History

UPDATE: OUR FRIEND CHASSIDY HAS NOT BEEN DOING WELL AT ALL. PLEASE PRAY FOR HER AND HER MOM. THEY HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH A LOT OF UPS AND DOWNS, MAINLY DOWNS SINCE CHASSIDY'S BMT. PLEASE VISIT HER WEBSITE AND OFFER HER YOUR SUPPORT.

Chassidy's Site

PLEASE VISIT OUR FRIEND PRIYANKA'S PAGE (THE LINK IS ABOVE). KEEP HER IN YOUR PRAYERS AS SHE IS IN VERY SERIOUS CONDITION.

Priyanka's Page

Please drop by and visit Mark and sign his guestbook. He is a really nice little boy who we have just begun to know:)
Mark' Page

Well right now it is storming here and man do I mean storming!!! It actually blew down plants I have hanging up, soaked our back porch from raining blowing in and flooded our backyard. I had just emptied the little pool and put it away since we will be gone for 2 days (I can't wait!) Katia is all bummed because she thinks the rain means we don't go but we will! I mean unless a hurricane was to come in (knock on wood) then we will be on our way in the morning. I will be posting a lot of pictures when I get back because where we are going is just full of nature and beautiful freshwater springs! I have to share it with you:) You are my friends:)

Anyway, I am feeling decently well today. I actually slept through the whole night last night which is not normal for me. I am normally awakened at least 4 or 5 times each night and it is hard for me to go back to sleep. I just start thinking about things. My Caringbridge Families who are struggling, Katia, finances, school starting, my health, just everything. I usually am a very busy-minded person!

I cannot believe all this rain we are getting. Myron called and said lightening was striking very close to the airport and messing with the lights. We get a lot of lightening here. When I was 15, I lost the house I grew up in. It was struck by lightening. We weren't home. We actually went up to see a friend which lives about 10 minutes from where we are going tomorrow. PRAY FOR NO BAD LIGHTENING STORMS HERE! Anyway, the house was totally burned down. Nothing was left, I mean NOTHING!

Well I better get off of here and shut down this computer through the rest of this storm. I would really be in a mess if something happened to my computer!

I will check in on Caringbridge while I am gone but I probably will not update. I hope I can check in. I may not have any access to the computer. We will see.

Love, Tracy and Family:)

UPDATE: PLEASE VISIT OUR FRIEND PRIYANKA'S PAGE (THE LINK IS ABOVE). KEEP HER IN YOUR PRAYERS AS SHE IS IN VERY SERIOUS CONDITION.

Priyanka (AML - BMT just recently)

OUR DAY TODAY WAS PRETTY SLOW. I NEEDED DIAPERS FOR KATIA SO WE MADE A COMPLETE OUTTING OF THE TRIP TO WALMART. KATIA ACTUALLY HAS FUN GOING TO THE STORE SO I DRUG EVERYONE WITH ME. THEN THEY SPENT THE AFTERNOON PLAYING IN THE POOL AND GOOFING AROUND. THANK YOU FOR COMING BY AND KEEPING OUR FAMILY IN YOUR PRAYERS. I APPRECIATE SO MUCH WHEN I SEE PEOPLE GO VISIT OTHER KIDS I LINK TO. THEY REALLY APPRECIATE THE VISITS. WE HAVE A NEW FRIEND MARK. HIS LINK IS ABOVE ALSO. I THINK IT WOULD REALLY MAKE HIS DAY FOR PEOPLE TO GO BY AND SIGN HIS GUESTBOOK AND JUST SAY HELLO:) LOVE, TRACY

Mark(DX Wilm's Tumor He is a new friend of ours.)

July 19, 2003
Well today we made it in the pool! Katia got this as a wish from a Hugs and Hope member! We went in there two times today. The first time when we got her out, it started raining and thundering and she was screaming, "I don't want to go home, I don't want to go home." So I promised we would go in later. When Myron came home, he went out there with them and they talked me in to getting back in again. We were out there acting like dorks and I am sure our neighbors are wondering if we are "okay" but we had fun and took some cute pictures and videos and that is what matters in life! Happy Times! We need those right now, a LOT! I had a blast. I am sore right now but that will pass. I want to take advantage of the sunny days we are having in case it comes up a lot of rainy days again. STAY AWAY RAIN! Anyway, I just thought I would share this nice experience and put new photos on:) Love, Tracy

Well today has been a productive day. I went and had my chest x-ray done and so far have heard nothing but I guess that is good, huh? Other than that, not much is going on here. Katia is still very tempermental and quick to have a temper problem. She still starts choking anytime she gets upset but for now I am dealing with it and just giving her water. Her lips looked a little pale today but other than that she looks okay. Sharayah said Katia's lips looked a little purple but when Katia came to me, she looked more like she was biting her lips. I will bring it all up at her appointment next Monday. I am not so much looking forward to Sharayah going to highschool. That means she won't be in uniform which brings us back to school clothes shopping. I enjoy uniforms. Tatiana can still wear hers from last year except she needs a few new shirts but Sharayah, I have to get her some pants and shirts because somehow she is just a blooming bud! She has grown in a month! Finances are terrible here but some how we manage. I am not complaining. I pray for health of Katia and he has granted us that thus far and for that I am so thankful. I still have my upcoming tests on the 16th and 17th of the month. Please pray for me. I need prayer for patience and good results or at least results I can deal with:) Love, Tracy

"Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why."

Well not much has gone on today. I added a new song above so have a listen. I really like reggae music so I thought I would throw in a classic reggae song:)
I have a new idea here. I want to put quotes each time I update. I think quotes are neat so they are going to just be at the bottom of whatever journal I update. They may or may not have any particular meaning to me and they may or may not have any particular meaning to you but...

Well that is all. We still haven't had a chance to go out and do our sparklers. Today was a nice day but Katia has been on the grumpy side and she keeps acting like her throat is bothering her, mainly when she gets upset, she starts choking and ask for water, speaking of which... We were eating dinner last night and right when I took a drink of water, Myron said something funny and I went to laugh and man oh man, I started choking for quite some time. I mean I caught my breath but I couldn't talk. Today my throat is still a little sore but I felt like my head and chest were going to just pop. That was scary for me, Myron and the kids. But I am okay now, thank you:)

Okay, so here goes the first of many quotes...

"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can not, you are going to be right."

Well I have one word for yesterday. RAIN!!! That is all it did from about 5:00 pm on till around 10pm. We heard a lot of people go out around 9:30 and start throwing off fire crackers anyway but Katia was already asleep. I had gotten them sparklers and those poppy things you throw down and they make a pop noise. She did about 5 of those during a break in the rain right after we ate dinner (hotdogs). Anyway, that is okay, we have today to do it. Who says you can only celebrate independence on July 4th? Not much else is new here. I am just waiting out the time till my appointments. Good news. One of my friend's Mom just found out she had a lump in her breast and yesterday they found out is was benign. Benign is in the air? Well that makes me feel more positive. Oh, on a sad note. ALL of our fish died overnight!!! They weren't even in the same tanks. One was my Beta fish which I just got him cause the last one died. The other 4 were fish we had for months in the larger tank. I don't know what happened. Well, time to either replace fish or put away tanks. My little Beta Fish was only here for about 2 weeks :(
Hope everyone had a good and safe 4th of July.
Love, Tracy

I can't believe it is already July! It seems like this year just began. I am trying to figure out what to do for the 4th of July. I don't like being around fireworks too much or too close. The noise just makes me too jumpy. I am thinking about a park during the day and then home at night with sparklers and such. Katia's rash is about the same. We think it may just be eczema or something. She is due to go in end of next week anyway so I am going to wait for that. I have been to my doctor appointment 2 times and both times the appointment was cancelled due to someone going into labor. The appointment is OBGYN. So I am going to try again tomorrow morning. So if you live in my area, please wait to go into labor until around noon. Thank you:) Aside from all of that, 4th of July always brings back a sad memory for me. I had a dog for 19 years and our last full day together was 4th of July 1995. He died the next day. I always think about that because that dog had become so close to me. I lived out in the middle of nowhere growing up but we had a LOT of lightening!!! It used to scare me to death. Well Skeezer, that was his name, would always come find me and stay right beside me. He always seemed to know when something was bothering me. He would always come meet me when I was walking from the bus stop to home, he would fetch balls, or he would just sit and be bored if I didn't want to play. He loved cats until Myron came along. Myron taught him about CHASING and BARKING at cats! Skeezer would do whatever it took to protect me and he was so great for that plus he was the most HOUSEBROKEN dog I have ever seen. NO ACCIDENTS even when he was left home for the day and overnight. He would just give you that unhappy look when you finally did come in and then go pee for 5 minutes. He was a first place winner many times in the Florida State Fair Dog Obedience Shows and Showmanship Shows. I always miss him. His picture is still on my fridge from the last time he was groomed. He was a Cock-a-Poo, black with a white stripe down the front of his neck and on each paw. In the last picture he is wearing a flag bandana. If dogs can be proud to be Americans, Skeezer was! Okay, I have rambled on and on but that is one thing I have never talked about on this site, my dear doggie. Katia never knew him but she knows all about him. She sees his picture and knows how special he was:) The little dog we have now, Scruffy (a Peek-a-Poo) was gotten for Skeezer since we thought he needed a friend but Skeezer died 3 years later. Scruffy is the opposite, not too smart, will have an accident in the house 2 minutes after coming inside, and well he really only cares about his safety and his belly being full:) I guess that is all we can expect. You can see Skeezers Picture in the Photo Album! Love, Tracy

I have been visiting a lot of sights today and reading updates and guestbooks but I really haven't been signing. I just wanted to put some prayer request on the list of sights I mentioned above. So many people are going through so much right now. We have had a pretty quiet day around here. Myron and I left for 2 hours and went to the movies. We saw Bruce Almighty (very funny!). When we came home, Sharayah, Tatiana, and Katia had made us "fresh fruit smoothies". Quite good I must say! I need to take Katia in to the clinic. She is having rashes around her eye and her knees and elbows. It just looks like rough dry skin in most of the areas but the eye is getting red and itching her. Nothing I do seems to clear it up so... I will probably take her in Tuesday. Monday I have an appointment. I thought this was "summer BREAK". Anyway, hopefully all is well and she just needs a different cream than I have been using. Aside from that, the weather here is being funny. It is perfectly sunny and then BAM, lightening, thunder and down comes the rain. I guess that is okay. The kids have gotten out a little bit each day while it is dry. Well, I just wanted to update the list of links and this journal so please visit the mentioned links and sign their guestbooks so they know you came by:) I am going to place the links here also for today. Love, Tracy
PS You can always find the links a little above the journals so you can keep checking back on these kids' progress.

I wasn't going to update the journal because not much is going on here but then I remember that is a good thing to not have much going on. It has been a semi-rainy day here. We had such a fun time the other night and yesterday we finally went throught the gifts given to us and Katia from the night before. The picture above is from the UFCW Region 3 Golf Tournament/ Auction fund raising event. This group gets together each year to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. They do a great job of organizing this event. Everyone there was just so nice and eager to help towards finding a cure. We were able to get up and speak at the event and although I got pretty tongue tied, Myron finished it off with a song:) So that was great. Everyone was really paying attention and so sweet and kind. Then they had a silent auction - where people walk around and write their bids down on gifts they want. Following that was a live auction, actual bids taking place. A lot of fun and great food. Sometimes when people would win a bid, they would bring the item over to us! That was shocking. I didn't expect that at all. I mean they are already donating to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society but then this too! There was an older gentleman there who has worked at raising money for Leukemia Research for years. Just this past March he started treatment after being diagnosed with Leukemia ALL himself. I met him and he said he was handling the chemo really well so far. I pray he does good and he can be blessed by the research he has helped finance. All in all it was just a night of a complete outpouring of compassion. Thank you. Love, Tracy

PICTURES FROM THE UFCW LEUKEMIA FIGHT FOR A CURE 2003 ABOVE! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WONDERFUL EVENING AND THE FUNDS YOU RAISED FOR THE LEUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMA SOCIETY. GOD BLESS EACH OF YOU:)

I just want to update really quick before I go to bed. We had a very nice day:) Katia's cousin, Jada, came to visit. She is a year younger than Katia. They had alot of fun and we were so happy to see her! Then tonight we had a speaking engagement at a fundraising event for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. That was a lot of fun! Katia was all over the place and she really likes meeting everyone. They had a golf tournament earlier in the day and tonight was a dinner and auction. People are just amazing. we got up and told a little bit of Katia's story and Myron sang a song, accapella ( I think I spelled that close enough). It's a Thank You song he wrote just for people like were there tonight. People were there just to raise money for research and funding. It is amazing. Everyone was so willing to donate by bidding on items. THEN, a lot of people would bring things they had just won in the auction and give them to Katia. She even got a BIKE tonight. She got a lot of gifts but she walked around all night with these 2 chickies that chirp when you press their bellies. Myron asked me what was my favorite part of tonight and that was it! The fact that people were so sincere and so thoughtful and unselfish. We listen to the news of all the bad things people do all the time. Why don't they play stories like that on the news? People helping others with no selfish motives, just pure kind hearts! I was so touched by all the generousity! Thank you! Although Katia was running around all night like the energizer bunny, she did fall asleep in the car on the way home:) so I am the only one awake and I am ready to call it a night too:)
I will post pictures tomorrow of today. I just wanted to update and go to bed!

Love, Tracy

PS I haven't gotten around to checking on everybody today but I will get around tomorrow. I pray everyone is doing okay and looking forward to a good weekend.
I hear Luke is moving along and doing well up at St. Jude. He is beginning treatments.
Luke's Site

Please also remember little Bella. She is going through her testing still. Bella's site

Please always pray for eachother:)
Love, Tracy

NEW PHOTOS ARE ADDED IN THE PHOTO ALBUM:)

Well today went well. I went to the doctor and I like her very much. I had never been to that facility before but they were very pleasant and I didn't have to wait to long. They have set up for me to return on July 16th for a day of tests. She listened very well to all of my many complaints and she was actually very attentive (hard to come by) and gave a few ideas of what the problem could be. She asked me about my family and I told her I have an extremely helpful family, kids and husband, that are really not the stresses in my life. She thought that was great so instead of calling me back and forth for a test here or test there, it will be done all on one day and then I will wear something for a while that tracks the heart or something.
Okay, aside from me! This evening went well. First we were expecting company so we made dinner and had the house all ready but they are delayed by a day. So we had a quiet evening around the house and I took Katia out on the porch and read to her after dinner and then went out on the NICE DRY SWINGS!!! No rain today!!!! It was so nice to get out there and let her play.
Then we came in and have been pretty lazy since. I promised the doctor I would take it easy and I do plan to:) I really don't slave around my house. My family is very very helpful. I may have to remind the kids to do something but they do whatever and usually with a good attitude or a "passing" attitude. I guess not many people enjoy sweeping, vacuming and cleaning like I do:)
Anyway, Katia and I sat here and put the globes on her site, the little animated globes. She picked them and she knows the basic walk through of how to put them on so if I start doing something else, she gets all upset (like read email). So they are on there and to her, they all have special stories behind them. I am raising a Web Designer. Well that is all for now.
I just wanted to catch up with all my dear friends and let you know how Katia is doing and the day at the doctors went. I appreciate so much the prayers. I can't say that enough:)
Love, Tracy

Please keep Isabella
in your prayers. She has Leukemia AML and is currently back in the hospital. Isabella is in the hospital due to her kidneys and B/P. She will be having a kidney biopsy on thurs or Fri. Please say an extra Prayer.

I am back from my appt. and I have a lot of tests to go run on July 16th. I will explain more later. They do feel there is something but they had to schedule for the tests or do an admit. Obviously it is better for me to schedule. I appreciate your prayers. I have just been tired and I am tired of being tired!

Well I think I see the sunshine peeking out this morning and I haven't heard ran for the last hour or so....
Could it be? A dry day? We will see.
Katia has already looked outside and is all happy right now. The yard squishes when you walk on it:)
I can't wait to hear what they have to say about our water levels NOW.
Katia has been a little on the whiney side the last few days so lets hope it is due to lack of leisure. She did go see NEMO yesterday and through most of it she did really well. In the end she just wanted to go to sleep but then so did me and Myron. At night when we sleep, we have one of those OCEAN machines, you know the ones that sound like rain falling or ocean waves. Well NEMO was having to many water sounds and I just was SO tired before we left. We came home, at dinner and were in bed around 8PM. All of us!
Tomorrow is the big appointment for me. The cardiologist. Maybe he can help explain why I feel so tired so much and maybe why my blood sugar levels are just staying low now.

On another note, yesterday I was looking up some scriptures about God's Promises in the Bible. Something just got me wanting to look. Do you have any Bible Verses that you really love and they have a lot of meaning to you? Let me know what they are and why they are so important or meaningful to you. Psalms 103:3 is a little confusing to me. Now, I am not one to question God but I am one to not understand some of the scriptures, a LOT of the scriptures. I know sometimes I may read them differently than what they were meant but here is Psalms 103:1-5

1. Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me,
Bless His holy name.
2. Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
3. Who pardons all your iniquities;
Who heals all your diseases;
4. Who redeems your life from the pit;
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5. Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

The part that caught my eye was in verse 3, "...heals all of your diseases..."

Anyway, I just thought I would bring that up and see if anybody had anything to add.

Remember to please pray for Luke. They had a very long day the other day if you visit his page. He was scheduled for an MRI that would let them know what radiation treatment to start on and when they got in the car to head over there, all of the sudden they heard CRUNCH! Luke had gotten hold of a pretzel, so... the MRI was postponed. That was Friday. I know they have some testing today and he is going to have pic line put in this morning. Hopefully they can get that MRI done and get Luke into his treatments.

Please also continue to pray for those families that have recently lost their children. This has to be so horrible for them and confusing. I don't know how that feels and I pray I never do but I know that they need our prayers.
Well, Ms. Katia wants to eat so I must go. She is so patient with me here at this computer. She ask so nicely, "Mommy, you know what I want? I would like some breakfast." Just so softly, I have to struggle to hear it! So let me go get her that oatmeal she ADORES! Love, Tracy

HIYA, I am of course surrounded by a rainy day again but we are getting used to this! Did you see the link right above here that says "click to hear a fun song"? Well I am gonna change those songs often so that should be kinda fun. They are just songs most people will know, nothing original.
Anyway, I haven't gone by and checked on everyone yet which is very unlike me but I have been staying pretty busy around here today just going through papers and filing a lot of stuff.
I pray everyone is doing great and that is what I am doing right when I am done here. I don't get around to a LOT of sights everyday but I try to visit most of the ones I keep up with at least once a week.
I really enjoy seeing the new pictures up and hearing about summer activities. Some of the links I have hear for others to visit, the children are doing really well, much better than expected. That is great!
Well, I should go. I want to visit some sites and then finish what I have been doing before I sat down and played around with the music on the page. Let me know what you think about it! Love, Tracy

Please remember to check on Luke D. Luke and his family have arrived at St. Jude Hospital and are beginning treatment. This is a tremendous little boy and his parents are just such a strong source for Luke.
Love, Tracy

Well today has been SO rainy here. It has been for the last few days. Katia wants to go outside but she just can't. Poor little thing. Anyway, tonight we are going to the Children's Cancer Center. It will be our first time going there so we will meet people we have only known online. Yesterday, the Florida Blood Services Grand Opening was on the news so that was nice. We did an interview for the spanish channel but there was quite a bit of coverage from other channels. We got to see some of the people we had met earlier from other interviews we had done. The little 4 year old boy was so adorable! I hope we can stay in touch with his parents and keep up on how he is doing. His name is Shae (I don't really know how to spell it). Anyway, it is nice to see these types of success stories. The parents were just so grateful to the donor and the donor was just so happy to have participated in saving Shae's life:) It was just all around a great event!

Please remember to check on Luke D.They went to Tennessee on Monday to find out about his plan of treatment after finding out his brain tumor has come back. Continue to pray for the families of Angel Anthony, Angel Jalen, Angel Colby and Angel Akaida. Please also continue to pray for Brittany Zipter as she continues to try to gain strength and enjoy summer. She has been through so many treatments over the past months.

Well today has been along day but a GOOD day:) First we went to the Florida Blood Services Grand Opening of their new building and it was so nice. We met a family who's son had AML and received a Bone Marrow Transplant over a year ago and is doing great! He was 4 now. He also met his donor for the first time today and it was so nice to see the donor be able to meet the recipient. Tears were shed but it was so nice. That was this morning.
This afternoon, we had Tatiana's doctor appointment (we just got home) and all the results are clear. He just wants her using the bathroom more often and see if that avoids her getting the pain. Since she was on the antibiotic for 30 days, she hasn't been having pain so she is off the antibiotic. So I pray things just stay good and it was something minor that has cleared up. I saw the scans and her bladder and kidneys look good. He said her WHOLE colon was full that she needs to make sure she empties that once a day. So I am feeling much less stress right now. Myron had his appointment, Tatiana had hers and mine is next week. I have two, cardiologist and gyno so after that our summer should be more relaxed:)
Thank you for all of your prayers. Katia just woke up from a nap and is trying to climb on me so I have to go:) Love, Tracy

Please remember to check on Luke D.They went to Tennessee on Monday to find out about his plan of treatment after finding out his brain tumor has come back. Continue to pray for the families of Angel Anthony, Angel Jalen, Angel Colby and Angel Akaida. Please also continue to pray for Brittany Zipter as she continues to try to gain strength and enjoy summer. She has been through so many treatments over the past months.

UPDATE: JUNE 16, 2003 1:30 PM
PLEASE KEEP TATIANA IN YOUR PRAYERS TODAY. SHE HAS HER TESTS AT THE HOSPITAL AT 3PM AND THEN WE FIND OUT RESULTS ON WEDNESDAY. I AM JUST PRAYING THAT SHE DOES WELL THROUGH THE TESTS AND CAN RELAX. TATI HATES DOCTORS AND HOSPITALS (WHEN IT IS FOR HER) SO SHE USUALLY FREAKS OUT PRETTY BAD. I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH THE RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENT AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD WORK WITH HER AND TALK HER THROUGH THE ALL THING. ALL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL HAS ALWAYS WORKED VERY WELL WITH KATIA SO I FEEL CONFIDENT WITH GOING THERE. THE TEST IS A VCU. THEY USE A CATHETAR TO SEE INSIDE THE BLADDER AND A TYPE OF CONTRAST TO WATCH THE BLADDER FILL UP AND EMPTY. LOVE, TRACY
Update @5:30PM: We are back and the tests all went well, Tatiana did very well. We should get the results back late Wednesday afternoon:)
Today was bittersweet. Myron had a nice day, most which was spent at work, but we are always grateful his job is there. I know jobs are being taken away from some of our Caringbridge Families. Of course in today's day and age, no job seems to be stable! I just couldn't help but to think about all the people that I know (and don't know) that lost children recently and since last father's day. How much can actually change in a year is so scary. This time last year we were in the hospital, going through treatment for a horrible bacteria Katia got following one of her chemo treatments. I just am so grateful things have been going so well for her and she is just so happy and healthy. Today, that made Myron very happy. Last Father's Day was spent at the hospital on 2SW in room 264. I remember it very well. My dad was in town and we had a meeting at the hospital with everyone, Myron's Mom, Myron, my dad, me and Katia, Sharayah and Tatiana. We were just glad to be able to be together. A little boy had just passed away a few days or maybe a week before. That was the first death I witnessed after Katia's diagnosis. It is just amazing how all of this has changed my life. My whole train of thought is different now. I feel like I stay pretty somber through my days and that may not be fair to everyone around me. I just really don't feel much like goofing around anymore or acting stupid. (I was really good at acting stupid and goofing around before) Well, I have Myron sitting here playing his piano and singing, Katia is running around very happy in a pretty little red, white, and blue dress and Sharayah and Tatiana are cleaning up the dinner dishes. Seems like a scene from a Disney Movie but there is just so much below the surface. I just pray things will begin to feel more "normal" and I can enjoy things again VERY SOON. I pray that prayer for all of you who feel tied up in worry or have just lost a dear family member either by cancer, some other disease, or even old age. I pray for people going through seperations, job losses, auto accidents, just everything. I have learned that when I think I have problems, someone else has more. I like the song Myron is singing right now, it is about WORRY BEING LIKE RAIN, AND IT JUST FALLS ON YOU BUT YOU HAVE TO LEARN THAT THE SUN WILL SHINE AGAIN SOMEDAY BUT FOR NOW, JUST LET IT RAIN.
I like that song, I gotta go:)
Love, Tracy

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads of those
here or in Heaven...
I found some poems
I thought would be special for today:)

DADDY, I LOVE YOU

Daddy, I love you

For all that you do.

I'll kiss you and hug you

'Cause you love me, too.

You feed me and need me

To teach you to play,

So smile 'cause I love you

On this Father's Day.

�

A LITTLE GIRL NEEDS DADDY

A little girl needs Daddy

For many, many things:

Like holding her high off the ground

Where the sunlight sings!

Like being the deep music

That tells her all is right

When she awakens frantic with

The terrors of the night.

Like being the great mountain

That rises in her heart

And shows her how she might get home

When all else falls apart.

Like giving her the love

That is her sea and air,

So diving deep or soaring high

She'll always find him there.

MY DAD IS A SURVIVOR

My dad is a survivor too...

which is no surprise to me.

He's always been like a lighthouse

that helps you cross a stormy sea.

But, I walk with my dad each day

to lift him when he's down.

I wipe the tears he hides from others.

He cries when no one's around.

I watch him sit up late at night,

with my picture in his hand.

He cries as he tries to grieve alone,

and wishes he could understand.

My dad is like a tower of strength.

He's the greatest of them all~!

But there's times when he needs to cry...

Please be there when he falls.

Hold his hand or pat his shoulder...

and tell him it's okay.

Be his strength when he's sad,

Help him mourn in his own way.

Now, as I watch over my precious dad

from the Heaven's up above...

I'm so proud that he's a survivor...

And, I can still feel his love~!

Written by Kaye Des'Ormeaux

MEN DO CRY

I heard quite often "men don't cry"

Though no one ever told me why

So when I fell and skinned a knee

No one came to comfort me.

And when some bully boy at school

Would pull a prank so mean and cruel

I'd quickly learn to turn and quip,

"It doesn't hurt", and bite my lip.

So as I grew to reasoned years

I learned to stifle any tears.

Though "be a big boy" it began,

Quite soon I learned to "be a man".

And I could play that stoic role

While storm and tempest wracked my soul

No pain or setback could there be

Could wrest one single tear from me.

Then one long night I stood nearby

And helplessly watched my son die,

And quickly found to my surprise

That all that tearless talk was lies.

And still I cry and have no shame

I cannot play that "big boy" game,

And openly without remorse

I let my sorrow take it's course.

So those of you who can't abide

A man you've seen whose often cried,

Reach out to him with all your heart

As one whose life's been torn apart.

For men do cry when they can see

Their loss of immorality.

And tears will come in endless streams

When mindless fate destroys their dreams.

--Ken Faulk

~A GRIEVING FATHER'S PRAYER~

Dear Lord,

This pain is much too hard to bare, once again I�m kneeling by my chair.

You know grief�s heartache and pain, you see my tears that fall like
rain.

You know this has brought me to my knees, help me Lord, I�m begging,
please.

This world has no meaning since that awful day, I had to stand by while you

led my son away. I know Heaven is our home and glory is so grand...

But, I can�t help my family when I can�t even stand.

Everyone expects more from me because I am, The Dad.

They don�t understand he was the best friend I ever had.

Lord, I�ll never understand why our children have to die, but would

help others know when this happens....even strong men cry.

~EVEN STRONG MEN CRY~

You think because he�s a man he shouldn�t
feel the pain,

of having his heart broken and tears that fall like rain.

Men you say are stronger and never show their fears,

they don�t let life destroy them, a fortress through the years.

Let me tell you of a battle waged daily on this dad,

leaving his heart in shreds with no happiness to be had.

Death came to call and took his loving son,

it left his heart broken, his world undone.

This battle has him crying and crawling on his knees,

if you listen you can hear him begging, "Why God, please?"

He sees what it has done to his children and his wife,

as they live daily with grief�s never ending strife.

Now his closest friend, his son, lives beyond the sky,

and when death comes to take your child..... even strong men cry.

~Charlene Dickerson~ �2001

WHAT IS A FATHER?

A father is a person who is forced to endure
childbirth without an anesthetic. He growls when he feels good and laughs
very loud when he is scared half-to-death. A father never feels entirely worthy
of the worship in a child's eyes. He is never quite the hero his daughter
thinks . . .Never quite the man his son believes him to be. And this worries
him sometimes. (So he works too hard to try to smooth the rough places in
the road of those of his own who will follow him.)

A father is a person who goes to war sometimes
. . .and would run the other way except that war is part of his only important
job in his life, (which is making the world better for his child than it has
been for him.)

Fathers grow older faster than people, because
they, in other wars, have to stand at the train station and wave goodbye to
the uniform that climbs onboard. And, while mothers cry where it shows, fathers
stand and beam . . .outside . . . and die inside.

Fathers are men who give daughters away to other
men, who aren't nearly good enough, so that they can have children that are
smarter than anybody's. Fathers fight dragons almost daily. They hurry away
from the breakfast table, off to the arena which is sometimes called an office
or a workshop. There, with callused hands, they tackle the dragon with three
heads; Weariness, Works, and Monotony. And they never quite win the fight,
but they never give up.

Knights in shining armor; fathers in shiny trousers:
There's little difference as they march away each workday. I don't know where
father goes when he dies, but I've an idea that, after a good rest, wherever
it is, he won't just sit on a cloud and wait for the girl he's loved and the
children she bore. He'll be busy there too . . .repairing the stars, oiling
the gates, improving the streets, smoothing the way.

~Author Unknown

What Makes A Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,

The majesty of a tree,

The warmth of a summer sun,

The calm of a quiet sea,

The generous soul of nature,

The comforting arm of night,

The wisdom of the ages,

The power of the eagle's flight,

The joy of a morning in spring,

The faith of a mustard seed,

The patience of eternity,

The depth of a family need,

Then God combined these qualities,

When there was nothing more to add,

He knew His masterpiece was complete,

And so, He called it ... Dad

Author unknown

The Little Chap Who Follows Me

A careful man I ought to be,

A little fellow follows me,

I do not dare to go astray

For fear he'll go the selfsame way.

I cannot once escape his eyes,

Whate'er he sees me do, he tries;

Like me, he says, he's going to be,

The little chap who follows me.

He thinks that I am good and fine,

Believes in every word of mine

The base in me he must not see,

The little chap who follows me.

I must remember as I go,

Through summer's fun and winter's snow,

In building for the years to be

The little chap who follows me!

Please Daddy, Let's Go

A little girl with shining eyes,

Her upturned face aglow,

Said, "Daddy, it's almost time

For Sunday School, you know;

Let's go and hear of Jesus' love

Of how He died for all,

To take them to His home above

Who on His name will call."

"Oh no," said Daddy, "Not to-day;

I've worked hard all the week;

And I must have one day of rest,

And fishing's find they say;

So run along, don't bother me,

We'll go ANOTHER day."

Months and years have passed away,

But Daddy hears that plea no more--

"Let's go to Sunday School..."

Those childish days are o'er.

And now that Daddy's growing old,

And life is almost through,

He finds some time to go to church,

BUT, what does daughter do?

She says, "Oh, daddy, not to-day.

Was out almost all night;

I've got to get a little sleep:

Besides, I look a fright."

Then daddy lifts a trembling hand

To brush away the tears;

Again he hears that pleading voice,

Distinctly through the years,

He sees a small girl's upturned face,

Upturned with eyes aglow,

Saying, "It's time for Sunday School.

Please, daddy, won't you go?"

~~Author Unknown

�

DAD SAYS...

Don't ask me, ask your mother.

Were you raised in a barn? Close the door.

You didn't beat me. I let you win.

Big boys don't cry.

Don't worry. It's only blood.

Don't you know any normal boys?

Now you listen to ME, Buster!

I'll play catch after I read the paper.

Coffee will stunt your growth.

A little dirt never hurt anyone--just wipe it
off..

Get your elbows off the table.

I told you, keep your eye on the ball.

Who said life was supposed to be fair?

The fair's in October.

Always say please and thank you.

That way, you get more.

If you forget,

you'll be grounded till the end of the world.

You call that a haircut?

"Hey" is for horses.

This will hurt me a lot more than it hurts you.

Turn off those lights.

Do you think I am made of money?

Don't give me any of your lip, young lady.

You call that noise "music"?

We're not lost.

I'm just not sure where we are.

No, we're not there yet.

Shake it off. It's only pain.

When I was your age ,

I treated MY father with respect.

As long as you live under my roof,

you'll live by my rules.

I'll tell you why. Because I said so. That's
why.

Do what I say, not what I do.

Sit up straight, knucklehead!

So you think you're smart, do you?

What's so funny? Wipe that smile off your face.

Young ladies perspire, they do not sweat.

If I've told you once,

I've told you a thousand times

You want something to do?

I'll give you something to do.

You should visit more often.

Your mother worries.

This is your last warning.

.

I'm not sleeping, I was watching that channel.

