Prayers Please!

Howdy all of our dear readers! I have been meaning to share this story with you all for a while. We all know the power that prayer has, I especially know. Right now is a time that we need many prayers for dear friends of ours. I have known Kevin McDonald since I was in high school. He was on the board for Medina Children's Home while I lived there. I would see Kevin at some of the benefits dinners and while his family was on Medina's campus. While I was in college, I would return to Medina Children's Home with the Aggies for Christ, and during those years Kevin was the CEO of Medina, so again I would get to see him then. As long as I have known the McDonalds they have been servants to Medina Children's Home - which is pretty special if you ask me. After all they have given to me (through giving to Medina), now it is time to try and give back in any way we can. Kevin & his wife had a beautiful baby girl on September 22nd, 2011. A short 5 days later, their sweet baby had brain surgery to remove a brain tumor. Taylor & I have been able to keep up with Marlie Ruth (their sweet baby girl) through her family's care pages. Below you will see his most recent post that I have copied and pasted from those care pages. Below that I have included the link to go to her care pages. You do have to become a member to read their posts, but they don't send you any annoying emails, or any junk - only updates when there are new posts, and I think you can even opt out of those. Whether you decide to keep up with this story or not, I do ask that you pray. Anytime you think about praying, just mention her name, I promise God will know what you are asking for. Thank you again for following our blog, and thank you for reading this post, and thank you in advance for your prayers for Marlie Ruth. She says thank you too!

Post from Care Pages by Kevin McDonald:

What a journey Marlie Ruth has been on since being born just 18 short days ago. She has already undergone several significant medical tests and treatments that are usually only utilized on much older patients. After seeing how happy she is now, it is hard to believe she underwent major brain surgery for over 6 hours when she was only five days old. Marlie Ruth has also spent over two weeks in the NICU at one of the top pediatric hospitals in the country. Now we prayerfully prepare for her to be the youngest chemotherapy patient currently at Texas Children's Hospital.

We have enjoyed spending three wonderful days with Marlie Ruth at the Ronald McDonald House in Houston. While we have been extra-careful to stay away from germs and keep Marlie "quarantined", having time getting to know our beautiful daugher away from the hospital, doctors, monitors and needles has provided much needed joy to our hearts that we will always cherish.

Marlie Ruth is not only beautiful, she is sweet, funny, fiesty and tough. Obviously and thankfully, she takes after her mother. We love her so much and are having so much fun getting to know her better each day. My favorite moments have been when she smiles at me as I sing to her. If you have ever heard me sing, you know that she is either laughing at me or making extraordinary efforts to let her Daddy know how much she loves him despite his inability to carry a tune.

Before being released from the TCH NICU on Friday, Nathalie and I were given a tour of the Texas Children's Cancer Center where Marlie will be receiving her future treatments. The tour was informative, the facility was impressive and we saw the staff that is ready to care for our daughter. Walking through the cancer center, however, made everything about Marlie being a cancer patient even more real and immediate. The tour was a very emotional experience for both Nathalie and me. We continue to request and cherish your prayers that we may have peace, strength and comfort as we continue this difficult journey with our sweet baby girl.

Tomorrow is a BIG DAY for Marlie Ruth. We report to Texas Children's Hospital at 6:00 a.m. Tuesday morning so Marlie can be prepared for her 7:30 a.m. surgery to install a central line where her chemo medicines can be administered and blood can be drawn and given. While she is asleep, her doctors will also perform a spinal tap so that her spinal fluid can be tested for malignant cells. Once Marlie Ruth awakes from these procedures, she will be admitted to the oncology floor of Texas Children's Hospital as an in-patient and preparations will begin for her chemotherapy which will begin either late Tuesday afternoon or sometime Wednesday.

We will find out tomorrow how long Marlie Ruth's first round of chemo will last and when we can expect to return home to Kerrville to be with our entire family. We are really missing Maycie and Coleman more every day. We will also find out more about the full plan for Marlie's chemo including how many rounds she will receive and what the planned timeline looks like.

Marlie Ruth and her Mommy and Daddy enjoy hearing from you via messages on the Care Page, cards, emails, etc. We have started a beautiful journal for Marlie Ruth so she can look back and see all the friends she had while she was in the fight of her life as an infant. The doctors, however, have requested that Marlie Ruth not accept visitors while hospitalized for her treatment in order to minimize her exposure to germs that are minor occurrence for most healthy people, but may be life threatening to her while at this time.

Our main prayer is that God prepares us to accept and find glory in His plan for Marlie Ruth, whatever that plan may be. We additionally request specific prayers for Marlie Ruth and her care providers including -

* That Marlie Ruth will tolerate the chemotherapy well and will not significantly suffer from side effects of her treatment.
* That the doctors will select a treatment plan and medicines that will eradicate all malignant cells from our precious baby girl.
* That Marlie Ruth will not have any dangerous infections while her immune system is significantly suppressed.
* That Marlie Ruth will experience complete and total healing and become a healthy and happy child.

P.S. We have some great new photos of Marlie Ruth that I will try to post to the Care Page before we leave for the hospital so be sure to check for them.

And as promised here is the link to get to her Care Pages:

http://www.carepages.com/carepages/MarlieRuthMcDonald/updates/3146281?client_code=default&ipc=mur

You can read all of their posts since they started and you can see pictures of Marlie Ruth in all her preciousness. Thank you again.

Love you all!

-Kauffman Krew