next week... it takes about 5-7 days for the chemo to hit full toxicity in her body so this weekend and next week could be a another dangerous round for Abby if history is any indication. We'll keep you updated. ~ Michelle
2/16/2009 9:06:00 PM
Abby Update: Part Two Pic: Abby is sitting in my lap right now as I type this post. She is not feeling good obviously. Life is a roller coaster for her. She can go from great to miserable in minutes because of all the 197
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com A ketchup bottle was on the dinner table with the lid loose and leaked ketchup all over the bottle and table. Landis, 2, was standing next to me when I said to my wife, “Great… the kids left the ketchup lid loose and it has spilled out all over the table and the bottle.”
To which Landis replied, and meant every word, “Want to me to lick it, Dad-dee?” What makes that so funny is knowing for a fact if I would have said yes, he would have licked the entire table and bottle clean without skipping a beat.
2/17/2009 8:44:00 PM
Abby Daily Update: Videos, Gifts & Hospital 2/17/2009 1:08:00 PM
Laughter Lives Tuesday Best Friend Test Who's your best friend? Your wife, or your dog? Here's how to find out: Put them both in the trunk of your car when you leave for work. When you get home, open the trunk and see which one is glad to see. Works every time. Screamin' Funny Dog Video Want Me To Lick It Daddy?
I (Brent) have started to build a video page and will continue to add new links as we get them. Look over there to the right >>>> "Videos: Childrens Stories" under Abby's Blog Badge. Gifts & Cards Abby has received many wonderful gifts and cards. Rather than swamping her all at once, we are letting her read and open something here and there so she can enjoy each of them. The hard part about getting so many things for her, is the desire to want to mention every giver by name, but the potential to hurt someone's feelings if we forget someone. We just want everyone to know that we are OVERWHELMED by the kindness and love everyone is showing Abby. Things are going to get REALLY rough over the next month and it will be a little easier having your cards and gifts and videos to share with her. I can let you know that everyone who has emailed me and asked "did it arrive?", the answer is 'yes' although we aren't giving it to Abby all at once. Books, movies, crafts, stuff animals, build-a-bear, leap frog, caterpillar, CD's... it's all here. We will do our best to take pictures when she opens and 198
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enjoys something. Please, dear friends, don't feel overlooked or unappreciated if your card or gift is not mentioned specifically. We are humbled and speechless at the incredible kindness of so many people who know Abby only from a blog page. We deeply appreciate each and every card, gift and note.
2/18/2009 7:33:00 AM
Pray for Me... Pray for Others
Abby Update
Brent: Facebook - Twitter . . . . . . . . . . . Michelle: Facebook Twitter
From Michelle: Good news, bad news... The good news is, we were WRONG; it's was NOT the 19th time Abby was in the hospital. The bad news? It's the 21st time. :( Abby was admitted to the hospital for the 21st time since July. I thought it was her 20th, Brent thought 19 and we both were wrong. No wonder we are so tired. Abby received 3 kinds of chemo today and will get a fourth tonight. All things considered she is really handling it well. No nausea and was up playing most of the day. It was really a fun day to the degree you can have fun on the cancer floor at the hospital.
I need to record Landis and let you hear him pray. It is inspiring. Our Requests: Please pray for Abby as this week goes by. The nasty chemo she got yesterday will hit her in a few days. Historically, it puts her through another round of excruciating sores and serious complications. After 21 times in the hospital, we kinda know what to anticipate. Please pray for her comfort, speedy recover, survival, and healing. There is rarely a day that goes by that we don't get an email from someone who is dealing with cancer. It's seems the ordeal creates a bond with others who understand. Many of those emails are from people who have no hope, no faith and no one who cares. Please pray that other Christians will be led to befriend and love lonely and hurting people who are battling cancer alone.
Erin from (http://erink007.blogspot.com/) visited Abby today. It is always fun to meet blog friends in person. Erin was so sweet when she was playing with Abby. Abby LOVED her. Erin got her to smile, laugh and dance. Thank you so much for stopping by. It was a wonderful break for me too. I could really use your prayers tonight. One of her chemos can cause her bladder to bleed. Abby is just now recovering from mucositis (canker like sores) in her urinary tract, as well as other places. In an effort to try to prevent any irritation, I will be getting her up every two hours to empty her bladder. It will be a long night and I would appreciate your prayers.