What keeps those jeans of yours from falling
off?

I'm not just talking to hear my own voice!

A little pain never hurt anybody.

I knew how to cook

when I was your age, young lady!

Don't take yourself so seriously,

take what you do seriously!

Laugh at yourself first,

you'll take the bite out of others doing so for you.

You're always a winner if you lose with a smile.

Go tell your mother she wants you.

Any fights, I win!

That's the best way I know to put out an eye!

You could drive a wooden man nuts!

In MY day......

Eat it! It will grow hair on your chest!

Don't forget to check your oil.

Four things come not back:

time past, the spoken word,

the sped arrow and a missed opportunity.

You can want in one hand and spit in the other

and see which one fills up first.

If your friend jumped off a bridge would you?

If I didn't love you so much I wouldn't punish
you...

I would let you do whatever you wanted.

Stop crying or I'll give you a reason to cry.

You have things so easy!

When I was your age

I had to walk to school in 10 feet of snow

up hill both ways!

You're only young once.

You're gonna like it, whether you like it or
not!

The early bird gets the worm. Rise and shine!

Don't take any wooden nickels!

Life is a journey

and you've just reached

one of many speed bumps to come.

Don't look at me in that tone of voice!

How many times

do I have to pound that into your head?

I'm not lost, it's just over the next hill!

If you want to do something,

do it because you want to.

Don't do it because someone else did.

As long as you tried your hardest,

that's all that matters.

What do you think this is, your birthday?

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts

then we'd all have a merry Christmas.

Don't believe anything you hear

and only half of what you see.

What do you think I am, a bank?

What part of NO don't you understand?

I don't care what other people are doing!

I'm not everybody elses father!

You're not leaving my house dressed like that!

What will other parents think?

Could those sleeves be any longer?

You look like a bag lady!

Headache remedy:

Put your head through the window

and the pain will be gone.

Worrying about things you can't change

is like a rocking chair...

it gives you something to do,

but it doesn't get you anywhere.

Hurt much? I didn't feel a thing.

I feel for you, but I can't reach you from here.

If you're gonna be dumb, you've gotta be tough.

Didn't your teacher learn you anything?!

You can marry a rich guy just as easily

as you can a poor guy.

It's hard to be good, and easy to be bad.

If you're going to steal a car,

at least make it a Cadillac

(but don't call me asking for bail.)

I got my tongue wrapped around my eye-tooth

and couldn't see what I was saying.

Men are like buses.

Just wait on the corner

and another one will come along.

Don't tell on anybody

unless you tell on yourself first.

Hey, did you hear me talking to you?

. I'm not watching television. I'm resting my
eyes.

Don't use that tone with me!

Am I talking to a brick wall?

If I catch you doing that one more time, I'll...

Act your age.

Two wrongs do not make a right.

Wipe your feet!

Enough is enough!

Don't make me stop the car!

What did I just get finished telling you?

You know you're always

gonna to be Daddy's little girl...

I found all of this around the Internet but I
wanted to bring them to one place for you DADS on Father's Day.

God Bless You on this day:)

Katia is running around here and pretty well tearing this house apart today. I am not sure why she is so hyper but that is a welcome thing here. I am feeling quite a bit better today, I wasn't a few hours ago but now I am. We had a nice chat this morning with some new people we met. I would like to take the chance to introduce this new group. They are "Code Blue" and they want to visit children via their website, mail cards, send emails, etc. They want to help bring smiles to childrens' faces. I chatted with them this morning and Katia sat there and listened to them! She really enjoyed it! Thank you folks from Code Blue. You guys are something else! Anyway, you can drop by and visit their site. It is new. Code Blue Site
Aside from that. I have been doing a lot of thinking. I mean these last few weeks have just been very very bad! I get very (I don't want to say depressed) but maybe overwhelmed by so many children losing their lives. I really don't even keep up with how many adults lose their lives to these diseases. I mean as well as children, plenty of mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers just are fighting a battle no one should have to fight.
Through this I have made so many friends but I just wish they weren't there to be friends. I don't mean that in a bad way but I mean I wish they weren't, you weren't, going through a circumstance that brought you here.
It is just an ongoing sea of information and hard times and we are always seeking answers and treatments and just looking for a solution!
What happened to the days of having people over for BBQs and just talking about stupid stuff! A ball game? Bad grades on our kids's report cards (well maybe I wouldn't want that either).
Is there anyone out there living that life that we refer to as "normal"? Maybe everyone has big things but we voice ours more. I don't know. I mean they are TV talk shows centered around people's abnormal lives so maybe everything is "abnormal". You know?
I am going to really try to focus on a smaller part of life. The here and now. I want to not think ahead to the "what if" and all that. I want to focus on here and now. I want to enjoy this summer, this week, TODAY!
I can appreciate the fact that we are home, unlike last summer. Right now a dear friend of ours, Luke, is facing going back into treatment for a brain tumor. Things are really going full speed for this family and they really need your prayers! Strong prayers. Prayers for healing and for rest and for travel mercies. Prayers the doctors can think clearly and the parents can make the right decisions. Prayers that Little Luke can handle the fact he has to go back into treatments. Please visit their website. This little boy has been remarkable. I have never met them but I feel like I have known them a VERY long time:)
Luke's Site

Well it looks like we are about to have another Florida Storm today so I better close and turn off my computer. Yesterday it just lightened and hailed and POURED down rain. We thought a tornado might just pop up. We all get in our bedroom, had on our shoes and socks (and clothes) and were just watching the news. I HATE LIGHTENING!!! I am very afraid of it and try to stay clear from it.

Please pray for all of our friends and families and always just ask God that each of us can find happy moments where I minds can wonder off of daily troubles and worries. Pray for smiles and laughter:) :) :) :)

Katia says hello to all of you:)

Love, Tracy

Please pray for our friends listed below. Take a chance to visit their site and leave encouraging words in their guestbooks. Thank you:)

Jalen(Earned his Angel Wings June 3, 2003 We will miss you so so much)
Chassidy(Just received BMT. Day 20 and things are finally looking up)
Colby (Earned his Angel wings June 12, 2003)
Connor (Recovering good from his surgery)
Anthony(Earned his Angel Wings June 2, 2003)
Brittany(Battles with this cancer EVERYDAY!)
Hannah and Madeline (Twins fighting Leukemia)
Christina (Katia's 10 year old hospital friend with AML)
Cassie in Europe (Myalgic Encephlopathy, M.E.)
Luke D. (His brain tumor has come back)
Taylor Johnson(Neuroblastoma)

Aizee(Leukemia ALL-Please go by to say hello in their guestbook)

Thursday, June 12, 2003 4:47 PM CDT

As most of you know by now, we lost another beautiful boy today to cancer. Colby, I learned earlier, has passed away. Colby was another one of these that had just fought so hard. I knew he was getting sicker but I really didn't expect to get that news today. I guess we never really expect it though. I walked outside after I read their update and just scanned around for a butterfly. Somehow seeing one really makes me feel better. Instead of a butterfly at first, I saw a Dragon Fly. For those of you who don't know that story, here goes.

The Dragonfly Story
Down below the surface of a quiet pond lived a little colony of water bugs. They were a happy colony, living far away from the sun. For many months they were very busy, scurrying over the soft mud on the bottom of the pond. They did notice that every once in awhile one of their colony seemed to lose interest in going about. Clinging to the stem of a pond lily it gradually moved out of sight and was seen no more.
"Look!" said one of the water bugs to another. "one of our colony is climbing up the lily stalk. Where do you think she is going?" Up, up, up it slowly went....Even as they watched, the water bug disappeared from sight. Its friends waited and waited but it didn't return...
"That's funny!" said one water bug to another. "Wasn't she happy here?" asked a second... "Where do you suppose she went?" wondered a third.
No one had an answer. They were greatly puzzled. Finally one of the water bugs, a leader in the colony, gathered its friends together. "I have an idea". "The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk must promise to come back and tell us where he or she went and why."
"We promise", they said solemnly.
One spring day, not long after, the very water bug who had suggested the plan found himself climbing up the lily stalk. Up, up, up, he went. Before he knew what was happening, he had broke through the surface of the water and fallen onto the broad, green lily pad above.
When he awoke, he looked about with surprise. He couldn't believe what he saw. A startling change had come to his old body. His movement revealed four silver wings and a long tail. Even as he struggled, he felt an impulse to move his wings...The warmth of the sun soon dried the moisture from the new body. He moved his wings again and suddenly found himself up above the water. He had become a dragonfly!!
Swooping and dipping in great curves, he flew through the air. He felt exhilarated in the new atmosphere. By and by the new dragonfly lighted happily on a lily pad to rest. Then it was that he chanced to look below to the bottom of the pond. Why, he was right above his old friends, the water bugs! There they were scurrying around, just as he had been doing some time before.
The dragonfly remembered the promise: "the next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk will come back and tell where he or she went and why." Without thinking, the dragonfly darted down. Suddenly he hit the surface of the water and bounced away. Now that he was a dragonfly, he could no longer go into the water...
"I can't return!" he said in dismay. "At least, I tried. But I can't keep my promise. Even if I could go back, not one of the water bugs would know me in my new body. I guess I'll just have to wait until they become dragonflies too. Then they'll understand what has happened to me, and where I went."
And the dragonfly winged off happily into its wonderful new world of sun and air.......
Thank you God, for the story of the water bugs and the dragonflies.

Over the past few hours I have done a lot of thinking and praying and even a lot of questioning. I look at Katia and she looks healthier than most "healthy" kids so why can't I enjoy that and relax? I constantly have the fear of a relapse. I know that worrying is nothing that is helfpul but as a human and a MOM, I just do worry. Myron did have his appointment today and they put him on a fiber therapy each day and want to see him again if it worsens. It has been a little better for the past week or so since his trip so maybe this will help but if it worsens, he just needs to call and they will do something similar to a colonoscopy so he is feeling better and so am I about that. Myron HAS to be healthy and he says the same thing about me. I HAVE been feeling better but I have also been completely limiting my activity and I can't continue to do that, of course but I am until my appointment. I think a lot IS probably due to stress but stress is part of my life so I have to be able to work around it. Only God's grace has gotten me this far and He will continue to bless me with ongoing endurance as I need it but for now, I am relaxing quite a bit and trying to enjoy the summer. Myron and I are going to try getting away a little more often for a bite to eat or something. I always enjoy being able to do that. We enjoy being able to get our minds off of things for a bit and just be ourselves. We used to go dancing but we don't do that anymore. I like to dance but I just don't feel THAT energized!!! I can't believe how much I used to like to get out and stay out late when we were younger. I wish I could take a lot of that time back and sleep now! Anyway, Tatiana seems to be improving but her appointment still stands for the 16th, next week. Please pray for her as she gets SOOOOOO nervous!! Well, I need to get off of this computer. I have set myself a certain time limit and I am beyond that! Yes, I am a very disciplined person:)

PS By the way, I did finally see a beautiful white butterfly. I had gone out by the swingset and it was at the top of the slide just sitting there. I have never seen one so white before and I almost didn't see it there but it was opening and closing it wings slowly so I noticed it:) Fly free, Colby:)

Please pray for our friends listed below. Take a chance to visit their site and leave encouraging words in their guestbooks. Thank you:)

Jalen(Earned his Angel Wings June 3, 2003 We will miss you so so much)
Chassidy(Just received BMT. Day 20 and things are finally looking up)
Colby (Earned his Angel wings June 12, 2003)
Connor (Recovering good from his surgery)
Anthony(Earned his Angel Wings June 2, 2003)
Brittany(Battles with this cancer EVERYDAY!)
Hannah and Madeline (Twins fighting Leukemia)
Christina (Katia's 10 year old hospital friend with AML)
Cassie in Europe (Myalgic Encephlopathy, M.E.)
Luke D. (His brain tumor has come back)
Taylor Johnson(Neuroblastoma)
Aizee(Leukemia ALL-Please go by to say hello in their guestbook)

Tuesday, June 10, 2003 3:40 AM CDT
UPDATE: I JUST LEARNED THAT COLBY JAMES EARNED HIS ANGEL WINGS TODAY. PLEASE VISIT THEIR SITE FROM THE LINK BELOW. GOD BLESS COLBY'S PARENTS AND FAMILY DURING THIS TIME.

As you can see I am up and I just wanted to update this sight and tell you guys thank you for your prayers. You know unlike when a candidate running for office makes his empty promises, when people pray for me, I feel it. I really do. So many things lately have just not been going right. I mean there have been some people I have grown close to lose their little children or babies or just not be able to continue fighting as hard as they have been anymore. That is just breaking my heart. Since I found out Jalen had been sent home on Hospice, I just felt like a blur of life going around me. I was just really really feeling low. I have an appointment to FINALLY go to the Cardiologist which I have been putting off. It will be my first appointment with them so they don't know me and about my life. I am going to tell them basically that things have just been going all wrong lately. Maybe my problems stem around stress. I hope so. Myron wanted me to take a break from a lot of the Caringbridge sites. He says I get very emotionally involved. I have learned through all of this that emotions are a good thing to have. I was watching "A Walk To Remember" (bad choice of movies I know) and the whole story is not something so bad but of a girl that has really found peace and happiness. I get more out of watching movies like that then I do out of comedies right now or any of the violent movies. The same thing with visiting these Caringbridge Sites. I feel like I am able to learn and grow from them. I read about so many strong people fighting one of the hardest fights ever and yet they just do it. The other day, I was at the store and this boy, maybe 9 years old - close to Tatiana's age- was just complaining and complaining cause he wanted to go to a movie and since they had to wait for a prescription, he missed his precious movie. I mean this kid was being so mean to his mother like she had just taken his life away! I just wanted to drag him to the hospital and let him witness kids living through hell and not even complaining about it. Well, I have babbled enough. I just want everyone that comes by here to know to please continue to visit the Caringbridge sites I have mentioned and let me know of any I may not know about. These sites are just ALL filled with amazing stories of awesome children and families and I feel better for having known them:)
Thank you.
Love, Tracy

Please remember to go by and visit our other friends and family. Each of them are so special. Some have recently earned their Angel wings but their parents would love to hear from you. Some have either relapsed or are really struggling and others are just sites that I wanted to mention. But ALWAYS pray for our Caringbridge Families and especially for the families that need this type of support and haven't found a place to get support.
Jalen(Earned his Angel Wings June 3, 2003 We will miss you so so much)
Chassidy(Just received BMT. Day 20 and things are finally looking up)
Colby (Earned his Angel Wings June 12, 2003)
Connor (Recovering good from his surgery)
Anthony(Earned his Angel Wings June 2, 2003)
Brittany(Battles with this cancer EVERYDAY!)
Hannah and Madeline (Twins fighting Leukemia)
Christina (Katia's 10 year old hospital friend with AML)
Cassie in Europe (Myalgic Encephlopathy, M.E.)
Luke D. (His brain tumor has come back)
Taylor Johnson(Neuroblastoma)
Aizee(Leukemia ALL-Please go by to say hello in their guestbook)

Monday, June 9, 2003 9:06 AM CDT
I feel better today, not great but better. I am not planning to spend a whole lot of time around this computer, I am gonna rest today. Even when I am not on the computer, I keep my Caringbridge Families and my friends and family in my prayers. Katia is here climbing all over me which is why I am not going to sit here cause if I lay down, she doesn't climb on me but she will come lay down next to me:) She is doing GREAT and since I haven't gotten any calls from her doctors, I assume that all of the tests she had done last Thursday are in the clear!!!! I am so happy about that. We can have a good summer and not have to worry. Love, Tracy

Sunday, June 8, 2003 5:41 PM CDT
I don't mean to worry anybody, I just don't feel too great, a little shortness of breath but I will be okay:) Love, Tracy

Saturday, June 7, 2003 11:07 AM CDT
Well another week has gone by and we are into the weekend. Already it is raining here which is nice. As you can see I have added on a little shop for Katia. I am trying to figure out a way to add to our income and what better way than to raise Cancer Awareness. If anyone has any ideas of other items, please let me know. I LOVE to design things and I am sure I will stay very busy working on projects to add to this selection. I am only going to leave the pictures of the items there for a while and then it will just be a banner to the shop. This has been such a hard week with losing 2 small children that I have grown to love not just the child but the families. The families that fight cancer are very different from other families. People ask how do I go through all of this and all I can say is, "With the grace of God." God does give me extra strength to deal with the hard times and the roller coaster ride of having a child with cancer. I have on all my emails the quote, "If God leads you to it, He'll get you through it." I firmly believe in that. We may not see that to begin with but if we truly search our hearts, we can feel that. We may not agree with what we are going through, hardly ever do we agree with any hard times. All I can say is lately, the playground in Heaven is being blessed with some awesome children and someday when I get to Heaven, I want to personally meet each of them and tell them what wonders they have done in my life and many others I am sure. I look at Katia and see how much of a burden she carries on her shoulders and then I look at the innocence in her eyes and the strength in her heart. She is truly amazing to me. She never complains even when she knows something is going to happen to her that will hurt her. She just somehow seems to know it can't be helped. I pray for Katia everyday that God will heal her and make her a miracle. Thank you for visiting us and keeping up with little Katia. I pray she will somehow reach your heart and change you in a great way. So many people we have met throughout this journey are so super and it is so obvious this world is full of good people. I wish the news would focus more on the good in this world than the bad because as bad as things seem, there is more good people in the world than bad. Love, Tracy

Friday, June 6, 2003 10:00 AM CDT
Well today I feel better. The last few days I was really feeling super down. So many things have been going on and it was just ver overwhelming to me. I have gone night after night with no sleep. I got sleep last night. Katia's appointment went well yesterday and all of her preliminary results look well. I will hear or not hear about the others in the next few days. I figure when I have to call them for the results, all is well so...
Katia had a hard time at the clinic. She is just getting so much bigger and stronger and harder to hold down for these spinals and aspirations. I miss the days when she did have a broviac and could have something to tire her before we tried to do anything. We still had to hold her down but either I was younger and stronger or she is really getting tough!!
We are so happy to have Myron home! I missed him so much. Last week was such a long week in so many ways and he is my soulmate so I really need him around to talk to.
We really need some relaxing time, Myron and I, just to go out and talk over a meal or something but time (and finances) don't always allow that. Katia is tickled pink to have her daddy back.
His film is being developed and we will get it back Monday so I should have some pics to show everyone by Wednesday at least.
I want to thank everyone who has come by here to always check on us. I can't say thank you enough!!! I want as many people as possible to our little Katia and what she endures and that she is winning this battle! There needs to be HOPE in all of this and Katia gives me hope!
Well, I better run. I need to check on my Caringbridge Families now that my head is clearer. I feel I am so behind.
Last night was Jalen's viewing and today is his funeral. My heart is with Jeanette and Dale as they have to say goodbye to that sweet little boy. To me, there is no way to console people. I know that as Christians we will all meet again in heaven and that is comforting but I really want time here on earth as I am sure any parent that has lost their child would agree. You just want to hold them, squeeze them and fill them with kisses and love!
Love, Tracy and Katia

PS Let me add on about Myron and Tatiana's health right now. Tatiana is pain free but is still scheduled to have her tests at ACH on the 16th of June. Myron is scheduled for his doctor's appt. on June 12. His symptoms remain the same so I am really looking forward to his doctor visit and hopefully this doctor will get a colonscopy or something similar scheduled right away. I hope to get all our answers on Myron, Tatiana, and Katia done by the end of June so we can have an enjoyable summer. This stuff keeps me very anxious and stressed out. This is my little family and I hate when one of them is sick. Thank goodness Sharayah always remains in good health!! She had asthma when she was younger but really isn't bothered by that much now. I remember when I just thought that was so horrible but NOW she is so healthy and such a big help to me through all of this other stuff. Tatiana is always the frail one and when she gets sick, she gets REALLY sick. Myron is the one that will procrastinate and put off going to the doctor but now he is eager to find out what the problem/solution is so he can feel better. SO please pray for our whole family that June will bring a lot of answers and no bad news:)

Wednesday, June 4, 2003 2:25 PM CDT
UPDATE: KATIA HAD HER TESTS DONE THIS MORNING AND ALL OF THE PRELIMARIES LOOK GOOD. I SHOULD KNOW THE REST IN A COUPLE TO FEW DAYS. SHE HAD A HARD TIME TODAY WITH THE TESTS. SHE IS GETTING TOO STRONG TO HOLD DOWN AND SHE WAS MOVING A LOT WHICH WAS MAKING IT HARDER TO DO THE ASPIRATION. HER FACE IS ALL BRUISED AND FILLED WITH PETICAE CAUSE OF HER SCREAMING BUT SHE IS DONE NOW FOR THE SUMMER!!! LOVE, TRACY

PLEASE REMEMBER KATIA IN YOUR PRAYERS (AND US) AS SHE GOES FOR HER BONE MARROW ASPIRATE AND SPINAL. PRAY THAT ALL IS CLEAR. OF COURSE WE ARE NERVOUS MAINLY BECAUSE OF EVERYTHING GOING ON IN THE LAST 2 DAYS LOSING ANTHONY AND JALEN, BOTH OF WHICH HAD LEUKEMIA AML, LIKE KATIA. KATIA HAS BEEN DOING WELL (EATING AROUND THE CLOCK) AND HER DADDY COMES IN TONIGHT SO THAT BRINGS US A LOT OF HAPPINESS. I WILL POST PICTURES OF HIS TRIP ON ANOTHER SITE AND PUT A LINK ON HERE TO VIEW THEM. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS FOR HIS SAFETY WHILE HE HAS BEEN GONE. DIANE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PREPAID CALLING CARDS!!! THEY REALLY CAME IN HANDY AND ARE MUCH APPRECIATED. PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR CARINGBRIDGE FAMILY WILL BE SAFE AND THAT A CURE CAN BE FOUND FOR THESE DEADLY DISEASES. LOVE, TRACY

I have just learned that Little Jalen has earned his Angel Wings at 3:08PM today, June 3, 2003. I can't believe this happened. My heart goes out to his parents and all of his family.
Jalen was such a sweet little baby who fought very hard till the end.
I spoke to Jeanette on the phone and although this happened close to 5 hours ago, they are still really not believing it. I am going to leave the rest up to Jeanette to update her page as she will get to it maybe this evening. As you should know they have many things to do and their hearts are absolutely BROKEN! Little Jalen passed peacefully. God please be with his family and PLEASE help the researchers to find a cure for this horrible disease!!! The picture at the top under Katia is Jalen. He was a very special baby to us.

We will miss you sweet baby boy.
Love, Tracy and Katia

GOD'S GARDEN

God looked around His garden
and found an empty place.
He then looked down upon the earth
And saw your tired face.
He put His arms around you
and lifted you to rest.
Gods' garden must be beautiful,
He always takes the best.
He knew you were suffering,
He knew you were in pain,
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough
and the hills were hard to climb
So He closed your weary eyelids,
and whispered "Peace Be Thine."
It broke our heart to lose you,
But you didn't go alone.
For part of us went with you,
The day God called you home.
We love you and we miss you.

Tuesday, June 3, 2003 7:01 PM CDT
I have just learned that Little Jalen has earned his Angel Wings at 3:08PM today, June 3, 2003. I can't believe this happened. My heart goes out to his parents and all of his family.
Jalen was such a sweet little baby who fought very hard till the end.
I spoke to Jeanette on the phone and although this happened close to 5 hours ago, they are still really not believing it. I am going to leave the rest up to Jeanette to update her page as she will get to it maybe this evening. As you should know they have many things to do and their hearts are absolutely BROKEN! Little Jalen passed peacefully. God please be with his family and PLEASE help the researchers to find a cure for this horrible disease!!! The picture at the top under Katia is Jalen. He was a very special baby to us.

We will miss you sweet baby boy.
Love, Tracy and Katia

GOD'S GARDEN

God looked around His garden
and found an empty place.
He then looked down upon the earth
And saw your tired face.
He put His arms around you
and lifted you to rest.
Gods' garden must be beautiful,
He always takes the best.
He knew you were suffering,
He knew you were in pain,
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough
and the hills were hard to climb
So He closed your weary eyelids,
and whispered "Peace Be Thine."
It broke our heart to lose you,
But you didn't go alone.
For part of us went with you,
The day God called you home.
We love you and we miss you.

Monday, June 2, 2003 10:20 AM CDT
Everything has been going pretty smoothly here! We of course miss Myron very much and the days are draggin by for us but not him! He is staying very busy in Roatan! Most of the rest of our family is down there so there are a lot of people to see and a lot of pictures to take. Last night I watched Shrek with Katia for around the 501st time!! BUT amazingly I still find Donkey very funny. We watched Mulan last night too! You can see who is controling our TV viewing right now:) We are trying to keep her happy. Everyone here feels bad when she has to have her BMA done and we are all just praying everything is clear and she won't have to have another for 3 months but the last one was done beginning of April. She knows she is due to have it done next visit. I do try to be honest with her and it seems to work in her case. She just wants a pink bandage when they are done. I always have character bandaids around here but when she goes there, she likes their flouresent bandaids:) Anyway, whatever works! I have taken her to Walmart 3 times since Myron has been gone and put her on the little rides. She loves that. I think, "Wow how easy she is to make happy." Wouldn't it be nice if it were that easy for all of us! Two quarters and be happy for the day. I praise God though because I am able to have a pretty positive attitude MOST of the time. I have to say MOST because my kids read this and they know it is definitely not ALL the time! I hope some of you will be hearing from them on your Caringbridge Guestbooks. They do enjoy reading updates and leaving little messages. I of course start my morning checking on Caringbridge Sites and end my night doing the same. I find that very important to me now to check on people. When we come home from being gone for a while, I tell the kids, "Well I gotta check on my Caringbridge Kids now." They have gotten used to it:) Well, that is about it for now. OH YEAH, yesterday I finally put all my digital photos into albums, well not all but I tried to pick out about 400 out of a good 1000 to sum up the last 18 months and get them printed and into albums. I never thought I would finish but I did. Now I just have to keep it up and print them little by little each week and get them in the album. I love my albums to glance back on and the kids love seeing albums. I have all my albums from when I was a baby and growing up and since Sharayah was born 14 years ago, I have well over 20 BIG albums, probably more than that! I hope when they grow up and get on their own, they will appreciate taking pictures and capturing memories:) Of course, I will give them cameras to use and probably send them film in the mail as a HINT! Anyway, I have babbled enough! I found a new site that you may be interested in.
Cancerkids.org
Have a great day:)
Love, Tracy

Remember please go by to check on little JALEN!
Jalen's Site

***********************************************************************************************************************************

JUNE 2, 2003 1:15PM
I am so saddened to have just learned that Anthony Makoid has just lost his battle with Leukemia AML! This was such a shock and I am sure he will be so very missed. Anthony was an AWESOME little fighter. Please go by his page and leave his family a message. I am sure their hearts are just feeling so empty right now.
Anthony Makoid's Site

Saturday, May 31, 2003 7:54 PM CDT
Well today was a good day:) Katia is doing well. I added a couple of new pics. We are watching the ALL CHILDREN'S HOPSITAL TELETHON RIGHT NOW and enjoying being on this side! Last year we were in isolation during this time and saw people moving around and filming but couldn't get out to participate. Our friend, Rob Hasse had just had a transplant. He had Leukemia AML like Katia. His parents were interviewed and Rob was interviewed (just days after him BMT- which was made possible by his sister). In January Rob passed away after a long fight with Leukemia and we miss his smiling face dearly! Rob was 19 years old and such a sweetheart! His Mom, Jane, was always so helpful when I had questions about Katia. I just wanted to update about this. We had a good day and I spoke with Myron. He went to the beach today and is taking lots of pictures with our family there in Roatan, Honduras so OF COURSE I will post the pictures when he returns (this Wednesday). Katia has a bone marrow aspirate the day after Myron gets back and I am very tense about that but trying to remain positive. She has been doing A LOT better these last 2 days:)
God Bless everyone. Love, Tracy

Remember to please go by and visit Jalen. He is home on hospice and hopefully things are smoothing out and they can enjoy their time home. Jalen loves to see the duckies and be able to play. He is sleeping a lot right now but when he is awake he is happy and dancing:) We love you little Jalen!
Jalen's Site

Friday, May 30, 2003 2:40 PM CDT
Well today is going much much better than yesterday! First Katia slept in for a good while and she woke up looking and feeling so much better. Her bug bites are healing up and they aren't itching her, swollen or causing her any pain. I was going to take her in today but since it just looks 100etter, I decided to go get the kids water guns and let them have a fun-filled day outside and man are they having fun. Little Katia is running around shooting water everywhere and getting soaked! She has 2 guns so she should be good to go and be able to soak Sharayah and Tatiana. I am watching them as I type and they are soaked already out there. I plan to take a lot of pictures of the three of them over the summer. They are ALL such good girls:) I love them and am so very proud of them. Hopefully some of you will be seeing messages in your guestbooks from Sharayah and Tatiana:)
Thank you for checking up on us and make sure you stop and look at the new photos!
Love, Tracy
Remember to please go by and visit Jalen. He is home on hospice and hopefully things are smoothing out and they can enjoy their time home. Jalen loves to see the duckies and be able to play. He is sleeping a lot right now but when he is awake he is happy and dancing:) We love you little Jalen!
Jalen's Site

Thursday, May 29, 2003 5:43 PM CDT
Okay well today has its ups and downs. Katia saw a friend Christina today and that was really great but Katia didn't feel good and she hasn't felt good most of today so please keep her in your prayers. Her little bug bites are getting worse even with medicine, her knee is hurting and she is just worn out. Her next Bone Marrow Aspiration is June 5th so please pray all is clear. God is good and I know he will take care of little Katia:)

Please continue to pray for Jalen. His Mom is really having a difficult time keeping up with his medicines and machines giving problems, etc. Jeanette is such a good Mommy to Jalen and I told her whatever she can do for him is the BEST! She is such a good Mom and so devoted to his treatment and and praying for a miracle! Jalen has made a difference in my life by getting me to pray more often:) With everything he goes through and how bad he feels, she says he still dances and plays when he is awake. Please go by to visit them and sign their guestbook.
Jalen's Site

Wednesday, May 28, 2003 4:26 PM CDT
"...No more Leukemia, my hair is here. Dr. Bosa take away the Luekemia. God is smiling and I go fasty on my swing!"

That is what Katia said when she woke up this morning! In her 3 year old little mind, she said all of that. She is always making little comments about her broviac being gone and no more Leukemia but this morning she just woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and said that! Isn't that just precious!?

Katia really teaches me a lot! Everyday, I learn from her. She hasn't been feeling too great this afternoon. Her knee is bothering her and she is just pretty whiney so she went and laid down. I went in the room to make sure she was on a pillow and covered up and she told me she loved me and just fell asleep. It was like she wanted me to come in there so she could give me that reassurance.

I really try to remain positive through all of this and not worry so much but I can't help but to notice any little thing with Katia that doesn't seem right. I even notice other kids when I am at the store. The other day, I saw a little girl in Dennys with a swollen eye. I just jumped to the thought about Katia's tumor behind her eye and how long it took us to get her diagnosed with that and then the Leukemia. I just want to run up and tell parents to make sure they have blood tests run on their children regularly. Katia had NEVER had a blood test and she was 2 1/2 then. I didn't even know her blood type till after she was diagnosed.

The picture at the top of the page is me and my three beautiful daughters. I am so proud of all of them. They are very smart and kind girls and I pray life brings each of them abundant happiness! I also pray they will stay close as they get older and have their own individual lives. Katia loves her sisters and they adore her! That is why she is so spoiled:) (I think that is a lot more my fault - or that is what they all say).

Please continue to pray for Jalen. His Mom is really having a difficult time keeping up with his medicines and machines giving problems, etc. Jeanette is such a good Mommy to Jalen and I told her whatever she can do for him is the BEST! She is such a good Mom and so devoted to his treatment and and praying for a miracle! Jalen has made a difference in my life by getting me to pray more often:) With everything he goes through and how bad he feels, she says he still dances and plays when he is awake. Please go by to visit them and sign their guestbook.
Jalen's Site

I printed up Katia's guestbook last night! Guess how many pages? 177 pages of guestbook entries!!!! I read each and every one of them and they are so encouraging on days that I really need some encouragement! I mean, those entries are better than any medicine I could take to comfort me or relax me. Words are powerful tools. I appreciate each of you so much for coming by and checking on Katia and our little family. I appreciate you listening to me vent and ask questions!

Myron says I talk a lot and I guess I also type a lot but I really do admire people that continuously come back so regularly to check and sign in letting us know you were here. THANK YOU!!!!!

