The Macs

Saturday, February 28, 2009

back to work

Wow! You guys are awesome. We sold out. I mean COMPLETELY sold out pretty much over night. We are so honored that you like our dresses. It feels good to be doing something for Cora.

So we are back to work. More dresses are on the way. Grammy is busy, busy sewing like a crazy lady.

Cora's other Grammy came over today to help too. They are much faster at sewing than I am.



New fabrics and supplies are just waiting to be turned into something beautiful for your little one. Keep checking back. We will try to add more things to our shop soon.


There have been so many comments left here and messages on our Etsy sight. I will try to answer a few questions since I know I won't have time to get back to everyone:
*We are making more dresses (we will make some in the 2T-5T sizes too)
*At this point we are NOT going to do custom orders. We had so many requests that it is too overwhelming for us right now. We will keep making dresses in all different sizes and adding them to our shop. Later on when things slow down if you still want a dress we may think about doing custom orders. Sorry!
*The onesie/t-shirt dresses are a onesie or t-shirt that is cut off and then attached to the dress. I usually put Cora in a white diaper cover or matching leggings when she wore hers.
*We will make more burp cloths, hair clippies, and blankets too. We have a few ideas of some new additions too.
*Hopefully my brother will be able to make more blocks, but for now that is all we have. I will let you know if/when there are more available.
*We will start shipping as soon as we can! We are going to be busy, busy.

Thanks again. Really, you guys are great!





Friday, February 27, 2009

OPEN

We are OPEN!

(after just a slight delay...)


Come check out our new shop: www.coras.etsy.com


My brother Matt made these awesome blocks. Aren't they fantastic? They will be listed sometime tomorrow morning in our shop.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

still coming



We haven't abandoned our Etsy project. It is still coming. We have lots of things ready to sell, but it is taking me awhile to get the pictures taken and everything uploaded. I have a new appreciation for all of you crafty Etsy people. This is a lot of work! Hopefully by the end of the day we will have Cora's shop open.

Since I am new to all of this I needed help getting started. I decided to e-mail Sara from Sarah + Abraham to ask for some help with my banner and logo. She was wonderful and designed everything for me. Stickers and tags too. I just love how it turned out! Thank you Sara. Make sure you check out her Etsy shop and blog too.

The weather here in Kansas has been beautiful. Usually that makes me so happy, but it has been hard. It just makes me think of all the things I had planned to do with Cora this Spring and Summer. She would have been at that fun walking and exploring stage. We had planned to play outside, go on walks, go to the park, swim... It just makes me so sad all the time. I am trying to find joy in the little things. Through the tears I have so much to be thankful for. So for right now, I am thankful to be busy with this Etsy shop. Hopefully coming soon (like tonight)...

Monday, February 23, 2009

cora's celebration service

It's up! You can watch the video of Cora's celebration service by going to the Grace website. It is under the "Grace Updates" section. Thank you Adam for working so hard to get this up and running!

Also I posted the video below that played at the beginning of Cora's service. It should be on the full service video too.

***I'm not sure why the video is not showing the whole picture. I might have to have my friend Julie (who posted it for me) help me fix that tomorrow. Sorry!***

cora video

therapy

Crafting isn't making that hole in my heart go away, but it sure helps. It is good to have something to do. It is good to spend time with my mom. It is good to be crafty. We are working hard to get all of our projects done and our etsy shop open.








I will let you know when the shop is open. Coming soon!


Sunday, February 22, 2009

famous

Can you believe it? Cora is famous. Joel was reading through our comments and noticed a comment that said there was an article about Cora on Etsy. We headed over to Etsy and there it was. Our picture and everything. Crazy! Thank you Beki for writing such a kind article about our family. Thank you Julie for thinking of this great way to support Cora's Playground through Etsy. Thank you to the MANY people who are giving of their time and talents towards this project. You guys are awesome! Words cannot express how humbled we are to see so many people rally around us in this way. Thank you!