2/18/2009 7:35:00 PM
Abby Daily Update: Home From Michelle: Abby is HOME! I love being home. ABBY loves being home. Abby had some tummy problems because of the chemo, but 199
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she is really handling it well so far. She didn't complain AT ALL when I woke her up every two hours last night to go to the bathroom. She is tired today, but never complains. She is an amazing young lady. Thank you so much for praying for us. God is so good to our family. Abby needs chemo tomorrow and Friday. It looks like I will be able to administer it myself at home. That will make things so much easier for us. Yesterday, they had a hard time sedating Abby during her spinal tap. She was more awake than we prefer, anxious and remembers the procedure. Abby will need spinal taps for the next TWO years, so that they can bathe her brain in chemo. Nice, huh? The last thing we want is for Abby to be scared of the procedures, doctors or hospital. There are so many things she has to go through that I am not able to make better. I want her to be as comfortable as possible. Abby is very resistant to sedation now, so they are going to have the pain management team (anesthesiologists and nurse practitioners) handle the sedation in the future. This means they'll use the same sedation used in operating rooms to sedate Abby during the spinal tap. There are MANY hospitals/clinics who are already doing this on a routine basis for their pediatric cancer patients, but this is new for our hospital. I am so thankful they are willing to try this with Abby. Hopefully it will help other patients in the future too. Thank you so much for praying for Abby during her procedures. This is a direct answer to prayer.
Chemo, schkemo... a chocolate donut makes all things well.
Thank you again for all you are doing for our family. Abby loves hearing your messages, and seeing pictures & videos of the people who are praying for her. A special thank you to all of the students who have sent Abby cards. She LOVED looking at each of them. You made her hospital room much brighter. Thank you.
Cards, gifts and Valentines in her hospital room. 200
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2/18/2009 11:04:00 PM
The Dog House and Pictures (Not Of The Dog House) For those of you on Twitter/facebook, no Brent isn't in the dog house (he "twittered" and asked people to email me and tell me that "Brent loves you"). He just knows I am so tired it hurts to breathe. He does stuff like that. I loved getting the hundreds of emails. Thanks for making my day. Brent, I love you too. You are an incredible husband and father. Thank you so much working so hard to take care of us. You're the best. Here are some more pics from today. People ask me if there is anything Abby would love to get in the mail. I always tell them that she LOVES getting cards and pictures of people who are praying for her. She really, really loves to get them. Thanks again for blessing our daughter and family.
Abby and my mother. My mom has been so wonderful about helping with all of the kids. Abby loves when Grandmother spends the day with her at the hospital.
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2/19/2009 11:29:00 AM
Hi/Lo Thursday
Abby is actually telling me to "smile Daddy!" as Sami takes the pics.
Our HIGHS: A "high" that you won't find on most normal days. Our high is getting to give chemo at home. We cajoled the doctors into allowing us to keep her I.V. port in, and sending us home with the chemo. It takes us about 5 minutes, saving us 4-5 hours going to the clinic.It's kind of weird putting a chemical into your child that is highly toxic and you have to protect yourself from even smelling, much less touching.
Abby has two ports: the one on the left with the white circle is her feeding tube. The one on the right, under the bandages is her I.V. port. The dark area around her feeding tube port is 202
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Some of Abby's Gifts From Our Blogging Family:
Momma, a real nurse, administers chemo while Dad, a pretend nurse helps out. Actually, I (Brent) do all this stuff too, but I only feel safe doing it because Michelle carefully watches everything anyone does medically with Abby. Our LOWS: Abby is already starting to show signs of the mucositis (sores) after just a couple of days of starting this round. Last night she was weak and tired. It appears we are headed for another very difficult time. We covet your prayers.
2/19/2009 9:42:00 PM
SpideyLandis Prays & Dances... Abby's Gifts SpideyLandis wanted to pray AND dance for you tonight:
No matter what Abby is going through, no matter how much chemo, how much pain, how many drugs, she ALWAYS can manage a smile, and most of the time a laugh.
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2/20/2009 2:26:00 PM
Fav Foto Friday... We're a Bunch of Fakes Like a lot of you, we have trouble getting real smiles versus fake smiles from our kids. The "real" ones look fake, and the fake ones look real. Ironically, when we ASK them to fake smile, they turn out to be what we wish they would do for real!
Okay, Dad... how about we call it a night?
Fav Foto Friday is about "fakes", so we rustled up the herd and ask them for their "fake smile" today and they had no clue what we were talking about.
