Well it's official! Natalie took her first steps all by herself this evening. There were rumors (from the grandparents sector a week ago) but you never know about those people. They're always looking for the edge. Heck, according to my mom Natalie and Nicole are multidisciplinary genius' in 10 industries and counting :).
Natalie took FIVE LARGE STEPS directly toward her mom(Dana) tonight. I'll leave out the part that she was totally buck naked...you didn't hear it from me! Well I guess there's nothing left for her to accomplish but to get a job. It's a heck of a time to enter the job market strong into the recession, only 3 years old... But, I guess everyone has to start somewhere.
Missing ya'll -- Dominick
Hey all!
The latest on Natalie is that we are praying that her IV lasts the till Tuesday. This is highly unlikely but since Surgery is moving departments when they are available it doesn't' make much sense to put in something better than and IV if it's only going to be in for a few days.
If we can get the IV's to last till Tue (and we are able to have consecutive Negative blood cultures) we can put in her new port. She has to get poked every morning to draw labs, cultures and misc other tests. This is not fun and her arm is rather black and blue. She's tough though and we are enjoying our time together. Lots of Elmo, video games, hard boiled eggs and coloring.
Specific Requests:
- IV doesn't dry up, make it till Tuesday
- New port goes in on time
- Multiple negative cultures in a row
- Her little right ankle does not become sore because it's in a cast-like brace (keeping her foot pointed) in effort to keep IV flowing smoothly
Praises:
- Her counts are up and her immune system is full steam ahead at 2,000+
- Natalie is in great spirits (too good to be true)
- No fevers have surfaced for a long time
--Dominick
Hello everyone!
It's been a long time since there has been anything to report about Natalie but we could use your prayers as she is sick. We actually have (maybe wrongly so) allowed ourselves to think things are pretty much back to normal. Well to our surprise Natalie just recently has been admitted to the hospital again. But we are all doing pretty well now.
The serious condition of a bacterial blood infection is what the doctors feared Tuesday 11/18/08. Because of a fever rushed from home to the local ER. After a night there we thought we'd be heading home but we found out her immune system was nearly zero from this bacteria. This being the case we were taken by ambulance to Santa Clara Valley Medical instead of Stanford because a lack of available beds.
Also pray for Nicole who misses us. She has a cold so we are not able to see her because of the risk of getting Natalie sick. My mom has been taking care of her at her house for nearly a week.
Natalie is doing so well now. You wouldn't even know she was sick! She plays her instruments (cat piano) and the shakers, takes rides waving to the staff in her little wagon, and enjoys only the company of a bag of pretzels these days. The doctors have done a stellar job at targeting the bacteria and being thorough in her care. We are praying for:
- Two negative blood cultures (making sure no bacteria is present in her blood.
- An immune system rating of 500 (she's 200 now and you and I are 5,000)
- Two consecutive days without fever.
Love you all,
Dominick
Well, it has been a full year since Natalie's diagnosis. Last year at this time (on Dana's birthday) our lives were turned upside down with the news of cancer. I remember perched by her bed side crying a lot. In retrospect, I feel so thankful we've made it so far. We have 1 year and 4 months left of treatment then another 5 years of checkups to be considered healed from this terrible disease. But, there will never be a time as hard as those first 30 days (I pray).
This Labor Day we are heading up to celebrate our anniversary of our great battle, just north of Sacramento to a town called Berry Falls. Camp Okizu will be the site of where we we will get to reflect on this years journey. I can say that it's been the grace of God that has delivered our hearts this far. He is good and there is no end to His great love for all of us.
Looking back I can think of two lessons that have stood out to me. First, our lives are temporary here on earth and we should never grow tired to fighting against the less important things that try to dominate over our precious relationships. Second, and maybe most importantly, "God is good in even the hardest of times." -- Until next time...
Thanks for standing by our side,
The Orlando's
Dana and I wanted four our family and friends to be the first to know that we are officially now HOMEOWNERS!
After an exhausting battle we can now consider ourselves officially strapped for the next 30 years. But it's a welcome addition to the family. I have to thank so many people, from Tax people, to Business partners to most of all our Realtor Genie Lawless has faught tooth & nail for every square centimeter, she has been the best agent anyone could ask for. Not to mention really sharing the burden with us from a Godly perspective. There is something about going through trials with other like-minded believers. All of us really knew if we were going to get this place it would only be by the grace of God, who deserves the ultimate thanks!
I wrote earlier:
"We have been praying for this house and if the loan funds, it will only be by the grace of God. So, we feel if it's God's will it will only be by Him. Just a few bumpy road highlights have been:
Kidney surgery (key player - out for a month), Signatures from 5 county "Government" officials hours before leaving for vacation, 30 days of physical therapy from a sciatic back injury (loan officer), 3 "nail biting" law firm contract reviews, nearly lost the loan for $125 appraisal mistake, 2 company closures, 8 extensions, 450 faxed sheets, countless PDFing and a dead cell phone (that got upgraded)"
....and a partridge in a pear tree! :)
Now the tough part begins - the remodel. All I have to say is BRING IT!
Thanks for all your prayers!
--Dominick & Dana Orlando