Rachel, the Celebrity

On Wednesday morning, I felt like I was having coffee with a celebrity.  Afterall, Rachel is difficult to actually get some face-time with :)  Kara Vander Vliet, Rachel and I all had some time to catch up and talk!  So excited to see her out!  Rachel s doing pretty well, considering the circumstances.  While she looked a little bit pale and definitely didn't seem up to her 100%, she was looking pretty darn good for a cancer patient!

That same day, Bridget Patch took Rachel for the blood draw.  White cells are down an expected amount, but the low count means Rachel should stay away from raw fruits and vegatables to minimize the risk of e-coli and other bacteria.  Her red count is a little low too, but actually everything seems to be on the "expected" range in a situation like this, so that is good.  The greatest concern right now is that Rachel not be exposed to a lot of germs or catch a cold!  Since systems are down in Rachel's body, so any minor contact with germs or bacteria could lead to a potentially serious situation for her!  Rachel can expect to see her hair begin to fall out pretty soon.  The chemo will kill all those rapidly reproducing cells, like hair follicles, so it will be off to a hair cut, the wig-maker and Kara's scarf drawer next week.  This, as it has been told to me, is one of the most traumatizing side-effects. 

Wednesday next week is chemo again.  Before Wednesday, some good things should happen.  This upcoming weekend will be a great time for family activities for the Owens and Rachel should feel pretty good, hopefully.   Let's pray that this weekend is a sweet time for the Owens tribe!  Pray that Rachel avoid contact with germs and bacteria, that her energy stay up and that she gets plenty of rest.  Pray that Rachel continues to develop a deep strength and will to perservere through this process.  While I know she does not identify herself as a real strong person, clearly anyone who has four children and responsibly cares for them is strong.  Pray that Rachel have a sense of peace and comfort from God as she walks this path.  Pray that she stay positive and happy and that she finds great joy in spending time with the kids and Mark. 

Thank you to everyone who has been helping the Owens and has been emailing me! (I know I haven't gotten back to many of you, but you can expect an updated email to go out by Sunday.  If you wish to be on that list, please email at sbertrandt@yahoo.com, subject line "add me to the email list.")

Take courage, Rachel!  Enjoy your family this weekend! We continue to pray for you as a community of believers!