We went back to church today. It was the first time we had been back since Cora had been in the hospital. I thought I would be ok. Saturday had been a pretty good day. I was wrong. Emotions overwhelmed me as we walked in. I think I cried through half of the service. That's ok, I know. It is just hard to go back to "normal" things when you don't feel normal at all. I was thankful for all the hugs and smiles. It was good to be surrounded by friends.

One more thing. My mom and I wanted to join in the Etsy fun. We have been crafting our brains out this weekend. It has been good therapy. Hopefully our shop will be up and running in a day or two. More on that tomorrow...

Friday, February 20, 2009

we're back

After many people suggesting that we get away after Cora's celebration service, we decided to follow their advice. We headed to Colorado to have some time alone and try to process how our lives have changed so quickly.

It was good to get away, but so hard at the same time. It was good to be together. It was good to be able to talk and cry together. It was good to be in the beautiful mountains. It was good to be able to go skiing and snowmobiling and be able to laugh a little.

But, it was so hard too. It was hard to have time to really think through the past four weeks. It was hard to be on a "vacation" without our Cora. It was hard to be at the cabin where we had taken Cora on her first family vacation just this past summer. It was hard to think about all the fun we had together and know that she is now gone. So many memories.

I don't even like posting pictures anymore. I want Cora to be in them. But, here we are. This day we went snowmobiling and it snowed the entire time we were out. It was beautiful. We didn't get any pictures when we went skiing, but the day we went was sunny and just perfect weather. The mountains were beautiful and I couldn't help but to think about how GREAT and LOVING our God is as I looked at his beautiful creation. Joel got to laugh at me wiping out several times. The next day we both laughed a lot because we could barely walk. We are a little out of shape.


Coming home was hard. It felt like just maybe Cora would be there waiting for us, but we knew she wasn't. We knew we were going back to reality. We both have HUGE holes in our hearts and it is hard to know how to move forward. We are trying. We are so thankful for the friends and family we have who are surrounding us so faithfully and lovingly during this time. We are overwhelmed by all that God is doing through Cora's story. And we are clinging to this same truth that got us through those horrible days in the hospital.

"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." Lamentations 3:22-24

I have never felt more consumed in my whole life. I am so thankful for our compassionate God and so thankful that His compassions are new EVERY morning. This is definitely a day-by-day process. Thanks for loving us and encouraging us along the way.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

leaving a legacy

Wow! We are so overwhelmed by the love that is being shown to us. Friends, family and even strangers are supporting us in ways we would have never imagined. It is incredible how our little Cora, whom we miss SO much, is leaving such a legacy.

Our emotions are mixed. We have such a HUGE hole in our lives without Cora. We miss her so much! We can hardly believe what has happened in the last three weeks. We cry A LOT. Wishing we could just hold Cora one last time. At the same time we are awe strucken by how God is using her little life. Cora's story is causing others to want to have a deeper relationship with their families and walk closer with the Lord. We are humbled that God is allowing us to be a part of this. So thankful for God's mercies, but hurting so deeply too.

I probably won't blog for several days as we try to adjust to our new "normal". Please continue to pray for us. We need your prayers more than ever as we journey through this hard time. We are thrilled that everyone is excited about The Cora Playground. Thank you to those who are donating their time, money and talents to this cause. We will share more with you as the project gets underway...

"My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:15-16

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Click here to listen to the celebration of Cora's life.

A video of the service should be available online in a few days.

Monday, February 9, 2009

For more information about contributing to the Cora Playground, visit www.corapaige.com.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

A celebration of Cora's life will be held at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, February 10, at Grace Community Church, 1600 S. Anderson Rd. Newton, Kansas.
Burial will follow at the Pleasant View Cemetery in rural Elbing.
In lieu of sending flowers, a memorial has been established to construct the Cora Playground, an extension of the children's ministries department at Grace Community Church.

Cora is with Jesus today.

anxiously waiting

We are SO THANKFUL for an uneventful day. No surgeries, no set backs, but no real progress either. Joel and I are struggling with the waiting and the unknown today. This is not in our timing and that is hard for us. PICU cleared out tonight except for one other little girl and Cora. We want it to be our turn to go home. We want to see visible signs of our little girl getting better. But for some reason we just have to wait for now.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Just a quick update tonight and some prayer requests. The big prayer right now is that Cora's lungs would improve so that she can get off the oscillator. We are so thankful for your prayers!