2/20/2009 8:10:00 AM
Please Pray for Cody
From Michelle: My heart breaks for Cody and his family. The end is near and I know they are heartbroken. Would you please pray for them? Mom's are "supposed" to be able to kiss tears away and make booboos disapear with a hug. It hurts so badly when we can't. I pray that God will hold this family close and bless them with more beautiful memories to hold on to, when the end comes.
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2/22/2009 1:00:00 PM
Pictures from the Blocks and You Are Going to Miss This Another fun thing we do is "fake spanking"... the kids love to fake cry over a fake spanking and fake, fake, fake... so they wanted to share with you an eposide of fake getting in trouble:
I, Michelle, could really use your prayers. Most of this journey has been really, really hard, but, by the grace of God, we have been okay. It is getting a lot tougher for me. There is so much work that needs to be done, Abby needs a lot of care and the others kids still need parents. Brent is sick, with a temp of 101, so the kids can't even be in the same room as him. Abby has no immune system, so we have to be very careful. I would appreciate your prayers for:
2/21/2009 4:41:00 PM
Tough Saturday & Twitter
Whew! We're having an uncomfortable Saturday. Abby isn't feeling well. I accidentally BUSTED Sami in forehead with a door, poor girl. Christian (17 year old son) is at the doctor now with a nasty sinus infection. Michelle is sleeping and doesn't feel well. I think I've got food poisoning. I can hardly sit up. But... we are blessed, happy and thankful, TRULY. Having that perspective no matter what, makes dealing with life's little bumps a less discouraging. It is not blind faith or a facade... when you truly know and believe that you are saved, that heaven awaits and that God never stops watching over, then you cannot help but feel blessed, be happy and give thanks. Twitter Updates Do you follow me (Brent) on Twitter? I don't just use it for "what am I doing" updates. I use Twitter to rememind followers of Godly thoughts, ask them challenging questions, send them encouraging truths. The same updates post on Facebook too. Follow me on Twitter here.
health for our family strength and energy for me get the work done that has to be done wisdom to let the things go that aren't necessary for the wisdom to treasure our time with our children, even on the really tough days
Most importantly, please join us in praising God that Abby is home, very happy and running through the house with a huge smile on her face. God is so good. Pam at http://pramom26.blogspot.com/ has a blog carnival that I love. She reminds us that someday, we will miss what we have today. God blesses each of us, daily. I don't want to take any of His blessings for granted. Even on a not so great day like today, we watched Abby and Sami laugh until they had tears in their eyes, got the worlds best hugs from Landis and spent time with friends we love. God's blessings are all around us. Normally Abby is not allowed to go out around people, because her immune system is so weak. Last month Abby had a tiny window where her immune system was healthy enough for her to have a little fun, before she began her hardest round of chemo. We let her choose from several safer choices and she chose, without a moments hesitation, to spend the weekend at the Block's home. http://buildingtheblocks.blogspot.com/ If you don't know the Blocks, you are missing out on a huge blessing.
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Leslie's daughter Nandi and Addie The picture is a little blury, but I want to show you one of Abby's very favorite people. Even though Amy lives hours away, Abby asks to go to her house almost daily. I wish we lived closer, too.
Leslie's son Noah. Friends since they were babies. Aleigha was so sweet to Abby.
Mya, Aleigha, Abby and Eli (Leslie's son). Our Guatemalan foursome.Leslie, we loved spending the afternoon with you and your children. We would love to see you again sometime soon.
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Abby and Mya. Mya has the most beautiful hair. Abby and Travis. This pictures has been shown many times before, but Abby LOVES it. Travis thank you for taking the time to be so sweet to Abby.
Addisyn and Abby. Addie you are an incredible young lady. You remind me so much of your mother. You have a heart f or helping orphans and for serving God. I am so proud of you.
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Abby and Kallan. Abby's face says it all.
Aleigha Block
Sami and Addie
We miss you guys so much it hurts. Thank you so much for making Abby and Sami feel so special and loved. We love you.
Abby and Aleigha
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2/23/2009 1:16:00 PM
Weird Weekend A strange Monday, after a strange weekend. Saturday started out just fine with some good friends coming over for lunch and then taking Landis with them to a basketball game. Then the day fell apart within hours. I (Brent) think I got food poisoning or something and spent the next 40 hours doubled up on a loveseat. Garret (16 yr old son) got something similar but wasn't even at our house. He was over at his Grandmother's. Sami got busted in the head with door. Michelle got sick. Abby started getting headaches again. Somehow we survived until today. Didn't think you would get rid of us that easy, did you? Update on Abby later. Her headaches got so bad we had to take her to the hospital. Here are some random pics while we try to get our feet back under us.