I printed all of that up and put it in a big big manilla envelope for Katia to read. That is a lot of reading material for her someday:) Of course I will continue printing it up and adding it too that envelope so keep on coming back and giving me your words of encouragement and letting Katia know she is in your heart and prayers:)

Love, Tracy (Katia's Mommy)

Tuesday, May 27, 2003 10:48 PM CDT
HIYA! Katia is doing very well right now (actually she is sleeping soundly - snoring) but she had a very nice day. She does miss her daddy though:(
She of course played outside today but she had a little friend, Natalie over. She lives down the street from us.
I have been thinking a lot today about all she has been through this year and how much we have all learned.
I think often of the saying, "Everything happens for a reason" and although I believe that to be true, what is the reason? I mean we have learned a lot and we have a very strong determination to help find a cure now but WILL we find a cure?
I so much want to make a difference. Katia is too young right now to know about everything she is going through but I pray someday she will be able to look back on all of this and definitely grow from this experience.
I wish there would be no more diagnosed patients but I know today there were new patients diagnosed. They are just now beginning their struggle of understanding and treatments. That is very sad to me because I remember just how horrible we felt when we were told Katia had cancer.
Those words are hard to say, "Katia has cancer" but that is our life now.
I wonder what "normal" is now. I mean, what would I be doing if this hadn't happened?
I know I have a lot of questions that I won't have answers for until I get to Heaven but I do trust God has a plan. God knows all.
Lord, please be with all of us.

Love, Tracy

Monday, May 26, 2003 3:18 PM CDT
I just wanted to update to let everyone checking know that Myron got off to Roatan okay and as I type, he is flying. I am praying the trip goes well. He doesn't feel well but as soon as he gets back, to the doctor he goes. Katia was quite upset, more than we thought she would be, when we were on the way to the airport. She is not in too good of a mood right now and has been very irritable and sleepy. She is sleeping right now. I am going to try to keep her happy while he is gone and maybe go to a park or something. If anybody has ties to a Chuckie Cheese person let me know! She loves that place. Actually she loves anyplace with food! She is the only 3 year old I know that ask for Chili's Restaurant! That is good for us because with the first 2 kids, we grew tired of McDonalds (no offense Ronald!). Anyway, I am just looking forward to Myron getting back and all of these doctor visits getting behind us. My dad flies out of here tomorrow on his way back to Honduras. He has been here for about a month and will be back around Thanksgiving through end of January. Please keep our family in your prayers. Of course we have the ongoing things with Katia, Myron and Tatiana but one of my Uncles (Dale) is in the hospital and they aren't sure what is going on with him. I have an Aunt (Shirley) who has Lou Gerrig's disease. She was diagnosed about 1 1/2 years ago and now she is in the hospital with pneumonia. I think she in the final stages of this. I visited with her last week and she just really looks like this disease has taken over her little body. Out of all of my Aunts, she was always the most active and talkative and I have nothing but fond and happy memories of her! She has always been a beautiful woman, full of life. A few years back, her youngest son died in a car accident and I know how bad that was for her. Soon after her 50th anniversary, she was diagnosed with this Lou Gerrig's disease. She came to see Katia while she was in the hospital and that meant so much to me because I know it wasn't easy for her.

Also please continue to visit Jalen's site and keep up with his progress at home. He is home on Hospice and we are all praying that a miracle will come his way. There is nothing more the doctors can do to treat his Leukemia. He has Leukemia AML like Katia. He is so precious!! Katia loves to pray for Jalen. Jalen likes ducks like she does and to a 3 year old, that is enough!

I pray everyday that a cure can be found for all of these horrible diseases! I also pray that until that cure is found that God presents and blesses us with courage, strength and endurance that we need as we fight these battles. I pray for grace that I need to keep a positive attitude. I pray for the people that will be diagnosed today and tomorrow and so forth that they will find hope in a cure. I also pray that people will turn to God and find strength and love in Him. No matter how out of control things seem to get, God is always in control. I know we may not like the way things or going or understand why but I know that it is all in God's plan. To a parent that has just had to bury a child this sounds impossible to believe but I also know that none of us are promised tomorrow. I have a strong faith in God that when I die and go to Heaven, I will be with my family. Family that I don't even know and friends whom I have never met but as Christians, we have that hope and promise for that day. Don't get me wrong! I plan to be on this earth well over 100 years and I plan to have my children around so I can tell them how to raise their children and how to clean their house:) but I do know that our end on this earth is our beginning in Heaven.

God bless all of us and our soldiers both fighting now and protecting our country and those who have passed. May God protect our country as we continue to fight for FREEDOM!

Love, Tracy

Thursday, May 22, 2003 1:31 PM CDT
SEE MY PHOTO PAGE (TOP PHOTO ADDED MAY 23RD)
I just wanted to update the front picture mainly but then I thought, well I might as well update the journal too. I have had a bit of a chance to sit down and check up on some other Carringbridge sites and sign a few guestbooks. That is always nice when I get the time to just sit down and catch up. My dad will be here for another 5 days and the kids will be home for the summer in about 7 days I think. I plan to really enjoy our summer! Katia is playing outside right now and she really loves to talk to herself. She is also so observant! She notices butterflies and dragonflies and yes, even ladybugs! I really think it is so neat when a ladybug lands on her because it is like they know she just loves ladybugs so very much!!!! Katia is growing into a beautiful little girl. Now that she can talk a little more I am always asking her questions. You know how kids are always asking, "Why...?" Well I do that to her. My biggest question is, "Why do you like to suck your thumb so much?" Her reply is, "My thumb is happy!" Okay? Maybe she doesn't carry on the greatest sense but she is talking! Tatiana's appointment is set for June 16th! Finally a date! She will have the procedure done and then return to the doctor to go over the results on June 18th. I appreciate everyone's prayers for my concerns. I can't explain in words how comforting it is to check this guestbook and see so much good advice, words of comfort, etc. That really means the world. Please continue to pray for our friends and all the Carringbridge families. Always pray for yourself and your own family even if things seem fine. Give thanks that things are well. Well, Katia is wanting some water so I better move on to the kitchen. She is very dramatic right now. Love, Tracy
PS Please pray for Baby Brandon's family. I just read he passed away yesterday. I am sure his family could use our support. This is so sad.

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 8:55 AM CDT
IF YOU ARE A LITTLE LOST ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON LATELY IN OUR FAMILY, CHECK THE JOURNAL HISTORY AND THEN THIS WILL MAKE MORE SENSE:)
Thank you so much for all your love and concern! I was overwhelmed by all the responses and SO appreicative. Last night we went to an award ceremony for Sharayah's school. She received the President's Academic Award which means she has a GPA above 3.5 and scored high on all her achievement tests. We are very proud of her and while I sat there I put a lot of things into perspective. I have no choice right now but to trust God and continue what I have been doing. I have always kept a positive attitude and decided to reach out to others. Myron has recently finished 2 more songs. They still have to be produced and recorded but the words in one just rings so true. "Love comes back when given to someone else..." I really try to live by that because I know how true that is. When I feel gloomy, so many people come by and sign my guestbook and email me with encouragement that I just feel like a huge weight has been taken off my shoulders! I have learned so many things from so many websites I visit and people I speak to since Katia has been sick. Katia has touched so many lives and she is only 3 years old! It amazes me when I see what she goes through and the smile she wears on her little face! She just really brightens a room. When Sharayah received her award last night, Myron yelled from the back of the auditorium, "SHARAYAH, SHARAYAH!" I just know he is so proud of all 3 of his girls and that warms my heart. I have such a wonderful husband that loves and appreciates me and all that I feel and do and he adores his little girls. I am so blessed. Sometimes I feel I am TOO blessed and that causes me to worry but I know that is just the devil trying to bring me down! Someone mailed me a beautiful Certificate of Excellence for this site and that just made me smile and feel so good. I hope each person knows how important it is to let others know you care EVERY DAY. Don't do it out of fear that the person may not be there tomorrow but do it out of pure admiration. God made each of us for a reason, very different reasons. I know God made me to take care of my little family and to reach out to others. I find such joy in those things. I am not left feeling empty and lost at then end of the day. I feel appreciated and that is so important. Some people ask if I get bored being a stay-at-home Mom. I ask myself, "Are they crazy!" I can't imagine being anywhere else. I admire woman who are career minded. I admire their strength and knowledge (and their ability to be up and going and THINKING so early in the morning). But I know where my place is. I know when my life is done, I would have made some difference and I pray I can reach out to many more people in my days and that all my children will be able to live long, happy and healthy lives and leave a piece of their heart everywhere they go by touching lives. I know it gets very difficult to check on our little families on here because things do go bad, more than we like. BUT I feel the NEED to keep on checking in and giving my support. Little Jalen and his Mommy have really found a place inside my heart and it gets very difficult when I see them facing so many difficult days. I just want little Jalen to be running around making his Mommy chase him telling him to keep his fingers off the glass in their house. Katia leaves her prints everywhere and we all just clean up after her but we do it with a smile on our face because we appreciate those little fingers being able to leave prints everywhere!!!! I just pray they can get higher and higher on the glass doors! Please continue to check on our families even though we have our bad days and our VERY bad days. It matters. It matters so much to see you care. Please go by Jalen's site. He goes home on Hospice today and they really need a miracle! Please pray Chassidyfor as she prepares for her BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT she has waited so long for! Please pray Connorfor as he faces surgery that will be very difficult. The doctors will be making a lot of decisions during that surgery and I pray that God will lead those doctors' hands and minds. Always keep dear Colby in mind as his family continues their journey which has really put them through major roller coaster rides! And always, please pray for Katia:)

Saturday, May 17, 2003 4:17 PM CDT
UPDATE: MAY 19, 2003 I WASN'T GOING TO UPDATE THIS BECAUSE I WANT EMPHASIS ON JALEN RIGHT NOW BUT I AM JUST SO WORRIED, I MUST! I HAVE SO MANY THINGS GOING ON RIGHT NOW AS FAR AS HEALTH IN OUR FAMILY. I AM VERY WORRIED FOR TATIANA RIGHT NOW AS ALL OF YOU KNOW! I AM ALSO SO VERY WORRIED ABOUT MY DEAR KATIA BECAUSE I USE HER THUMB (WHICH SHE SUCKS) AS HER "HEALTH GAUGE". IT HASN'T BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE HER COUNTS HAVE RECOVERED AFTER CHEMO. SHE SUCKED IT AND IT ALWAYS LOOKED GOOD. BEFORE SHE WAS DIAGNOSED, IT LOOKED SO BAD AND DURING CHEMO SAME THING. IT SEEMED HER WBC WEREN'T GOOD ENOUGH TO RECOVER IT BUT IT HAS SINCE BEEN FINE. NOW, IT IS ALL TORN UP AGAIN SO I AM JUST A MESS. THAT IS NOT ALL. I HAVEN'T REALLY MENTIONED MUCH ABOUT MYRON. HE IS GOING THROUGH SO MUCH RIGHT NOW AND WE ARE SO WORRIED. HE IS BLEEDING HORRIBLY WITH BOWEL MOVEMENTS. THE WHOLE IDEA IS SCARING ME. HIS BOWELS COME OUT ONLY WITH LAXATIVES AND EVEN THEN THEY ARE VERY SKINNY AND NOT NORMAL. HE HAS EXTREME ABDOMINAL PAIN! HE IS SCHEDULED TO SEE A GASTRO DOCTOR JUNE 12TH AND THEN TO HAVE A COLONOSCOPY. HE HAD ONE ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO AND ALL LOOKED GOOD BUT RIGHT NOW HE HAS EVERY SYMPTOM OF COLON CANCER. HE IS SICK ALL THE TIME, APPETITE LOW, NAUSEATED, BLOODY STOOLS, ETC. I AM SO WORRIED THAT SOMETHING COULD HAPPEN TO MYRON, KATIA OR TATIANA! THIS IS JUST REALLY GETTING TO ME RIGHT NOW AND I NEED YOUR PRAYERS THAT MY LITTLE FAMILY STAY HEALTHY. NOBODY REALLY SEEMS TO UNDERSTAND MUCH AS FAR AS MY WORRIES BUT I SEE ALL OF THESE SYMPTOMS WITH EACH OF THESE THREE AND I WORRY SO MUCH. I KNOW I NEED TO TRUST GOD. I KNOW THIS. BUT I NEED YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT RIGHT NOW. MYRON IS GOING TO ROATAN FROM MAY 26TH TO JUNE 4TH. HE WILL THEN BE BACK AND I HOPE A LOT OF HIS WORRIES WILL EASE AND THIS DOCTOR APPT CAN ANSWER A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND GET DONE WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. THIS FAMILY REALLY NEEDS SOME BREAK HERE! WE ARE SO CLOSE AND REALLY COULDN'T DEAL WITH A LOSS. PLEASE PLEASE PRAY FOR EVERYONE. MY HEART IS SO TORN RIGHT NOW AND THERE IS SO MUCH TO DEAL WITH. I HAVE BACKED OFF CHECKING A LOT OF CARRINGBRIDGE SITES BECAUSE EMOTIONALLY I JUST CAN'T RIGHT NOW. I NEED TO FOCUS ON MY FAMILY. WE HAVE SO MANY THINGS WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF. EVERYDAY THINGS LIKE BILLS, DINNER, SCHOOL, FAMILY, ETC. RIGHT NOW THESE FEW THINGS ARE OVERWHELMING FOR ME. MYRON TRAVELING IS A CONCERN BUT A MUST RIGHT NOW. I JUST WANT TO KNOW MY LITTLE FAMILY IS GOING TO BE OKAY. I AM SO SORRY TO BABBLE ON BUT I AM JUST SO SO STRESSED RIGHT NOW! LOVE, TRACY
First, I am so saddened today to read Jalen's update. He is going home on Hospice this Tuesday. There is no further treatment the doctors can do for him. Jalen is the little 17 month old baby I speak of very often and I ask you to please go by Jalen's site and offer some words of encouragement and strength for his Mom, Jeanette. She is an awesome Mom and her heart is just wrapped around Jalen and has been through so much taking care of him and having very very long hospital stays. Like, most of us know, cancer is not fair!!! I know sometimes we don't know the right thing to say to somebody so we avoid saying anything but there really isn't a right thing! Cancer isn't right, there are no right words, thoughts or feelings. Nothing can really be said to ease a parent's hurt when a child they brought into this world, have watched this child fight this horrible and painful disease and then to know there is nothing else that can be done. We can all pray for a miracle and just offer Jeanette the words that we are here and checking on her and Jalen. I have just been heart broken by this and been going around like a mummy today. When I read Jalen's update, my jaw dropped and LOCKED! I have severe TMJ of my jaw and usually I just don't let myself be caught in doing something that could lock my jaw but the update just totally caught me off guard. I am so upset by this!! I really just want to close out this update with this. Please pray for yourselves, your children, (healthy or not healthy), all the parents and children of this world that somehow, some way a cure can be found to end this horrible cancer. I hate this disease. Katia is so healthy right now and I can't REALLY enjoy it because I just know any day all that may change and if it does we will have less hope than we did before because it would be a relapse. None of us match her bone marrow so it would be in the mercy of the registries. Please take the time to sign up for this registry for everyone's sake TODAY. Please take the time to send any small amount of money or large, to the societies that have so much been trying to find a cure and help families during these times. We have found much help in the
National Children's Cancer Society
and the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Please take the time to visit these sites, learn more about them and make a donation. You can make it in HONOR OF KATIA SOLOMON and show your support in her fight or make it ANONYMOUS. It all goes towards good causes!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONTINUING TO CHECK ON LITTLE KATIA. IF YOU RECEIVE THE NEWSLETTER "VOICE OF HOPE" FROM THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S CANCER SOCIETY, KATIA HAS AN ARTICLE IN THERE. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE THIS NEWSLETTER VIA EMAIL, HERE IS THE LINK. VOICE OF HOPE NEWSLETTER REQUEST

Love, Tracy Solomon

Thursday, May 15, 2003 1:43 PM CDT
Well we went to the doctor today. Her counts look all good. Katia seems to be coming down with a bad cold and cough. I hope not. I hope it is something that just passes. Instead of July, they want to do the Bone Marrow Biopsy in June. So next visit she will be in for the BIG ONE! She does good at that though. She has the Bone Marrow Biopsy and the Lumbar Puncture on the same day. So please pray for Miss Katia on her next visit that all is well with those tests. She is enjoying her swingset. She got to play a little yesterday when we finished around 8PM and then for a short bit after dinner. Of course before we went to her doctor today, I took her out there for a short bit. She wants to go now that we are home but I want her to wait till it isn't so hot out there. Sharayah (our 14 year old daughter) has her first school dance this Friday night so we are trying to find her "the dress and shoes". I bought a dress but if she doesn't like it then I am leaving it up to Myron to go back out. My head is killing me today due to this cold I have. I NEVER get colds but this just hit me quickly without warning. I worked outside on the swingset all day yesterday feeling pretty bad but today it is worse. Myron is planning to make a trip home pretty soon to Roatan, Honduras. He hasn't been there for about 4 years but with everything going on with his Tia and his Mom, he feels he needs to make a trip home. Financially, this isn't good but it needs to be done and in this case no time is better than the present. The name of the test Tatiana is supposed to be getting done is V.C.U.G. (Voiding Cystourethrogram). I finally got the name straight. I got a call today that sounded like they said June 18th but then the message was cut off so I just called and am waiting to here back. Well, my head is not happy right now and my nose is a mess! so I am going to go lay down for at least 15 - 20 minutes. Hope all is well with you and yours! Love, Tracy

Wednesday, May 14, 2003 7:43 PM CDT
YEAH! WE GOT THE SWINGSET UP!!! LITERALLY IT TOOK FOUR ADULTS OVER 10 HOURS TO GET IT DONE BUT WE GOT IT AND MAN WAS SHE HAPPY! I AM SO HAPPY FOR HER. WE HAVE TO GO TO CLINIC IN THE MORNING AND SHE PLAYED FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES WHEN IT WAS DONE BUT WE HAD TO COME EAT DINNER, NOW SHE IS BACK OUT THERE WITH TATIANA AND IT IS DARK BUT THE LIGHTS ARE ON SO SHE IS OKAY! I AM SO HAPPY SHE IS HAPPY! WE HAD MY DAD HELPING, ME AND MYRON, AND MYRON'S BROTHER JORGE WHO IS VISITING. I THINK IT WAS A BIGGER JOB THAN ALL OF US THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BUT VERY WELL WORTH IT. I AM SURE THERE WILL BE MANY HOURS OF FUN OUT THERE.
PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR APPOINTMENT GOES WELL TOMORROW. TODAY WAS SUCH A GOOD DAY AND I JUST WANT ALL THESE GOOD TIMES TO CONTINUE FOREVER. I WILL UPDATE TOMORROW EVENING AND PROBABLY HAVE ALL NEW PICTURES. YOU WILL GET SICK OF ME UPDATING THE PICTURES BUT I LOVE BEING OUTSIDE EVEN MORE NOW! WELL AMERICAN IDOL IS ON AND I HAVE TO GO CHEER ON RUBEN!!! LOVE, TRACY

Tuesday, May 13, 2003 8:18 AM CDT
WELL I WANT TO UPDATE WHILE I HAVE SPARE TIME! I MISS CHECKING THIS WEBSITE BUT SOON MY SCHEDULE WILL SLOW DOWN WHEN MY DAD LEAVES. KATIA IS DOING VERY WELL. SHE IS PRETTY BRUISED UP BUT SHE HAS AN APPOINTMENT ON THURSDAY (15 DAYS LATER THAN SHE IS SUPPOSED TO) SO WE WILL CHECK OUT HER COUNTS. SHE HAS HAD A BIT OF A COLD OR ALLERGIES TOO. AROUND HERE, THINGS HAVE JUST BEEN SO SO BUSY! I NEED TO POST SOME NEW PICTURES HERE AND I PROMISE I WILL IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. TATIANA IS ABOUT THE SAME. MYRON IS WANTING TO MAKE A TRIP HOME TO ROATAN (OFF THE COAST OF HONDURAS) BECAUSE HIS TIA (AUNT) IS VERY SICK AND THEY WERE VERY CLOSE. SHE IS NOT EXPECTED TO LIVE TOO MUCH LONGER AND MYRON WANTS TO SIT DOWN WITH HER AND JUST TALK. SHE IS THE ONE WHO TAUGHT HIM TO READ AND WRITE ENGLISH. SHE ALSO REALLY LOVED ME RIGHT OFF WHEN I FIRST MET HER. SHE IS A VERY DEAR WOMAN, VERY WISE AND ENERGETIC. HER NAME IS TIA DENA. I THINK SHE WOULD TURN 90 IN JUNE IF I AM CORRECT. MY DAD IS DUE TO LEAVE HERE ON THE 25TH OF MAY AND WILL COME BACK NOVEMBER 23RD. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE KIDS BEING OUT OF SCHOOL FOR THE SUMMER. SUMMER BREAK STARTS MAY 30TH. THAT WILL BE NICE! KATIA WILL CERTAINLY BE HAPPY AND WITH THE NEW HOUSE, THEY WON'T BE SO BLOCKED UP INSIDE LIKE AT THE APARTMENT SO THIS WILL BE A NICE SUMMER. WELL SPARE TIME IS DONE, I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TO GO TO WITH MY DAD. HELLO TO ALL MY FRIENDS OUT THERE! IF I HAVEN'T BEEN SIGNING GUESTBOOKS AS MUCH, I WILL BE BACK AND SIGNING REGULARLY AGAIN BUT I WISH EVERYONE WELL! LOVE, TRACY AND KATIA:)

Short note: Deidre, I need your email address so I can respond to you about something. Yes, the kids got their package and thank you so much!!! That will keep them busy and happy!

TOMORROW KATIA'S SWINGSET GETS HOOKED UP!!! IT IS IN OUR GARAGE AND SHE HAS NO CLUE! SHE EVEN SAT ON THE BOX BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS. SHE HAS BEEN SO HYPER LATELY THAT I CAN'T WAIT FOR HER TO SEE THIS. I WILL DEFINITELY POST PICTURES IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS!!! JUST PLEASE PRAY FOR NO RAIN HERE TOMORROW SO WE CAN GET IT HOOKED UP! I AM SO HAPPY FOR HER AND TATIANA, THEY WILL LOVE IT. SHARAYAH TOO. SHE IS 14 BUT SHE STILL REALLY LIKES THAT STUFF AND SHE LIKES TO PUSH KATIA AND HERE HER SCREAM AND LAUGH! I CAN'T WAIT! I CAN'T WAIT!!

Thursday, May 8, 2003 2:10 PM CDT
Just a quick update while I have the chance.
First, I love hearing about peoples' answered prayers. It has been very nice! Also, for all of you Mothers out there
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!
This year, I am happy to be spending Mother's Day at home and I am very grateful. Last Mother's Day, my Mother-In-Law and I ate in the hospital cafeteria while Katia was having her 2nd chemo round. The food was really bad and cost well over $15.00.
This year I told my girls, I want breakfast in bed (Sharayah is 14 and can cook now!) and a peaceful day. Myron will be working in the morning.
The trip with my dad is going well. He leaves on May 26th and then the kids will be home for summer on the 29th.
Katia has her monthly checkup next week. We are running late because I was trying to schedule her and Tatiana on the same day to go over to St. Pete.
Tatiana has been feeling well. The medicine keeps the pain away. I want to take her off and see if the pain comes back but I am not going to. She will have a test done that is looking inside the bladder as it is full and as it empties. I think it is a LCVU test. I forget the name of it.
I am looking forward to summertime with the kids around here. I am hoping to have Katia's swing up end of this week. We had 2 donations help towards the cost of this swing and we are putting in the rest. Thank you. Katia will hopefully not get hint of this until it is complete and I want to video tape her reaction. She REALLY wants this!!!!!
Well, that is all for now. Please keep checking on my little friends that have the links above. I check on them daily and for each of them, prayers are helping. Tyler's parents updated his page and although Tyler will be so missed (I can understand why) I really think prayer is helping them through this time. Our friend Chassidy is in remission finally and Jalen is improving each day little by little. Taylor is out of pain at the moment! Baby Brandon they are trying a new procedure on and Colby is remaining in remission:) Brittany is just the little girl that keeps me in awe at the strength, grace and courage she continues to show. Love, Tracy and Katia

Sunday, May 4, 2003 3:09 AM CDT
NEW PHOTOS ADDED!
We were working in the backyard and Myron decided to tag Katia with the hose! She was having a ball helping daddy dig up dirt and then getting soaked just made her day! I just wanted to update a short bit and then maybe I can update more later.
Things here have been very busy but it was so nice seeing my family (Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins) that I just don't see much.
My dad and I stay quite busy but I did check up on some of my Caringbridge family this morning (4 AM) and am glad to see so many doing better:)
Please keep praying for my dear friends and visiting their websites (listed above this journal). Througout all of this I have learned how important and powerful prayer is.
So, I have a question!!
What are some prayers you have had answered lately that you don't mind sharing with others.
Of course one of mine is dear Katia doing so well!!! An old one of mine that I prayed A LOT! I always prayed God would send me the right husband and he really listened and sent me the perfect husband for me (I am not easy to deal with all the time). I used to really pray for that and after 15 years of marriage I am still grateful for Myron:)
My most recent answered prayer would have to be little Jalen. He is doing so much better now! Katia prays for Jalen now without being reminded. She says she likes praying for Jalen:) I think that is so sweet. Please check on little Jalen. We have also been praying that our friend Chassidy would go back into remission and she has!!! Hopefully she will go into transplant in a couple of weeks.
Please remember if you are interested in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Mother Day "Tea Party" email me your address so I can send you your teabag and invitation! It is a teaparty you can do alone or with others at 3:00PM on Mother's Day. Send me the address of any friends or family interested also and I will get it right in the mail to you:) Love, Tracy

Thursday, May 1, 2003 3:36 PM CDT
Very quick update but I want to update. My grandmother's viewing was last night and it went very well. We saw a lot of family we haven't seen and everyone agrees she is in a better place and with my grandfather. Because of that, we aren't too sad. We have been talking a lot about old stories when my dad and his sister and brothers were kids and that is nice to sit around and talk about. Nobody has seen Katia because she was not doing too well yesterday and I didn't take her to the funeral today. She has just been feeling a little under the weather and felt warm (no real fever though!) We have a get together tonight so I plan to take Sharayah, Tatiana and Katia. Katia is napping right now so...
Tatiana had her appointment yesterday and although she drinks water like a fish, they said her urine had "low weight" so that means she is staying dehydrated, drink more water? The doctor also wants to do some type of a scan on her bladder. I forget the name. It is four initials that I think starts with L? That will be at All Children's Hospital probably late next week.
Thank you so much for all the kind entries in the guestbook and for checking up on us.
It has been so nice to see my family. We stay in better touch via email now but it is not the same as seeing everyone in person:) That would make my grandma happy that we are all together.
Love, Tracy

Tuesday, April 29, 2003 2:28 PM CDT
HIYA and good day! Well Tatiana's pediatrician called and Tatiana's blood tests, kidney functions, etc. look good but her cholestrol has gone from 234 in January to 247!! She has really been watching what she eats and she has been taking the metamucel twice a day instead of the once, taking the garlic and nothing is going down? I don't understand this but the pediatrician actually didn't seem to stressed out over it so I am going to put that in the back of my mind for now. Anyway, my dad is due in today. I haven't heard from him yet but we have been preparing around here most of the day and Katia has been all over me all day wanting attention so I am looking forward to this evening when I can really sit down and relax some. While my dad is here we do a lot of errands and appointments (Tatiana has one at 8AM tomorrow also) but I am going to really try to take the time to spend some quality time with my dad and taking Katia out in the day to play places and Sharayah and Tatiana out a couple of times with my dad. I want this stay to be a little less stressful and have some fun. Well our little buddy Jalen is doing a little better and that makes me VERY happy so go by his site and say hello. His site is in the links above this journal. Also, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is having a fund raiser dealing with Mother's Day so if you know anybody I could mail a little fundraiser letter (the fundraiser is in the form of a "TeaParty" you do at your house alone or with friends on Mother's Day at 3PM) please email me their mailing address so I can send them an invitation. Also if you are wanting to make a donation towards this awesome society, please email me and I will send you the information. Remember, every little bit helps and we all know it really goes a long way! I will put more info on here when I know more but Mother's Day is around the corner. Love, Tracy

Sunday, April 27, 2003 2:59 PM CDT
UPDATE APRIL 28, 2003 4:18PM TATIANA HAD HER APPOINTMENT TODAY WHICH WENT FINE UNTIL TIME TO DRAW BLOOD AT THE LAB!!!!! SHE JUST FREAKED OUT AND WAS VERY HARD TO HOLD STILL. SHE WOKE UP YESTERDAY MORNING WITH A PRETTY BAD NOSEBLEED BUT IT ONLY LASTED ABOUT 15 MINUTES. THEN DURING THE DRAWING OF THE LABS SHE HAD ANOTHER ONE WHICH GOT ALL OVER ME SINCE SHE WAS SITTING ON MY LAP. I WILL SAY TATIANA IS VERY VERY STRONG!! THEY DID A COMPLETE CBC PANEL AND HER CHOLESTROL AND ALSO I GUESS SOMETHING TO CHECK HER LIVER AND KIDNEY FUNCTIONS. WE SHOULD MAYBE HEAR SOMETHING TOMORROW. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING THESE NOSEBLEEDS. THAT IS NEW BUT REALLY I AM GOING TO TRY NOT TO WORRY. SHE HAS AN APPOINTMENT WITH HER UROLOGIST AND IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN, I WILL BRING IT UP TO HIM OR CALL HER PEDIATRICIAN. ANY IDEAS? THIS IS LIKE AN ONGOING DAY THAT NEVER ENDS. LOVE, TRACY
The picture at the top is Katia with my grandmother at her 90th birthday. That was a very nice day because all 4 of her children were there together. She was very happy and that really meant the world to her:)

Tatiana has an appointment with her pediatrician in the morning for blood test (pray for her because remember she really hates this!) and then on Wednesday with the urologist. Today she is feeling good though and quite happy about it. I don't know if the antibiotics are making her feel better (remember the last time she was on them she felt better until about 4 days after she was off of them) or if she is actually getting better. I am going to keep these next appointments and see what the blood tests show. I guess they are doing some liver and kidney panels or something with the blood tests. I want to know for sure that I have done what I need to do. She will be on the antibiotics for about 3 more weeks and I don't want to have her get off of them, get back in pain and then realize there was a problem the whole time. You know?

While my dad is here for the next month, I will definitely update this webpage but may not visit as many sites as I normally do. Please know that my prayers are with each and everyone of you and I will come by as I can. When my dad is here he depends on me for errands and appointments and I enjoy going out with him. I told him he needs to help me lose some more weight while he is here. Last time he was here for 2 months, I lost 10 pounds. Since he has been gone for 2 months, I have lost 4? He was here during Thanksgiving and Christmas so 10 pounds was great!

Well please each of us try to take 30 minutes a day to do something fun and relaxing. Share with me what you do and I will do the same. I hope to start walking everyday around the block a few times. I need to get some sun and exercise.

I will be praying for each of you and will try to update every other day with pictures and news. Love, Tracy

Saturday, April 26, 2003 8:29 AM CDT
Just a quick new journal update. I was going to update last night but yesterday was very stressful so I decided against it until this morning. In the morning I checked up on a few sites and I found out dear Tyler had passed away. Although I know he was in a lot of pain and feeling so bad, it still hurts to know that cancer took someone else. I read through Tyler's history not too long ago, the whole journal history and could only compare it to Katia. He was doing so very good for quite some time and then that nasty disease came back. Well now Tyler found a way to beat it and he is in heaven running around cancer free. I just pray that little Katia will stay in remission. I fear her leukemia coming back so much and I hate that but I can't shake that. Now with Tatiana sick, it just really keeps me nervous because of what we have already been through. I know Tatiana's problem will probably be something very small but just not found yet but I still really worry for my daughter.
On another note, my grandmother turned 90 years old in February. We had a nice birthday party for her in January though because all her kids were in town at the same time which is rare. My dad lives in Honduras and one of my uncles lives in North Carolina. My other aunt and uncle live here. She has 4 kids. She was so happy to have them all there for her party.
Then she got sick just about 2 weeks after that party and never really got better. Yesterday around 11AM she passed away. Now she is in heaven with my grandfather so I am sure she is much happier. She was very tired of people medicating her and bugging her. My dad is flying in from Honduras tomorrow or Monday for the funeral. He will be here for about a month (so I won't be on the computer too much during that time cause he keeps me busy going places).
Then we were going over our finances yesterday and things are just so very tight right now. When most people say tight, they can pull out a credit card and manage but when I say tight, I mean tight! We will get through it but it is just the stresses all piled up.
Please continue to pray for the children listed below and for Tyler's parents and family. Go by these pages and offer words of encouragment because they are so uplifting to me to read in my guestbook and I know everyone needs encouragement. As you go through your daily routines always try to encourage those around you. It is the little things that people really remember. I one time read that a way to boost your child's self esteem is to say something good about them to someone else so they can hear you. I often see them nosing around while I am on the phone and since I am sure they are trying to hear what I say I will make a comment like, "Sharayah has been very helpful around the house and is doing so good in school!" Well that goes a long way. She thinks I don't know she heard me say that but she will do everything in her power to keep that statement true. It makes them feel good. Same thing with your spouse, parents, or friends. Little words offer a lot of encouragement and happiness:)
Thank you for coming by to check on little Katia! She is awake now so I must go. Have a great day!
Love, Tracy

These are a few that really need your prayers right now and your visits :)

Brittany

Chassidy

Jalen

Tyler

Colby

Baby Brandon

Taylor Johnson

Wednesday, April 23, 2003 10:31 AM CDT
UPDATE APRIL 25, 2003
I JUST FOUND OUT THAT TYLER ROBBINS HAS GONE TO BE WITH OUR LORD IN HEAVEN. HERE IS A SMALL PART OF WHAT WAS WRITTEN ON HIS PAGE, "Our beautiful, courageous little boy left us tonight. At least God answered one of my prayers and I think it was peaceful for Tyler. He died in our arms at 8:34pm". PLEASE STOP BY THEIR PAGE TO LEAVE A WORD OF ENCOURAGMENT FOR THEIR PARENTS. I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW THEY ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW.

