Day +171.....So Thankful for our Dylan

Hello Everyone!! Sorry that I have not updated in a while.....but as I always say....no news is GREAT news! Things have been abnormally normal around here....sounds kind of strange....but we are pretty much starting from scratch of what normal should be. It's nice. It's a great thing not being in the hospital. It's a great being in our home. Sleeping in the same house all together. Cleaning. Grocery Shopping. Laundry. Normal....I LOVE IT!!

But as we are back to normal, many of our friends in the BMT world are not. As you all know, we have made a lot of friends along our journey, and some of them are having happy endings, some have had bad, and some....are still struggling to make it. I would love for you guys all to pray for Bekah....she is 5. She has a different diagnosis than Dylan, but underwent a BMT about a month after Dylan. She and her family have had a tough weekend to say the least. There were many times where she could have lost her life this weekend, but God has really protected her. She is now on life support in the PICU, and is fighting for her life. I have gotten to know her mom, Sharla, pretty well, and she is an AMAZING warrior for her daughter. PLEASE pray for this family. They are frightened by what COULD happen, but also have FAITH in the Lord and believe that He can bring Bekah to full recovery. Please pray along with us for this sweet girl. Here is her caringbridge site if you would like to follow along with us:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/prayersforbekah

Thank you in advance for your prayers!!

Ok, so it's kind of hard to transition out of that, but I am going to try. I was texting back and forth with Bekah's mom this weekend, and while they are going through this devastatingly emotional time, she asked about D, and how he was doing. She is always so excited to see him doing so well, even when her world is falling apart. That is just the kind of person she is.....amazing!

Soooooooo.......Mr. Dylan is doing better than I could have ever hoped. He is perfect. And I know that every parent thinks that their kids are amazing.....but seriously, I don't know if my heart can take any more love for this child. Every morning, (as long as it is after 6am), I get soooooo excited to walk in his room to see that huge smile of his. I usually stand by the door for a minute or two and just watch him. Then, the second I say "Dylan", he starts bouncing around and looking every which way to find me........melts my heart every time!! God is so good. I am reminded of the miracle that God has given us every time I look at him. You guys must think I am crazy, and that I must cry all the time....and I DO....not ashamed of it. It's all still a little hard to believe sometimes. When I look back at the horrible pictures of that day, it brings back that sinking feeling in my gut....and in a way, I don't ever want that feeling to go away. I do not want to go back to the person that I used to be. I don't want to take life for granted. Take my loved ones for granted. Dylan is my reminder, and always will be. I do believe that God sometimes gives us trials in our lives to test our faith, and to show us that we are nothing without Him. He needed to break down Erik and I to show us what life was really about. We are thankful for this trial. And even as I type this, I am fearful to say that knowing that I still have no control of the future....but I can, with confidence, say that I know that I can get through anything with Christ by my side.

THE PLAN: The next step going forward is to take out his line and do another bone marrow biopsy. These procedures are scheduled for March 11th and 12th. My mom (THANKS MOM!)is going to join us for the trek down to Tucson and we will stay 2 nights. On Thursday morning, they will do a bone marrow biopsy to double/triple/quadruple check that there are NO signs of the Leukemia cells coming back. Although the doctors believe that there will be NO cancer, they just want to make sure before taking out the line. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray with us, that there are no signs, whatsoever, of any bad cells, and that the biopsy shows perfectly healthy, grafted cells. As long as all goes well on Thursday, and it will :) , Dylan will be put under anesthesia once again (and hopefully the last time), and they will go in and remove his last broviac line...........I cannot even begin to express my excitement for this!! It makes me giddy!! No longer will I have that reminder of the cancer that once permeated his poor little body.....one less thing to worry about!! YAY!! YAY! YAY!! Did I say YAY?! As with any procedures or any time he is put under anesthesia, complications can and do sometimes arise. Please pray that there are NO complications, and that everything goes as smoothly as possible. Please also pray that Dylan does not have any side effects from the anesthesia....he has been put under so many times, I have lost count. That is so sad. It makes my heart heavy. He is not usually a happy camper once he wakes up, and that is to be expected, but please pray that he does not throw up and that he can recover quickly from the procedures. After all is said and done, we should be down to one.....yes, one, visit a MONTH!! WOW!! I have been waiting for this day for a long time! I CANNOT WAIT!!! :)

Thank you to all of you who have continued to walk with us on this journey that we call our life.......your faithfulness, your support, and your prayers have been such an encouragement to us!! You are amazing!! We went to an awards ceremony last week for the "Light the Night" walk that we attended back in November. Our group, Dylan's Dream Team, won the "Most Feet" award! We had 137 walkers!! WOW!! Thank you to all of you who were able to come and support us that night!! I cannot wait until next year when Dylan will be walking with us!! Won't that be amazing? Mark your calendars for November 6th....we are hoping to have as many friends and family join us as possible to support this great cause! (SIDE NOTE: The pic of D with the Diamondbacks Mascot Baxter was from the awards ceremony, and although most kids would cry when they saw Baxter, Dylan was completely opposite! He was loving the huge furry creature and was caressing his face! It was hilarious!! Enjoy the pics!! )

Running the Race that God has set before us,

The Praskins