Abby hugging her pink monkey gift.
SpideyLandis in a serious crouching web shot.
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Sami... isn't she beautiful?
Abby with her first official "boyfriend", Logan.
Cancer doesn't keep you from being cool.
Abby catches some zzzz's on Garrett.
Happy, no matter what.
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Abby enjoying some gifts you have sent her.
Trying to see what's inside...
We let Abby open a few gifts and it was like Christmas morning for her.
Abby loves toys that let her have pretend families.
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www.riggsfamilyblog.com The doctor today decided to use the old sedation medication and just blindly bleed off some of Abby's spinal fluid. I didn't know he was going to switch medications, but figured it out by watching Abby's reaction to the medication . He was only trying to get her more comfortable during the procedure. I appreciate that, but it didn't turn out so well for Abby. Abby was VERY comfortable during the procedure and that was very nice for her and less stressful for me. The problem is, Abby's had a very bad headache since the procedure, even after morphine and Fentanyl. I honestly don't know what to do at this point. Abby received chemo in her spinal fluid today. A drug she needs to prevent the cancer from spreading to her CNS (brain). A doctor I trust is willing to do another spinal tap today, to relieve the pressure, but my fear is it will also remove the chemo. I would feel much more comfortable waiting until the chemo has been in 48 hours, but that will mean Abby will have a horrible headache for 2 days, and the pressure can potentially cause brain and retinal damage. Honestly, I appreciate the fact the doctor was trying to sedate Abby better, I just don't know what to do now. ~ Michelle Update on the Update
Three little monkies jumpin' on the bed...
Abby is on her way back to the hospital as we speak. Her head has not quit pounding for two days despite the morphine and Fentanyl. We'll let you know more tonight after we find out something.
2/24/2009 6:52:00 PM
Abby Update & Update Abby Update Starting Yesterday Things didn't go well yesterday at the hospital. Abby's doctors feel that her headaches are still being caused by increased intracranial pressure (intracranial hypertension). We've dealt with this alot. Normally her doctor does a spinal tap, tests Abby's opening pressure, and the bleeds off enough spinal fluid for her pressure to be at correct levels. The problem we are having is the new sedation medications aren't working well. The old medicine, which worked great, caused pressures to be artificially high, making opening and ending pressures useless.
I hope you folks don't get sick of the "caption game" but I just get such a kick out of the stuff you come up with. What do you think our little "innocent, sedated, frail cancer patient" is up to in this picture from about 3 days ago? Leave a caption and let us know. Might be a little surprise for the 212
Riggs Family Blog winner. ~ Brent
2/25/2009 7:09:00 PM
Melt Your Heart... Abby crawls up in my lap tonight and snuggles in for a cat nap. She looks up at me and says "Daddy?" "Yes, dear?" "You're the best Daddy. I love you". Does life get ANY BETTER than that????????
www.riggsfamilyblog.com Because Abby has some genetic markers that make her cancer much more difficult to treat, Brent and I wanted a couple of second opinions. The only hospital in America that is studying Abby's genetic marker is St Jude. We were told by two doctors who did there residencies there it would be very hard to get a second opinion from them. Praise God they were willing to help Abby. St Jude said they do not believe Abby needs to repeat the last four months of treatment. This is GREAT news, because the last four months of treatment are/were brutal. This great news, unfortunately followed something I didn't anticipate. They believe Abby has difficulty metabolizing and/or and increased risk of toxic side effects to all three of the chemotherapy medications she will be receiving for the next TWO YEARS. I knew two of the medications were a problem for her, and honestly I knew she appeared to have trouble with the third, but seeing in black and white that they thought Abby would continue to have problems with this medication made it more real. The fact that Abby has trouble with all three chemos she will receive for the next 2 years will make finding the correct doses much more difficult. The goal of the next two years is to suppress her immune system just enough that the cancer is not detectable, but also allow her to have enough immune system, that she will be able to fight infections better than she can now. Because Abby's cancer is aggressive, we MUST correctly suppress her immune system (remember her cancer mimics white blood cells). Since she easily becomes toxic, too much chemo is dangerous. Abby's treatment remains an intricate dance.