****LITTLE JALEN IS VERY SICK RIGHT NOW. HIS LINK IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS ENTRY. THE DOCTORS SAY HE HAS MULTIPLE AREAS OF BLEEDING IN HIS BRAIN. THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. HIS MOM HASN'T HEARD HIS VOICE FOR QUITE SOME TIME. JALEN IS 17 MONTHS OLD. SHE REALLY WANTS TO HEAR HIM SAY, "MAMA." THEY REALLY NEED OUR PRAYERS. PLEASE STOP BY THEIR PAGE:)

ALSO, AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS LIST IS A NEW LITTLE GIRL, TAYLOR JOHNSON. TAYLOR HAS NEUROBLASTOMA AND IS CURRENTLY IN ISOLATION MOST OF THE TIME FROM HER FAMILY DUE TO RADIATION. SHE IS IN A LOT OF PAIN AND REALLY NEEDS OUR PRAYERS. SHE IS 7 1/2 YEARS OLD AND HAS BEEN BATTLING THIS DISEASE SINCE SHE WAS 4 YEARS OLD. PLEASE STOP BY THEIR PAGE:)

Katia is doing well right now. Her uncle is visiting and today is his birthday so that means CAKE!!! That just made her day! Tatiana is about the same. Last night she seemed quite a bit better but this morning the pain is back to a 5 on the scale. I am trying to think what we did different last night but I can't think of anything. Her pediatrician is setting up another appointment for a 2nd opinion. It will be some time next week. Tatiana hates doctor visits but now she is ready to go cause she also hates pain.

Well please check on these kids above and the other ones in the list below. Tyler on the list has AML and he just recently relapsed. The leukemia is back really bad so they are just trying to enjoy time together and are at home. This breaks my heart. I can't imagine going through that and I try to keep that as far out of my mind as possible.

Chassidy was getting ready for a BMT, they had just found a 6/6 match but then she relapsed and they are having a hard time getting her into remission now.

Well, I gotta run. Katia isn't feeling all that great today so she is really in need of extra!!! attention so I must go:) Love, Tracy

Please still continue to pray for our families.

These are a few that really need your prayers right now and your visits :)

Brittany

Chassidy

Jalen

Tyler

Colby

Baby Brandon

Taylor Johnson

Sunday, April 20, 2003 10:28 AM CDT
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
UPDATE: I so appreciate everyone's input on Tatiana. I am writing things down. I wanted to give Tatiana a few days to see what happened. Today her pain was around a 5 in her abdomen and about a 4 with her pain. I am still going to call her pediatrician now tomorrow and set up for a second opinion. It would just make me feel better and also Tatiana doesn't know why they can't find the problem.
If you haven't seen this added on feature on the page, drop by and see
KATIA'S DETAILED JOURNAL
This journal goes through all the appointments and problems before she was diagnosed and then also goes all the way through Easter Sunday this year. This little baby has been such a trooper for going through so much. I admire my 3 year old!!!! She is one tough cookie and she is going to beat this disease!!!
UPDATE: I AM GOING TO BE ADDING KATIAS JOURNALS ON HERE. THERE WILL BE A LINK ON THE BOTTOM TO FOLLOW "KATIA'S MEDICAL HISTORY". IT STARTS FROM JANUARY 2002 THROUGH YESTERDAY. I ALWAYS UPDATE IT AND FIND IT VERY HELPFUL TO LOOK BACK TO BUT ALSO WHEN WE WERE IN THE HOSPITAL AND NEW PATIENTS WOULD COME IN, THEY WOULD ENJOY - OR SOMETHING LIKE ENJOY - LOOKING OVER THE JOURNAL TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT MAY LIE AHEAD. I SHOULD HAVE THAT LINK THERE BY TONIGHT. I NEED TO GO MAKE THE PAGE TO LINK TO.

ABOUT TATIANA TODAY - A LOT OF HER PAIN RIGHT NOW IS CONSISTENTLY AROUND HER ABDOMEN RIGHT BELOW HER BELLY BUTTON. I CALLED HER DOCTOR TODAY BUT THE ONE SHE SEES NORMALLY WASN'T THERE TODAY SO I WILL CALL TOMORROW. MAYBE IT IS HER APENDIX? I DON'T KNOW BUT I STILL FEEL A SECOND OPINION IS IN ORDER.
Small note: Someone signed the guestbook saying maybe Tatiana is faking it? Although I can see their point since Katia has been so sick, Tatiana is definitely not that way and her labs are off. Something is definitely wrong with her. Tatiana gets very puny when she feels bad and you can just tell. All three of my girls are that way. As far as one on one time, we do try to do that as much as possible. I or their daddy will take them out here and there or just sit on the porch and talk or go for a walk with them. I like taking them out to eat by themsleves.

** Something we did yesterday which turned out better than I thought it would. I had Sharayah and Tatiana write letters to their other sisters and to each of their parents. What they loved about them and what they hoped for that person in their future. I thought it would be nice to read for Easter. They did them the night before actually. Sharayah wrote a note to Tatiana, Katia, Me and Myron. Tatiana wrote one to Sharayah, Katia and me, and Myron. I wrote one to each of the girls. WELL, we read each of our notes out loud, the ones written TO us and we were all in tears and laughing and it was just so so nice. I am sure each of us will treasure them for life. I want to do that each Thanksgiving. Myron took his to work today and he was so touched and I was too by all the love and appreciation the girls have for us! and for eachother. It was so nice. Maybe you can try it with your kids that can write and share thoughts.

I am going to add on but leave the bottom part because I really believe in the message.
Last night we got really no sleep. Katia didn't feel too good. She kept complaining that her belly hurt and she just seemed restless. I couldn't sleep because I was just worried and really not tired. Plus I had royally messed this webpage up and had to fix it. I decided to put Katia in with Tatiana (where she is supposed to sleep) but she sat and bugged Tatiana so Tati brought her back to me. I was still working on the computer. This was around 12:30AM this morning. Then Tati comes back out and says she is in a lot of pain like someone sticking a knife in her stomach and stabbing her!! She rated the pain a 7 on a scale of 1 - 10. Recently her lower abdomen does hurt even when she is not peeing. Usually around bedtime though, sometimes in the day. I really do not feel this doctor is diagnosing her right so on Monday I am going to call her pediatrician and request another doctor for a 2nd opinion. I just really have a bad feeling and I don't feel like making Tatiana wait a month of drinking more water and peeing more, I mean come on!!! About 2 months before Katia was diagnosed, I had a horrible dream of us at her funeral. I saw Katia just lying there in a pink dress with flowers. I was just sobbing and sobbing. Myron woke me up from the dream because I was actually crying in my sleep. First, I forbid anybody to buy her a pink dress but then I told Myron that Katia does not have allergies or an eye infection like the pediatrician was telling us. Something was really wrong. That next day is when I took her to the ER and ordered them to do a CT Scan which showed "nothing". Later we found out the person who read that must have been blind! There was a huge mass in her eye found on an MRI just 6 days later and when we picked up the CT from the hospital, it was obvious. I am saying all of this to say, that dream just told me WAKE UP and make the doctors figure this out! Well in late January before we moved to this house, I had the same kind of dream about Tatiana, not a funeral but we were at the hospital and she had just died. We took her in for something minor and found out horrible news and days later we lost her. This was in my dream. At this time, Tatiana had not complained at all to me but now come to find out she was having pain at this time and througout February but just didn't say anything until March. I don't WISH for something to be wrong with Tatiana, that would just be devastating but I want to KNOW nothing is going on that we are missing. First of all this doctor didn't even really look over the results from Tatiana's blood or urine test and there are some questionable things on there to me. Plus I couldn't see PECK on the ultrasound machine. He was going so fast and it was just unclear. I watched Katia get an ultrasound the other day of her abdomen, spleen, kidneys, heart, etc and I could see things good and understand what I was looking at. This doctor acted like he was trying to prove me wrong. Anyway, I am sorry to be ranting and raving (if that is how you spell those words) but I was up all night mad and confused and I just feel like I need to be very persistant here for Tatiana's sake and this family's sake! Here are some of the results that concern me:
Blood Test in January (hasn't had one since then)
Hemoglobin 14.9 normal 11.5 - 14.5
Polys 63 normal 38 -58
Cholestrol 234 normal up to 169

Not that these are way off but why are they off?

Urine test in January

WBC - trace normal is negative
Ketones - Trace normal is negative
Mucus Threads - moderate normal is negative

Urine test in March

Appearance - Hazy normal is clear
WBC Esterase - 2 normal is negative
Protein - 2 normal is negative
Occult Blood - 2 normal is negative
WBC/HPF - 5-10 normal is 0 - 5
RBC/HPF - 5-10 normal is 0 - 3

If you have any input, please tell me or ideas of what I should do or ask for.
She has had UTIs ruled out twice. That is what her pediatrician thought she had. She ran the labs 2 times in March and no UTI.
Her pediatrician also says Tatiana does not show to be diabetic.
Tatiana took Augmentin for 10 days in March and during that time did not have pain but 4 days later, the pain all came back.
Now she is on Macrodantin 50 mg. for 30 days to prevent infections? She has been told to drink more often and pee more often plus she takes metamucel once a day but he wants her to take it twice to try to have a bowel movement every day instead of every other day. He wants her to make sure she pees twice while at school.

I am going to leave this post on here until I can find out what is going on. I am hoping someone will come by here with some input. I will do updates above it but I am going to leave this here for a while. Thank you for any input or if you can print this and pass it on to any doctor you may know or go to in the next few days :) Love, Tracy

April 19, 2003 3PMish
We just got done making Easter Eggs. We don't normally do the Easter egg and baskets because I always want my kids to celebrate the TRUE meaning of Easter, Christ's ressurection from the cross. BUT this year, the kids have been through so much and lately I am really trying to things with them all together to "Make Memories". After this year and all we have gone through as a family I want to do things with them that we can all look back on for the rest of our lives and smile. I want them to be very close, no matter how far apart they may live from eachother, all their lives. I look at everything different now. It is like a homemovie is being made of your life. I don't know. That may sound dumb to some people but life is very important and to enjoy each day. When something is bothering me, I try to think, "Will it bother me next month or six months from now?" If not, I try to get it out of my head. If you would like to answer a question in the guestbook, here goes! What is the best memory you have with your family or your kids, spouse or whatever? What brings a true smile to your face? Do you still date your spouse? Sit down and read to your kids? Watch silly movies? Talk about your days at the end of a day? I read the other day, nobody can add time to their day but we can always change how we spend time. I liked that. Love, Tracy

Please still continue to pray for our families.

These are a few that really need your prayers right now and your visits :)

Brittany

Chassidy

Jalen

Tyler

Colby

Baby Brandon

Taylor Johnson

Sunday, April 20, 2003 10:28 AM CDT
I am going to add on but leave the bottom part because I really believe in the message.
Last night we got really no sleep. Katia didn't feel too good. She kept complaining that her belly hurt and she just seemed restless. I couldn't sleep because I was just worried and really not tired. Plus I had royally messed this webpage up and had to fix it. I decided to put Katia in with Tatiana (where she is supposed to sleep) but she sat and bugged Tatiana so Tati brought her back to me. I was still working on the computer. This was around 12:30AM this morning. Then Tati comes back out and says she is in a lot of pain like someone sticking a knife in her stomach and stabbing her!! She rated the pain a 7 on a scale of 1 - 10. Recently her lower abdomen does hurt even when she is not peeing. Usually around bedtime though, sometimes in the day. I really do not feel this doctor is diagnosing her right so on Monday I am going to call her pediatrician and request another doctor for a 2nd opinion. I just really have a bad feeling and I don't feel like making Tatiana wait a month of drinking more water and peeing more, I mean come on!!! About 2 months before Katia was diagnosed, I had a horrible dream of us at her funeral. I saw Katia just lying there in a pink dress with flowers. I was just sobbing and sobbing. Myron woke me up from the dream because I was actually crying in my sleep. First, I forbid anybody to buy her a pink dress but then I told Myron that Katia does not have allergies or an eye infection like the pediatrician was telling us. Something was really wrong. That next day is when I took her to the ER and ordered them to do a CT Scan which showed "nothing". Later we found out the person who read that must have been blind! There was a huge mass in her eye found on an MRI just 6 days later and when we picked up the CT from the hospital, it was obvious. I am saying all of this to say, that dream just told me WAKE UP and make the doctors figure this out! Well in late January before we moved to this house, I had the same kind of dream about Tatiana, not a funeral but we were at the hospital and she had just died. We took her in for something minor and found out horrible news and days later we lost her. This was in my dream. At this time, Tatiana had not complained at all to me but now come to find out she was having pain at this time and througout February but just didn't say anything until March. I don't WISH for something to be wrong with Tatiana, that would just be devastating but I want to KNOW nothing is going on that we are missing. First of all this doctor didn't even really look over the results from Tatiana's blood or urine test and there are some questionable things on there to me. Plus I couldn't see PECK on the ultrasound machine. He was going so fast and it was just unclear. I watched Katia get an ultrasound the other day of her abdomen, spleen, kidneys, heart, etc and I could see things good and understand what I was looking at. This doctor acted like he was trying to prove me wrong. Anyway, I am sorry to be ranting and raving (if that is how you spell those words) but I was up all night mad and confused and I just feel like I need to be very persistant here for Tatiana's sake and this family's sake! Here are some of the results that concern me:
Blood Test in January (hasn't had one since then)
Hemoglobin 14.9 normal 11.5 - 14.5
Polys 63 normal 38 -58
Cholestrol 234 normal up to 169

Not that these are way off but why are they off?

Urine test in January

WBC - trace normal is negative
Ketones - Trace normal is negative
Mucus Threads - moderate normal is negative

Urine test in March

Appearance - Hazy normal is clear
WBC Esterase - 2+ normal is negative
Protein - 2+ normal is negative
Occult Blood - 2+ normal is negative
WBC/HPF - 5-10 normal is 0 - 5
RBC/HPF - 5-10 normal is 0 - 3

If you have any input, please tell me or ideas of what I should do or ask for.
She has had UTIs ruled out twice. That is what her pediatrician thought she had. She ran the labs 2 times in March and no UTI.
Her pediatrician also says Tatiana does not show to be diabetic.
Tatiana took Augmentin for 10 days in March and during that time did not have pain but 4 days later, the pain all came back.
Now she is on Macrodantin 50 mg. for 30 days to prevent infections? She has been told to drink more often and pee more often plus she takes metamucel once a day but he wants her to take it twice to try to have a bowel movement every day instead of every other day. He wants her to make sure she pees twice while at school.

I am going to leave this post on here until I can find out what is going on. I am hoping someone will come by here with some input. I will do updates above it but I am going to leave this here for a while. Thank you for any input or if you can print this and pass it on to any doctor you may know or go to in the next few days :) Love, Tracy

April 19, 2003 3PMish
We just got done making Easter Eggs. We don't normally do the Easter egg and baskets because I always want my kids to celebrate the TRUE meaning of Easter, Christ's ressurection from the cross. BUT this year, the kids have been through so much and lately I am really trying to things with them all together to "Make Memories". After this year and all we have gone through as a family I want to do things with them that we can all look back on for the rest of our lives and smile. I want them to be very close, no matter how far apart they may live from eachother, all their lives. I look at everything different now. It is like a homemovie is being made of your life. I don't know. That may sound dumb to some people but life is very important and to enjoy each day. When something is bothering me, I try to think, "Will it bother me next month or six months from now?" If not, I try to get it out of my head. If you would like to answer a question in the guestbook, here goes! What is the best memory you have with your family or your kids, spouse or whatever? What brings a true smile to your face? Do you still date your spouse? Sit down and read to your kids? Watch silly movies? Talk about your days at the end of a day? I read the other day, nobody can add time to their day but we can always change how we spend time. I liked that. Love, Tracy

Please still continue to pray for our families.

These are a few that really need your prayers right now and your visits :)

Brittany

Chassidy

Jalen

Tyler

Colby

Baby Brandon

Saturday, April 19, 2003 2:06 PM CDT
Okay, I just did this update but it didn't show so...
We just got done making Easter Eggs. We don't normally do the Easter egg and baskets because I always want my kids to celebrate the TRUE meaning of Easter, Christ's ressurection from the cross. BUT this year, the kids have been through so much and lately I am really trying to things with them all together to "Make Memories". After this year and all we have gone through as a family I want to do things with them that we can all look back on for the rest of our lives and smile. I want them to be very close, no matter how far apart they may live from eachother, all their lives. I look at everything different now. It is like a homemovie is being made of your life. I don't know. That may sound dumb to some people but life is very important and to enjoy each day. When something is bothering me, I try to think, "Will it bother me next month or six months from now?" If not, I try to get it out of my head. If you would like to answer a question in the guestbook, here goes! What is the best memory you have with your family or your kids, spouse or whatever? What brings a true smile to your face? Do you still date your spouse? Sit down and read to your kids? Watch silly movies? Talk about your days at the end of a day? I read the other day, nobody can add time to their day but we can always change how we spend time. I liked that. Love, Tracy

Please still continue to pray for our families.

These are a few that really need your prayers right now and your visits :)

Brittany

Chassidy

Jalen

Tyler

Colby

Baby Brandon

Friday, April 18, 2003 3:32 PM CDT
Okay we went to Tatiana's Dr. Appt. I am happy with what he said but I just hope he is right. He did an ultrasound and saw nothing unusual in her bladder or kidneys. His suggestion is to take an antibiotic pill for a month (it starts with an 'M') and to drink more water and go to the bathroom more often. He also wants her to take her Metamucel (she takes that right now to lower cholestrol) twice a day instead of once a day. She has bowel movements usually every other day and he would rather every day. Plus he wants her to go pee every two hours even if she doesn't need to. Then come back to his office in a month. I mean I am glad he did the ultrasound but something tells me there is more to this than drinking and peeing more. I am going to give it the month and then see and I pray he is right. Thank you so much for your prayers and advice. I do read every idea people have. Love, Tracy

Please still continue to pray for our families.

These are a few that really need your prayers right now and your visits :)

Brittany

Chassidy

Jalen

Tyler

Colby

Baby Brandon

Friday, April 18, 2003 3:32 PM CDT
Okay we went to Tatiana's Dr. Appt. I am happy with what he said but I just hope he is right. He did an ultrasound and saw nothing unusual in her bladder or kidneys. His suggestion is to take an antibiotic pill for a month (it starts with an 'M') and to drink more water and go to the bathroom more often. He also wants her to take her Metamucel (she takes that right now to lower cholestrol) twice a day instead of once a day. She has bowel movements usually every other day and he would rather every day. Plus he wants her to go pee every two hours even if she doesn't need to. Then come back to his office in a month. I mean I am glad he did the ultrasound but something tells me there is more to this than drinking and peeing more. I am going to give it the month and then see and I pray he is right. Thank you so much for your prayers and advice. I do read every idea people have. Love, Tracy

Please still continue to pray for our families.

These are a few that really need your prayers right now and your visits :)

Brittany

Chassidy

Jalen

Tyler

Colby

Baby Brandon

Thursday, April 17, 2003 10:01 AM CDT
Quick note for an update. Tomorrow please pray for Tatiana. Her appointment is at 2:45. Last night and this morning she has been in quite a bit of pain while urinating. It seems to have gotten worse. She always rates it 1 - 10. For the beginning of the week, it remained around 3 but Wednesday, she said 5, last night she said 6 and this morning 7. She was teary eyed last night after using the bathroom. I hate to see Tatiana in pain because it really brings her down. I have never met anyone who hates pain more than her and gets so scared. Her legs have also been hurting her a lot lately. She just brought that to my attention a couple days back. Hopefully this new doctor gets things moving quickly. I hate the fact it will be Friday because then nothing else will get done till Monday. Well, please pray for her.
Katia however is doing very well. Pretty hyper but she is doing well. She doesn't want to eat anything this morning but she has her mind more on watching a show she likes on TV so I am sure that will turn around.
I am so proud of my girls making good grades. That really makes me happy and feeling okay about putting them back in public school:)
Please still continue to pray for our families.

These are a few that really need your prayers right now and your visits :)

Brittany

Chassidy

Jalen

Tyler

Colby

Baby Brandon

Tuesday, April 15, 2003 3:44 PM CDT
UPDATE, APRIL 16, 2003
I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH MY DOCTOR'S OFFICE. I EXPLAINED THE SITUATION TO THEM AND THEY SUGGEST THAT AS SOON AS IT STARTS SHOWING AGAIN JUST TO COME IN. I REALLY CAN'T FEEL MUCH OF ANYTHING THERE RIGHT NOW AND SINCE IT POPPED, THERE ISN'T MUCH TO SEE. I WISH I COULD REMEMBER HOW THE WHOLE THING PROGRESSED BACK IN 1992 BUT I CAN'T BUT I AM GOING TO KEEP A VERY VERY CLOSE EYE ON IT. I JUST HAD BLOOD TESTS DONE A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AGO FOR MY YEARLY CHECKUP AND ALL LOOKED WELL EXCEPT MY CHOLESTROL WAS 229 BUT LAST YEAR IT WAS 279 SO I HAVE IMPROVED OVER THE LAST 15 MONTHS:) THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR CONCERNS SO I DID CALL THE DOC:)
Okay, I was going to add a mini-update on yesterday's update but then I realized that was already an add-on so I should start again. Today is one year since Katia was diagnosed and she is doing wonderful!!!!! We took her to Denny's today for breakfast - she and I love that place! Then we did some errands. Around noon, I started feeling a bump on the inside of my lip. Then at 1PM it was this clear looking blister thing. At 2PM it was 4x's bigger than it was at noon. Then I started thinking. Back in 1993 I had something like that for a few months. I finally went in after messing with it and popping the clear bubble for months and had the doctor look at it. They said it was a tumor. We lived in Oklahoma (Myron was in the military) so they sent me to Houston to have it removed and biopsied. It came back benign but that is all I know about it. Then a few months later, it started coming back in the same place again but it just disappeared. Now, it is on the opposite side of my mouth on the inside of my lip! Nasty, huh? Anyways, it is really in my way. It is about twice the size of a ladybug (since I always have ladybugs on my site, I will use that for the example). Around 4PM it popped. That is the same thing that used to happen the last time and then it would reappear. There is a little hard piece inside my lip right there. Also, I never have acne but today I have a huge "something" on my nose. It is just a big sore bump and also on my chin! Am I grossing anybody out yet? I just sound really outright weird right now. No, I am not including pictures for this. I tried to call my doctor but since it popped, I don't know what to do. Should I go in and have it cut out again and tested? Last time it was benign. Does anybody have any information on this.

MY WHOLE FAMILIY SEEMS TO BE FALLING APART RIGHT NOW. WELL KATIA IS FINE. IT IS JUST REALLY ME AND TATIANA! MYRON IS HAVING A ROUTE CANAL DONE THESE LAST FEW WEEKS (WHICH IS REALLY NORMAL) AND SHARAYAH IS DOING FINE!

Maybe someone has some input :)
Love, Tracy

PS I am only leaving this post up for 24 hours and then I will put something better here.

Please still continue to pray for our families.

These are a few that really need your prayers right now and your visits :)

Brittany

Chassidy

Jalen

Tyler

Colby

Baby Brandon

Sunday, April 13, 2003 2:27 PM CDT
UPDATE 4-14-03 TOMORROW APRIL 15, WILL BE ONE YEAR SINCE KATIA WAS DIAGNOSED. THAT IS ALL I WILL WRITE BECAUSE I HAVE VERY MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT TOMORROW. ONE THOUGH IS I AM SO HAPPY KATIA IS FEELING SO WELL NOW:)

UPDATE #2 TATIANA AND SHARAYAH BOTH RECEIVED THEIR REPORT CARDS:) TATIANA RECEIVED 5 A's AND 3 B's. SHARAYAH RECEIVED STRAIGHT A's. I AM SO PROUD OF BOTH OF THEIR HARD WORK. THEY HAD BEEN HOMESCHOOLED UNTIL JANUARY 2003. TATIANA IS IN 4TH GRADE AND SHARAYAH IS IN 8TH GRADE. BOTH ARE IN ALL ADVANCED CLASSES. YES I AM BRAGGING!!!

Well yesterday was the 5th Annual Joe Perillo Golf Tournament! Let me tell you first about Joe and how the tournament was started. Joe Perillo was diagnosed about 5 years ago with Leukemia CML. Joe was able to have a successful Bone Marrow Transplant with his sister being his donor! His friend Randy wanted to do something to help raise funds and awareness for Joe and the fight against Leukemia so he put together the Joe Perillo Golf Tournament. Since that one was such a success, Joe and Randy together decided to hold this tournament each year having a different recipient each year. We were honored to meet the recipient from 2 year years ago, Pete. Pete was diagnosed with Leukemia CML one month after turning 21. He had just gone for a routine physical never imagining how that would change his life. Pete is currently doing very well being treated with GLEEVEC. Pete is also closely working with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help raise funds and awareness in the fight against Leukemia. I would like to thank everybody that was involved in this year's tournament either by helping to arrange the day, work at the tournament, sponsor gifts and donations, etc. Our family had a fun day and met a lot of very nice people!!!! There are a BUNCH of new pictures posted in the album from this event. We really had a wonderful time.
I am also leaving my post from yesterday afternoon about some pages I would like each of you to go by visit and offer prayer and support. These families are really going through some very hard times and have been so supportive of me and my family.
Tyler Robbins

Baby Brandon

Chassidy

Little Jalen

Colby

Love, Tracy

Saturday, April 12, 2003 3:07 PM CDT
Today is the 5th annual Joe Perillo Golf Tournament and Katia is the guest of honor this year so we were out there this morning and we are going back in an hour or so for dinner! She is having a blast! Over 300 golfers showed up. The pictures will be posted on the site in the next couple of days (or maybe by tomorrow) and we will be on the news to talk about it some time this week and update everyone how Katia is doing. That will be on CBS's Life Around the Bay with Marty Matthews @4PM sometime but the show will be live (I am nervous)!
Tatiana on a scale of 1 - 10 today is reporting a 3 so that is better. I agree about the kidney stones because the more water we can force down her, the better.
We really needed this day out. It really takes our minds off of things and just to see how many people turned out really makes us feel Katia is going to pull through this with flying colors and make a HUGE difference with her LIFE!
Love, Tracy

I signed our journal and then I checked on a few of the kids I regularly check and I feel so bad right now!!!! Why do so many things go the way the go? I HATE LEUKEMIA!!!! I REALLY HATE THIS CRAPPY, FREAKING DISEASE!!! I am adding some links to some websites of kids that really need prayers for miracles! I try to check on people that I know everyday. If you know someone that really needs prayers or a site that you think I should check on regularly, please let me know. I try to sign guestbooks weekly so people know I have come by and I am praying for them. This whole golf tournament is to raise some funds and awareness. I try to tell EVERYBODY I meet how urgent it is to fund research, become a blood and marrow donor and have kids checked regularly through yearly blood tests! My God, I hate this disease and I want to beat it up with a vingence!!!!! Please visit these websites EVERY CHANCE you get. Love, Tracy

Chassidy (Leukemia AML)

Tyler Robbins
(Leukemia AML)

Colby (Leukemia JMML)

Baby Brandon

Thursday, April 10, 2003 12:29 AM CDT
Question: Katia has had bright orange poop last few days? No real change in her diet except the mineral oil. Any ideas? I have a BUNCH of questions right now and am going bug-eyed on this computer!
Thought I would sit down and maybe ask a few questions this time. First of all, Katia is having a very good day. On Tuesday, April 15, will be one year since she was diagnosed. It will be a happy/sad day for us. Happy because she is still with us and doing well and sad because of all the last year has put her little body through.
Now to Tatiana (our 10 year old daughter for those who don't know). She had her apppointment today and was referred to a urologist. The soonest appointment is on April 18th. She as much as the rest of us is looking forward to SOMEONE finding out why she is having these pains and how to fix it BUT at the same time, we all think back to ALL the appointments we were having this time last year trying to find out why KATIA was having so many problems and the devastating news we ended up finding out. Actually this time last year Katia was going through angiograms and an embolism of her eye and she was feeling really bad by now even though we didn't know what lied ahead. It was after the embolism on April 10th that she ended it back in the hospital on the 12th with menengitus and then diagnosed with Leukemia on the 15th. Poor Tatiana is a nervous child as it is BUT because of last year, she is more nervous. I have asked her doctors to test for anything big and then work down to the small ideas so we can worry less as time goes by. Tatiana agrees!
So that is what we are going through. My question is if anyone has any ideas what could be wrong with Tatiana. Has anyone had a child with these types of symptoms but not being a UTI? Her symptoms are: Painful urination, blood in urine, pressure to pee but she has to really push to get the pee out, pain in lower abdomen, and very thirsty a lot. The doctors have ruled out UTI and diabetes. I would appreciate any input so I can maybe bring up ideas or concerns at this next appointment. I think their plan is to do a sonogram of her bladder or kidneys. I really appreciate those who drop by this page more than words can ever say! Love, Tracy

Links from the other days journals:
"America Stands Strong"
song

Make a Child Smile Organization

Hugs and Hope Organization

National Children's Cancer Society

Presidential Prayer Team

Little Jalen's Site

�

Wednesday, April 9, 2003 4:11 PM CDT
UPDATE TODAY: Well Tatiana's pain is back and back bad! I called her doctor and the three are going to get together and discuss this. She will go in tomorrow at 9AM. Please pray the doctors will know what tests to run to get her better quickly. Poor Tatiana is so nervous to go to the doctor. I am going to leave the update from yesterday on her so that people can follow the links still and see how Katia is doing :) Love, Tracy
WE HAD A GREAT DAY TODAY!! WE WENT TO MCDONALDS AND KATIA PLAYED IN THE PLAYGROUND. SHE HASN'T DONE THAT FOR OVER A YEAR!!! IT WAS SO NICE. HER COUNTS ARE GOOD AND WE ARE ENJOYING THE FREEDOM FOR HER TO BE A TYPICAL 3 YEAR OLD. SHE DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE AND COME HOME BUT WE DRAGGED HER OUT AND WENT TO THE MALL TO WALK AROUND!! THAT WAS FUN TOO. CHECK OUT THE NEW PICTURES. SHE WAS RECENTLY ON THE MAKE A CHILD SMILE ORGANIZATION SITE SO SHE RECEIVED A LOT OF CARDS AND GIFTS. SHE WAS ALSO ON THE HUGS AND HOPE WEBSITE. SHE WAS A MARCH 2003 CHILD ON BOTH OF THOSE SITES. THESE PLACES ARE GREAT. THEY POST THE CHILD'S ADDRESS (PO BOX) AND A LOT OF PEOPLE SEND CARDS AND GIFTS FOR THE MONTH AND ONGOING EVEN. IF YOU HAVEN'T VISITED THESE SITES, DROP BY THEM. ANOTHER GREAT PLACE TO STOP BY IS THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S CANCER SOCIETY. THERE IS A BOARD ON THAT PAGE (CARE TO SHARE) TO GO ON AND TALK ABOUT MEDICAL AND FAMILY CONCERNS. THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PLACES I TURNED TO WHEN KATIA WAS FIRST DIAGNOSED. ALSO, CBS IS GOING TO BE DOING AN UPDATE ON KATIA'S STORY. THIS TIME WE WILL BE FILMED LIVE IN THE STUDIO (I AM NERVOUS). I AM NOT SURE WHEN THIS WILL TAKE PLACE. SATURDAY, A FOUNDATION "THE ANNUAL JOE PERILLO GOLF TOURNAMENT" WILL BE HOSTING A GOLF TOURNAMENT AND KATIA IS THE GUEST OF HONOR THIS YEAR. IT WILL BE A BUSY DAY BUT WE ARE SO LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING ALL OF THE GOLFERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. THERE WILL BE AROUND 300 GOLFERS OUT THERE TO GOLF, HAVE A DINNER AND AN AUCTION. KATIA LOVES TO MEET PEOPLE SO SHE SHOULD DEFINITELY HAVE A BLAST THAT DAY. OF COURSE I LOVE TO TAKE PICTURES SO IT WILL BE LIKE YOU WERE THERE WHEN I POST THE PICTURES. I THINK THAT IS ABOUT IT FOR NOW. ABOUT KATIA'S HEALTH. SHE IS STILL POSITIVELY IN REMISSION. ALL TESTS ARE BACK. SHE IS DOING A LOT BETTER WITH PAIN RIGHT NOW. SOMETHING (EITHER HER BOWEL MOVEMENTS OR URINE) IS COMING OUT KINDA ORANGISH BUT WE ARE KEEPING AN EYE ON THAT. I AM JUST HAPPY SHE ISN'T SCREAMING IN SEVERE PAIN!!! THAT MAKES MY VERY SOUL HAPPY. TATIANA FINISHED THE ANTIBIOTICS SHE WAS ON FRIDAY EVENING AND HASN'T FELT ANY PAIN WITH URINE SINCE THEN SO MAYBE THE ANTIBIOTICS CLEARED THE PROBLEM AWAY. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN'T HEARD THE AMERICA STANDS STRONG SONG YET, PLEASE TAKE A CHANCE TO STOP BY. IF I CAN GATHER ENOUGH GUESTBOOK SIGNATURES (MESSAGES TO THE SOLDIERS) THEN I WILL PRINT IT AND SEND IT TO A SOLDIER WE HAVE AGREED TO PRAY FOR EACH DAY. IF YOU VISIT PRESIDENTIAL PRAYER TEAM THEN YOU CAN SIGN UP TO PRAY FOR A SPECIFIC SOLDIER EACH DAY. OURS IS BRADLEY RAKOV, MARINES. IF YOU WISH YOU CAN JUST SAY A PRAYER FOR HIM. WE ALL KNOW HOW IMPORTANT PRAYER IS. "BLESSED IS THE NATION WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD". PSALM 33:12A.
I ALSO WANT TO PASS ON LITTLE JALEN'S SITE. PRAY THAT THE DOCTORS CAN GET HIM INTO REMISSION SO HE CAN HAVE A BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT. HE IS 17 MONTHS OLD AND HAS BEEN IN QUITE A BIT OF PAIN IN HIS SHOULDER LATELY. WELL KATIA HAS A POOPY DIAPER (WITH NO SCREAMING) SO I MUST END THIS! I AM GOING TO LEAVE THE POEMS ON THAT I WROTE FOR HER THROUGH THIS JOURNAL ENTRY AND THEN THEY WILL BE IN THE HISTORY AREA. THANK YOU FOR VISITING AND CHECKING ON OUR DEAR LITTLE KATIA. I WILL PRAY FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES. LOVE, TRACY

If Only
for a Moment

If only for a moment,

I want to hold you tight,

I want to see your pretty face,

Treasure your very sight!

