TODAY: Lydia's Blood & Bone Marrow Replenishment Drive

Hello Folks:  Just a reminder that the Blood and Bone Marrow Replenishment Drive will be held today from 1:00 - 7:00 pm at the South Hills Bible Chapel in McMurray, PA.  They are encouraging participants to schedule appointments on line: www.centralbloodbank.org and using sponsor code ZRTN0930.  However, walk-ins will also be accepted. 

Please see previous blog entry for the flyer containing additional details. Thanks in advance for supporting and greatly assisting the cancer patients in our community. 

Lydia's Home - Second Round Complete!

Lydia was released from the hospital at 3:00 pm Sunday.  Since the initial diagnosis and hospital admission on March 30, Lydia has spent a total of 52 days in the hospital and only six days at home. She has successfully completed 18 days of chemo over the course of two months. Angela has been by her side the entire time.

The separation of our family has not always been easy.  There have been many athletic games where our children have played without the cheering support of a parent.  There has been challenges managing schedules and getting to the hospital for visits.  There has been loneliness, arguments, and frustrations.  But through it all we have been blessed with a calming assurance that God will protect and guide us through this challenging time.

We are especially thankful that Lydia is doing so well!  By just glancing at her, you would never know she is a cancer patient.  Lydia has not lost her hair (she didn't have much to begin with), she has increased her weight, and is just as happy and alert as ever.  The hard part begins next month after Lydia's current home stay which will last approximately 2-3 weeks.

Sometime in June, Lydia will be readmitted into Children's Hospital for the bone marrow transplant.  All tests have come back with positive results and the process is a go.  The transplant will begin with a very intense course of chemotherapy that will last approximately one week and wipe out her entire bone marrow system.  Lydia will be in a very dangerous spot during this time and will need to be surrounded by prayer for God's protection.  Once her system is cleared, the sibling bone marrow will be inserted through an IV tube into Lydia - the process only takes a short time.  We then wait and pray that the new bone marrow begins to "graft" and produce healthy cells for Lydia.  During this bone marrow transplant phase, Lydia and Angela will be in the hospital anywhere from 5-8 weeks.  After successful completion of this period, our prayer is that Lydia will return home healthy and with the blessing of a normal childhood with only periodic oncology check-ups.

REMINDER:  LYDIA'S BLOOD AND BONE MARROW DRIVE IS THIS COMING WEDNESDAY - SEE PRIOR BLOG ENTRY FOR DETAILS.

Peek-A-Boo

Lydia is enjoying her favorite new game of peek-a-boo that is played frequently with doctors, nurses, and other visitors.  Our little girl continues to bless us with her playful spirit and warm smile.  We are so thankful to have you Lydia - you are loved very much!

We are playing a waiting game this week as Lydia's blood counts are slowly rising to a level appropriate for discharge.  The doctors have hinted that she may be discharged by this weekend.  It would certainly be a blessing to be all together for the long weekend.  Lydia continues to do well - she is even sleeping longer in the hospital which certainly makes things easier for Angela.  The bone marrow transplant is still being anticipated as the next major step in Lydia's treatment which should occur sometime next month.  Please continue to "Pray for Lydia!"

Bus Stop Lady

Paul tells the story of a lady he used to meet at the bus stop each morning during his morning commute from the Kovac house in Bethesda, Maryland to downtown Washington, D.C. She was an older lady who showed up religiously for the 7:00 a.m. bus.  After waiting with this lady for several mornings, Paul initiated a conversation and asked where she was going. The lady responded that she was going to church, as she had been doing each morning for the last 30 years. The lady further explained that many years ago she made a deal with God - if you bring my son back from Vietnam, I will go to church every morning. Well, the son safely returned from the war and she kept her end of the "bargain" by going to church every morning.

Many people in crisis situations have found themselves bargaining or deal-making with God. Perhaps some of you have even considered praying to God and attempting to strike a deal: "God if you bless me this way, then I will do this." It is our imperfect human inclination that tempts us to manipulate God in this manner and seek his blessings by doing good.

