Early Christmas Blessings

Well, this trip to Dr Shelton was a happy one. The tumors in Ricki's left ear have not grown and her hearing remains good! It has been so humbling to hear of the multitudes of loving and kind prayers that have been  said in her behalf ...and they have been mercifully answered. What a sweet blessing and miracle that her hearing has remained the same for a year! It has brought peace knowing that is one hurdle we will not have to deal with anytime soon. Ricki has had much to deal with since she was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis type 2.  She still suffers from pain, headaches and nausea on an almost daily basis -and that is enough for now.  It suprised me after her Dr.  appointment she seemed down and when I asked what was wrong she started to cry. She was really hoping to find the cause of all her pain and there would be something they could do to fix it.  My heart aches for the lessons of endurance she is having to learn at such a young age. It has been inspiring to me how she works through the reality of how things are for her.  She began looking to her future this weekend and has been trying to understand her talents and begin to make the most with what she has. I am so proud of the young women she is becoming. 

Blessed with peace

I found myself on edge and very nervous the beginning of this week. When trying to determine the cause I realized I was feeling anxious about Ricki's hearing test Friday... Have her tumors grown? Are they causing hearing loss? Could they be the cause of her pain? My worries were making me sick. However, as I let go and turned it over to Heavenly Father and trusted in his plan for Ricki I have been blessed with a sweet peace and assurance that whatever obstacle may be placed in her way Heaven will be there to bless her . Well..I am still a little nervous for tomorrow but excited to spend the  day in Salt Lake together. I am so proud of the grace Ricki has. She amazes me! 

Welcomed Relief

Ricki has had some welcome relief. She has had 4 good days in a row. Good days mean she is able to function even with her headaches.  She has had to take some migraine medicine the last two days but it is keeping her gong. She was so excited yesterday because she was able to participate in her dance class parent show and cha cha competition.  She was amazing!  No one would know that she had missed almost all of her dance instruction last month.  She was in seventh heaven when she made it to the top 4 in the cha cha! I am so inspired by her inner strength and determination! So proud of her.

Young Women in Excellence

It has been a good day for Ricki! She made it to school and even had the stamina to attend an activity for the young women at church.  The evening was to celebrate the goals and talents the young women have been working on this past year. Ricki has been working on the young women's value of knowledge .  This is what she presented.."Over the past year it has been really hard for me to obtain knowledge.  At times my education seems hopeless but lately I've been spending time learning to play the piano.  It has helped me relax when I've been stressed and I've been getting better with my schoolwork. So I just want to say that even when things seem hopeless, know it can get better and God loves you!" 

Another day of headaches

Ricki woke up to another headache. This morning she also had another goose egg on her forhead. She has had several over the past weeks just pop up for no reason but they haven't hurt. Today it was painful. Since she had such a good day yesterday I tried to push her to get to church to see if she could pull out of it but I only made it worse.... It is so hard to know what to do for her. This week has been tough emotionally as well for Ricki.  She is tired of being sick and missing out on normal teenage stuff.  I was watching a video a family put together about their experience with their son that has Neurofibromatosis type 2. They were asked if they could pick one word to describe Neurofibromatosis what would it be? The mom said "unpredictable" and their son said "miserable". I would have to agree with them both.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Holding our breathe

What a relief today has been. It feels as if we have our Ricki back!  There have been no tears and she has been laughing, smiling,singing and in such good spirits all day. It is the first day in over a month she has had this much energy and actually wanted to go out and do something. It was a beautiful autumn day and we thoroughly enjoyed getting out and soaking up the sun. It has reminded me of the importance of cherishing each day and all the simple and sweet experiences that we have with each other on a daily basis. We will hold our breath in hopes that whatever was causing her so much pain this past month has passed and that she can continue to enjoy this beautiful autumn we are having.

Wishing I could make it better

I was so excited today because Ricki had made it through a full day of school. We know it is not an easy thing for her and are so proud of her determination to keep going.  After school before I even made it out of the car she was at the front door waiting. We got in the house and discussed her day. It had not been an easy day for several reasons..she still was not feeling well, her head had been hurting  all day, and her new medicine is really affecting her memory making her classes very stressful. She just wanted a hug. She looks into my eyes with her sad and longing eyes that say "please make it better" ....and my heart feels like it is going to break because there seems to be nothing I can do but give her another hug and hold her tight. She fell asleep early this evening and we are hoping a good nights rest will hopefully  "make it a little better"