Praises:
-An uneventful day
-Cora remained stable today
-Family and friends

Prayer Requests:
-Cora's lungs would improve
-The chemo would be working
-Visible signs of improvement
-Patience for us as we "wait"

Friday, February 6, 2009

peace in our madness

This Is Our God
A refuge for the poor
A shelter from the storm
This is our God
And He will wipe away your tears
And return your wasted years
This is our God
Oh, this is our God
Oh, this is our God
A Father to the orphan
A healer to the broken
This is our God
And He brings peace to our madness
And comfort in our sadness
This is our God
Oh, this is our God
Oh, this is our God
We are so thankful that God brings peace to our madness because that is what today felt like. We have been playing music for Cora in her room and this is one song that has meant a lot to me through this journey. Just when we think we have gotten through our worst day there is a new challenge to face. We woke up and went to check on Cora. She had a good night and we were so thankful she was stable. I was back in her room talking to her and the doctor came by to tell me that she needed to have surgery. The fluid had increased around her heart since last night. The doctor told me that they needed to do the surgery sometime this morning.
Down the hall from Cora was a fourteen year old boy named Tony. He had also recently been diagnosed with cancer and was here receiving chemo treatments. We had gotten to know his family a little and checked in on each other to see how things were going. Tony went in for the exact same surgery as Cora this morning and didn't make it through. My emotions were so confused. I felt so sad for this family. I knew exactly what they had been going through and what I would feel like if that had been Cora. I was also scared to death. We were about to send Cora to the operating room for the same surgery. How was I supposed to trust God through this? We had to trust that Cora was in God's hands. Praise God that Cora made it through her surgery. Please keep Tony's family in your prayers. We are so sad for them.
Cora is back in her PICU room and doing good. The surgery seemed to really help. Cora's heart rate has gone down and her oxygen level has gone up since them. She has been pretty stable this evening. Her blood gas levels did go crazy a little while ago, but she seems to be doing ok now. We are excited for getting through this "baby step", but the doctor told us that there probably will be more bumps ahead. Please keep praying!

Praises:
-Cora made it through her surgery!
-Improved oxygen levels
-Lower heart rate
-Getting through another day
-The support of our family and friends (and strangers!)
-Prayer warriors
Prayer Requests:
-Cora's lungs would start functioning on their own
-The fluid in Cora's body would decrease
-Cora's blood gas levels would remain normal
-The chemo would be working
-Strength and rest for us
-Tony's family

whew!

Cora just came out of surgery, and the doctors told us that she did fine. It was a LONG wait for all of us, especially Joel and Jess, before the doctors came in to give us the news that she was ok. They said that they were able to drain the fluid from around her heart, and were also able to put a drain in her abdomen to help with the seeping fluid from her previous incision. The nurses are getting her settled in again from her surgery before we can go in and check on her.

Praise God for his protection over Cora during her 4th time in the operating room, as these surgeries do not always turn out the way we plan. Another family that we have gotten to know here in the PICU needs your prayers today. Their fourteen-year-old son had the same surgery as Cora this morning, and did not make it through. His name was Tony. Our hearts break for his sweet family. Please pray for them. 

surgery today

Things change around here fast. After another meeting with the doctors again this morning, we are finding out that the fluid around Cora's heart has increased. She is now scheduled for surgery this afternoon to create a little window in the pericardial sac that will release the excess fluid. Another boy here in PICU is having the same procedure this morning, and then Cora's will follow after, so we're not sure about the exact time today, but just please pray. 

