Special Delivery

Matthew came home to visit his new sister and also to donate his bone marrow.

Matthew signed up for the registry and he is a match for someone who needs a transplant!

How cool is that?

Lily liked it when Matt carried her around in the box that all his meds came in.

Lily also likes Snapchat. Go figure!

Forever Blowing Bubbles!

Hi, Kiva.

Grace and Caroline ran their first half marathon. Congratulations, ladies!

Jackson was tired. He actually fell asleep at the top of the seesaw!

The lady who keeps everything going smoothly.

Transplant Day

the bulletin

the liturgy

anointing

blessing

Chppie, empowered by the anointing

Jacob, last giggle of the day

this is not much fun

even Batman balloons didn't bring him much cheer

on a brighter note, he and Susan were indoors during the massive hailstorm

Jacob and Chippie, asleep at last

See Jacob's Caring Bridge site for complete details

It has been a long day for Jacob Shuixiang Thompson. He was doing well earlier this morning when the chaplain at the Amplatz Children's Hospital conducting a beautiful blessing service for his transplant day, with some of our favorite passages of Scripture, prayers of healing, and anointing with oil, a symbol of God's Holy Spirit poured out on him to strengthen him for the days ahead. The chaplain also anointed Chippie, who will accompany Jacob through the valley of the shadows. I attended the service virtually on my iPad. Before it was over Susan and I both needed Kleenex, in a good way. Jacob seemed in good spirits during the blessing but his day quickly turned unpleasant with many aches and pains and gastrointestinal maladies. He did receive the umbilical cord blood transplant in the midst of feeling very poorly. He has pretty much felt terrible for the rest of the day and has been trying to sleep, with occasional success. All of this medical drama was superimposed on some particularly severe weather in Minneapolis, including severe thunderstorms and hail large enough to break windows. The metaphors are so limitless it seemed less like real life and more like a Coen brothers movie.

Virtual Family

Just spent a good while talking to Jacob and Susan in Minnesota via FaceTime. Jacob had been feeling tired and grumpy and achy and nauseated earlier in the day but he was all smiles tonight and that made me feel good. Sounds like he may get better sleep with fewer interruptions tonight since his chemotherapy is coming to a close. He will likely receive the transplant after lunch Thursday, June 14.

Jacob's Transplant and the Fabric of Humanity

Susan and Jacob have been given so many wonderful fabrics to hold on to while in Minnesota. These are just a few of the many (the prayer shawl from grace Lutheran Church was shown in a previous blog entry). I particularly am fond of the prayer quilt pictured above, intricate and beautiful, which contains many knotted strings, each of which corresponds to a person praying for Jacob's well being.

Jacob: Lego Maniac

Jacob gets his transplant tomorrow, June 14, 2012

His primary diagnosis is Fanconi anemia

His secondary diagnosis is LEGO mania

Being hospitalized for weeks/months can get pretty old very quickly. That's when it helps to love building stuff with Lego blocks. Susan and Jacob followed the 50 page instruction book and the result was a sweet batmobile. Later, they made Two Face's car, other bank robbing bad guys, and many other things from the world of Batman Moments later, the wonder of the imagination of an 8 year old boy was unleashed. Way more fun than whining about pain and nausea!

Transplant Wordles

Jacob's Caring Bridge Journal

Keith's Facebook Page

Last Few Blog Entries

Wordles are visual representations of text, weighted by usage. Wordles can be created online at wordless.net using a java plug-in.

Jacob: Life in Room C4141

Life in room C4141 at the Amplatz Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, MN

Chippie and Legos are excellent at distracting Jacob

So many different IV medications going in...

Cool lights surround the ceiling - way better than crown molding

Susan's chair and Jacob's monitor display

Susan's couch for sleeping

Prayer shawl

Nice how the blanket Carlee sent seems to perfectly accent the furniture!

The desk and the windows

The computer corner

Jacob's TV and the cool lights that change colors

Nauseated from chemo and radiation?

No problem. Eat when and what you want from room service.

The view from the 4th floor

The 2" binder you hoped you'd never have to read

FaceTime with the family

Pre-treatment pancakes

This little bunny is super snuggly