Today is Dana Orlando's birthday! Leave a birthday wish for Dana in the comments section.

Dana, may you day be filled with life and hope!

Here is an email from Andy Lewis, Pastor of Faith Community Church:

Dearest Faith Family,Dom, Dana, Natalie and Nicole have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of prayer and amazing support provided by our family! God has already used us to be a huge support and encouragement to them in their time of need.Yesterday Natalie was confirmed to have ALL leukemia which is apparently a very treatable if not curable form of leukemia. We thank God Natalie is considered by the doctors to be a low risk patient who will not have to face the prospect of a bone marrow transplant! They will all be at Stanford over the course of this next week to get treatment started. The good news is Natalie's treatment will not be nearly as difficult as it could have been. Dom tells me that as soon as Natalie is stable she will be able to come home and then in the first month they will be going to Stanford once a week.

In the second stage of treatment they will be going once a month and then over the course of the next two years they will be able to administer chemo-therapy drugs themselves at home. Dom and Dana are both relieved by this news.

As of today we can pray for Natalie as she fights a fever. With her suppressed immune system the fever is not a surprise but it is a setback in her treatment. Dom and Dana are now checked into a great hotel that's paid in full for the next seven days and is only five miles from the hospital! They also have received many visits already and they are so appreciative of all the love they've received. One additional thought. Dana's birthday is tomorrow. If any of you want to send her a card or a thoughtful gift, Heather and Jonathan Hughes will be delivering all of our gifts on Sunday afternoon after worship. If you would still like to send something you can
drop it off at the church office, contact Heather at 419-5355 or give Heather your gift this Sunday morning.Once again our God is proving Himself faithful even in the face of events we would not choose for our lives!

Thanks for your prayers and concern.

Andy

A couple of challenges that the Orlando's are facing right now have to do with housing.

The accommodations at Stanford Children's hospital are booked. This has forced the Orlando's to stay at a hotel - finance here is the challenge since their stay at Stanford may be as short as a couple of weeks to months.

The second challenge is caring for Nicole, their newborn, in the midst of this. Nicole, being a newborn, is putting her mommy & daddy through an intense sleep deprivation course. As a parent of three, I have been through this course and can tell you it is quite intense. The best thing for a baby to learn sleep is a consistent routine, and trips back and forth to Stanford hinder that routine.

Here is a praise: An anonymous donor has generously afforded the Orlandos housing at a Holiday Inn Express near Stanford for a week. This is a great example of the Lord's provision through his body.

Secondly, I know from Andy Lewis, the Orlando's Pastor, other individuals have contributed to the Orlando's financial needs by giving cash. Yet again, God is working to care for his kids.

Here is how you can help:

Pray for God's provision in housing.
If you feel compelled, offer to help financially to help them have a consistent place to sleep.
If you know of a housing option in the Stanford area, please contact me.


Heather Hughes is coordinating all financial gifts to the Orlando's and her information can be found on the August 29th update or you can email her.

Over the past few days, Natalie Orlando has undergone various tests to diagnose if she has Leukemia. She and her family are at the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

Today it was confirmed that Natalie does have Leukemia. Here is an excerpt on the type HERE:

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is a type of blood cancer. Other names for ALL are acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute lymphoid leukemia. About 5,200 people in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with ALL in 2007. It is the most common type of leukemia in children under age 15. The risk of getting ALL increases in people ages 45 and older. However, people can get ALL at any age. Most children with ALL are cured of their disease after treatment.

I spoke with Dominick today (Natalie's dad), who asked for prayer that the treatment go as smoothly as possible. As you can imagine, this is extremely difficult and both Dom & Dana need all the help they can. They just gave birth to their second daughter last month!

Here is a list of prayer requests from their church:
  • Pray for miraculous healing for Natalie
  • Pray that Dom and Dana will be sustained by God's peace
  • Pray Dana will be able to continue feeding their new baby Nicole with all this stress.
  • Pray for the right housing accommodations while they are at Stanford. For now Ronald McDonald house is full
  • Pray for the financial means to pay for hotels and food.
More updates and information will be added soon with ways you can help. In the meantime, If God moves in your heart to help out in some way please contact:

Heather Hughes:
heatherhughes2@juno.com
cell 831-419-5355

Or

Rob Namba
robertnamba@gmail.com
Cell 831-818-7724

Heather will be coordinating visits for them and any financial assistance. Rob Namba manages this site.

Lastly, if you would like to express your prayers and thoughts with Dominick and Dana for Natalie, please feel free to post them here by leaving a comment.

Natalie Orlando

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