Again, this is a risky surgery, just like we mentioned before, but the doctor seems to think that it is a necessary procedure. Please be in prayer today for Cora, the doctors, and for Joel and Jess.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

the oscillator

Another hard day, but still lots of things to be thankful for.  As you heard from James' post, Cora's surgery was cancelled.  They did an echocardiogram this morning and found that the fluid around Cora's heart was the same or maybe even less.  This was a praise!  Joel and I prayed last night that the surgery wouldn't be necessary. Cora has been on an oscillator since this morning. The doctor decided that she needed to be on this machine to help recruit the collapsed lung space.  She transitioned well to this machine and has been pretty stable the rest of the day.  There have been many answers to prayer today.  We are trying to focus on the little praises (baby steps), but sometimes it is so hard when your baby is still lying on a bed hooked up to all these big machines.  We are longing to hold our baby and giggle with her again.  Pray that this will be possible soon!  We know that God is good.  He is holding our precious little baby in His hands.  That is the best place she could be.  We are praying for a miracle.  Lord, please restore our little girl's body and get rid of the cancer!

"The LORD your God is with you, he is MIGHTY TO SAVE.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."  Zephaniah 3:17

Praises:
-The surgery was cancelled!
-Cora transitioned well to the oscillator
-Cora has had lots of very wet diapers today (That is a good thing.  Yeah for pee!)
-The seeping from Cora's incision seems to be slowing down
-All of Cora's blood gases were normal this evening
-The skilled doctors and nurses who are taking such good care of Cora
-Friends and family who continue to support us through this journey (Joel's friend Nathan even flew in from New Hampshire today)
-Cora is 11 months old today!

Prayer Requests:
-Cora's lungs would open completely up and function properly
-Cora would be able to transition back to the ventilator soon
-We would continue to see signs that Cora's body is functioning like it should
-The chemo would be killing the cancer
-Cora's lungs would stay free from infection
-A good day tomorrow
-The ability to rest in God's peace as we wait

Thanks for your continued prayers.  We are so thankful for the army of prayer warriors who are storming the gates of heaven for our daughter.


change of plans...

After doing another echocardiogram this morning, the doctors have decided that it is best not to have Cora's surgery today. They think that perhaps the fluid around her heart is a bit less than yesterday (which would be a good thing), but also the risk of nicking her liver during the surgery is very high. So, for now that procedure is on hold.

So, what does this mean for today? Right now, Cora is being put on an oscillator, another type of ventilator that will inflate her lungs and hopefully increase her lung capacity so that she can breathe more easily and require less oxygen. Pray that she will respond well and quickly to this new device.

p.s. This is James again, and just so you know, whenever I make a post it's because Joel and Jess need your prayers even more. Please be lifting them up today.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Heartache

Today was probably the hardest day that we have had since we began this journey almost two weeks ago. We were awoken with a phone call this morning from my mother telling us that the nurses said that we needed to get up to the PICU immediately. With a pit in our stomachs, we hurried over to find out that Cora had had a rough night, and that they needed to put her on a more aggresive type of ventilator. Her lungs were collapsed enough that the ventilator that she was on was not getting enough oxygen to her body. As a result her blood oxygen levels had dipped down into the 20's several times over night. For those of you who do not know, (as I did not a few days ago) that is really low. Normally it should be 95-100. Something had to be done to help her, and the doctors felt that this was the first thing that she needed.

However, before they put her on the machine they had to do several other things that were not possible once she was hooked up to it. One of those being an echocardiogram. On the x-ray taken this morning, her heart appeared to be enlarged. So, they decided to make sure that her heart was functioning properly before anything else. It turns out that there was fluid surrounding her heart and thus was giving the impression that it was enlarged. We were so relieved to hear that it was functioning properly though. The doctors also decided to put in an additional line so that they would have more IV access. By the time that all of this was done the doctors felt that Cora had improved enough to not be put on the other ventilator.(PRAISE GOD!!!) She continued to be stable and showed some very small improvements the rest of the day. My sister, who is an ICU nurse, said that it is a miracle that Cora is in the condition that she is tonight. When she arrived this morning she did not hold very high hopes for the day, and was actually very nervous about the whole situation. Tonight we are praising God for bringing Cora this far. We are also praising God for the thousands who prayed for her last night and throughout the day today. We know that God heard our prayers, and that they were answered.

So, where do we stand now? As I mentioned above, Cora has a lot of fluid in the cavity around her heart. Therefore, she is scheduled to have surgery at 8:30 tomorrow morning to drain that cavity, and hopefully bring some relief to her heart and lung functions. It does not seem to be a major deal, but when ever your baby goes off to surgery it makes us as parents quite nervous. If you think of us in the morning please pray.

