Tom and Braedon are doing good.  Braedon is getting so big. He is trying lots of big words and I have to say it is a joy to see him trying to grow up so fast.  He’s a charmer.

Well, I just had time for a quick note. I will write more soon.

Love,

Bethany

Thank you much for your prayers.

We had a wonderful Christmas time with my family.  We all got to Ken and Judy’s on the 24th around lunch time.  We visited and ate and ate. Then at 8:00pm we were all off to the Christmas Eve service.  I always like to go to a Candlelight service. Somehow it just makes Christ’s birth  vivid throughout Christmas and all the festivities.  Tom and myself both sorely missed the fabulous service we used to attend at First Presbyterian in Colorado Springs! There is none like it!  Then, back home to eat some more!

Christmas was very special.  Lots of Wii sports activity while we waited for G’pa and Deb to get there.  Bless them, they like drove all the way from Salem in the middle of the night, then turned around and drove home the very next day. At least they go to be there.  Then, the presents.  It was a big old mountain.  Each kid fared really well this year!  Like they don’t every year!  It was great.

Braedon got some Star Wars space ships and little action characters from Tom and me.  He is now so excited about S.W.  Tom took him to the library and rented the movies.  He has been having a really fun time with daddy watching these when daddy gets home from work each day this week.  I pop the popcorn and get the drinks then, I read my book.  I just like that better!

I came home all fired up to get my house in good order so I will be prepared for whatever may come about with my transplant and all in this New Year.  I took each room and top to bottom I have cleaned and straightened in depth.  I know it is hard to believe that I would have anything left to take to the Goodwill, but believe it or not I do!

Well, we will be off to our new friends, the Carpenters  house to welcome in the new year tonight.  Be sure and look up into the sky the moon is fabulous right now.

We maybe going to see David and Regina this weekend sometime. I have several goodie trays to make and some shopping to do so I’d better go for now.

Bethany

Bethany

Tomorrow is Braedon’s  5th birthday.  We are planning on stealing his little friend “Lukey” and taking the boys to a new “Bounce House” over in Clay Terrace.  Then, Chucky Cheese for lunch! What more could a five year old ask for? Well, a lot really!  We somehow have not quite made it out of the “ALL ABOUT ME” phase by moving onto five, but we have great hopes for the Big Six mark!

Thursday we are going to take Braedon back to the Children’s museum and explore the floors we missed last time we were there.  It is so big, it was just to much to cover it all in one day. He loves to go there and it will be especially fun to have daddy tagging along!

Friday, Tom and me are going to make a kitchen full of “puppy chow” to package up for all of our neighbors.  Its really not dog food,  just looks kinda like it,  and it tastes really good!  Saturday Braedon will make the deliveries and sing “We wish you a Merry Christmas”  to each one.  He loves to sing  and does a fabulous job staying right on pitch with his robust soprano voice.  That leads me to remember this cute story.   This past Saturday evening we had dinner out with Mitchell and Daniel Hilty, then went together to a concert a Butler University.  It was a great concert and during “GLORIA” or whatever that carol is called,  Braedon joined in very boisterously.  He actually sounded great and upon receiving evil glares from the grandma’s and grandpa’s sitting around us, for trying to quiet him down,  we let him finish the song!  He was congratulated at the end!  His little face beamed.

Sunday is a great time the whole church will be celebrating our pastors and blessing them for Christmas.

Monday  will be getting a few last gifts.

Tuesday night I will fix a special super, then we will have our personal family Christmas.

Wednesday my brother Drew and his family come to our house.  We will have dinner together, then enjoy an evening around the fireplace.  Off to bed early so we can all get up and start off for Ken’s house Thursday morning.  Judy is fixing a big lunch that day that we don’t want to miss out on.   Ken is smoking a whole deer haunch in his smoker. I am supposing that it will taste like deer “ham”!  Sounds funny doesn’t it?

My parents, both my brother’s and families, Aunt Debbie and Grandpa Thomas and Tom, Braedon and myself will all be there.

We will get to stay until Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon not for sure yet. So,  there’s the holiday scoop on us.  Oh yes sometime during all of that, I have to type and send our Christmas letter. I can tell you right now that it will probably be a New Year Letter this year!

Transplant update is as stands:  They are working to figure a way to make my “B” cells stop attacking my donor angel Mary’s. In the meantime, we will be entered into the National Donor Swap Program after the first of the year.  This is where out of a national donor bank, if there is a match for me and Mary would be a match for their recipient, then all four of us would go into surgery at once!  This is said to be a good way to get a perfect match. We have committed this whole thing daily to God for over two years now and we are simply taking each day as it comes and hoping and praying that God’s will be done.  I would love to be able to live a long healthy life with my family and friends around me, but God knows best where I need to be, and I accept that with all my heart.  So, we leave it once again in His hands.