If only for a moment,

I wish to see you play,

Smile, laugh and run,

On a beautiful Spring day.

If only for a moment,

I will watch you as you sleep,

Eat a sugar cookie,

Or just play hide and seek.

If only for a moment,

I want to hear you sing,

See you learn to ride a bike,

Or soar high in a swing.

If only for a moment,

Let's do all we can do,

Cause here now and forever,

My sweet baby, I LOVE YOU!

Written for Katia by Tracy
Solomon (Mommy) * April 6, 2003

Mommy Makes it Better

The times you have a boo boo

On your arm or leg or toe,

Mommy makes it better,

And off to play you go.

If someone takes your toy

Or gives you a mean look.

Mommy makes it better,

Reading a story from a book.

When you go off to the doctor

And something has to hurt,

Mommy makes it better,

by calling you her "SQUIRT".

As you roll off of the sofa

And fall onto the floor

Mommy makes it better,

By kissing what is sore.

If Mommy has to go bye bye,

And she tells you that you can't,

Mommy makes it better,

By putting "Kissies" on your hand.

Now Mommy has a question,

If there's cancer in your blood,

Can Mommy make it better

With her kisses and her love?

Written for Katia by Tracy Solomon (Mommy) * April 6, 2003

Tuesday, April 8, 2003 4:40 PM CDT
WE HAD A GREAT DAY TODAY!! WE WENT TO MCDONALDS AND KATIA PLAYED IN THE PLAYGROUND. SHE HASN'T DONE THAT FOR OVER A YEAR!!! IT WAS SO NICE. HER COUNTS ARE GOOD AND WE ARE ENJOYING THE FREEDOM FOR HER TO BE A TYPICAL 3 YEAR OLD. SHE DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE AND COME HOME BUT WE DRAGGED HER OUT AND WENT TO THE MALL TO WALK AROUND!! THAT WAS FUN TOO. CHECK OUT THE NEW PICTURES. SHE WAS RECENTLY ON THE MAKE A CHILD SMILE ORGANIZATION SITE SO SHE RECEIVED A LOT OF CARDS AND GIFTS. SHE WAS ALSO ON THE HUGS AND HOPE WEBSITE. SHE WAS A MARCH 2003 CHILD ON BOTH OF THOSE SITES. THESE PLACES ARE GREAT. THEY POST THE CHILD'S ADDRESS (PO BOX) AND A LOT OF PEOPLE SEND CARDS AND GIFTS FOR THE MONTH AND ONGOING EVEN. IF YOU HAVEN'T VISITED THESE SITES, DROP BY THEM. ANOTHER GREAT PLACE TO STOP BY IS THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S CANCER SOCIETY. THERE IS A BOARD ON THAT PAGE (CARE TO SHARE) TO GO ON AND TALK ABOUT MEDICAL AND FAMILY CONCERNS. THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PLACES I TURNED TO WHEN KATIA WAS FIRST DIAGNOSED. ALSO, CBS IS GOING TO BE DOING AN UPDATE ON KATIA'S STORY. THIS TIME WE WILL BE FILMED LIVE IN THE STUDIO (I AM NERVOUS). I AM NOT SURE WHEN THIS WILL TAKE PLACE. SATURDAY, A FOUNDATION "THE ANNUAL JOE PERILLO GOLF TOURNAMENT" WILL BE HOSTING A GOLF TOURNAMENT AND KATIA IS THE GUEST OF HONOR THIS YEAR. IT WILL BE A BUSY DAY BUT WE ARE SO LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING ALL OF THE GOLFERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. THERE WILL BE AROUND 300 GOLFERS OUT THERE TO GOLF, HAVE A DINNER AND AN AUCTION. KATIA LOVES TO MEET PEOPLE SO SHE SHOULD DEFINITELY HAVE A BLAST THAT DAY. OF COURSE I LOVE TO TAKE PICTURES SO IT WILL BE LIKE YOU WERE THERE WHEN I POST THE PICTURES. I THINK THAT IS ABOUT IT FOR NOW. ABOUT KATIA'S HEALTH. SHE IS STILL POSITIVELY IN REMISSION. ALL TESTS ARE BACK. SHE IS DOING A LOT BETTER WITH PAIN RIGHT NOW. SOMETHING (EITHER HER BOWEL MOVEMENTS OR URINE) IS COMING OUT KINDA ORANGISH BUT WE ARE KEEPING AN EYE ON THAT. I AM JUST HAPPY SHE ISN'T SCREAMING IN SEVERE PAIN!!! THAT MAKES MY VERY SOUL HAPPY. TATIANA FINISHED THE ANTIBIOTICS SHE WAS ON FRIDAY EVENING AND HASN'T FELT ANY PAIN WITH URINE SINCE THEN SO MAYBE THE ANTIBIOTICS CLEARED THE PROBLEM AWAY. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN'T HEARD THE AMERICA STANDS STRONG SONG YET, PLEASE TAKE A CHANCE TO STOP BY. IF I CAN GATHER ENOUGH GUESTBOOK SIGNATURES (MESSAGES TO THE SOLDIERS) THEN I WILL PRINT IT AND SEND IT TO A SOLDIER WE HAVE AGREED TO PRAY FOR EACH DAY. IF YOU VISIT PRESIDENTIAL PRAYER TEAM THEN YOU CAN SIGN UP TO PRAY FOR A SPECIFIC SOLDIER EACH DAY. OURS IS BRADLEY RAKOV, MARINES. IF YOU WISH YOU CAN JUST SAY A PRAYER FOR HIM. WE ALL KNOW HOW IMPORTANT PRAYER IS. "BLESSED IS THE NATION WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD". PSALM 33:12A.
I ALSO WANT TO PASS ON LITTLE JALEN'S SITE. PRAY THAT THE DOCTORS CAN GET HIM INTO REMISSION SO HE CAN HAVE A BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT. HE IS 17 MONTHS OLD AND HAS BEEN IN QUITE A BIT OF PAIN IN HIS SHOULDER LATELY. WELL KATIA HAS A POOPY DIAPER (WITH NO SCREAMING) SO I MUST END THIS! I AM GOING TO LEAVE THE POEMS ON THAT I WROTE FOR HER THROUGH THIS JOURNAL ENTRY AND THEN THEY WILL BE IN THE HISTORY AREA. THANK YOU FOR VISITING AND CHECKING ON OUR DEAR LITTLE KATIA. I WILL PRAY FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES. LOVE, TRACY

If Only
for a Moment

If only for a moment,

I want to hold you tight,

I want to see your pretty face,

Treasure your very sight!

If only for a moment,

I wish to see you play,

Smile, laugh and run,

On a beautiful Spring day.

If only for a moment,

I will watch you as you sleep,

Eat a sugar cookie,

Or just play hide and seek.

If only for a moment,

I want to hear you sing,

See you learn to ride a bike,

Or soar high in a swing.

If only for a moment,

Let's do all we can do,

Cause here now and forever,

My sweet baby, I LOVE YOU!

Written for Katia by Tracy
Solomon (Mommy) * April 6, 2003

�

Mommy Makes it Better

The times you have a boo boo

On your arm or leg or toe,

Mommy makes it better,

And off to play you go.

If someone takes your toy

Or gives you a mean look.

Mommy makes it better,

Reading a story from a book.

When you go off to the doctor

And something has to hurt,

Mommy makes it better,

by calling you her "SQUIRT".

As you roll off of the sofa

And fall onto the floor

Mommy makes it better,

By kissing what is sore.

If Mommy has to go bye bye,

And she tells you that you can't,

Mommy makes it better,

By putting "Kissies" on your hand.

Now Mommy has a question,

If there's cancer in your blood,

Can Mommy make it better

With her kisses and her love?

Written for Katia by Tracy Solomon (Mommy) * April 6, 2003

Sunday, April 6, 2003 1:48 PM CDT
MINI ADD-ON, MONDAY APRIL 7, 4AM
Katia is doing pretty well right now. The mineral oil each day is really helping (thank you Dr. McMelan!) and she is sleeping well. Of course she is always eating well. I really try to have fun with Katia each and every day and spend good quality time with her. She has really opened my eyes to the important of this. Katia is a precious gift to me. She makes me so happy and she is funny and loving. Last night as we went to sleep, she jumped up all of the sudden (kinda scared me) and gave me a big hug and kiss and told me she loved me. Then she did the sign (sign language) for "I love you". I really believe Katia to be so genuine :) She is such a little sweety and I want her to ALWAYS be happy. Also, make a trip by Jalen's
page. He is a little buddy of ours with AML also and Barney came to see him this week. He has been in a lot of pain and I know his mom would love to have you drop by the page :)

ENJOY THE POEMS (I WROTE THEM FOR MY SWEET KATIA YESTERDAY - I HAVEN'T WRITTEN A POEM SINCE THE DAY SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WHICH IS WRITTEN ABOVE ON THIS PAGE)

If Only
for a Moment

If only for a moment,

I want to hold you tight,

I want to see your pretty face,

Treasure your very sight!

If only for a moment,

I wish to see you play,

Smile, laugh and run,

On a beautiful Spring day.

If only for a moment,

I will watch you as you sleep,

Eat a sugar cookie,

Or just play hide and seek.

If only for a moment,

I want to hear you sing,

See you learn to ride a bike,

Or soar high in a swing.

If only for a moment,

Let's do all we can do,

Cause here now and forever,

My sweet baby, I LOVE YOU!

Written for Katia by Tracy Solomon (Mommy) * April 6, 2003

�

Mommy Makes
it Better

The times you have a boo boo

On your arm or leg or toe,

Mommy makes it better,

And off to play you go.

If someone takes your toy

Or gives you a mean look.

Mommy makes it better,

Reading a story from a book.

When you go off to the doctor

And something has to hurt,

Mommy makes it better,

by calling you her "SQUIRT".

As you roll off of the sofa

And fall onto the floor

Mommy makes it better,

By kissing what is sore.

If Mommy has to go bye bye,

And she tells you that you can't,

Mommy makes it better,

By putting "Kissies" on your hand.

Now Mommy has a question,

If there's cancer in your blood,

Can Mommy make it better

With her kisses and her love?

Written for Katia by Tracy Solomon (Mommy) * April 6, 2003

Saturday, April 5, 2003 11:06 AM CST
HIYA!! Well as you can see, Katia and I had some fun yesterday baking yummy cookies for dinner (we didn't wait for dinner to eat some!)
She has been feeling pretty good since yesterday afternoon. She has had 3 bowel movements and the pain has lessened. I really think the mineral oil is helping. I am putting her potty away for a few months and then we will retry it once we get all the pain behind us for a few months.
We have heard nothing about her results so right now I am assuming the biopsy results are good. They were done on April 1st so I figure the results must be in.
I will call Monday to make sure.
Tatiana finished her antibiotic last night so we will see if the pain comes back or stays away. I pray it just stays away and the antibiotic cleared up the problem even if it wasn't a UTI.
Please pray for Colby. He has recently relapsed and the family needs your prayers as they go through this yet again. Prayers definitely do help in many ways!
Also, remember our soldiers everyday in your prayers. They are away from their families and in the middle of a huge war. There are many things that do go on that we never hear about (the media doesn't get hold of EVERYTHING) and their lives will be forever changed by this. They have family members left behind that need our prayers too. When Myron was in the gulf I tried best to just stay busy and try not to worry too much. Sharayah was only 2 years old and I wanted her to be happy and for us to stay very positive. We lived in Germany and we had just arrived there about a month before Myron left. I became very involved with the military there and helping with communications between the military base and the German population in my area. I was a "mayor" of sorts. I lived in the German community, not in the military housing area so it was a huge learning experience. I absolutely loved Germany and met many nice people who got me through a terrible time. Myron returned home safely and now, for the first time, we are able to watch this carried out on TV. I didn't have CNN or any American channels where I lived. I only had radio broadcast which were given a few times a day. I knew more than the average military wife there because of my involvement with the military leaders but still, nothing like this! This is overwhelming at times for even me.
If you haven't had a chance to stop by and listen to America Stands Strong Song please take the time to do so. If you have a chance to leave a message in the guestbook of what you thought of the song, that would be great. Myron wrote this song the day after the terrorist attacks in Sept. 2001. We really have not pursued doing anything with this song but we really want to share it with people. Like "Lady in Red", we have given away a lot of copies of this song. I am going to put a picture of the album cover on the "America Stands Strong" site so you can see what it looks like.
I try to share pictures and songs with people on Carringbridge for a few reasons. The main one being to give people a break from just routine day to day life. I like to have something that will make people feel better or bring a smile to their face. This America song, I hope will bring each of us a since of pride and strength for our troops and our country. If you would like to download the song, send me an email and I will send it to you in the form of an email attachment.
Well Katia is in the middle of trying to have a bowel movement so I will go.
Thank you so much for stopping by and checking on her and our family and enjoy your weekend. May God Bless everyone. Love, Tracy

Thursday, April 3, 2003 12:28 AM CST
WE ARE HOME! THE ONLY THING DONE TODAY WAS THE ULTRASOUND OF HER ABDOMEN WHICH LOOKS FINE. THAT WAS DONE BECAUSE OF ALL THE PAIN SHE HAVING URINATING AND HAVING BOWEL MOVEMENTS. SHE THEN WENT TO GO SEE A GASTRO DOCTOR AND HE SAYS SHE DOES HAVE A FEW LEFT OVER SORES THAT ARE PROBABLY GETTING IRRITATED SO SHE CAN GO BACK ON HER LAXATIVES (OR MINERAL OIL - WHAT I HAD STARTED DOING) UNTIL SHE IS GOING ONCE OR TWICE A DAY (BOWEL MOVEMENT) AND THEN KEEP HER ON THAT FOR QUITE A WHILE. MAYBE ONCE SHE GOES WITHOUT PAIN FOR QUITE SOME TIME, SHE WON'T TRY TO HOLD IT. I LIKE THAT DOCTOR. WE HAVE SEEN HIM INPATIENT BEFORE WHEN SHE HAD C-DIF. ASIDE FROM THAT, THE BIOPSY RESULTS AREN'T BACK YET BUT I AM ALREADY FEELING BETTER ABOUT THOSE THAT THEY SHOULD BE FINE. WHAT ELSE? LEG PAIN? NO IDEA BUT TO KEEP AN EYE ON THAT.
OKAY, ABOUT TATIANA, HER TESTS CAME BACK NEGATIVE (AGAIN) FOR A UTI SO WE ARE TO CONTINUE THE AUGMENTIN THROUGH SATURDAY AND IF THE PAIN COMES BACK LOOK FOR ANOTHER CAUSE. SHE IS JUST REALLY SHOWING ALL THE SIGNS FOR A UTI BUT TWICE THE TEST HAS SHOWN NO UTI.
ME, I AM FEELING BETTER RIGHT NOW. I DO NEED TO EAT SOMETHING!!!!!! I SO MUCH APPRECIATE PRAYERS. ON THE RIDE OVER TO ST. PETE, KATIA AND I WERE LISTENING TO DOLLY PARTON REALLY LOUD ON THE RADIO JUST HAVING A GOOD FUN TIME AND I WAS AMAZED HOW CALM THAT GOT ME AND BY THE TIME WE GOT TO THE DOCTOR I WAS READY TO DEAL WITH BEING THERE.
I GUESS WE SHOULD FIND OUT BIOPSY RESULTS TOMORROW? MAYBE? THANK YOU SO MUCH, FRIENDS! :)
Please take a chance to listen to this uplifing song about our country :)
America Stands Strong Song
LOVE, TRACY

Tuesday, April 1, 2003 2:36 PM CST
UPDATE APRIL 3 @ 6AM
FOR SOME REASON I AM JUST BEYOND NERVOUS TODAY. PLEASE PRAY THAT I MAKE IT THERE SAFELY AND ALL GOES GOOD AND WELL. I AM NOT SURE IF I WILL FIND OUT ANY RESULTS TODAY BUT I WILL POST AS SOON AS I GET HOME :) LOVE, TRACY

Okay, well here goes. Katia had her appointment today. They seemed concern about all she has gone through so there was a bone marrow biopsy (results Thursday or Friday), leg X-ray (that looked good) and she will have an ultrasound of her pelvis and abdomen on Thursday morning. So far no answers but at least we are looking. The preliminary of the bone marrow biopsy under the microscope looked good but they sent it to lab. Please pray that all of this comes back good. Thank you so much for signing the guestbook with your support. THAT SO MUCH HELPS ME!!!! Love,Tracy

Be sure to check out the America Stands Strong Song Katia's Daddy wrote :)

Monday, March 31, 2003 7:51 PM CST
Okay for those of you who thought we had an appointment today, I feel like an idiot. I knew it was the 1st but I thought today was the 1st. I figured that out around midnight last night. Aside from that, I am so stressed out right now!! Katia now has a red red rash all over her lower back, butt, stomach, and back of her neck. It just popped up out of nowhere. She says it doesn't itch. I haven't fed her anything new, washed her or her clothes in anything new. I just can't imagine what it is. Now, that means that her CBC tomorrow will probably not be a true read because this will cause the numbers to be wrong. I just want to know how my baby is doing. I am so nervous right now of relapse because so many problems going on with her and she is so irritable BUT on a good side, she did poop early this afternoon and is not in so much pain tonight. She had a good afternoon and she hasn't slept so much or ran for refuge on our bed in our room. She is being herself right now. She has a little of the rash under her eyes on the picture on her webpage front. It isn't too distinct but the same type of rash. Flat and red like spray paint almost, not petichae. Why didn't I become a doctor? I had the brains and patience but now ... Oh, what is the answer? Thank you for checking on Katia and me! I really do check this page often and read guestbook entries and it really does make me feel better no matter how rough things are just knowing people out there feel for us. I love y'all! Love, Tracy

Friday, March 28, 2003 4:31 PM CST
UPDATE MARCH 31, 2003
TOMORROW (APRIL 1ST) IS KATIA'S APPOINTMENT. NOT TODAY. I KEPT THINKING IT WAS ON MONDAY APRIL 1ST BUT IT IS TOMORROW. I FEEL LIKE TAKING HER TODAY BUT I WILL WAIT TILL TOMORROW. POOR LITTLE BABY :( I HATE TO SEE HER HURTING. SHE PASSED A LOT OF URINE LAST NIGHT!!!! I MEAN A LOT!!! I CHANGED HER DIAPER AROUND 12:30 AM AND AT 6:AM, THE DIAPER, HER AND THE BED WAS SOAKED EVEN THROUGH THE EXTRA PAD ON THE BED. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH ANY OF THIS. BUT I WILL UPDATE TOMORROW. PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR LITTLE KATIA. I AM STILL WAITING TO HEAR FROM TATIANA'S LAB TEST TODAY. :)
Please pray for little Katia. She is having a lot of pain with having and trying to have bowel movements. She has peticae all under her eyes from screaming so much. I feel so bad to see her go through pain. Plus, over the last few days her legs have been hurting. She does go to the doctor on Monday so I will mention all of this to them and pray her CBC is normal. The last one showed her WBC at 12.3 so I have been kind of worried about her. Tatiana returned to the doctor yesterday because she is still having pain when she urinates and her right leg keeps falling asleep so they put her back on the antibiotics they had orginally said she didn't need to finish. They are doing another lab on her urine. The last one showed no UTI but they are thinking it was wrong. She has been extremely thirsty and for no reason that she can explain, she is having trouble sleeping. All the girls are really enjoying all the mail they have been receiving so thank you for sending the mail! Katia adores her mail. She gets so HAPPY. Well, I need to post the pictures from the ducks the other day. Love, Tracy
PS New pictures but the duck pictures came out bad (too bad). I really wanted to have some nice pictures since she LOVES to go out there. Next time:)
"If you want something enough make a goal. If you go for it enough, you can get it. Never give up."

Wednesday, March 26, 2003 7:09 PM CST
Well all is well here on the homefront! I am happy to report that. Tatiana is however having a little bit of pain now again but we are keeping up with her. I feel better after a few days of just being worn out! Sharayah is enjoying spare time during spring break. Katia of course keeps us all busy! We went to visit the ducks at the apartment today so I will put pictures up soon of that. I wasn't planning to update today but I had to. I went by and visited a few sites that were new to me. This one, I have to put a link here for everyone to visit. This is Hannah and Madiline's page. They are amazing twins who have been diagnosed with myelodysplasia. I mean it is hard dealing with one child in the hospital and sick all the time but she has 5 year old twins. This mom's way of looking at and dealing with this whole situation just is so (I don't have a word). She finds humor in the worst of situations and really seems to stay so upbeat. As I read her journal history I would feel so bad for some things but then she would say something that made me laugh. My kids probably thing I was losing my mind while I was reading through that. The journal history isn't too long so it is easy to read and I urge you to go by and meet these girls and their mom. Sign her guestbook and just send her some more energy. Thanks. I pray each and every one of you are doing well! Love, Tracy

PS Please also, if you have any materials (paper, stamps, stickers, postage stamps, envelopes, etc.) around your house that you aren't using and can send, the kids have really enjoyed putting cards together lately and want them to continue doing that. It is nice to see they are reaching out to others - on their own! I guess most 14 and 10 year olds haven't seen some of the things they have and they have a special place in their hearts for other children fighting for their lives and just to be happy and healthy. I am proud of my girls!

PO BOX 22375
Tampa, FL 33622

Monday, March 24, 2003 10:37 AM CST
Well the kids are enjoying spring break just playing around the house. Katia loves it when they are home for the day. Tatiana seems to be feeling good, no pain or blood. They have been working on sending out cards to other patients. We have tried to do that since Katia was in the hospital because we saw how much she loved to receive cards but now we are trying to send out about 20 a week. We could definitely use some creative materials to make cards if you have some around your house, different sized envelopes (kids make strange sized and shaped cards) and some stamps. I really want to get up to sending out about 40 a week in the next few weeks. I like my kids to be involved in this as much as possible but in a positive way. I like to see kids reaching out to other kids. I think it will make them more understanding as adults. Well, that is about it for now. Also, if you have an addess of a child (or adult) who is sick and you think would like to receive a card, let me know. I am trying to get to all the Caringbridge children I check on by the beginning or end of next week so if your address is on your page, look for a card soon, hopefully handmade but if it comes from me, I am not the creative type with my hands so it will be store-bought but the same love will go into it. Love, Tracy
Katia's Story on the National Children's Cancer Society Page! Many thanks to the NCCS for their support!

A note of how to stop POP-UP messages from appearing on your screen! These things annoy me and I found this solution on AOL but it works for anyone!

I found this on AOL but I figure anyone who hates seeing those popup messenger messages ALL THE TIME could use this information. I have even tried store-bought programs to stop them and nothing worked but this does and it is soooo simple. Let me know if this helps you. Tracy
Window Messenger Pop-Ups

What are they? Messenger pop-ups are a new form of spam that exploit a feature of the Microsoft Windows operating system intended for use by network administrators. These pop-ups can appear even if you aren't surfing the Web.

Who is at risk? Anyone who has a connection to the Internet and who is using Windows XP/2000/98/95 with this networking feature installed.

How do I stop them?

To disable the "Messenger" (those stupid pop-ups that come onto your screen) service manually...

Follow these simple steps:
1. Click on the Start Button in the Taskbar
2. Open Control Panels
3. Go to Administrative Tools (XP users may need to go to "Performance and Maintenance" first, then Administrative Tools.)
4. Double click on Services
5. Scroll down to Messenger
6. Double click on Messenger
7. Change the Startup type to "disabled"
8. Click Stop to stop the service

DONE

Saturday, March 22, 2003 11:14 AM CST
Well, all is well here on the homefront. Katia is in the kitchen right now begging for food so she is being normal. Quite a bit of bruising lately and her poopy problems but for us we are used to that. Everytime I look at her, I think she just gets prettier!!!! She is such a sweet little baby! Myron has now sprained his wrist at work but he will be back to normal soon. I think his age is catching up with him. He is not the youth he thinks he is. I am doing well, had a few seizures lately but I feel better now. I think I have just been very worn down. I think I shared with y'all that Tatiana has been having some blood in her urine. Well the pediatrician thought it was a UTI but the labs came back that it wasn't so now we have to go repeat the labs at the end of March and go from there. Right now she is off the medicine they had put her on so hopefully the pain she was in doesn't come back. She was in quite a bit of pain when she would use the bathroom and her stomach has been bothering her on and off. I told her pediatrician (who we used to take Katia to) that I don't want to overlook anything. If it doesn't clear right up I want an ultrasound of her belly, bladder and kidney to make sure nothing is going on in there. No dragging feet! Never again. Anyway, if she does start bleeding again (right now everything is orange because of one of the meds she was taking for UTIs) or she gets into pain, I will probably just go to the ER and get everything done at once. ALTHOUGH, I did take Katia to the ER when her eye was so huge and pushed out it looked like she was going to lose it if she sneezed. I told the ER doctor to do a CATSCAN of her head because I felt something was in there (mom instincts). They did the CT and came back and told me it was clear. A few days later, her optomitrist ordered a CT and it showed a large mass right behind her eye. When I picked up the films from the ER taken just a few days before, lo and behold there was a huge mass, OVERLOOKED! A dog walking by could have seen that. It looked like a golf ball was in the eye socket and the other eye looked perfect. How could someone overlook that? I don't even think they looked. But enough grumbling! It just gets me mad again. A little girl McKenzie I have been keeping up with passed away yesterday afternoon. She had 3 cord blood transplants and really fought a GREAT fight. Please visit her page as her parents are really going to miss their little baby, McKenzie. McKenzie's Page
Thank you for keeping Katia and our family in your prayers. Prayers really do bring comfort to us! Love, Tracy

Monday, March 17, 2003 6:30 PM CST
Katia has been doing really well these last few days. Her bowel pain comes and goes but I really feel she is doing better with that. She has a lot of energy and a huge appetite! She is sleeping right now which is not usual but she has done that the last few nights. We have been really busy the last few days and I guess it is wearing her out. Her grandparents are in town for 10 days and she is really loving that! It is always nice to have them busy but now we have more room for them instead of being in our tiny apartment! Thank you for the cards people are sending!!! Katia runs for her mail when daddy comes in from work. By the way, please pray for daddy (Myron) because he hurt his back when we moved and is still having quite a bit of pain but he continues his day to day activity. I am not much help lifting things or moving things. I have very weak arms (since I was a small child) and epilepsy has done tricks to my back so poor Myron has to take the brunt of everything. Hey that is what happens when you have three daughters and no sons! Well please pray for him though. God blessed me with such a wonderful husband. I have to give thanks for him and let people know how wonderful he is because I never want to just take him for granted. He is such a help to me and he always makes me feel good about myself. He keeps me laughing and ... I could just go on and on. He is a GREAT daddy and husband!!!! Thank you God for Myron. He wrote Katia another song so that will be produced and put on this site soon. By soon, I mean "music world" soon so that could be a while. I hope you are enjoying the "Lady in Red." Katia listened to that hour after hour in the hospital. Myron has written a LOT of songs (spanish and English ballads mainly) but has only produced onto a CD about 12 songs and then he has a few SINGLE CDs. He also did a song the day after the Terrorist Attacks in Sept. 2001. It is a beautiful patriotic song called "America Stands Strong". I am very proud of Myron as you can tell and I guess today just stands out because I see all he does for me and now for his parents during their trip. He is also really trying to take the time to work with Florida Blood Services to raise awareness for blood donations and signing up to be a Bone Marrow Donor, not just for Katia but all the people in need. We have been really touched by so many families and their stories.
Please continue to pray for Brittany and check on her updates. She is the little girl I had mentioned with Bone Cancer that had returned. Well she had surgery and I am sure she and her family would love to hear from all of us showing our support.
God bless you and your families. Love, Tracy

Friday, March 14, 2003 4:59 PM CST
Things here are good right now. The kids are out playing on the back porch and Katia is really having a lot of fun!! It is nice to hear her being a typical 3 year old.
I have been praying for my Caringbridge Family a lot lately in hopes that we can all have a good summer ahead of us!
Also, let me know what you think of the song playing on Katia's page. That is the "Lady In Red" song on the CD. We are in the process of producing another song that Myron wrote just for Katia. She loves it! It is a very pretty song.
Well, that is all for now. Let me go out on the backporch with my babies!!! Love, Tracy

PS A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE BEEN SENDING KATIA CARDS AND PRESENTS. SHE IS HAVING A BLAST WITH THEM AND SO IS THE POSTOFFICE!! :)

Tuesday, March 11, 2003 2:37 PM CST
UPDATE MARCH 12TH: HER TESTS ALL CAME BACK CLEAR. HER MARROW AND SPINAL ARE LOOKING GOOD AND KATIA REMAINS IN REMISSION!!!!!! THE CLINIC JUST CALLED. AS FAR AS THE WBC HIGH, THEY SAY MAYBE SHE HAS A VIRUS OR SOMETHING... WE WILL LOOK NEXT MONTH!
Today we had a nice day. We took Katia to St. Pete to the Home Shopping Network and spoke on behalf of Florida Blood Services and the National Marrow Donor Registry. The place was all decorated like Mardi Gras so Katia loved it. The people there were so nice and took the time to listen to all the speakers and watch videos. I pray this makes a difference.
On the other hand Katia has been in a lot of pain with her bowels? I think it is her bowels. I am getting a little worried because she really doesn't like to sit on her bottom or stand up much. Sometimes during the day she seems okay and then all the sudden she gets in a lot of pain. She did have a bowel movement yesterday, not much, but something. I really pray we are not overlooking something but I have taken her in for this pain and they examined her. I figured having the Bone Marrow Aspiration, spinal and CBC if there is some type of infection they would notice that. I am still concerned about why her WBC was 12.3 but if they aren't concerned...
Well, please pray for Brittany Zipter. Her website is
http://www.caringbridge.org/fl/brittanyzipter/index.htm
She is in the hospital and they are having difficult times right now with pain and some tests results. Her cancer MAY be back so please pray for her and her family.
Also please pray for a new friend we made today. His name is John and he was just diagnosed with Leukemia CML. He is on meds but seems to be resistant to the drug so may be needing a Bone Marrow Transplant. I don't have a web address or email for him but please pray for him.
That is all for now. I still want to leave this part at the bottom of my page till I update my journal next. This really touched my heart as I pray the day will never come that I lose any of my children but I do believe that they don't go through fear but find happiness, old relatives (that they may have never known), family pets (I had a great dog for 19 years and I believe SOME-long story- dogs go to Heaven), and that heaven is an awesome and magnificant place. Love, Tracy

Here is something my sister sent me. It is very touching about a mom who has just lost a child and finds a dear letter...

Get out the Kleenex!

Subject: a letter from god

Sally jumped up as soon as she saw the Surgeon come out of the operating room.
She said: "How is my little boy? Is he going to be O.K.? When can I see him?"
The Surgeon said, "I'm sorry, we did all we could."
Sally said, "Why do little children get cancer, doesn't GOD care anymore? GOD,where were you when my son needed you?"

The Surgeon said, "One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes to let you spend time with your son's remains before it's transported to the university."

