Update on Beth

Today we traveled back to the hospital to meet with the hematologist. We had a great afternoon, with lots of questions answered. There are still many questions that are not able to be answered at this time, requiring patience from all of us over the next few weeks and months. Since patience is not exactly one of my strong suits, this will be quite a challenge for me, but I'm learning to just take this one day at a time.

The staff at this hospital is just incredible. Everyone that we have come in contact with has been so kind and helpful. There are volunteers everywhere, and some are simply there to play with kids in the waiting rooms while they pass the time! Since we spent over 3 hours there today, it really was so great to have an artist volunteering in the hematology waiting room, helping Beth to paint some watercolor pictures. Not your typical wait-room experience! Last week in the ER, Beth turned to us (AFTER having had an IV inserted!) and said "Boy, I'm having so much fun here!" (She changed that tune after they injected the plasma into her...she got quite ill from that medication).

Her lab draw today showed that the medication worked very well, and her platelets are now back into the normal range. We were all thrilled to hear that. The medication will wear off within the next few days, though, and nobody can predict what will happen then. It's possible that her body may have begun healing itself, and her levels will remain normal. It's also likely, however, that she will drop once again, but hopefully not quite as low. Without a crystal ball, we can do nothing but wait and watch for the bruising and bleeding to return. We'll go back for more blood draws in two weeks. Until then, she can go to school (with some limitations, like no recess), and she can even go back to Irish Step dance classes. Unfortunately she can't do gymnastics for a while. Until they are certain that the levels are stable, she can't do anything that could cause bleeding or head trauma.

And so, we wait. One person described this as the ITP roller coaster. It's a roller coaster that we never wanted to climb aboard, and we certainly never purchased tickets for this ride. But nevertheless, we find ourselves dealing with these highs and lows, and hoping that the ride ends soon, with a healthy little girl climbing off.

Tonight, after her warm bath, Beth got into her cozy, fuzzy pajamas. She curled up next to me and said, "I'm so glad my platelets are normal right now. That means I can jump and spin...for today, anyway".

A five-year-old girl should not have to be worrying about her platelet counts. Jumping and spinning and playing shouldn't have to depend upon the numbers that we receive from the laboratory. But for now, we are just so grateful that she does not have something more serious. We think about the children and parents that have to worry about so much more than platelets. We thank God for all the professionals at the hospital, that are helping us to understand and to deal with all that has happened over the past week. And we pray that Beth will be one of those children that heal quickly, so that this roller coaster ride can soon be finished.

Thanks to all of you for your support and prayers over the past week. We are all feeling so much better after our visit today. We're looking forward to getting things back to "normal" around here!