My transplant physician is making one last plea for any potential donors that I may have available to me before delving into the Donor Swap Program.  Should any one who reads my blog is interested in this you simply have to call the Transplant office at IUPUI, and ask the receptionist to transfer you to Tracy Perry.  The number is as follows 317-274-4370.   You then tell her that you are a potential donor for Bethany Eckert. She will then give further instructions. I have tried to stay away from asking such things on my blog, but my physician has asked me to just ask once, then we’ll proceed.

May you have a Merry Christmas!  God has so richly blessed each and everyone of us!

Love,

Bethany

In the middle of it all, I have spoken with my support team down at IUPUI  a lot this week. I just got home from giving a whole bunch more blood this morning.  In very unscientific terms,  my “B” cells are being swallowed up by her”B” cells.  The delay at this point is because they are diligently trying to find a fix for that problem.  In the mean time they want to go ahead and start testing some of my other donors as well. Then they can take the absolute best match should there be a better one.  Well, that’s my story for today.

I hope you are getting snow like us! Isn’t is fun to have winter again.  I need to go do some more Christmas baking so bye for now, and God Bless You!

Bethany

Transplant:  Have not heard a word this week, but have one more day this week as a possibility to hear something! The wait is long, some days almost unbearable, but overall resting in the promise that God has each mi nut detail planned out  and will not be surprised whatever that phone call brings.  “Fear not Tomorrow, God is already there” continues to inspire me to live life to the fullest while I wait.  I praise God for the love of my husband who willingly continues to support me through each dialysis treatment. Never once complaining when that alarm goes off at 3:45am. He is precious to me and I could never do it all by myself.  Please continue to pray and I will hopefully have some kind of a praise report soon.

Braedon Story:  The other morning it was cold outside and we had an appointment to hurry off to. Scurrying around the house and rushing my little man, he soon became a little irritated and started up with a attitude.  So since we were already late, I took him into the living room and sat down on the sofa to have one of those infamous chats about being nice even when we don’t feel like it.  He sat with big eyes looking sincerely into mine, when all of a sudden he took a deep breath and said “Wow, that  attitude of mine, sometimes  sometimes it does the silliest things!”  Honestly, I started laughing so hard I had tears pouring down my face.  So, our day was off again on a much happier note.  Thank-you God for little boys!

Love,

Bethany

So now we’re off to a very busy lead up to Christmas.  I am looking forward to each event.   I will post any news on the transplant that I hear this week as soon as it is available to me.  I so appreciate your continued prayers and support.

Love,

Bethany

Tom’s brother Dave and his wife and kids are on their way to our house for Thanksgiving.  We are looking forward to a nice visit with them.  They will go home on Friday and we will be by ourselves for the rest of the weekend.  It will be nice to have a little change of pace for the rest of the week.  It’s always good to have our “daddy” home with us.

I enjoyed a lovely lunch with my parents today. They stopped by on their way to Ken’s house for Thanksgiving.  We had a great time together.  Braedon was very excited to see his Grandpa and Grandma.

Well I hope the weather man is right for once and we get snow tomorrow.  Wouldn’t that just make the perfect T-Day!  I think so.

Well I’ll be checking in again soon.  I just want to state again that the new motto by which I’m trying to live by:  “Fear not tomorrow, God is already there”,  is continuing to keep me looking to Him for answers and guidance. He has it all in His hands, so mine can remain lifted in praise to Him.

Love,

Bethany

Next we were off to see Dr. Morgan.  She is my hematologist.  Wonderful friend as well.  She is concerned over parts of my blood work today and rejoicing over other parts.  My hemoglobin hasn’t been over 11 for about five years and it was 15.1 today.  Wow!  However, my WBC count is low at 1.9, indicating that maybe little mister “Lupus” is starting to lift his ugly head again.  I will go back to her office on Monday and if my WBC count is still low, we will imediately resume three more rounds of Rituxan!  Rituxan is so much better than getting chemo.  I just think of it as an opportunity to sit and watch Home Improvement/Cooking shows for 6 hours while it infuses!   What is to be dreaded about that?   Oh yes, it also makes you very hungry, so you get to eat the whole time, high calorie food!!

Some other good results I heard today from Dr. Morgan was that the Bone Scan results were NORMAL.  Wow, God really protected me.  Over the past five years I had a total of 15 months of Cytoxin and years of 10mg of Prednisone.  Thankfully I am no longer on either of these meds, but we were concerned about the damage they can lead to in your bone structure.  I should without a doubt be ridden with osteoporosis, but am NOT!  Praise be to God!

Also the CT Scan of my abdomen last week showed that out of the two hematomas in my abdomen, the one on my right side is gone and the one on the left is 1/3 the size it was originally.  The one in my right leg is still causing paralysis but I have some sensations starting to happen there as well.  It feels like somebody is pouring cold water down the inside of my leg.  WERD!  Dr. Martz laughed and said that I should only have to look if it feels warm!   HA!

I am still waiting to hear from my Angel Donor Mary.  She was able to talk with the transplant lady yesterday and was once again reassured that we would hear this week, by Friday.  Its all about timing, God’s Great Timing.

Thanks again for being my friend and caring about me and mine!

Bethany