Days like today are not easy on parents. It was just yesterday morning that the doctors said they were encouraged with Cora's condition. That was quite an upper for both of us. Today, Jess and I felt as though our hearts were being ripped out of our chests each time we turned around. The emotional exhaustion of the day has definately taken its toll on both of us and we are weary. Please pray for rest, and that God would continue to sustain us throughout the coming days.

The scripture that I have written below is kind of long, but it really describes our day quite well. It talks about the many doubts that we were having, and the feeling of abandonment that we experienced. However, if you read on you will find that we serve a god, who is bigger than any of our problems here on earth. Tonight as we go to bed that is the truth that we are holding on to.

Psalm 77

I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered you O God and I groaned I mused , and my spirit grew faint. You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak. I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night. My heart mused and my spirit inquired; Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in ager withheld his compassion? Then I thought "To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High." I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deed. Your ways, O God are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. The waters saw you. O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth. Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind. your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.


Praise
-For the improvement that we saw in Cora today
-For the very skilled team of doctors and nurses that are caring for her
-That today is over

Prayer
-For Cora's surgery in the morning.
-For strength in the next few days
-For wisdom for the doctors as they treat Cora
-For continued healing for Cora
-For a better day tomorrow

pray today

This is Uncle James again. Joel and Jess just finished meeting with the doctor this morning, which leads me to ask you to pray for several specific things. Cora was put on the ventilator last evening, but she still had some difficulty in breathing in the night. Her oxygen levels dropped pretty low about 5 different times. Today the doctor has decided to put her on a different sort of ventilator which will help to inflate her lungs a bit more. Parts of her lungs are deflated and even collapsed, so this new machine will hopefully help to restore some of her lung capacity. 

As Cora goes on this new machine, there are a number of serious risks involved. Please pray that she will be able to tolerate the transition and that the ventilator will help her to regain ability to breathe well on her own. She will be on the machine for at least several days. 

In addition, Cora's heart is somewhat enlarged. She will be receiving an echocardiogram this morning to ensure that it is still functioning properly, but this is obviously a big concern as well, so please pray. 

These many setbacks are so difficult for Joel and Jess. Remember to keep lifting them up too.

It's hard to rephrase all that the doctor said to us just now, but just know that this is such an important time for you to pray for Cora. 


Tuesday, February 3, 2009

a rollercoaster

This rollercoaster we are on is SO hard. The past few days have been good and we felt like Cora was making some progress. Like we were on our way to getting our little girl back. We even felt comfortable enough to both leave the hospital to go out to eat. Joel's mom stayed with Cora while we were gone. When we were on our way home from dinner we got a call from Joel's mom saying not to panic but we needed to come back to the hospital. Both of our hearts sank. Cora had been fighting her C-PAP all day and pulling her feeding tube out. She was a tired little girl and just wasn't breathing like she needed to. The doctor decided to put her on a ventilator. He said Cora needed to rest and she was working too hard to breathe. It is so sad to see Cora hooked up to all those machines again. It feels like we are moving backwards instead of forwards. Cora will probably be on the ventilator for several days. The doctor is hoping that as Cora rests her body will be able to recover more quickly from the surguries and chemo. So, this is how we left our little girl tonight. Joel's mom is staying in her room tonight so that we can try to sleep.

We continue to be amazed by all the people that know about Cora and are lifting her up to our Heavenly Father. Please continue to pray for our sweet baby. It is so easy for us to get discouraged and feel consumed by this cancer. Especially after a day like today. We don't know how we would get through a single day without Jesus right beside us. As Joel and I talked about the ups and downs of today these are some truths that we are resting in tonight.