Sally asked that the nurse stay with her while she said Goodbye to her son.
Sally ran her fingers through his thick red curly hair.
The nurse said, "Would you like a lock of his hair?" Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of his hair and put it in a plastic bag and handed it to her and
Sally said, "It was Jimmy's idea to give his body to the university for study. He said it might help somebody else," and that is what he wanted. I said, No at first, but Jimmy
said, "Mom I won't be using it after I die, maybe it will help some other little boy to be able to spend one more day with his mother".
Sally said, "my Jimmy had a heart of Gold, always thinking of someone else and always wanting to help others if he could."

Sally walked out of the Children's Hospital for the last time now after spending most of the last 6 months there. She sat the bag with Jimmy's things in it on the seat beside
her in the car. The drive home was hard and it was even harder to go into an empty house. She took the bag to Jimmy's room and started placing the model cars and things
back in his room exactly where he always kept them. She laid down across his bed and cried herself to sleep holding his pillow.

Sally woke up about midnight and laying beside of her on the bed, was letter folded up. She opened the letter, it said:

Dear Mom:
I know your going to miss me, but don't think that I will ever forget you or stop loving you
because I'm not around to say I LOVE YOU. I'll think of you every day Mom and I'll love
you even more each day.

Someday we will see each other again. If you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, he can have my room and my old stuff to play with. If you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things as us boys do, so you will have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like.
Don't be sad when you think about me, this is really a great place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will
take a long time to see everything here.

The angels are so friendly, I love to watch them fly. Jesus doesn't look like any of the pictures
I saw of Him, but I knew it was Him as soon as I saw Him. Jesus took me to see GOD! And guess what Mom? I got to sit on GOD'S knee and talk to Him like I was somebody important.
I told GOD that I wanted to write you a letter and tell you Goodbye and everything, but I knew that wasn't allowed. God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter with. I think Gabriel is the name of the angel that is going to drop this letter off to you.
God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him about. Where was He when I needed him? God said, "The same place He was when Jesus
was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children.

Oh, by the way Mom, nobody else can see what is written on this paper but you. To everyone else, it looks like a blank piece of paper. I have to give God His pen back now, he has some more names to write in the Book Of Life.

Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for Supper. I'm sure the food will be great. I almost forgot
to let you know - Now I don't hurt anymore, the cancer is all gone. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me suffer the pain either, so He sent The Angel of Mercy to get me. The Angel said I was Special Delivery!

Signed with love from: God & Jesus & Me.

Monday, March 10, 2003 4:42 PM CST
Well I went to the doctor today and had some blood tests done so I am waiting for my numbers now too. They want me to see a cardiologist so I need to schedule that appointment. Katia's doctors still haven't called so I am thinking no news is good news but I will probably call tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow we have an interview in the morning with the Florida Blood Services. I am not sure if it will be aired on TV and I am not really sure what all will be involved but I do know this one will be in English so I will talk and answer questions. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us. I have a sense of calm that has come over me the last 2 days and it is wonderful. I literally just feel "okay". What a relief from worrying. Please pray for all the children in the hospital or out with low counts or other problems. A lot of kids are in need of prayer right now as well as the doctors. They need our prayers, too.

Here is something my sister sent me. It is very touching about a mom who has just lost a child and finds a dear letter...

Get out the Kleenex!

Subject: a letter from god

Sally jumped up as soon as she saw the Surgeon come out of the operating room.
She said: "How is my little boy? Is he going to be O.K.? When can I see him?"
The Surgeon said, "I'm sorry, we did all we could."
Sally said, "Why do little children get cancer, doesn't GOD care anymore? GOD,where were you when my son needed you?"

The Surgeon said, "One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes to let you spend time with your son's remains before it's transported to the university."

Sally asked that the nurse stay with her while she said Goodbye to her son.
Sally ran her fingers through his thick red curly hair.
The nurse said, "Would you like a lock of his hair?" Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of his hair and put it in a plastic bag and handed it to her and
Sally said, "It was Jimmy's idea to give his body to the university for study. He said it might help somebody else," and that is what he wanted. I said, No at first, but Jimmy
said, "Mom I won't be using it after I die, maybe it will help some other little boy to be able to spend one more day with his mother".
Sally said, "my Jimmy had a heart of Gold, always thinking of someone else and always wanting to help others if he could."

Sally walked out of the Children's Hospital for the last time now after spending most of the last 6 months there. She sat the bag with Jimmy's things in it on the seat beside
her in the car. The drive home was hard and it was even harder to go into an empty house. She took the bag to Jimmy's room and started placing the model cars and things
back in his room exactly where he always kept them. She laid down across his bed and cried herself to sleep holding his pillow.

Sally woke up about midnight and laying beside of her on the bed, was letter folded up. She opened the letter, it said:

Dear Mom:
I know your going to miss me, but don't think that I will ever forget you or stop loving you
because I'm not around to say I LOVE YOU. I'll think of you every day Mom and I'll love
you even more each day.

Someday we will see each other again. If you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, he can have my room and my old stuff to play with. If you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things as us boys do, so you will have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like.
Don't be sad when you think about me, this is really a great place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will
take a long time to see everything here.

The angels are so friendly, I love to watch them fly. Jesus doesn't look like any of the pictures
I saw of Him, but I knew it was Him as soon as I saw Him. Jesus took me to see GOD! And guess what Mom? I got to sit on GOD'S knee and talk to Him like I was somebody important.
I told GOD that I wanted to write you a letter and tell you Goodbye and everything, but I knew that wasn't allowed. God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter with. I think Gabriel is the name of the angel that is going to drop this letter off to you.
God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him about. Where was He when I needed him? God said, "The same place He was when Jesus
was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children.

Oh, by the way Mom, nobody else can see what is written on this paper but you. To everyone else, it looks like a blank piece of paper. I have to give God His pen back now, he has some more names to write in the Book Of Life.

Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for Supper. I'm sure the food will be great. I almost forgot
to let you know - Now I don't hurt anymore, the cancer is all gone. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me suffer the pain either, so He sent The Angel of Mercy to get me. The Angel said I was Special Delivery!

Signed with love from: God & Jesus & Me.

That was touching :( but :)

Saturday, March 8, 2003 11:42 AM CST
Well, still no word about counts. I will just hold off until Monday and then call to find out or talk to the Doctor. I am going to really try to enjoy the weekend and relax though. Thanks for your words of encouragement and prayers and if you have any ideas, please share them with me.
FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT, GO TO THE JOURNAL HISTORY.
Love, Tracy

Wednesday, March 5, 2003 2:52 PM CST
MARCH 6TH UPDATE ON CLINIC VISIT...
WE WENT TO THE CLINIC TODAY AND KATIA DID OKAY WITH THE BONE MARROW ASPIRATION (POOR THING SCREAMED AND SCREAMED AND HAS PETICAE ALL OVER HER FACE AND EYES). I DON'T REALLY KNOW THE RESULTS TO THAT YET, BUT THE PRELIMINARY THEY SAID LOOKS "BEAUTIFUL". OKAY, ASIDE FROM THAT. I AM HAPPY ABOUT THAT BUT I AM ALSO CONCERNED BY HER CBC PANEL. THE LAST ONE WAS A MONTH AGO AND THEN TODAYS. COMPARE THE NUMBERS:
FEBRUARY 6, WBC=6.2, HGB=12.9, PLT= 247, ANC = 2000
MARCH 6, WBC=12.3, HGB=13.3, PLT= 285, ANC= 6900. I JUST DON'T KNOW IF IT IS GOOD THAT THE WBC JUMPED UP SO QUICKLY. THIS IS THE HIGHEST IT HAS BEEN SINCE SHE WENT INTO REMISSION IN MAY 2002. SHE IS NOT SICK AT ALL RIGHT NOW. WHEN SHE WENT INTO THE HOSPITAL IN NOVEMBER SHE STOPPED BREATHING, HAD A TEMP OF 107.8 AND AGAIN HAD SOME HORRIBLE BACTERIAS AND AN INFECTED BROVIAC WHICH WAS REMOVED AND THE HIGHEST IT GOT WAS 8.35. MY QUESTION IS DOES IT MAKE ANY SINCE THAT IT IS UP SO HIGH OR DO YOU THINK WE ARE IN FOR BAD NEWS? I AM SO WORRIED RIGHT NOW, I HOPE I SHOULDN'T BE...
Short and sweet. I am just nervous about tomorrow. Not so much the tests results but her having to get the bone marrow aspiration and lumbar puncture.She doesn't have her broviac and she is too difficult to get an IV in so she can't have any pain medicine and I hate to put her through that!!!!! It breaks my heart BUT on top of that I always get nervous for these things. Like I said,
things are going good right now and I want it to stay that way.
PLEASE PRAY FOR ALL OF US!!!!
Love, Tracy

Here are two cute things I wanted to share. The first is a link to the cutest little "dirty-diapered" baby ever!
DIRTY DIAPER BABY SONG AND DANCE

To all those moms (and dads who understand this...)

HERE'S WHAT I DID TODAY

My husband came home today and saw me sitting on the couch, toddler on one knee, and baby nursing on the opposite breast.

I was trying to turn the pages of a book with the hand not attached to the infant, while listening for the sound of the stove buzzer, which would indicate that tonight's pork chops were at the stage between "well-done" and "the dog gets tonight's entree."

My husband looked at me innocently, and asked "So, did you do anything today?" It's a good thing that most of my appendages were otherwise engaged, as I was unable to jump up and throttle him to death. This was probably for the best, as I assume that asking a stupid question is not grounds for murder in this country.

Let me back up a bit, and explain what led me to this point in my life. I was not always bordering on the brink of insanity. On the contrary, a mere four years ago, I had a good job, steady income, and a vehicle that could NOT seat a professional sports team, and me, comfortably. I watched television shows that were not hosted by singing puppets. I went to bed later than nine o'clock at night.

I laughed at those people who drove halfway across the country hauling a tent trailer, three screaming kids, a drooling dog, and called it a holiday. Now I have become one of them! What happened? The stick turned blue.

I have traded in my Victoria's Secrets lingerie for cotton briefs and a firm support nursing bra. Good-bye, Garth Brooks. Hello, Sharon, Lois and Bram. My idea of privacy is getting to use the bathroom without a two-year old banging on the door, and the baby spinning the toilet paper roll from my lap. And I finally understand that the term "Stay-At-Home Mom" does not refer to a parent who no longer works outside the house, but rather to one who never seems to get out the front door.

So here I sit, children in hand, wondering how to answer my beloved husband. DID I DO ANYTHING TODAY? Well, I think I did, although not much seems to have gotten accomplished. I shared breakfast in bed with a handsome young man. Of course, the breakfast consisted of a bowl of oatmeal and leftover cookie crumbs found between the sheets. The handsome young man is about thirty-four inches tall and only gets excited at the sight of purple dinosaurs, toy trucks and French Fries. I got to take a relaxing stroll in the woods.

Of course I had to look for frogs and lizards, and had to stop and smell the dandelions along the way. I successfully washed one load of laundry, moved the load that was in the washer into the dryer, and the dryer load into the basket. The load that was in the basket is now spread out on the bed, awaiting my bedtime decision to actually put the clothes away or merely move them to the top of the dresser. I read two or three classics. Of course, Dickens and Shakespeare cannot take credit for these works, as we have moved on to the works of Seuss and Munsch. I don't think I will be making any trips to the Adult Section of my local library anytime soon.

In between, I dusted, wiped, organized and rearranged. I kissed away the owies and washed away the tears. I scolded, praised, hugged, and tested my patience, all before noon.

DID I DO ANYTHING TODAY? You betcha! I will now understand what people mean when they say that parenthood is the hardest job they will ever have. In my LBD (life before diapers) I was able to teach young minds how to divide fractions and write complex sentences, but I am unable to teach a strong willed two-year-old how to use the toilet.

I was once able to navigate urban streets while talking on the car phone and looking for a decent radio station, but now I can't get the wheels on my stroller to all go in the same direction. I've graduated from a university, written newspaper articles, and won awards, but can't figure out how to get carrot stains out of the carpet.

I used to debate with my friends about politics, but now we discuss the merits of cloth versus disposables. And when did I stop talking in sentences that had more than five words?

So, in response to my husband's inquiry, yes, I did do something today. In fact, I am one step closer to one of life's greatest accomplishments. No, I did not cure AIDS or forge World Peace, but I did hold a miracle in my arms. Two, in fact. My children are my great accomplishment, and the opportunity to raise them is my greatest challenge. I don't know if my children will grow up to be great leaders or world-class brain surgeons. Frankly, I don't care, as long as they grow up to be good people. They are my greatest joys, even though I sometimes cry myself to sleep at night in frustration.

The point is, that today I got to watch my children take another step on the great journey of Life, and I even got to point out some of the sites along the way. As challenging as parenthood is, it is also equally rewarding, because we are using all our wisdom, our talent and skills to help forge a new person. It is this person, these people, who, in turn, will use their gifts to create.

So every nursery rhyme I recite, every swing I push, every little hand I hold is SOMETHING! And I did it today.

I know I haven't had the jokes for a week or so but I have been really preoccupied BUT that is the reason I WANT the jokes and stuff because all of us are preoccupied a lot of the time and need a break in the day so I will get back to it. Love, Tracy

PS Please pray for all of our families and especially for the families who don't have something as AWESOME as Caringbridge to post their thoughts and updates. Caringbridge has been great for me. You see, I am not one to go to meetings or programs really but this is better than that to me. It is something I can do at my own time and in a way I feel very comfortable!
Thank you for helping me through this time. Love, Tracy

�

Wednesday, March 5, 2003 10:19 AM CST
Short and sweet. I am just nervous about tomorrow. Not so much the tests results but her having to get the bone marrow aspiration and lumbar puncture. She doesn't have her broviac and she is too difficult to get an IV in so she can't have any pain medicine and I hate to put her through that!!!!! It breaks my heart BUT on top of that I always get nervous for these things. Like I said, things are going good right now and I want it to stay that way. PLEASE PRAY FOR ALL OF US!!!! Love, Tracy

Friday, February 28, 2003 8:55 AM CST
Katia's appointment went well yesterday (I really thought I updated this page last night) but they really didn't do much. They felt around her stomach and listened to her and couldn't come up with why she would be having the pain she is having BUT last night, no pain all evening! So...
Anyway, next Thursday she goes in for her Bone Marrow Biopsy and Spinal plus the CBC so although I get very nervous leading up to those, I am always in a very happy mood after they are done and we get the all clear!!! The further we get away from her last chemo treatment (September 2002) the more nervous I seem to get. Right now it seems things are going so well with us and I am just afraid of a big blow! I know that sounds bad but that is just the way things seem to happen.
...when you least expect it...
So I just decide to expect it all the time and maybe nothing bad will happen.
Katia is such a sweet little baby and so loving and outgoing and a light in our house! I mean she is soooooo loved by her parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, etc. Last year was such a hard year for us and full of so many ups and downs and I just want this year to be a good year. I want her to continue learning to talk, finish potty training (which is going nowhere right now - she hates the potty because of the pain she was having), learn to draw and color, ride a tricycle, etc.
I just want things to go out as close to "normal" as possible.
She has been through so much but she has the best attitude out of all of us. I try to stay positive and not react to big to bad news but I really think I would lose it if bad news comes up right now.
Well I have babbled enough.
One thing we really want to do is get Katia a swingset for the backyard. We wanted to get it for her birthday last month but we weren't able to. I really want to see her playing and laughing outside. This house has a very nice sized backyard. Sharayah and Tatiana really want Katia to have one too (remember they are 14 and 10) if you know what I mean. Whatever Katia gets, they LOVE too! We are looking around but they definitely cost more than I thought for just the basic ones. I don't want something that will fall apart and I want Sharayah and Tatiana to be able to use it without passing weight limits, etc.
They are all such GOOD girls and great sisters together!
Well, Katia wants her oatmeal. It is what follows her cereal. She eats all day but she isn't gaining too much weight so I guess that is okay. She LOVES to eat. Love, Tracy

Tuesday, February 25, 2003 7:37 PM CST
WOW over 10,000 visitors to Katia's website!!!!!! Oh my gosh! Thanks to some links to her website and word of mouth a lot of people have come in to check on little Katia and her progress. I just want to say thank you and how special it is to sign on and see that people are hearing about my little baby and leaving messages of support, information and updates on their own children.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
I just can't say it enough! Please if you haven't already go visit your local blood bank and become a registered marrow donor. Love, Tracy

FEBRUARY 26, 2002
JUST AN UPDATE QUICKLY. KATIA IS HAVING A LOT OF PAIN RIGHT NOW AND I AM NOT TOO SURE WHY. IT SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING DEALING WITH GOING POTTY BUT SHE HAS AN APPOINTMENT NOW TO GO IN TOMORROW. HER LITTLE FACE HAS PETICHAE ALL UP UNDER HER EYES. PLEASE PRAY THAT ALL IS WELL WITH HER AND SHE WILL FEEL BETTER SOON. I HATE TO HEAR HER SCREAMING IN PAIN. THAT REALLY BREAKS MY HEART. LOVE, TRACY

Sunday, February 23, 2003 9:33 AM CST
Well the news around here is about the same. Last night however we had a LOT of rain and what we didn't know was our gutters on the house were basically set up to FLOOD our back porch which we just carpeted and furnished!! The porch is 375 square feet and I would say over half of it was 2 inches deep in water and just kept pouring in. We have a shop vac but that turned into a joke so we got down and did it the old fashion way (bailing water). What a mess!!! Today is supposed to be a dry sunny day so hopefully the carpet will finish drying out. We set up the gutters differently so hopefully NEXT TIME will be better. Aside from all of that, potty training is going along slowly but surely. Thank God for pullups or I would be cleaning up pee all day. I am more interested in just getting the poopies in the toilet but it would be nice to get it all out of the way and get away from diapers completely. (WOW I CANNOT TYPE GOOD TODAY)
Anyway, I found some more jokes. I like to read jokes on the web but clean jokes and they are hard to find so that is why I am posting them here. EVERYONE needs a laugh and I really needed one this morning after our flood experience last night. I also forgot to add that we were without electricity for about an hour right after we finished bailing water. I guess someone hit a pole right here so.... The evening will not be forgotten for a long long time. Well enjoy the jokes.
Please take a moment before you read ahead and say a prayer for our fellow cancer patients, play for the researches that they will move ahead and for those children in the hospital right now or at home going through difficult times. I REALLY appreciate the fact that we are home and able to do NORMAL things like porch floods! Praise God for that. Love, Tracy
The Boss

One day a man goes to a pet shop to buy
a parrot. The assistant takes the man to the parrot section and asks the man
to choose one. The man asks, ''How much is the yellow one?''

The assistant says, ''$2000.'' The man is shocked and asks the assistant why
it's so expensive. The assistant explains, ''This parrot is a very special one.
He knows typewriting and can type really fast.''

''What about the green one?'' the man asks.

The assistant says, ''He costs $5000 because
he knows typewriting and can answer incoming telephone calls and takes notes.''

''What about the red one?'' the man asks.

The assistant says, ''That one's $10,000.''

The man says, ''What does HE do?''

The assistant says, ''I don't know, but
the other two call him boss.''

The Call of Nature

One fine day in the middle of class at school,
a girl raised her asking to be excused: “Teacher, can I answer the call
of nature?” Knowing what the kid wanted, the teacher said okay. Immediately,
the girl ran to the toilet. But, within a minute, she was back. Another girl
was shocked by how she could actually take care of business so quickly, and
asked how she managed to do it so fact.The girl responded, “It was a prank
call.”

The Hospital Visit

Once upon a time, two little boys, Sammy
and Tim, were sharing a room in the hospital. As they were getting to know each
other a little bit, Sammy eventually asked Tim, “Hey Tim, what're you in
for?”

“I'm getting my tonsils out -- I'm a little worried,” said Tim.

“Oh don't worry about it. I had my
tonsils out and it was a blast! I got to eat all the ice cream and jello I wanted
for two weeks!”

“Oh yeah?'' replied Tim. “That's
not half-bad. Hey, Sammy, how about you? What're you here for?”

“I'm getting a circumcision, whatever
that is,” Sammy answered.

“Oh my god, circumcision? I got one
of those when I was a baby and I couldn't walk for two years!”

The Leprechaun Of The Bathroom

A little boy went to the bathroom at school,
but when he went to wipe his bum, there was no toilet paper so he used his hands.
When he got back to class, his teacher asked him what he had in his hands.

"A little leprechaun and if I open my hand he'll get scared away,"
the boy said. He was then sent to the principal's office and the principal asked
him what he had in his hands.

"A little leprechaun and if I open my hands he'll get scared away."
He was sent home and his mom asked him what he had in his hands.

"A little leprechaun and if I open my hands he'll get scared away."
He was sent to his room and his dad came in and asked him what he had in his
hands.

"A little leprechaun and if I open my hands he'll get scared away."
Then his Dad got really mad and yelled, "Open your hands!"

"Look, Dad. You scared the crap out of him."

The Mystery of Childbirth

A boy was assigned a paper on childbirth
and asked his parents, "How was I born?"

"Well honey..." said the slightly prudish parent, "the stork
brought you to us."

"Oh," said the boy. "Well,
how did you and daddy get born?" he asked.

"Oh, the stork brought us too."

"Well how were grandpa and grandma
born?" he persisted.

"Well darling, the stork brought them
too!" said the parent, by now starting to squirm a little in the Lazy Boy
recliner.

Several days later, the boy handed in his
paper to the teacher who read with confusion the opening sentence:

"This report has been very difficult to write due to the fact that there
hasn't been a natural childbirth in my family for three generations."

The Teacher's Gift

It was the last day of school, and all the
students were bringing presents for their teacher. A florist's daughter came
up and gave her teacher a box. The teacher said, '“'ll bet these are flowers!”
The girl replied, “How did you know? “Just a lucky guess,” she
said.

Next, a boy whose family owned a candy store came up and gave the teacher a
box. She said that she knew it was candy. When the boy asked how she knew, she
again said, “Just a lucky guess.'”

Finally, a boy whose father owned a liquor store came up and gave the teacher
a box, but one of the box's corners was damp from a leak. The teacher asked
the boy if it was wine. The boy said, “No.” She touched the leak and
put it to her tongue and asked if it was champagne. The boy again said no. Finally,
she gave up and asked him what was in the box. He said happily, “A puppy!”

Thursday, February 20, 2003 10:00 AM CST
KATIA WENT POO POO IN THE POTTY!!!! THAT IS OUR BIG NEWS IN OUR FAMILY!!! Katia has had a LOT of problems with her bowels and having a lot of pain. She still has a lot of pain and chemo has been done since September. She takes a lot of laxatives but is now weaning off of those and except for the amount of pain she goes through, I think she is getting better. Anyway, we decided to finally try potty training but she has really been scared to do her poopies in the potty. TODAY SHE DID!!!! She has only peed in the potty once but hey, it is a start!! We are happy. I feel like it is her birthday!! My little baby is growing up. Aside from that, I am leaving this little message and the jokes on the page for now but I just wanted to update my journal with this milestone in Katia's life. Love, Tracy
Maybe you will copy and send this to some friends

*****************************************************************

Where is God? Food for Thought

In light of the many perversions and
jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is
not intended to be a joke, it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed
on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something
like this happen?" (regarding the attacks on Sept. 11). Anne
Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said "I
believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've
been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and
to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman
He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us
His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events ... terrorist
attacks, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare
(she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer
in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read
the Bible in school ... the Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal,
and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't
spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would
be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide).
We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Then someone said teachers and principals
better not discipline our children when they misbehave. The school administrators
said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave
because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued
(there's a big difference between disciplining, touching, beating, smacking,
humiliating, kicking, etc.). And we said OK.

Then someone said, let's let our daughters
have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents.
And we said OK.

Then some wise school board member said,
since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons
all the condoms they want so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won't
have to tell their parents they got them at school. And we said OK.

Then some of our top elected officials
said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. Agreeing
with them, we said it doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President,
does in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good.

Then someone said let's print magazines
with pictures of nude women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth appreciation
for the beauty of the female body. And we said OK.

And then someone else took that appreciation
a step further and published pictures of nude children and then further again
by making them available on the Internet. And we said OK, they're entitled
to free speech.

Then the entertainment industry said,
let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit
sex. Let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic
themes. And we said it's just entertainment, it has no adverse effect, nobody
takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children
have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't
bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and
hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE
REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to
trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe
what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through
e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding
the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene
articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed
in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message,
you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what
they believe, or what they WILL think of you for sending it. Funny how we can
be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of
us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.
If not then just discard it ... no one will know you did. But, if you discard
this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world
is in!

Rejected Valentine Card Romantic Lines
I thought that I could love no other

Until, that is, I met your brother...

Roses are red, violets are blue,

Sugar is sweet, and so are you.

But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead,

the sugar bowl's empty and so is your head...

Of loving beauty you float with grace

If only you could hide your face...

Kind, intelligent, loving and hot.

This describes everything you are not...

I want to feel your sweet embrace

But don't take that paper bag off of your face...

I love your smile, your face, and your eyes.

Wow, I'm good at telling lies!

My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife:

Marrying you really messed up my life...

I see your face when I am dreaming.

That's why I always wake up screaming...

My love, you take my breath away.

What have you stepped in to smell this way?

What inspired this amorous rhyme?

Two parts vodka, one part lime...

Divorce

An old man in Phoenix calls his son in New York and says, "I hate to ruin
your day, But I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five
years of misery is enough."

"Pop, what are you talking about!" the son screams.

"We can't stand the sight of each other any longer, " the old man
said. "We're sick and tired of each other, and I'm sick of talking about
this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her." And he hangs up.

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone, "They're
getting a divorce? I don't think do so!" she shouts. "I'll take care
of this." She calls Phoenix immediately, and screams at the old man, "You
are NOT getting divorced! Don't do a single thing until we get there. DO YOU
HEAR ME?" And she hangs up.

The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay," he says,
"It worked. They're coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way. Now
we have to think up something for Christmas!"

Making Babies

A second grader came home from school and said to her mother, "Mom, Guess
what? We learned how to make babies today."

The mother, more than a little surprised, asked fearfully, "That's interesting.
How do you make babies?"

"It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i'
and add 'es'."

Great Tea

One day a young mother was sick in bed at home with her young daughter. The
daughter was about four, and always wanting to be of help to her mommy. So while
her mother was sick, the young girl got some magazine for her mom, fluffed all
the pillows for her, and even made her a cup of tea!

Her mother was very pleased with the tea and asked her daughter how she had
ever learned to make tea on her own. Her daughter proudly told her mom, "well
mommy, I've seen you do it LOADS of times. Only this time I couldn't find the
strainer, so I used the fly swatter instead."

"YOU WHAT!?!?!" her mother cried.

"Oh don't worry mommy, I didn't use the new fly swatter, I used the old
one."

Limping Patient

While making rounds, a doctor points out an X-ray to a group of medical students.
"As you can see," she says, "the patient limps because his left
fibula and tibia are radically arched. Michael, what would you do in a case
like this?"

"Well," ponders the student, "I suppose I'd limp too."

Dirty Toothbrush

My son Zachary, 4, came screaming out of the bathroom to tell me he'd dropped
his toothbrush in the toilet. So I fished it out and threw it in the garbage.
Zachary stood there thinking for a moment, then ran to my bathroom and came
out with my toothbrush.

He held it up and said with a charming little smile, "We better throw this
one out too then, 'cause it fell in the toilet a few days ago."

Christmas Break

Christmas Break was over and the teacher was asking the class about their vacations.
She turned to little Johnny and asked what he did over the break.

"We visited my grandmother in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania," he replied.

"That sounds like an excellent vocabulary word," the teacher said.
"Can you tell the class how you spell that?"

Little Johnny thought about it and said, "You know, come to think of it,
we went to Ohio."

Lamaze Class

A couple just started their Lamaze class, and they were given an activity requiring
the husband to wear a bag of sand - to give him an idea of what it feels like
to be pregnant. The husband stood up and shrugged saying, "This doesn't
feel so bad."

The instructor then dropped a pen and asked the husband to pick it up.

"You want me to pick up the pen as if I were pregnant, the way my wife
would do it?" the husband asked.

"Exactly," replied the instructor.

To the delight of the other husbands, he turned to his wife and said, "Honey,
pick up that pen for me."

Tuesday, February 18, 2003 7:44 AM CST
Just a quick update. Not much is new here. Sharayah,
the oldest has been feeling under the weather lately. Please say a prayer for
her. Katia is doing really well right now. We have finished our back porch so
we all enjoy that a lot. Here is something someone emailed to me. I had planned
to update jokes today but I wanted to put this instead because I really like the
message. Love, Tracy

Maybe you will copy and send this to some friends

*****************************************************************

Where is God? Food for Thought

In light of the many perversions and
jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is
not intended to be a joke, it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed
on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something
like this happen?" (regarding the attacks on Sept. 11). Anne
Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said "I
believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've
been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and
to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman
He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us
His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events ... terrorist
attacks, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare
(she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer
in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read
the Bible in school ... the Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal,
and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't
spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would
be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide).
We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Then someone said teachers and principals
better not discipline our children when they misbehave. The school administrators
said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave
because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued
(there's a big difference between disciplining, touching, beating, smacking,
humiliating, kicking, etc.). And we said OK.

Then someone said, let's let our daughters
have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents.
And we said OK.

Then some wise school board member said,
since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons
all the condoms they want so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won't
have to tell their parents they got them at school. And we said OK.

Then some of our top elected officials
said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. Agreeing
with them, we said it doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President,
does in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good.

Then someone said let's print magazines
with pictures of nude women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth appreciation
for the beauty of the female body. And we said OK.

And then someone else took that appreciation
a step further and published pictures of nude children and then further again
by making them available on the Internet. And we said OK, they're entitled
to free speech.

Then the entertainment industry said,
let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit
sex. Let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic
themes. And we said it's just entertainment, it has no adverse effect, nobody
takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children
have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't
bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and
hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE
REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to
trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe
what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through
e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding
the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene
articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed
in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message,
you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what
they believe, or what they WILL think of you for sending it. Funny how we can
be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of
us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.
If not then just discard it ... no one will know you did. But, if you discard
this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world
is in!

Rejected Valentine Card Romantic Lines
I thought that I could love no other

Until, that is, I met your brother...

Roses are red, violets are blue,

Sugar is sweet, and so are you.

But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead,

the sugar bowl's empty and so is your head...

Of loving beauty you float with grace

If only you could hide your face...

Kind, intelligent, loving and hot.

This describes everything you are not...

I want to feel your sweet embrace

But don't take that paper bag off of your face...

I love your smile, your face, and your eyes.

Wow, I'm good at telling lies!

My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife:

Marrying you really messed up my life...

I see your face when I am dreaming.

That's why I always wake up screaming...

My love, you take my breath away.

What have you stepped in to smell this way?

What inspired this amorous rhyme?

Two parts vodka, one part lime...

Divorce

An old man in Phoenix calls his son in New York and says, "I hate to ruin
your day, But I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five
years of misery is enough."

"Pop, what are you talking about!" the son screams.

"We can't stand the sight of each other any longer, " the old man
said. "We're sick and tired of each other, and I'm sick of talking about
this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her." And he hangs up.

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone, "They're
getting a divorce? I don't think do so!" she shouts. "I'll take care
of this." She calls Phoenix immediately, and screams at the old man, "You
are NOT getting divorced! Don't do a single thing until we get there. DO YOU
HEAR ME?" And she hangs up.

The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay," he says,
"It worked. They're coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way. Now
we have to think up something for Christmas!"

Making Babies

A second grader came home from school and said to her mother, "Mom, Guess
what? We learned how to make babies today."

The mother, more than a little surprised, asked fearfully, "That's interesting.
How do you make babies?"

"It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i'
and add 'es'."

Great Tea

One day a young mother was sick in bed at home with her young daughter. The
daughter was about four, and always wanting to be of help to her mommy. So while
her mother was sick, the young girl got some magazine for her mom, fluffed all
the pillows for her, and even made her a cup of tea!

Her mother was very pleased with the tea and asked her daughter how she had
ever learned to make tea on her own. Her daughter proudly told her mom, "well
mommy, I've seen you do it LOADS of times. Only this time I couldn't find the
strainer, so I used the fly swatter instead."

"YOU WHAT!?!?!" her mother cried.

"Oh don't worry mommy, I didn't use the new fly swatter, I used the old
one."

Limping Patient

While making rounds, a doctor points out an X-ray to a group of medical students.
"As you can see," she says, "the patient limps because his left
fibula and tibia are radically arched. Michael, what would you do in a case
like this?"

"Well," ponders the student, "I suppose I'd limp too."

Dirty Toothbrush

My son Zachary, 4, came screaming out of the bathroom to tell me he'd dropped
his toothbrush in the toilet. So I fished it out and threw it in the garbage.
Zachary stood there thinking for a moment, then ran to my bathroom and came
out with my toothbrush.

He held it up and said with a charming little smile, "We better throw this
one out too then, 'cause it fell in the toilet a few days ago."

Christmas Break

Christmas Break was over and the teacher was asking the class about their vacations.
She turned to little Johnny and asked what he did over the break.

"We visited my grandmother in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania," he replied.