How easy would it be for us to bargain with God in Lydia's situation.  "God if you would just completely cure this beautiful child and return our lives to normal, we will serve more faithfully in your church," seems like a very reasonable deal to me. However, this would be a mistake because our standing before God is not based upon our performance.  Instead, God has called us away from deal-making by his grace.  "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast."  Ephesians 2:8,9.  Therefore, in times of crisis we turn not to deal-making but to a more fervent trust in God and His plan for our lives.  We are told to "[t]rust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."  Proverbs 3:5.  Total trust and relinquishment of control is certainly difficult, especially in crisis situations, but our prayers will be for strength in this area as we continue to deal with the challenges surrounding Lydia's leukemia.

Lydia's Blood and Bone Marrow Drive

Wednesday, May 30, 2012
1:00 pm to 7:00 pm

The Bible Chapel
300 Gallery Drive
McMurray, PA 15317

Please schedule an appointment to donate blood at this drive by logging
on to www.centralbloodbank.org using sponsor code ZRTN0930 or
by contacting Marsha Molinero at 412-725-8100
(Appointments are Strongly Encouraged)

Playtime

Good morning everyone!

Lydia is now one week past her chemo treatment and continues to do very well; she especially enjoys her morning playtime on the floor.  Many have asked if Lydia is developing normally - by the Grace of God she is.  In the last two weeks, Lydia began clapping, pulling herself up, and exploding in laughter when tickled.  As you can see from the photo, the doctors have taken Lydia off IV fluids because she does so well nursing and eating favorite meals such as:  grilled cheese, chicken noodle soup, and mac n cheese.  We are truly amazed by this little girl who, while fighting cancer, still seems to enjoy life. 

Lydia's white cell counts have been slowly rising over the last couple of days which means her system is recovering from the chemotherapy.  If this continues, the doctors could release her to go home as early as next week.  The bone marrow transplant is still contemplated as the next step in Lydia's treatment.  The transplant will begin sometime early next month and will require hospitalization anywhere from 4-8 weeks.  Still outstanding are certain blood tests from the donor to ensure that everything with the transplant is a go.  The doctors do not anticipate any problems with this standard blood testing, but please continue to pray specifically that our transplant with the sibling will be successful.

We have been blessed with so much goodness and very little set back in Lydia's treatment.  Of course,
we believe God is answering the many prayers from you.  Please continue to pray for this favorable course and strength should the road become bumpy.

Happy Mother's Day

This year Mother's Day carries extra significance because we recognize the tremendous impact that mothers are having in the life of the Kovac family.  Lydia, of course, is benefiting from the around-the-clock attention and love of her mother.  We believe this connection is having a critical impact on Lydia's favorable progress.  The Kovacs have also relied heavily upon Grandma Kovac and Grandma Luecke both of whom have spent significant time in Pittsburgh helping the Kovac children and supporting Angela during the many hours at the hospital.  Finally, we acknowledge the many mothers of our community who have taken time away from their own families to take care of our family.  Thank you all - we love you very much!

Once again, the Lord has blessed us with a very good week.  Lydia finished chemo treatment on Wednesday and she has yet to suffer from the frequent vomiting or other serious side effects that were common during the first round of chemo.  Today, Lydia's white cell count is at zero and will stay there for the next several days.  This is normal as the chemo is designed to wipe out both cancer cells and those that fight disease.  During this critical time, she is very susceptible to infection - please pray that harmful germs stay away until her counts are elevated later this week. 

Lydia's cancer count is also at zero and so the doctors have considered her technically in remission!  Due to this great news and other positive factors, the decision was made to go directly to a bone marrow transplant next month, after only two rounds of chemo!  This is a wonderful blessing and saves Lydia from the potential dangers of another chemo round.  There is a hitch, however, for which we need prayer.  Our sibling donor provided 10 vials of blood for genetic testing this past week which is standard procedure.  The doctors want to ensure that there are no harmful cells or conditions passed onto Lydia through the bone marrow transplant that could potentially effect her immune system.  Please pray that we pass this "last test" and that our sibling donor's marrow is fine and can be used without any problem.

Decision Point

Lydia is doing very well - so well that the oncology and bone marrow teams are considering a bone marrow transplant after this current second round of chemotherapy treatment.  The typical course is to perform three rounds of chemo and then transplant. However, there are studies that show success with bone marrow transplants after only two rounds of chemo if the patient is doing particularly well.  Of course it is a very good thing if you can avoid a round of chemo and the strain it places on the body, especially the body of a little baby who is still developing.  The doctors will be meeting this week to consider the options in light of Lydia's positive condition and the current research available.  This is a critical decision point that requires prayer.  Please pray for wisdom in the minds of Dr. Richie, Dr. Randi, and Dr. Malleck, and that proper decision making is followed with our precious Lydia. 

