Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Today marks 3 years since diagnosis

It was 3 years ago today that we were told that Briley has leukemia.  I'll be perfectly honest with you, it seems much longer than that.  So much has taken place over those three years.  Both good & bad.  We will always be reminded by the scars on her body and by the lasting effects of the chemo itself.  However, we will continue to rejoice that she is here with us!  She is back to being a kid!  She has not been sick this year!  Appointment days have been the only school days that she has missed this year and we are extremely grateful for that.
So many other great things happened in 2013.  Foremost, she took her last dose of chemo on March 30th.  Then, we were blessed by Make-A-Wish and spent a week in Orlando, Fl at Give Kids the World, Disney World, and Universal Studios.  And in August, Briley had her port removed!
These past 3 years have been a testimony to God's healing.  There's no doubt in my mind that He helped her get through the fight for her life.  
In the same breath, we have known and seen so many other kids that have fought the battle until the very end and earn their angel wings.  So many other kids have serious side-effects from chemo and radiation that they are left with severe disabilities.  We will never understand the reasoning for all of this but we will continue to spread awareness and give the kids a voice.
We have also been blessed by a community and many others that came together for her.  There's no way we could have done it without the support.  To date, this blog has been viewed over 109,000 times!  We appreciate everyone that takes the time to get on here and read my terrible writing!  
Currently, Briley is doing very well.  She started physical therapy this month to strengthen her legs and has been doing well with it.  She still has monthly Cook appointments and will eventually have appointments every other month after March.  There is not much to else to report and that it a good thing!
There is a CureSearch walk in Fort Worth in April.  We plan to have Team Briley there this year and I will post more details as they become available.  
Once again, thank you for everything you have done for us these past 3 years!