"That sounds like an excellent vocabulary word," the teacher said.
"Can you tell the class how you spell that?"

Little Johnny thought about it and said, "You know, come to think of it,
we went to Ohio."

Lamaze Class

A couple just started their Lamaze class, and they were given an activity requiring
the husband to wear a bag of sand - to give him an idea of what it feels like
to be pregnant. The husband stood up and shrugged saying, "This doesn't
feel so bad."

The instructor then dropped a pen and asked the husband to pick it up.

"You want me to pick up the pen as if I were pregnant, the way my wife
would do it?" the husband asked.

"Exactly," replied the instructor.

To the delight of the other husbands, he turned to his wife and said, "Honey,
pick up that pen for me."

Friday, February 14, 2003 5:34 AM CST
Good Morning! (Yes, it is 5AM and I am awake) Katia is on the news right
now, again, for the next 24 hours with the Florida Blood Services. They are
really trying to bring people in for blood donations and The Marrow Donor Program.
Please say a prayer as you read this that people will be touched by this story
and go in. Many lives could be saved by more people just learning HOW important
it is to participate and also that it is not difficult to join the registry.

Okay...

Sometimes, I just want to go somewhere for a good laugh. Laughing is good
for the soul and not to mention the abs. The other nite, I was watching a comedy
hour on TV and I had to turn it off because I thought I was going to choke laughing!
Myron was actually nervous for me laughing so hard. You know, we get so caught
up in our day to day that when we do finally find something half funny, we burst!
So I thought... I am going to try to bring jokes to my page! Maybe it will help
someone have a good day. Katia loves to laugh! She has this guilty sounding
little laugh... So I have looked around on the Internet and gathered up some
poetry from different areas and I hope you enjoy.

Actual School Excuse
Notes

These are excuse notes from parents (with their original
spelling) collected by schools from all over the country:

1) My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute
him.

2) Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick
and I had her shot.

3) Dear School: Please exscuse John being absent on
Jan. 28, 29,30, 31, 32, and also 33.

4) Please excuse Gloria from Jim today. She is administrating.

5) Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days.
Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.

6) John has been absent because he had two teeth taken
out of his face.

7) Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing
football. He was hurt in the growing part.

8) Megan could not come to school today because she
has been bothered by very close veins.

9) Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre
in his side.

10) Please excuse Ray Friday from school. He has very
loose vowels.

11) Please excuse Pedro from being absent yesterday.
He had (diahre) (dyrea) (direathe) the runs. [words in ()'s were crossed out.]

12) Please excuse Burma, she has been sick and under
the doctor.

13) Irving was absent yesterday because he missed
his bust.

14) Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father's
fault.

15) I kept Billie home because she had to go Christmas
shopping because I don't know what size she wears.

16) Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday.
We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday,
we thought it was Sunday.

17) Sally won't be in school a week from Friday. We
have to attend her funeral.

18) My daughter was absent yesterday because she was
tired. She spent a weekend with the Marines.

19) Please excuse Jason for being absent yesterday.
He had a cold and could not breed well.

20) Please excuse Mary for being absent yesterday.
She was in bed with gramps.

21) Maryann was absent December 11-16, because she
had a fever, sore throat, headache and upset stomach. Her sister was also sick,
fever and sore throat, her brother had a low grade fever and ached all over.
I wasn't the best either, sore throat and fever. There must be something going
around, her father even got hot last night.

22) Please excuse little Jimmy for not being in school
yesterday. His father is gone and I could not get him ready because I was in
bed with the doctor.

A lady and her baby...

A lady and her baby get on a bus. The bus driver looks
at the lady, and then her baby, and then screams, "AHHHH! That's the ugliest
child I've ever seen in my life!"

The lady then, totally disgusted, marches up to the back of the bus to sit down.

As she was sitting there absolutely furious, a man
asks, "Are you ok, dear?"

The lady replies, "I'm so angry, that bus driver
just insulted me."

The man says, "You go back up there and give
that bus driver a piece of your mind, and I'll watch your monkey."

A wrinkle in time

A little girl got on her grandpa's lap and said, "Did
God make me?"

"Yes," the grandpa replied.

"Did God make you too?"

"Yes," the grandpa said.

"Well," the little girl said, while running
her fingers down his wrinkles and looking at his thinning hair, "He sure
is doing a better job nowadays!"

Bed Time

One night a father sent his kid to bed. Five minutes
later the boy screamed, ''Dad! Can you get me a glass of water!?!''

''No. You had your chance.''

A minute later the boy screamed ''Dad!! Can you get
me a glass of water?''

''No. You had your chance. Next time you ask I'll
come up there and spank you.''

''Dad! When you come up to spank me can you bring
me a glass or water?''

Childhood Of Yore

I want to be a kid again. I want to go back to the
time when:

Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo."

Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "do
over!"

"Race issue" meant arguing about who ran
the fastest.

Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker
in Monopoly.

Catching the fireflies could happily occupy an entire
evening.

It wasn't odd to have two or three "best"
friends.

Being old referred to anyone over 20.

The net on a tennis court was the perfect height to
play volleyball and rules didn't matter.

The worst thing you could catch from the opposite
sex was cooties.

It was magic when dad would "remove" his
thumb.

It was unbelievable that dodgeball wasn't an Olympic
event.

Having a weapon in school meant being caught with
a slingshot.

Nobody was prettier than Mom.

Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.

It was a big deal to finally be tall enough to ride
the "big people" rides at the amusement park.

Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.

Abilities were discovered because of a "double-dog-dare."

Saturday morning cartoons weren't 30-minute ads for
action figures.

No shopping trip was complete unless a new toy was
brought home.

"Oly-oly-oxen-free" made perfect sense.

Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was
cause for giggles.

The worst embarrassment was being picked last for
a team.

War was a card game.

Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.

Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike
into a motorcycle.

Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable aspirin.

Ice cream was considered a basic food group.

Daughter's Prayer

A family was having some people to dinner. At the
table, the mother turned to her six-year-old daughter and said, "Dear,
would you like to say the blessing?"

"I wouldn't know what to say," replied the little girl, shyly.

"Just say what you hear Mommy say, sweetie,"
the woman said.

Her daughter took a deep breath, bowed her head, and
solemnly said, "Dear Lord, why the hell did I invite all these people to
dinner!?!"

Well I hope you enjoyed some of those. Let me know
if you think this is a good idea and you like it. It helps me to come to this
page and use it for spreading good cheer and a laugh now and then. When something
is going wrong or I am worried, I use it to tell you that so right now things
are going good and I want to show my appreciation for this. Love, Tracy

Tueday, February 11, 2003 11:13 AM CST
Today has been an exciting day. Katia was featured on the news last night and will be again tonight. Time Warner Digital Cable Bay News 9 en espanol which is channel 139. The spot is being sponsored by Florida Blood Services and is asking people to donate blood and register for the Bone Marrow Donor program. I really hope these things we are participating in will make a difference and bring the statistics up on how many people are able to find matches for BMT. Right now the statistics are only 20%!! That was shocking to us. Myron has pretty well made it his mission to speak to as many people as possible about this and make a difference. For those of you who are able to watch, let me know. Love, Tracy
I am leaving these poems below on for a while because I just find them true and some funny so I hope you can enjoy them. :)

I just found these on another site and had to post them because some of them had me in tears laughing and others were just so true! Enjoy :)

*******************

When God Created Mothers

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into his sixth day of overtime
when an angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around
with this one."

And the Lord said, "Have you read the specifications on this order? She
has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts...all
replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when
she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed
love affair. And have six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands? No way!"

"It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord,
"it's the three pairs of eyes the mothers have to have."

"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.

The Lord nodded. "One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks,
'What are the kids doing in there?' When she already knows. Another here in
the back of her head that sees what she shouldn't, but what she has to know,
and of course the ones here in the front that can look at a child when he goofs
up and says, 'I understand and I love you.' without so much as uttering a word."

"You should scrap it and start over." Said the angel.

"I can't," said the Lord, "I'm so close to creating something
so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick...can
feed a family of six on a pound of hamburger...and can get a nine year old to
stand under a shower."

The angel circled the model of the mother very slowly. "It's to soft."
she sighed.

"But tough." said the Lord excitedly, "You cannot imagine what
this mother can do or endure."

"Can it think?" asked the angel.

"Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise." Said the
Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. "There's
a leak," she pronounced, "I told you, you were trying to put too much
into this model."

"It's not a leak," said the Lord, "It's a tear."

"What's it for?" she asked.

"It's for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness and pride."

"You are a genius." Said the angel.

The Lord looked somber, "I didn't put it there..."

*********************************

Mommy Brain

If you've left the crayons to melt in the car,

And forgotten just where the car keys are.

There's a perfectly good way to explain:

You see, you've come down with "Mommy Brain".

When you're not sure where the past eight hours went,

Or whether the phone bill check's been sent,

If you've left the laundry drying in the rain,

It's just--you guessed it--Mommy Brain.

If you find yourself chatting for hours on end

About diaper prices with your cyber friends,

You've just caught a particularly virulent strain

Of that affliction known as Mommy Brain.

If you've left your bags at the grocery store.

Or completely forgot what you went there for.

If you called the cat by your baby's name.

You can bet that Mommy Brain's to Blame.

And if you know the words to Good Night Moon by heart

Or if you study your sleeping babe, like a work of art.

If you're always surprised by how time is flying,

And the thought of that first birthday starts you crying........

It's unavoidable girls, and I feel your pain.

For I, too, suffer from Mommy Brain.

But I'll admit one thing...Of this I'm sure:

I hope they never find a cure!

*****************************************

Childhood Doesn't Wait

I was sitting on a bench

While in a nearby mall,

When I noticed a young mother

With two children who were small.

The youngest one was whining,

"Pick me up" I heard him beg,

but the mother's face grew angry,

as the child clung to her leg.

"Don't hang on to me." She shouted,

As she pushed his hands away,

I wish I'd had the courage

To go up to her and say...

"The time will come too quickly,

When those little arms that tug,

Won't ask for you to hold them,

Or won't freely give a hug.

"The day will sneak up subtly,

just as it did with me,

When you can't recall the last time,

That your child sat on your knee.

"Like those sacred, predawn feedings,

When we cherished time alone,

Our babies grow and leave behind,

Those special times we've known.

"So when your child comes to you

With a book that you can share,

Or asks that you would tuck him in

And help him say his prayer...

"When he comes to sit and chat

Or would like to take a walk,

Before you answer that you can't

'cause there's no time to talk.

"Remember what all parents learn

So many times too late,

That years go by too quickly,

And that childhood doesn't wait.

"Take every opportunity,

If one should slip away,

Reach hard to get it back again,

Don't wait for another day!"

******************************************

I am a Mother

I am Queen of the castle.

Chief cook and bottle washer,

And Head Chef at Chez Moi.

I am defender of good against evil.

I am slayer of horrors, unseen.

With a wave of my hand, I can stop a wars.

Armed only with tape and glue, I can build a fortress.

With a needle and thread, and a handy bath towel,

I have single handedly created super heroes. (and then sent them to bed).

I am able to fix broken hearts with just one kiss.

I have stopped tears with nothing more than my touch.

I can say "I love you" With only a look.

Am I a natural wonder of the world?

No... I am a mother.

******************************************

You Know You're a Parent When... (12 surefire signs.)

You eat dinner on dinosaur-decorated place mats.

You catch yourself singing the Barney theme song ----in public.

You stop the tears by taping broken crayons back together .

You long for nothing more than a good night's sleep.

You buy jelly according to the characters on the jar.

You know the best way to scrape dried Cheerios off the floor.

You find out you never have to buy another Christmas ornament.

You share the storage closet with a miniature broom and Vacuum cleaner.

You take phone messages in crayon.

You always buy the big pack of batteries---but you can never find one when you
need one.

You find action figures in your washing machine.

You find yourself cutting your spouse's meat into bite-sized pieces.

***************************************

The Evolution of a Mom

Yes, parenthood changes everything. But parenthood also changes with each baby.
Here are some of the ways having a second and third child differs from having
your first:

Your Clothes:

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms
your pregnancy.

2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

3rd baby: Your maternity clothes are your regular clothes.

The Baby's Name:

1st baby: You pour over baby-name books and practice pronouncing and writing
combinations of all your favorites

2nd baby: Someone has to name their kid after your Great-aunt Mavis. Right?

3rd baby: You open the name book, close your eyes, and see where your finger
falls. Bimaldo. Perfect.

Preparing for the Birth:

1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.

2nd baby: You don't bother practicing because you remember that it didn't work
last time.

3rd baby: You ask for an Epideral in your 8th month.

The Layette:

1st baby: You pre-wash your baby's clothes, color coordinate them, and fold
them neatly in the baby's little bureau.

2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only
the one's with the darkest stains.

3rd baby: Boy's can wear pink. Can't they?

Worries:

1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown-- you pick up the
baby.

2nd baby: You pick up the baby only when the wails threaten to wake your first
child.

3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old who to rewind the mechanical swing.

Activities:

1st baby: You take your baby to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story
Hour.

2nd baby: You take your baby to Baby Gymnastics.

3rd baby: You take your baby to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

Going Out:

1st baby: The first time that you leave the baby with a sitter, you call home
5 times.

2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave the number
where you can be reached.

3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

At Home:

1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day, just gazing at your baby.

2nd baby: You spend a good bit of every day watching to be sure that your older
child isn't squeezing, poking or hitting the baby.

3rd baby: You spend a good bit of every day hiding from the children.

***********************************************

"Why, Doesn't He read lips?"

My husband and I know a couple and the wife is deaf. However, in addition to
speaking sign language, she reads lips very well.

I noticed one day my son was talking to her and she was having a hard time reading
his lips because he kept looking away.

Thinking that he didn't understand, I said, "She can't hear you. She's
deaf."

He replied "Oh, we learned some sign language in school."

I told him that he could try it some time, but that some people who were deaf
could read your lips when you were talking if they could see them.

Well, several months later, after a much too long hiatus from the church, I
decided to return.

Upon entering the church, I made the sign of the cross, then again as we found
our seats, I knelt and I did it again.

"What are you doing that for?" he asked quietly.

I thought that he couldn't fathom The Trinity, so I said, "I'm telling
God how much I love Him."

"Why, doesn't He read lips?"

Sunday, February 9, 2003 10:18 AM CST
KATIA IS ON TIME WARNER CABLE CHANNEL #139 TONIGHT, MONDAY FEBRUARY 10TH. THAT IS BAY NEWS 9 ESPANOL. THE STORY WILL RUN EVERY 20 MINUTES AND IS BEING SPONSORED BY FLORIDA BLOOD SERVICES AND NATIONAL MARROW DONOR PROGRAM. FOR THOSE IN TAMPA, I HOPE YOU CAN SEE IT. LOVE, TRACY

I just found these on another site and had to post them because some of them had me in tears laughing and others were just so true! Enjoy :)

*******************

When God Created Mothers

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into his sixth day of overtime
when an angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around
with this one."

And the Lord said, "Have you read the specifications on this order? She
has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts...all
replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when
she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed
love affair. And have six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands? No way!"

"It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord,
"it's the three pairs of eyes the mothers have to have."

"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.

The Lord nodded. "One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks,
'What are the kids doing in there?' When she already knows. Another here in
the back of her head that sees what she shouldn't, but what she has to know,
and of course the ones here in the front that can look at a child when he goofs
up and says, 'I understand and I love you.' without so much as uttering a word."

"You should scrap it and start over." Said the angel.

"I can't," said the Lord, "I'm so close to creating something
so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick...can
feed a family of six on a pound of hamburger...and can get a nine year old to
stand under a shower."

The angel circled the model of the mother very slowly. "It's to soft."
she sighed.

"But tough." said the Lord excitedly, "You cannot imagine what
this mother can do or endure."

"Can it think?" asked the angel.

"Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise." Said the
Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. "There's
a leak," she pronounced, "I told you, you were trying to put too much
into this model."

"It's not a leak," said the Lord, "It's a tear."

"What's it for?" she asked.

"It's for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness and pride."

"You are a genius." Said the angel.

The Lord looked somber, "I didn't put it there..."

*********************************

Mommy Brain

If you've left the crayons to melt in the car,

And forgotten just where the car keys are.

There's a perfectly good way to explain:

You see, you've come down with "Mommy Brain".

When you're not sure where the past eight hours went,

Or whether the phone bill check's been sent,

If you've left the laundry drying in the rain,

It's just--you guessed it--Mommy Brain.

If you find yourself chatting for hours on end

About diaper prices with your cyber friends,

You've just caught a particularly virulent strain

Of that affliction known as Mommy Brain.

If you've left your bags at the grocery store.

Or completely forgot what you went there for.

If you called the cat by your baby's name.

You can bet that Mommy Brain's to Blame.

And if you know the words to Good Night Moon by heart

Or if you study your sleeping babe, like a work of art.

If you're always surprised by how time is flying,

And the thought of that first birthday starts you crying........

It's unavoidable girls, and I feel your pain.

For I, too, suffer from Mommy Brain.

But I'll admit one thing...Of this I'm sure:

I hope they never find a cure!

*****************************************

Childhood Doesn't Wait

I was sitting on a bench

While in a nearby mall,

When I noticed a young mother

With two children who were small.

The youngest one was whining,

"Pick me up" I heard him beg,

but the mother's face grew angry,

as the child clung to her leg.

"Don't hang on to me." She shouted,

As she pushed his hands away,

I wish I'd had the courage

To go up to her and say...

"The time will come too quickly,

When those little arms that tug,

Won't ask for you to hold them,

Or won't freely give a hug.

"The day will sneak up subtly,

just as it did with me,

When you can't recall the last time,

That your child sat on your knee.

"Like those sacred, predawn feedings,

When we cherished time alone,

Our babies grow and leave behind,

Those special times we've known.

"So when your child comes to you

With a book that you can share,

Or asks that you would tuck him in

And help him say his prayer...

"When he comes to sit and chat

Or would like to take a walk,

Before you answer that you can't

'cause there's no time to talk.

"Remember what all parents learn

So many times too late,

That years go by too quickly,

And that childhood doesn't wait.

"Take every opportunity,

If one should slip away,

Reach hard to get it back again,

Don't wait for another day!"

******************************************

I am a Mother

I am Queen of the castle.

Chief cook and bottle washer,

And Head Chef at Chez Moi.

I am defender of good against evil.

I am slayer of horrors, unseen.

With a wave of my hand, I can stop a wars.

Armed only with tape and glue, I can build a fortress.

With a needle and thread, and a handy bath towel,

I have single handedly created super heroes. (and then sent them to bed).

I am able to fix broken hearts with just one kiss.

I have stopped tears with nothing more than my touch.

I can say "I love you" With only a look.

Am I a natural wonder of the world?

No... I am a mother.

******************************************

You Know You're a Parent When... (12 surefire signs.)

You eat dinner on dinosaur-decorated place mats.

You catch yourself singing the Barney theme song ----in public.

You stop the tears by taping broken crayons back together .

You long for nothing more than a good night's sleep.

You buy jelly according to the characters on the jar.

You know the best way to scrape dried Cheerios off the floor.

You find out you never have to buy another Christmas ornament.

You share the storage closet with a miniature broom and Vacuum cleaner.

You take phone messages in crayon.

You always buy the big pack of batteries---but you can never find one when you
need one.

You find action figures in your washing machine.

You find yourself cutting your spouse's meat into bite-sized pieces.

***************************************

The Evolution of a Mom

Yes, parenthood changes everything. But parenthood also changes with each baby.
Here are some of the ways having a second and third child differs from having
your first:

Your Clothes:

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms
your pregnancy.

2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

3rd baby: Your maternity clothes are your regular clothes.

The Baby's Name:

1st baby: You pour over baby-name books and practice pronouncing and writing
combinations of all your favorites

2nd baby: Someone has to name their kid after your Great-aunt Mavis. Right?

3rd baby: You open the name book, close your eyes, and see where your finger
falls. Bimaldo. Perfect.

Preparing for the Birth:

1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.

2nd baby: You don't bother practicing because you remember that it didn't work
last time.

3rd baby: You ask for an Epideral in your 8th month.

The Layette:

1st baby: You pre-wash your baby's clothes, color coordinate them, and fold
them neatly in the baby's little bureau.

2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only
the one's with the darkest stains.

3rd baby: Boy's can wear pink. Can't they?

Worries:

1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown-- you pick up the
baby.

2nd baby: You pick up the baby only when the wails threaten to wake your first
child.

3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old who to rewind the mechanical swing.

Activities:

1st baby: You take your baby to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story
Hour.

2nd baby: You take your baby to Baby Gymnastics.

3rd baby: You take your baby to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

Going Out:

1st baby: The first time that you leave the baby with a sitter, you call home
5 times.

2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave the number
where you can be reached.

3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

At Home:

1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day, just gazing at your baby.

2nd baby: You spend a good bit of every day watching to be sure that your older
child isn't squeezing, poking or hitting the baby.

3rd baby: You spend a good bit of every day hiding from the children.

***********************************************

"Why, Doesn't He read lips?"

My husband and I know a couple and the wife is deaf. However, in addition to
speaking sign language, she reads lips very well.

I noticed one day my son was talking to her and she was having a hard time reading
his lips because he kept looking away.

Thinking that he didn't understand, I said, "She can't hear you. She's
deaf."

He replied "Oh, we learned some sign language in school."

I told him that he could try it some time, but that some people who were deaf
could read your lips when you were talking if they could see them.

Well, several months later, after a much too long hiatus from the church, I
decided to return.

Upon entering the church, I made the sign of the cross, then again as we found
our seats, I knelt and I did it again.

"What are you doing that for?" he asked quietly.

I thought that he couldn't fathom The Trinity, so I said, "I'm telling
God how much I love Him."

"Why, doesn't He read lips?"

Thursday, February 6, 2003 5:07 PM CST
Hello! Well we had a doctor's appointment today for Katia and what we have is Fifth Disease, kinda like measles or something. Anyway, hers isn't as bad as mine and they say hers should be gone in a few more days. Mine is getting better. Thank you for your prayers. Her CBC looked great. For those of you who care for the numbers,
WBC = 6.2
HGB = 12.9
PLT = 247
Nothing was flagged! I was worried but God is really keeping us under his wing and letting us enjoy this time.

If you wish to send Katia a card, it really makes her day to see them in her mailbox. Her PO Box is listed at the bottom of the page. We have gotten a lot of postcards from around the world and we ALL love to see those. Thanks! Tracy

Tueday, February 4, 2003 11:43 AM CST
Well over the last few days we have been pretty busy but things are beginning to slow down. The newest is that I have developed some type of rash on my face and neck and some on my lower arms. It is weird. First I felt like I had a bit of a cold but then that went away. Then, this was faint until I was out in the sun for maybe 5 - 10 minutes and it flared up and now it burns and itches. I am waiting for my doctor to call me back. The sad part is, now Katia is showing the same symptoms so I hope it is nothing that can affect her health. Any ideas of what this may be? Let me know. Katia has been pretty sleepy lately but when she is awake she is quite hyper! Her appetite is good though but it is always good. Anyway, let me know how you are doing and if you have any ideas about this rash. I will update when I know more. Katia has a clinic appointment on Thursday for a CBC and for them to look at her face and neck. I don't know if I can go to the clinic because I am not sure if I am contagious. That is why I am trying to see my doctor. Love, Tracy

Friday, January 31, 2003 at 06:05 AM (CST)
Well all is still going good. Katia has been sleepy a lot but we have been doing quite a bit of running around. Her talking is really improving! She talks A LOT! I still think she sounds like the little girl in Monster's Inc., Boo! She sounds so cute but she hates if you act like your listening and your not.
The other kids are doing good in school. We will complete the first week today.
All of us are really enjoying the new house. We have had to make a few minor repairs here and there but we are doing better at them than I thought we would. Today I am replacing one of the remote fan switches (wowwwwwwww)! I have never been very handy but I am doing okay.
Sharayah left something in her pocket yesterday in the laundry and ruined all their uniforms! Yes, I was washing them all at one time. Needless to say last night was very stressful but today is another day. I went out last night and replaced the school pants but the school shirts, I have to find again. They were hard to find the first time and that was just over a week ago.
They are both doing good in school and homeschooling seemed to really help the two of them which I am glad of.
Katia's next appointment will be sometime in the beginning of the 2nd week in February. She has a big bruise on her leg and it is lumpy feeling plus the tumor in eye is swelling again but not too fast. The tumor is something none of us know what to really do about. It can't be removed and it is not cancerous but it can get very big and cause problems with her eye and her looks.
Please pray that it doesn't swell all the way back up.
Thank you for coming by Katia's page! It means the world to us.
I love to check her website and read the guestbook entries. It is like having a bunch of friends over and meeting new people.
Please pass Katia's website on to others. I want as many people to get to know little Katia as possible. She is a real tough cookie and a big fighter and she is our little champion.
Love, Tracy

Monday, January 27, 2003 at 12:34 PM (CST)
Katia's birthday was just so great!!!! She was so excited. We started our day by giving her half of her birthday present (the ball) and then we went to church. Had we given her the whole thing, she would have cried and cried to leave the house...
Anyway, everyone was glad to see Katia looking so well and it was nice seeing everybody.
Then we came home and had lunch (which had to be quick because Katia just wanted cake!) Then she got to hear one of her favorite songs, "Happy Birthday to KATIA!" It was so great seeing her so happy and healthy after everything she has been through this year. God has really blessed us by giving her good health and keeping her in remission!
After she ate her cake, we gave her the other half of her birthday present (the basketball hoop) and she played for a while then brought up the fact we hadn't had the cake. So of course, we all had cake!
The day was going so well and then came the superbowl...

WOW! We won!!! The Bucs won the superbowl! I can't believe it, I mean I believed they could win but it actually happened. Katia got a Buccaneer shirt for her birthday which she wore through the superbowl. What a great game!!! There was a lot of celebrating in the neighborhood and all over Tampa. The streets were packed with people driving around the stadium and just out being happy. From what I understand all went well and there were no real problems last night in Tampa.

To sum it all up, yesterday was one of the greatest days of my life and my baby is doing so well :0)

Thank you for the birthday cards, guestbook entries and the e-cards! This world is full of great people and I think most of them have visited Katia's site.

She should be on the news again in the next week or so. They were scheduled to film today here at the house but since the BUCS WON they will delay it a day or two.

The news episodes with Katia are really making a difference though. According to the National Bone Marrow program and the Florida Blood Services people are calling in honor of Katia to register their bone marrow and donate blood. Thank you!

Love, Tracy

Friday, January 24, 2003 at 05:12 PM (CST)
WE HAVE FINISHED MOVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nothing left to do but hang a couple of pictures and mend our sore muscles but the move went very well and here I am back online. Really, everything moved smoother than I thought because I got very overwhelmed by everything and never saw the end in sight! But 24 hours after my nervous breakdown, we were done. Myron is such a hard worker and we just both put our minds to it and BAM! Here we are in our new house. I will post pictures over the next few days. Thank you everyone for you well wishes and for keeping Katia and our family in your thoughts and prayers. She is doing great and VERY HAPPY. 3 more days till the big Birthday #3!
She is great! Love, Tracy

Tuesday, January 21, 2003 at 08:17 AM (CST)
WELL I JUST WANT TO UPDATE TODAY BECAUSE THE NEXT FEW DAYS WILL BE COMPLETELY HECTIC WITH THE MOVE. ON WEDNESDAY WE SIGN AND THEN WE WILL GO DO A FULL CLEANING AT THE HOUSE (CARPETS, TILE, GARAGE, BACK PORCH, BATHROOMS AND KITCHEN). THAT SHOULD TAKE US ABOUT 4 HOURS. OUR KIDS ARE GOING TO BE WITH MY DAD. THEN WEDNESDAY NIGHT WE PLAN TO MOVE OVER EVERYTHING FROM THE CLOSETS, BATHROOMS AND KITCHEN. ON THURSDAY MORNING BRIGHT AND EARLY WE WILL MOVE ALL THE FURNITURE (PRAY FOR US MOVING OUR LIVINGROOM SET) AND ALL THE REST OF THE HOUSEHOLD ITEMS. LAST TIME WE MOVED WE BROKE ONE OF OUR TVs. THAT BETTER NOT REPEAT ITSELF. MOST OF THURSDAY, I WILL BE AT THE NEW HOUSE AND AS MYRON AND HIS BROTHER, GLEN BRING EVERYTHING OVER I AM GOING TO TRY TO PUT IT AWAY. IT WILL JUST BE ONE TRIP WITH A BIG TRUCK. HOPEFULLY BY LATE AFTERNOON THURSDAY WE WILL BE ALMOST DONE. THE KIDS WILL COME HOME AND HELP ORGANIZE THEIR ROOMS ( I LOVE THE FACT THEY ARE OLDER NOW ). THEN FRIDAY WILL JUST BE HANGING PICTURES AND FINISH UNPACKING ANYTHING AND THEN ORGANIZE THE GARAGE AND HOPEFULLY TADA!
WE WILL BE DONE. SUNDAY IS KATIA'S 3RD BIRTHDAY AND THE BUCS IN THE SUPERBOWL! WHAT A DAY! THIS HAS TO BE A BETTER YEAR THAN LAST YEAR. I AM PRAYING THAT FOR EVERYONE. I WILL BE OFF-LINE UNTIL THE 24TH BASICALLY BUT I CAN'T WAIT TO SIGN BACK ON AND READ THE GUESTBOOK! I PRAY EVERYONE WILL HAVE A SAFE FEW DAYS AND HAVE GOOD BLOOD TESTS, SPINALS, BONE MARROW ASPIRATIONS, HOSPITAL STAYS AND NOBODY RUNS A FEVER :0) THANKS TO EACH OF YOU FOR BEING A NEW FRIEND AND THANK YOU TO MY FAMILY AND MY FRIENDS FOR STICKING BY US THIS YEAR AND KEEPING IN CONTACT. I LOVE YOU. LOVE, TRACY

BE THINKING OF KATIA ON SUNDAY WHEN SHE TURNS 3. THIS IS SUCH A BIG MILESTONE FOR US IN SO MANY WAYS!!!

Saturday, January 18, 2003 at 03:44 PM (CST)
I am trying to add some new pictures before I start to move because I will probably not be able to spend much time on this over the next week or so. I will keep up with reading the
guestbook and updating the journal.
I AM SO READY FOR THE MOVE! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. This will be our first house so we are extremely excited.
We plan to move during the end of next week. Katia's birthday is January 26th
which is next Sunday plus that is the SuperBowl. She will be three years
old! I can't believe it. This has been such a long and hard year but right now everything is going good and we are happy for that. We have definitely learned to be thankful each day and never take things for granted. I was thinking over the last year while I was typing something out so I am going to put it here too. This year has been very full of activity and sorrow and many ups and downs. I pray that 2003 will bring good things to the Solomon Family with Katia having good health. I pray for all the other families going through this. I pray a cure is found and can start just saving lives left and right! I appreciate each of you and thank you for your kind messages you leave. I look very forward to coming and checking the guestbook a few times each day. Katia loves to get cards and open them. She started liking her "mailtime" at the hospital and she continues. She still receives quite a few cards and I am greatful for that. I love that little smile and even the Blues Clue, "We just got a letter" song that goes with it! Below is "This Year At-A-Glance" for those of you who are new to Katia's story. Plus you can
always go to the St. Pete Times Article Link at the bottom of this page. Thank you for visiting.

Our daughter, Katia Solomon was born in January 2000. We thought she would be a millenium baby but she was born on the 26th! We were so happy and she was just a joy for our family. We have 2 older daughters, Sharayah-14 and Tatiana-10 so we were all excited to have a little baby in the house. When Katia was 3 months old, she stopped breathing for a couple minutes. We called 911 and when the paramedics arrived a few minutes later, Katia was fine. There was no sign of any problems at her next doctor visit. That scare brought all of us closer to her and we basically spoiled her (but that was okay by all of us - she was our baby). All was fine until right before Katia's 2nd birthday. We were getting ready for church and Katia was walking into our bedroom and fell and hit her head on our bed frame. It was a VERY hard hit but it didn't seem to really swell too bad as we put ice on it. We went to church and over the next few days we were pleased that her head healed up so quickly. Her birthday was 11 days after the hit and she appeared normal. About a week after her birthday (18 days after the fall) we noticed some swelling around her right eye. Since the fall had not caused problems we didn't associate it with the fall. We took her to the doctor and she was treated for allergies. A few days later the eye was twice as bad. We took her back and also showed the doctor some bruising on Katia's legs. The doctor said the bruising went with her age but decided the eye needed antibiotic ointment. Again, a couple of days passed and the eye was not only swelling worse but seemed to be putruding outward so we took her back. This visit she also had more bruising and some unexplainable sores on her back. The pediatrician wanted us to see an optometrist and had no explinations for the bruising or sores. She said maybe it was bugs. I was concerned, very concerned by now. I knew Katia wasn't around bugs and her activity level didn't explain the bruising. I called the optometrist and after being told the next appointment was a few weeks away, I took Katia to the ER. I asked them to do a CT Scan of her head because I felt something was wrong. Five hours later the ER doctor came out and said the scans were clear. I called back the optometrist and explained all this in detail to her and she agreed to see her the next day. Katia went to her office and was immediately sent to get an MRI STAT. This doctor showed urgency finally. She sent someone to bring the scans back to her office. That afternoon she called saying Katia had a large mass behind her right eye and she was sending us to another specialist. We had 4 or 5 appointments for week for a few weeks. Everyone was trying to come to an agreement of what this mass was and how to treat it. Finally it was decided to do plastic surgery and remove the tumor but before that could be done, she needed an embolism to cut off the blood circulation to lessen bleeding during surgery. After the embolism, Katia came down very sick and was diagnosed with menengitus. She was hospitalized in isolation. Three days later, we were told she had Leukemia and sent to ALL CHILDRENS via ambulance. Then we were told a day later she had the worse of the Leukemias. Katia went through 5 months of extensive chemo, had about 7 or 8 serious infections, a LOT of pain over this time and finally finished chemo in September of 2002. In October and November she was hospitalized for 2 more serious infections. The last one she had caused her to stop breathing and have a temperature of 107.8! I think back on that now and can't believe she is running around and currently remains in remission. It is a miracle! She was home for Thanksgiving and Christmas and celebrated the New Years at home. We pray she has a great year and can live a long, happpy, and healthy life!