We all know that God can answer the prayers of the righteous.  Many of you have prayed without ceasing and God has responded.  We are particularly grateful for the following: 

• (1) Lydia has only one more day and then she has completed the second round of chemotherapy.  As you can see from the photos, Lydia continues to eat well.  Being a Pittsburgh girl, she enjoyed pierogies last night (did you know - Pittsburgh consumes 11 times more pierogies than any other town in America); 

• (2) Lydia has once again reacted favorably to the chemo treatment, she has thus far avoided mouth sores, extreme vomiting, and infection; 

• (3) Angela has remained a rock of stability and a fountain of loving attention for all our children; and 

• (4) Lydia awoke happy this morning consumed by the peace and joy that only God can provide.- Praise the Lord!  

 

Zero Blast Count

Lydia has a "zero blast count" meaning that she has no cancer cells in her blood and bone marrow. We are extremely thankful for this news and praise God that he is definitely hearing and answering everyone's prayers for Lydia. Prayer really is both "powerful and effective."

This bone marrow test was the first real indication that chemotherapy is working. It is the first positive sign that Lydia is on road to remission and that she is responding well. We are interpreting this with thankfulness and guarded optimism. Although Lydia still has a long road, we forge ahead with the strength behind this encouraging message. We hope this places a smile on your face as it does our's - have a wonderful weekend!

Driving Ahead

Lydia is well into her second day of chemotherapy.  She apparently has found some exciting coping mechanisms - like driving her car with the chemo drip running.  Our precious daughter has a great deal of energy today and is very cheerful.  Lydia may slow down a little bit later in the week as the side effects usually start a few days after chemo initiation and then the week immediately thereafter.  For the time being, she is driving forward in good spirits!

Back to the Hospital

Lydia seems to be handling the news of her readmission quite nicely.  Angela and Lydia were readmitted into the hospital this afternoon for round two of the chemotherapy treatment.  We had a good discussion with the oncology physician this afternoon.  The oncology team will actually begin chemo tomorrow, not this evening as indicated in the previous blog post.  Tomorrow is a milestone day for another reason - Lydia will have a bone marrow draw.  The sample obtained will indicate the level of cancer cells that have remained in her bone marrow now that the first chemo round is complete.  We are specifically praying for a safe procedure and a low "blast" count. 

Family Time

Kovacs at the park. April 2012

Things almost seemed like normal for the Kovacs this past weekend.   Angela and Lydia were home from the hospital and the family got some quality time at the park.  Lydia was wonderful.  She slept through the night, enjoyed time outside in the stroller, and ate really well.  Angela too was able to get some sleep and, most importantly, spend quality time with the other four children.  We are thankful for this wonderful blessing of family togetherness.

These moments have now passed and our reality has once again entered the picture.  The phone rang from the hospital this morning.  The nurse indicated that Lydia's blood counts are favorable so chemotherapy can begin later today.  This means another month stay in the hospital for Lydia and Angela.  Specifically, she will receive eight days of chemotherapy treatment beginning this evening.  After the eight days are complete, Lydia and Angela must stay in the hospital for another three weeks until the blood counts have reached appropriate levels and then they may come home again for a short stay depending upon Lydia's condition.

This is rough and emotionally difficult.  We have asked a great deal from everyone, and people have been so willing and gracious to deliver.  We continue to need your constant prayer for strength and healing.  Please don't forget us in your prayer lives as the weeks have now turned into months.

Once again, we fall back on our only assurance and source of strength - our faith in Jesus Christ.  Over the weekend, Pastor Mike preached a sermon partially based upon the Kovac story and Ecclesiastes 4:12 ("A cord of three strands is not easily broken.")(the sermon will soon be available at www.biblechapel.org).  The three strands of our rope represent the Kovac family, our helpful and committed community, and of course Jesus Christ.  Wound together this rope is strong and continues to provide a reassuring sense of unity as we continue with our leukemia battle.

Specific prayer requests as Lydia and Angela once again enter the confines of the hospital later this afternoon:  (1) peace for Angela - this too will pass; (2) calmness for Lydia - her anxiety, chemo side effects, and sleepless nights will once again begin; (3) cancer go away - God can perform miracles and healing; and (4) stability for Paul and the Kovac children.  Peace be with each of you