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."
Isaiah 26:3

"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."
Lamentations 3:22-23

Praises:
-The oncologist remains positive about how Cora is responding to chemo
-Cora's strong, fighting spirit
-An encouraging visit from the pastors at Grace
-The FANTASTIC PICU doctors and nurses who is taking such good care of Cora
-I am feeling better today and getting over a sinus infection

Prayer Requests:
-That Cora would be able to rest and her body would heal as she is on the ventilator
-Comfort for Cora (we feel like we can't do much to comfort her)
-The chemo would be getting rid of the cancer
-Patience as we continue to wait for the test results
-That we would rest in God's peace through this very unpeaceful time
-Perseverance as we have a long road ahead

Monday, February 2, 2009

Day 11 I think

Today is only day 11, however, it seems like a year ago since we rushed Cora here from her doctors appointment. The day was long and we still have not received any news on the type of neuroblastoma that she has. This along with the emotion of the whole experience has seemed to weigh heavily on all of us. Jess is still not feeling very good, but she did get a lot of good rest in today.

Cora showed some small signs of improvement today. They started weaning her off of the oxygen that she was on, and she seemed to do well with that. They also gave her a feeding tube through her nose so that they could get some nutrition into her stomach. Her incision continues to seep, but it has slowed down a lot today. Yesterday they found that she had an infection in her body some where. Therefore they put her on a very strong antibiotic since her immune system is very compromised from the chemo right now. We are really praying that we seem some definite signs of improvement soon, as it is so hard to see our baby in this condition.

It is after days like today that we ask why. We do not understand all that God is doing through this, or what all He is trying to teach us. As we were talking tonight we were reminded of the verse in Proverbs that says, "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all of your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight." We can not forget that God is in control, and that he is bigger than the cancer or any other problems that we face. Here are a few things to pray for.

Praise

-Cora's abdominal measurement is continuing to decrease.

-Her incision is not seeping as much any more

-For the thousands of prayer warriors that she has

Prayer

-That her infection would go away

-That we would get some results on the type of cancer

-That the results would be positive

-For rest and health for Cora's family (especially mom)

-That we could hold her again soon

Sunday, February 1, 2009

ROUND 1 IS DONE

Hey everyone, we are happy and relieved to say that Cora has finished her first round of chemo. She got done around 5:30 this morning. We hope and pray now that it is doing its job and killing the cancer. The doctors seem to be pleased with how her body tolerated it, and that her blood levels did not get too out of line. This being said, it did really wipe her out. She has slept most of the day, and is not really interested in much else. They say we will be in ICU until Cora can breathe on her own, and everything else is stabilized. As far as a time frame goes they say it is different for everyone. So once again we are being taught patience. This has been one of the hardest parts for me (dad) as it seems that we have to sit around and wait on results, tests and doctors all of the time.

This morning we were woken abruptly again to learn that Cora's incission was seeping. We were afraid that she was going to have to go back into surgery to fix it once more, but the doctors decided to wait it out for a while since they could feel that it was healing properly. We were fine with that, and I am sure Cora was also. Since that has happened, a lot of presure was relieved from her abdominal area, and she is much more comfortable. Since the chemo ended they have been feeding her throught her IV. She is not at all interested in other food, and it is critical now that she gets enough calories and other nutrients to heal properly.

This is a picture of everything that Cora is hooked up to. At certain times throughout the day she is getting 5 different things pumped into her body at once. And to think we were concerened when she was on an antibiotic and tylenol for an ear infection before all of this started. My how things change.
This is one of Coras night nurses. They have all been wonderful, and have taken such good care of her

This was taken tonight, and I think it pretty much sums up her day. "I'm exhausted, please leave me alone."
We want to thank you all so much for your prayers and support, it means so much to us. Please continue to lift us up whenever it crosses your mind. We are a long way from the end of this journey, and are already feeling quite exhausted. Jessica is not feeling well, and is not sleeping very good either. So please pray especially for her health and strength in the coming days. Here are a few other things that you can pray for.
PRAISE
-That Cora made it through the first chemo treatment safely
-That she is resting and is more comfortable now
-That the swelling in her body has mostly gone down
-For all of the support that we have had from family and friends
PRAYER
-That God would heal our little Cora
-That she would get back to breathing on her own soon
-For wisdom for the doctors as they continue to make decions about Cora's treatment
-For strength as we face each new day and challenge
-That the test results would show it to be the "better" type of cancer