Saturday, January 18, 2003 at 03:00 AM (CST)
<"center">We went to Rob's viewing last night and that was very difficult to see. There
were 100's of people there and his parents were greeting each one. I am not sure
I could have been that strong. Rob's sister was there too (she was his Bone Marrow
Donor twice) and she too was greeting everyone. This disease is so horrible and
even though Katia is in remission I feel like the disease is just lurking around
our house. Rob was in remission last June. I can't help but to think about that.
I gave his family a card and I wish now I had written down the message on it but
it said something about..., "People tell you how strong you are being and
how your loved one is now in a better place... how you should feel peace knowing
that... but you don't have a right or wrong way to mourn. You can throw a temper
tantrum, scream, hate this. ...all I want from you is for you to know that I love
you and I am here for you whenever you need me. You will come out the other side."
There was quite a bit more to it but to me, if there is a "perfect"
card, that was it. His parents were concerned about Katia and I was actually happy
to report she is doing very good. We are all in this fight together and pray for
the best for each child. We went with one of Katia's nurses and let me tell you,
I really respect their jobs. This is so hard on them. They get very close to these
children knowing things could turn out good or bad. They never hesitate to offer
their full selves and bear the burden of outcomes. There were a few nurses there
and I understand a few will be at the funeral today and burial. I would offer
to go but I don't think I can go to the burial grounds. I haven't been to a burial
since 1974 (my grandfather's) and since I have usually chosen to attend viewings.
If someone requested I go to a burial then I would but...

I pray for each of you reading this rather you have a family member with cancer,
have cancer, or don't have either, to be able to find peace with your family now.
So many of us get busy and pass up the opportunities that become so important
later. I pray there will be a cure found for horrible diseases such as cancer.
I pray for this war in the gulf and other wars abroad. There is just so much hurt
in the world but there is also God and He gives me peace to know that no matter
what, He is always there. Someone sent me this saying and I use it for my e-mail
signature now. <"/center>
"If God leads you to it, He'll get you through it."

So true. Love, Tracy

Thursday, January 16, 2003 at 05:26 AM (CST)
UPDATE: 1/17/03 Sharayah and Tatiana's blood tests results are in. Their doctor called me last night and said their cholestrol levels are very high so they are on restricted diets and will be rechecked in one month to see if the levels are down. If not, they will start treatment. Sharayah's is 233 and Tatiana's is 234. Also, Tatiana's blood sugar levels are off but not enough for concern but it will be rechecked, too. Thank you for your prayers. Poor Tatiana yesterday, I thought she was going to faint or throwup or something. She looked SO BAD when they were doing her blood test. It was horrible. I had never seen her get that weak and fearful looking. She curls up, sweats, turns ghost white (and I mean WHITE) and moans. It was horrible. Even the nurses were concerned for her. She is already dreading it for next month. They have to eat low fat diet, drink fiber, take garlic tabs twice a day and vitamin E once a day. They are both supposed to limit their sugar intake. They have good activity levels. They usually go skate or ride their scooters 4 or 5 times a week and we stay busy around the house. We will just pray things turn around but the high cholestrol does run in my family. Mine was 279, 10 months ago and I eat like a saint! I have to go get mine rechecked but it has always been high. I am on a diet right now and am drinking fiber 3 times a day, Garlic tabs, haven't done the vitamin E thing but I go back to my doctor in February. I really hope it is down below 230. Hoping everyone has a good weekend. Next week we move so I may not be able to be on here much. I will try. Love, Tracy

First, for those of you who didn't see the journal entry before this, you may want to read it so you understand what this one is about...

Today we go to the lab again for repeat blood tests on Sharayah and Tatiana. Poor Tatiana has been so nervous all day yesterday even though she understands it really doesn't HURT all that bad she still has such a fear! Poor little thing. I hope to find out results late today but possibly it will be until tomorrow.

Also, Rob's viewing will be Friday and his funeral will be on Saturday. I plan to go to one of them or both if I can. It will be my first funeral of someone who died from this dreadful disease. I am just very heart broken for his family and what they must be going through.

If you would like to send them a card, you can send it via Katia's mailing address and I will forward them on. I don't want to give out their home address but I am sure it would really touch their hearts to know others are there for them at this time, people they have never known.

Their names are Bob, Jane and Megann(Rob's sister) Haase. Love, Tracy

Wednesday, January 15, 2003 at 09:35 AM (CST)

Well I had another good scare last night but this was over our 10 year old
daughter, Tatiana. Since they are going back into public school, from homeschooling,
they needed school physicals. The doctor thought best to do blood tests. That
was Monday around 4PM. Well, last night I realize there is a message in my voice
mail that I had missed all day (seeing as we were at the clinic with Katia). It
was the doctor calling saying she needed to talk to me about Tatiana's blood tests.
Well by the time I got it, it was too late to call so after no sleep and worrying
all night, I called this morning at 8:30 the moment they opened. Come to find
out both Sharayah, the 14 year old and Tatiana shows high cholestrol levels and
Tatiana's is showing blood sugar problems. Tatiana does get pretty sick when she
doesn't eat and she turns totally white including her lips and mouth! We have
been worried about this but usually once she eats she is okay. Anyway, I was worried
about far more than I needed to be worried about. So I was going to just take
them back to the lab (the doctor wants follow-up lab work today) but I go out
to tell them not to eat breakfast and....

yep, they were already eating so I will wait until in the morning. Tatiana has
had her share of problems. She is pretty puny looking for the most part. She was
born 28 days LATE! She had a small hole in her stomach which was corrected without
surgery. She also has a type of lazy eye which seems to be correcting itself.
She has a curve in her spine which we questioned but just found out for sure on
Monday during her physical so as soon as we are done with our move, we need to
take her to a specialist. That will be done in the beginning of February I hope.
Tatiana wears out easily. Other than that, she is a "normal" 10 year
old. Please pray that she isn't "diabetic" which does run in my family.
TATIANA HATES NEEDLES!!!!!

Other than that, here are Katia's CBC results:
WBC= 7.8 (January 6 = 4.5)

HGB=15.6 (January 6 =14.6)

PLT=197 (January 6 =148)

ANC=2000 (January 6 =1800)

The blood work she had done yesterday to look for a reason as why she is
bruising so badly (the were checking her "clotting agents") came back
fine so we are still in the dark about why she is bruising so badly. The nurses
keep saying "typical 2 year old" which upsets me because Katia is
in the house and is only around a very pillowed sofa, carpet and beds. The bruises
look like she climbs and falls on bricks all day! I don't know what else to
ask the doctors to do but I really want to know what is up.

If you have any ideas please let me know. Love, Tracy

Please pray for the families who have lost their children recently. It breaks
my heart how many have passed away. There are also some families I know of that
are right now just trying to make life comfortable for their children because
there are no further treatments for them.

Also, I am so thankful for the people that have stepped forward to help
us during this time in our lives. Many people we did not even know who are now
dear friends and even family that had been distant has been there for us with
prayers, cards, and even donations. I believe when a person needs help, ask.
God has many angels out there who will step forward and help but nobody knows
your need if you don't ask. We struggle on a daily basis with our finances.
We are moving right now and I am praying with this move our bills will go down
a little bit and our value of living will go up. Our kids really need some freedom
of a back yard and a house they can call home. They will be back in school which
will help them with the social (hopefully not TOO much) part of their lives.
Sending them back to school will cause an initial expense but I really feel
it is better for them to be in school. My time is too stretched out right now
and I am not able to do the full amount of home-school time I need to. Sharayah
will be in HIGHSCHOOL next year (I feel old) and that is just too important
for me to risk doing a good job.

If God lays on your heart to send a donation to help the Solomon Family
it is always GREATLY appreciated. We are also in the process of producing more
CDs (Myron's "Lady in Red")to pass out. Although this has been an added expense to us,
we feel led to use the avenues presented to us by news channels and newspapers
to continue trying to raise awareness to this disease for Katia and all the
people fighting this horrible illness. Our dedication to this seems to be making
a difference and people are registering. If you are a local person, in the Tampa
Bay area and would like to register to be a Marrow Donor, please contact Ivan
727-568-2115. He will help you do this. Tell him, "Katia sent
you."

For any donations toward the cost of CD production or directly
to the Solomon Family, mail to:

Katia Solomon

PO Box 22375

Tampa, FL 33622

The most important thing is your prayers! Thank you. Love, Tracy

I just found out while typing this that another dear friend of ours passed away last night. His name was Rob. Please pray for his family during this type. He was diagnosed with Leukemia AML in January 2002. We called him Katia's AML buddy because for a while they were the only two on the floor with AML. This news really breaks our heart. I don't know how to pass this news on to our kids and even Myron.
1-16-03 Today we go to the lab again for repeat blood tests on Sharayah and Tatiana. Poor Tatiana has been so nervous all day yesterday even though she understands it really doesn't HURT all that bad she still has such a fear! Poor little thing. I hope to find out results late today but possibly it will be until tomorrow.
Also, Rob's viewing will be Friday and his funeral will be on Saturday. I plan to go to one of them or both if I can. It will be my first funeral of someone who died from this dreadful disease. I am just very heart broken for his family and what they must be going through. If you would like to send them a card, you can send it via Katia's mailing address and I will forward them on. I don't want to give out their home address but I am sure it would really touch their hearts to know others are there for them at this time, people they have never known. Their names are Bob, Jane and Megann(Rob's sister) Haase. Love, Tracy

Tuesday, January 14, 2003 at 08:41 PM (CST)
WOW! So many people have visited Katia's site lately.
THANK YOU for passing her Webpage address along.

We went to the clinic today and had some blood
tests run looking for the reason of her bruising????? It has gotten pretty bad
the last few days. Now it isn't just on her shins. She has one on her ribs,
a few on her thighs and one on her foot. She acts fine though running around
so I am baffled!

Over the last two weeks I have read so many other
Caringbridge pages and I am so determined now more than ever to really push
all the buttons I can to get the word out to everyone! We are really trying
hard to get people to donate blood (on a regular basis) and definitely sign
up for the National Marrow Donor Registry!
Myron has made some really great progress lately and after this last TV interview.
A LOT of calls came in from people wanting to become donors. We are not pushing
this just for Katia. At this time she doesn't need a Bone Marrow Transplant.
We are trying to do this for everyone! We have met so many courageous kids and
families and we just feel we have to do something to make a difference.

Myron has handed out over 300 of his "Lady
in Red" CDs and with each one goes an insert giving people the direct
numbers and web addresses of organizations which do daily research discovering
new treatments and working on a cure for cancer. The insert also talks about
donating blood and signing up to be a Marrow Donor.

In reading other Caringbridge pages I have also
come across some beautiful poems that are very inspirational. I cannot tell
you how this has really touched me. I love poetry so I enjoy reading it whenever
I have the chance. One page even lead me to the "Quilts
of Love" page which is so NEAT! Now Katia has a link to her personal
quilt on this page. Please visit Katia's quilt to see this beautiful design
from "Quilts of Love".

Katia's
Quilt

We have had good weeks, busy weeks, bad weeks,
overwhelming weeks, etc. but this week I would have to say has been educational,
inspirational, and uplifting. Why? Because I can really see how much love has
been shown to Katia, how many loving families are willing to reach out to eachother
and how our friends and family have stood by us throughout all of the bad days
and now even the good days.

Thank you to our friends and family and the new
ones we will meet! God bless each of you.

Love, Tracy Solomon

Saturday, January 11, 2003 at 11:55 AM (CST)
Katia's appearance on the news last night was short and sweet. Although it ran for only about 3 minutes, we have received numerous phone calls wanting to find out how people can register with the National Marrow Donor program. I have been very touched by people's responses. Although Katia is not in need for Bone Marrow right now, that day may come for her but it is here for so many other children. We are trying to make everyone we can aware of this need that is really so simple for people to become involved in.
Here is a link to their website to learn more of how to become a registered donor. If the day comes that Katia does need a Bone Marrow Transplant (which would be IF she were to relapse) then we would go to this organization to find her a donor match. National Marrow Donor Registry Website
I am so pleased with the outpouring of people wanting to help.
While you are here, take a minute to visit the links at the bottom of the page including Katia's other websites.
Thank you and please take time to sign the guestbook while you are here. Everyone that knows me knows I LOVE to read the entries each day.
Thank you for stopping by!
Love, Tracy

Thursday, January 09, 2003 at 10:26 PM (CST)
Katia is going to be on the news tomorrow, Friday, January 10 at 6PM.
The channel is Telemundo. It will be the local news so I am not sure where that reaches.

The channels are (from what I know)
Direct TV, Tampa 405
The Dish Network, Tampa 620
Time Warner, Tampa 13

Let me know if you were able to see it. She was sick so she was pretty medicated. I think it will be okay. Myron had been sick too so...

Thursday, January 09, 2003 at 03:36 PM (CST)
Katia seems to be improving but her coughing is still there and she really loses her breath. Continue praying for her that she will get better very soon.
On the other hand, we filmed today for the interview on Telemundo. It will be on their local 6PM news tomorrow, Friday night.
Myron did a good interview and Katia was pretty cooperative.
Hope those of you in the TampaBay area can check it out. Love, Tracy

Wednesday, January 08, 2003 at 02:05 PM (CST)
Katia's cough is getting better. She spit up quite a bit of mucus in the night and isn't coughing as much. She will be on the antibiotics through January 26th (her 3rd birthday). Her bruises are coming back so I will take her when they seem their darkest for the doctor to run the test he wants to do. Thank you for your prayers. Love, Tracy

PS Hopefully we are moved into the new house by Katia's birthday! I can't wait for the new start in the new year. All of this basically started a year ago on January 15th when she hit her head on the bedframe. We believe if she hadn't hit her head we may not have discovered the Leukemia in April.

Tuesday, January 07, 2003 at 10:44 AM (CST)
The cough has gotten much worse. She has only been on the antibiotics for 16 hours so maybe it will start getting better. Her temperature has risen but not enough to go in and she has been coughing, gagging and spitting up mucus (which maybe is a good thing). I hate seeing her feel so bad. We will have to hold off the filming for the news until the end of the week. Just pray that Katia will start getting better and we won't need to go in. Last time she got like this is when she stopped breathing and had a temperature all the sudden of 107.8. We are nervous but on top of things. Plus this time, if we have to go in, we would call 911 and not chance the drive to ACH. Sharayah and Tatiana are nervous about all of this too. Katia is coughing a lot and it makes them quiet and nervous as to what could happen. Love, Tracy

Monday, January 06, 2003 at 12:15 PM (CST)
Katia was up all night coughing a wheezing so Myron and I decided to take her in first thing this morning (even though she had an appointment for tomorrow). I am glad we did. A CT Scan showed a really bad sinus infection so she is on antibiotics (AT HOME) for 3 weeks and that should help. Poor little thing felt bad. I also talked to the doctor about bruising and he mentioned an idea but I can't think of the word but he needs to see her back at the time the bruising is at its worst (which of course was not today). I did take them the pictures so they could put them in her file. Her counts dropped over the last three weeks but they may be due to the infection. Her old counts were:
WBC= 8.8 now they are 4.5
HGB= 14.4 now they are 14.6
PLT= 213 now they are 148
ANC= 5300 now it is 1800

Anyway, she just needs to take this medicine for the next three weeks and hopefully be back to good.

The next news is that Katia will be on another news show. Telemundo (Spanish TV) called today wanting to do a story on her also. They will film tomorrow and I am not sure when it will aire but I think very soon. They wanted to film today but Katia doesn't feel good and is pretty worn down. She was up all night and had a long day at the hospital.

We can't wait to move. We are about 1/2 packed!!! I am so excited that it keeps me up at night. I am trying to plan where to put everything and etc....

Love, Tracy

January 2, 2003
Well as most of you know I have been very concerned about Katia's bruising and a few other changes like she is more tired lately. She had a cytogenics test done from the last bone marrow they took on December 18th and we just got the results back today. Her bone marrow looks good. If anybody has any ideas about bruising let me know because it is so bad on her little legs. I was hesitant to post a picture of it but I changed my mind and decided to post it. Maybe someone looking at the page or someone you send the address to for them to view it can have some advice. This bruising gets worse when she cries (which she does quite a bit of hard crying when she can't poop). It does go away but she has had this bruising since about the 20th of December and it has stayed bad. She has an appointment on the 7th of January for her next blood work but chances 9 to 10 the bruising will not be there. Happened last appointment. It went away for about 5 days and one of those days was her day to go to the clinic. I have printed a series of pictures to show the doctors and put in her folder. Never know, they may find an answer and it help them with another patient. I just want Katia to be better right now and not look so banged up. Her activity level doesn't give reason for the bruises. Also, some good news. We are moving to a house!!!! We move on January 17th! A big back yard and back porch in a nice quiet neighborhood. Three bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Right now we have 2 bedrooms and with 3 kids, that is small. I can't wait. Katia loves it and Sharayah and Tatiana are excited. They will also be going back to public school instead of being homeschooled which will be better for all of us. A lot of changes right now but hopefully they are all for the good and we can enjoy relocating. It is only 10 minutes from here but a better area. Love, Tracy

Wednesday, January 01, 2003 at 06:38 AM (CST)
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! WE PRAY THE YEAR 2003 BRINGS GREAT THINGS FOR YOUR FAMILY AND OURS. KATIA WENT INTO THIS NEW YEAR NOT FEELING WELL AND QUITE BRUISED UP. SHE IS STILL HAVING A LOT OF PAIN WHEN SHE USES THE BATHROOM BUT LAST NIGHT WAS AWFUL AND REALLY SEEMED TO GO ON FOR A LONG TIME. SHE FINALLY DID GO BUT THE BRUISES SHE HAD ON HER LEGS GOT WORSENED BY ALL OF THE SCREAMING. I ALMOST THOUGHT SHE WAS GOING TO HAVE TO GO IN BECAUSE SHE WAS IN SO MUCH DISTRESS. PLEASE PRAY THAT THE DOCTORS WILL FIND THE ANSWERS TO WHY THIS BRUISING IS CONTINUING AND GETTING WORSE. I MAY TAKE HER IN EARLY NEXT WEEK JUST TO GET HER BLOOD COUNTS BUT I AM SURE THEY ARE PROBABLY FINE. THEY HAVE BEEN GOOD WHICH IS WHY NOBODY UNDERSTANDS THE BRUISING...
ABOUT NEW YEARS. ALL OF US FELL ASLEEP BEFORE THE TIME CAME BUT WE WOKE UP RIGHT BEFORE AND WATCHED THE BALL DROP, GAVE HUGS AND KISSES AND WERE ASLEEP BY AROUND 12:10 JANUARY 1, 2003!!!
MAY GOD PROTECT ALL OF US AND THIS YEAR BRING PEACE, NEW CURES, AND TURN PEOPLE TOWARD GOD. LOVE, TRACY

Monday, December 30, 2002 at 08:05 PM (CST)
I am concerned by quite a bit of bruising on Katia that is only getting worse and some bumps she gets on her face. I sometimes feel like I over worry but the bruising was the only outward sign she was sick in the first place before she was diagnosed. Please pray that the doctors can find the answers as to why she bruises so badly still. Her platelet counts are fine and on December 18th, her other counts were fine too and her bone marrow and spinal were clear. Something in the back of mind just say to look into this but I really don't know how else to look into it. The other results to the cytogenics test still aren't back and aren't expected back before Friday now. Love, Tracy

Saturday, December 28, 2002 at 07:27 PM (CST)
I am just checking my guestbook and looking back over the last journals and wanted to share with everyone how thankful I am right now. God has been so good and has just made a miracle of Katia! This could not have been done without God's grace and the power of prayer. People all over the world have been praying for Katia and sending her cards and it has just been so touching to her and us. I think Sharayah and Tatiana have really grown a lot by this experience and are very greatful just like we are. I think back to the 2 years of Interactive Media school we took and think we should have taken nursing school but God has plans for everything that we may not yet understand and some things we will probably never understand. I know I have become stronger and I have more faith now than ever before. My concern for Katia right now is the amount of bruising she has on her legs and some on her arms. They have taken some bone marrow from the bone marrow biopsy and sent it out for a "cytogenics test" which I don't know much about. The results were supposed to be in on December 24 but they are still not back as of today. I will update this with those results. Love, Tracy

Friday, December 27, 2002 at 07:58 AM (CST)
We had a wonderful Christmas at home! We were so happy to be together. Katia was just running around here acting like a typical two year old which just made us feel so lucky. This has been such a hard year for our family but because of friends and family we ended the year on a good note. When someone ask what we are most thankful for, it would have to be the healthy Katia running around AND our friends and family. Some of our friends are new friends that I feel like we have known forever. I am especially thankful for the knowledge I have picked up this year and the compassion for people going through this and many other illnesses that just really can tear a family apart. I, Tracy, am personally thankful for my husband and kids. They have really held this house together throughout our extensive stays at the hospital. I never have to come home and "catch up". I walk in to a clean house, help unpacking and a family that really tries hard to be of help to me. God has blessed me beyond my dreams with a husband I wished for over my life. I always prayed I would find a husband to love me and take care of me and really make me feel special. Myron goes beyond that! My kids, although they do regular stupid stuff sometimes, have really shined throughout this trial for our family and proved themselves as they have grown through this. People always ask how they are doing with this, they have really matured and gained an understanding for what others go through as well as learned to appreciate small things and everyday happenings. God has blessed this family and is using Katia to reach many others to make them aware of this disease and how each person can help. I pray this year brings good health for Katia and happy times for our family. God Bless each of you! Thank you for checking in on us. Love, Our Little Family :0)

Thursday, December 19, 2002 at 09:11 AM (CST)
Katia had a bone marrow biopsy yesterday and it was ALL CLEAR! Now we can relax for a bit. Her blood counts are all good and her marrow and spinal fluid. Katia is running around and happy and ready for Christmas. I still can't get over how happy she was at Disney. I am so glad we were able to participate in R.O.C.K Weekend. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with their friends and family. We will wake up Christmas morning happy and ready to start a new year in a couple weeks. God Bless each of you. Love, Tracy

Tuesday, December 17, 2002 at 09:13 PM (CST)
I realized today that we came home a month ago on the 15th!! It has been busy but I am so glad we are staying home. Katia has an unplanned appointment tomorrow. I am not sure what they are planning to do but I will update you. Check out her new pictures if you haven't seen them. So many people have showed us kindness this season it just lets me know we are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. Thank you to each of you and God Bless You!

Sunday, December 15, 2002 at 06:18 PM (CST)
WE HAD A BLAST AT DISNEY THIS WEEKEND!!!!! I will update pictures probably tomorrow. We took over 150 pictures so I need to sort through them and correct some color issues on some but I will send them via email and put some new pictures on this webpage too! What a blast. Katia was so happy to arrive at Disney and then she just really stayed happy the whole time. Sharayah and Tatiana had the time of their lives. They met a lot of new friends and really just had 2 days of total fun. The park was cold today so we didn't stay till closing but we are all tuckered out and ready to wind down the weekend. That was a super trip!!!

Friday, December 13, 2002 at 04:41 AM (CST)
Well today we will head over to Disney for the R.O.C.K. weekend sponsored by the American Cancer Society! Katia and the kids are so happy. We are too! Saturday will be our 15th wedding anniversary and I can't think of any better way to be spending it. Look for new pictures when we return. I just pray it doesn't rain the whole time. Katia is doing well right now. I look at her and can't believe all she has been through this year. She is so strong and happy-go-lucky and that makes me strong and happy. Love, Tracy

Monday, December 09, 2002 at 08:44 AM (CST)
Katia is doing good here at home. She is running around and really getting excited about Christmas. We are supposed to go to Disney for the weekend (which is also our 15th wedding anniversary) for a "Rock Weekend" with the National Cancer Society. Friday will be meeting other kids and their parents and Saturday will mainly be classes and gatherings, then Sunday we will go to the park! That will be Katia's first trip. She is so excited. Sharayah and Tatiana have definitely helped in getting her ready to see Micky and friends! I will try to update this page twice a week and add new pictures once a week. We hope each of you are getting ready for the holidays and will be able to get together with your friends and family. We are so excited for so many reasons! We feel very blessed!

Saturday, December 07, 2002 at 11:02 AM (CST)
KATIA'S SPINAL FLUID IS ALL CLEAR!!! WE ARE SO HAPPY AND SO EXCITED NOW GOING INTO THE HOLIDAYS WITH SUCH GREAT NEWS. SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PRAYING FOR KATIA AND SHE HAS GOTTEN GIFTS AND CARDS IN THE MAIL :0). I AM VERY THANKFUL THAT KATIA IS SO YOUNG AND HOPEFULLY SHE WILL NOT REMEMBER ALL THE BAD THINGS SHE HAS BEEN THROUGH BUT WILL ONLY REMEMBER ALL THE LOVE SHOWN TO HER. THAT IS WHY WE SAVE ALL THE CARDS, I PRINT THIS GUESTBOOK, AND WE KEEP A SEMI-DAILY JOURNAL FOR HER. I JUST WANT HER TO KNOW ABOUT ALL THE LOVE SHOWN TOWARDS HER AND OUR WHOLE FAMILY! GOD HAS BLESSED US BEYOND MONEY. HE HAS GIVEN US FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT ARE SO OPENLY CONCERNED AND LOVING! WE APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU AND WILL MAKE SURE KATIA KNOWS ALL ABOUT EACH OF YOU AS SHE GETS OLDER! I AM GOING TO ADD A PRETTY LITTLE PIECE OF ARTWORK KATIA DREW THIS MORNING ON THE PHOTO PAGE SO CHECK IN. LOVE, TRACY

Thursday, December 05, 2002 at 04:01 AM (CST)
Well today is the day! I am so nervous right now and Katia is laying here sleeping and snoring! I have picked up around the house and just tried to organize my thoughts but I always end up here (online communicating with my friends and family). You are so dear to us and you keep me sane by dealing with my updates and pictures and my new little guestbook. Katia has a similar book which goes to the hospital with us and the nurses, other patients and visitors sign it each time they come. It will give us something to hold on to so she can read through it later in life. I like keeping hold of things. I just wanted to thank each of you that stopped by here and read this little message. This simple thing really does make me feel better and when I feel better, the WHOLE family feels better. Our saying is "when mommy is happy, we all are happy!" I love you guys! Love, Tracy
PS
Since we aren't at the hospital so much, if you wish to send a card, our address is:

Katia Solomon
10802 W. Hillsborough Ave.
Tampa, FL 33615

The hospital still forwards mail though!

Friday, November 29, 2002 at 08:33 PM (CST)
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! A little late but we hope everyone had a happy day. We had a good time. We were just so happy to be together and out of the hospital. We didn't expect that but it was great! Through all of this past year we have learn to be thankful for everyday but Thanksgiving is a time to really make sure everyone knows how thankful you are to have them in your life. We are so thankful for all of you that have helped us through this by cards, phone calls, prayers, presents for Katia and just putting up with me (Tracy) when I need to run my mouth! I know that is a big thing. Katia had a fun day with her cousins and sisters. They played out on the back porch at my sisters (it was kinda cold) and played in the room and around the house. They made quite a mess but they had fun. She ate good and had a good attitude. Her morning started off very bad trying to poopie but once that was out of the way the day got better. I really thought we would have to take her in because of all the pain in the morning but once she was done, she just was so happy! That is what amazes me! She gets over things so quickly. I am thankful that God keeps her comfortable as much as he does. I am thankful she has such a strong personality and determination and I am most thankful my family! Myron and the kids keep me strong. Also the rest of my family from Myron's parents and my sister and my brothers and sisters-in-law! I have an amazing support group. If that wasn't enough, I have the world's greatest friends! I love all of you. Thank you for being you!

Sunday, November 24, 2002 at 07:56 PM (CST)
Well, hello again. We are a little concerned about Katia. She is acting okay but has quite a bit of bruising and a rash coming up on her arm. She seems to wear down quicker than she was the last few days. Her next appointment is December 5th (if I need to go earlier I will) so I want to make sure they check her spinal fluid and bone marrow for leukemia cells. I just want to be sure she is okay. We are going to lay low for thanksgiving (we are going to my sister's house) but we have a lot to be thankful so we will try to have the best time possible. It seems very hard to get into the Christmas spirit this year. Things are tight but at the same time it seems Christmas has gone away from its true meaning in most peoples' eyes. I want the kids to have a good Christmas but at the same time I want this to be a special Christmas in their hearts. I would like to hear your thoughts on this, too. We have grown to treasure each day with Katia, each look she gives, new sentence she forms, new little moves she does. I just feel like I am always capturing pictures in my memory. It tears me up to think about it. She is such a special little baby and I hope she can feel that about herself. God sent me a little angel 2 1/2 years ago and I am so thankful for her. She is a bright star in our family. The kids adore her and want the best for her. There is no jealousy with the attention she gets. They want more for her. I just wanted to share that with each of you. Spend time with your families during the holidays. Don't stress over things that will pass. Make memories, take pictures, play games and just have fun. I know we will be making this a very special holiday season in our house. Love, Tracy and the whole Solomon family!

Friday, November 22, 2002 at 04:00 PM (CST)
Katia is home and running around! It is so nice to hear her screaming (for the most part) with joy. She is using the bathroom right now without crying (she is on quite a bit of laxative) but I just am glad to see her playing with her sisters and acting like her old self. I am going to start using this webpage more for updates because I like the idea of others being able to read eachothers messages. You can still email me at TMSOL87@AOL.COM but I like using this page. I will still use the same method of emailing photos as I always have. I haven't taken too many photos recently because I have been so busy (no excuse!) but I will pick back up. My dad is coming in on Monday so that will be a big photo opportunity! :)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this webpage. I will try to change it around to make it fun to visit. Everyone take care of yourselves and know how important you are to us! Love, Tracy

Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 03:13 PM (CST)
Well we went to the clinic today and all went well. I AM SO HAPPY. It looks like we will be home for Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for!!!! NOW I am looking forward to the holidays! Please pray for Katia's little friend Christina. She is in ICU right now. Her blood pressure dropped and she has an infection from what I understand. She is such a sweet little girl with a very kind family.
KATIA SENDS A BIG HUG AND KISS TO EVERYBODY AS A BIG THANKYOU FOR THE PRAYERS, CARDS, AND WELL WISHES!

WE LOVE EACH OF YOU!

Wednesday, November 20, 2002 at 04:38 PM (CST)
I am so happy that so many people have read this page. I am thankful for my friends and family. I really love you. Katia is home and doing well. Tomorrow she will have a clinic visit and we always pray that all goes well. She is beginning to have a lot more pain than usual when she has a "poopy" diaper so I hope that old bacteria "CDIF" isn't coming back. Twice she has been hospitalized close to three weeks for this and we don't want that. Her Grandpa (my dad) is coming in this coming Monday so we are looking forward to that. He always reads to the kids and sings all his patriotic songs to them. They love that (well at least when they are little). Well, keep checking back here. Love, Tracy

Monday, November 18, 2002 at 02:53 PM (CST)
This last visit to the hospital was horrible. Not the visit but the part that took us back to the hospital. Katia had been doing good for almost a month. She was eating good, sleeping good and her blood counts were coming up on their own. On the night of November 3rd she started running a "slight" fever of 100 degrees. Within one hour we were rushing her to her hospital (about 45 minutes away from our house) with a fever of 104 degrees. In the car, Katia stopped breathing for about 2 minutes. We headed for the nearest Emergency Room. On our way there, she started breathing again but not very well. By the time we reached the ER which was only a few minutes away, her temperature had raised to 107.8 degrees! She looked horrible and was delerious. We were so scared. They called an ambulance and rushed her to All Children's Hospital where she receives her treatments. It ended up she had 3 very bad bacterias which were cleared up over 14 days of antibiotics in the hospital. We are back home now and she is doing good. She still has daily problems with her bowel movements but we are greatful to have brought her home. We were scared we wouldn't be able to bring her home again. If you have the time and would like to bring a HUGE smile to Katia's face, send her a greeting card. She loves mail!! We love to see her get mail!

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