Angel Kisses

Shelley, my beautiful, free-spirited, oldest daughter was diagnosed with chronic leukemia (cml) on October 08, 2008. I can't even begin to describe all the different emotions I feel right now. But the strongest one is that I wish I could make it all better for her. I would gladly trade places with her and take this on in her place. Shelley has always been the child that I didn't have to worry about. She's always been very independent, but scared of everything. She's the only person I know who's afraid of butterflies and moths!! I am so very worried about her right now. Her doctors are confused as to why she is in the early stage of this disease, yet they are having a hard time getting her white blood cell count to come down. The day she was admitted into the hospital, her white cell count was 340,000. The normal count should be 12,000. During the 12 days she was in the hospital, her count went up as high as 410,000. She is currently taking two different kinds of chemo pills-a total of 10 pills a day-just chemo. She also has to take iron and potassium pills, along with baby aspirin and some others that escape me at the moment. Normally 22-24 pills a day. The only reason she was even diagnosed right now is because her spleen was enlarged twenty times the normal size it should have been. She was loosing weight, but her stomach was getting larger-the result of the enlarged spleen. Some days just the smell of food made her sick, and she couldn't even finish a whole sandwich. She had been feeling like this for about a month, and the Wednesday she was admitted, she went to the doctor and they sent her straight to the hospital for a CT scan. No immediate member of my family has ever had cancer, and I just feel at a loss right now, not knowing why her body did this. All I can do is make sure she gets the best care possible and help keep her spirits up. I know she WILL beat this. All of her aunts, uncles, cousins, and some of her friends have already volunteered to get tested to see if they are a bone marrow match for her, since that is actually the only cure for it. The chemo pills are only to get it into remission. But from all the research we have done on the internet, the closest match she should have is her sister, Danielle, who gladly volunteered her's, too. She is very much loved, and I don't think she really realized how much until this happened to her. Here are some photos of her during her hospital stay. She had some pretty awesome doctors and nurses.

Sweet Shelley, the day before her doctors let her come home with the stipulation that she has to go back to the oncology clinic every day to have her blood drawn and monitored.

Dr. Vickie Morgan, one of Shelley's favorite doctors.

Shelley with Charlie, one of her two favorite nurses. Her other favorite nurse went on vacation to Jamaica, so we didn't get her photo yet.

Shelley with her Papaw Frank, my daddy.