A Motto For Us All . . .

When Robert was in the hospital the very first time we all got yellow LiveStrong bracelets. While the LiveStrong slogan is to some extent for all cancer patients, the Ashworths soon discovered that almost every kind of cancer has its own slogan. Of course that corresponds with its own bracelet, color, etc. The color for Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) is orange. **However there wasn't a specific slogan for it. So Ashley and Robert chose one on their own, and Linda Ashworth special ordered orange bracelets with their slogan . . .

Miracles Happen Everyday.

I have thought about this slogan many times in regards to Robert and Ashley. Some miracles are the small and simple things like not having any pain one day, or wanting to eat three square meals in a day (and enjoying them). Other times the miracles are bigger, like the fact that Robert was walking, talking and functioning when he entered the hospital the first time. His blood was so thick because of his extremely high counts of white blood cells that once they got all of his blood work back, they couldn't believe that Robert hadn't had a heart attack, let alone that he had walked into the hospital on his own. Robert was even joking with Dr. Schofield, a family friend who works at St. Rose, when he first arrived. The leukemia in Robert's bone marrow had been creating leukemic white blood cells. They are basically useless white blood cells that just take up space. His body kept making more and more of them because he needed white blood cells, but the good kind! By the time he got to the hospital that Friday night his heart was basically pumping sludge through his body. They did a process called leukophoresis, which pulled Robert's blood out of his body, spun out the bad white blood cells, and put it back in his body. They ended up with two liters of bad white blood cells within 24 hours. (That's a soda pop bottle, folks! Crazy!) He lived through it! That was a miracle! There have been so many miracles over the past 16 months--big and small. It is so true; miracles happen everyday!

I've also thought about my life. There is nothing like having a family member fighting cancer to open my eyes to the miracles that happen in my own life everyday! Sometimes they are big things like avoiding a car accident, or having a child fall and not have more than a scratch. More often they are the small, simple things. The tender mercies that occur each day that let us know that God, or our Heavenly Father as I like to call him, knows each of us. He knows who we are, what is going on in our lives, what we are facing and what we need. It is then that we receive those miracles and we realize that truly "In the Strength of the Lord I Can Do All Things." Even fighting cancer for the second time! Heavenly Father knows and loves Robert, He knows and loves me and He knows and loves you!

We just got word that we will be receiving a plaque to auction at our next online auction that reads: Miracles Happen Everyday! So visit this auction, bid often and high, and be sure to check out the next one too!

*Robert is feeling good today. He tires easily and rests often. He enjoyed pancakes and french bread pizza--courtesy of his sidekick, Ashpants! He is eating more and his appetite is slowly improving. He had a good day at home!

**Sometimes when I write posts I make things up without realizing it! :) When Ashley reads the posts she calls and corrects me. She filled me on the true origins of the slogan. I really love that this is Ashley and Robert's slogan or motto. It is so fitting of them and who they are! I think AML should adopt it!