From Michelle: So many prayers have been answered today, it is hard to know where to start the update. Brent and I are very thankful so many people are praying for Abby. This journey has been hard, but we have been blessed by God every step of the way. Abby's headaches are better today. It is wonderful to see her smile again. Abby grew an inch in the last couple of weeks. Many children grow poorly when they are getting chemo. I love that Abby was able to grow and inch during the toughest phase of their treatment. Last weekend we had three members of our family sick and Abby's immune system was very low because of the chemo. We had two people with the flu and one with an upper respiratory infection. All very sick and running fevers. Everyone has been well for over 48 hours and Abby has shown no signs of becoming sick. One of Abby's doctors told me there was no way she could avoid getting sick. Praise God, she is well.
We are still awaiting another opinion, but are very encouraged by the report from Saint Jude. St. Jude offered some very practical advice to help avoid toxicity. The third opinion may offer a few more hints about keeping Abby safe, but no one expects them to suggest repeating the toughest phases of chemo. This is a HUGE relief to Brent and I. Thank you so much for your prayers, encouraging notes and fun gifts for Abby, Sami and Landis. You all help us more than we can ever express. You are one of our biggest blessings.
2/26/2009 6:47:00 PM
Abby Update & Signs of the Times 213
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Abby got "chocolate blood" today (that's what she calls a transfusion, don't ask). So she is feeling refreshed and doing pretty good. She has been throwing up a lot lately, and Michelle and I have had quite a few sleepless nights this week. Very tired. We appreciate your prayers for strength and health. The throwing up appears to be from the very harsh chemo she has had (four days last week, four days this week). She is getting platelets tomorrow. We'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, here's a few photos we hope you like:
SpideyLandis SERIOUS about his training. This is his best "don't mess with me" look.
The tongue is out for a reason. You know what the orange junk on his mouth is, don't you?
Abby is "cool breeze" but SpideyLandis is about to pounce. "Bubba, quit kissing me. Boys are GROSS! (except for my 62 boyfriends)"
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Any wonder why we love her so much. No matter what she goes through, she is happy and blessing.
Abby loves her gifts and all the cards and messages.
Doing chemo again. Serious stuff.
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Traveling along I began to recall some of the names that wellmeaning Christians have labeled their businesses without really thinking through the implications. Agape Wrecking Service. Does this mean they unconditionally love all wrecks and towing? Or that they have a Godly love for destroying things? Believers Polygraph Systems. Is this a service that can only tell if Christians are lying? Or perhaps it's a machine that can tell by your answers whether you really are a believer or not. Maybe it means that believers will pass the test even if they are lying. Or maybe it means you have to believe you are actually taking a polygraph. Or you believe polygraphs work. Heavenly World Travel Agency. Could this be where angels can book a cruise to the Bahamas? Or where people who are experiencing "hell on earth" can plan a change of scenery? Do you have to die first in order to "come aboard"? Is it ONY oneway? Covenant Arbitration Group. I wonder if they list Moses as one of their clients? It would be a little scary to have to subpoena the Creator of the Universe as a defendant. "Mr. Creator Sir, did you understand the terms of the contract? Did you read the fine print?" Exactly who would you turn to to enforce a monetary judgment against the Almighty? Is part of their service involve sacrificing animals or putting out fleece overnight? Your guess is as good as mine... but it's got to be bad. I'm thinking some bad chili, or a serious spideywedgie.
Exodus Home Builders. It would kind of stink to spend six months building your dream home and then immediately have to pack up and walk away from it. At least you might get some cool gifts from your neighbors on your march out of the neighborhood. Maybe it means that once they are done building, the builders leave the house. Or maybe the houses are constructed with bricks made from straw. Hard to figure. Narrow Way Road Construction. I just hope you're not in a hurry. I'm pretty sure they did they highway our to our onestop-sign town.
It could be that Abby is really happy, or it could be she just got busted sneaking into the drawer. Signs of the Times By Brent I was driving down the road when I saw a truck passing me that said "Kingdom Alarm Systems". I kind of chuckled to myself thinking about how "out of business" they will be when we are in the real Kingdom.
Abundant Life Weight‐Loss. Maybe the abundant life is the problem in the first place. A better name might be the Living Sacrifice Weight Loss... on second thought people might just take that ("living sacrifice") to mean "grill more hamburgers"... poor cows. (not the people trying to lose weight, the actual cows that the hamburgers came from! Ooohhh, I'll get some ugly emails for that one. Hint: I'm not exactly skinny, so I can cut jokes about it.) And finally the one that puzzles me the most but I see it everywhere I go: "Wine and Spirit". At first I used to think this was a store where you picked up 216