Ellie Grace Volk

November 30, 11pm: Ellie is doing pretty good.  She has a bad cold that she cannot seem to shake.  But, all in all, she is great.  Here she is with Tom and I over Thanksgiving.

Thank you so much to all of you who are supporting our fund-raising efforts for Make-A-Wish!  I have had several people ask me to extend it past November since Thanksgiving snuck up on us.  So I will go into December with it.  We are only a few hundred dollars away from our goal of $1000!  Tom and I will match the $1000 so we can give $2000 to Make-A-Wish to help fund another child's wish.  If you want to contribute, details are on the entries below.  Thank you so much to: Kim, Traci, Janet, Michelle, Diane, Jenny, Jan, Amy, Sue, Wendy, Rita, Becky, Addie, Jennifer, Rita, Kim, Kelly, Patricia, Kathy, Ann, Judy, Jamie, Nancy, Annie, Rhonda, Cynthia, Sally, Susan, Darla & Kay!

As always, we thank you for your prayers and support.  We are very blessed by all of you and thank God daily for you.  In fact, tonight when I told Ellie it was time to say our prayers, she said, "Again?!"  To her it probably does seem like we are constantly thanking God, but we are so very grateful. 

Mitchell told me today that his favorite Psalm is Psalm 23.  Here's the first verse: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want." 

November 26, 2pm:  Happy Thanksgiving! 

Let me share a conversation with you that Ellie and I had.  I was explaining to her what Thanksgiving was.  I told her it was a day we came together and really expressed our gratitude.  I then told her the many things I am grateful for.  I asked her what she was thankful for.  She thought for a long time.  As she was thinking, I imagined what this little cancer survivor would say she was grateful for.  I imagined a very heart-felt, emotional answer.  She finally said, "I'm thankful for monkeys."  You gotta love 3-year-olds!

We have much to be thankful for.  During this journey, we have learned to be thankful for the little things.  Things like a healthy day or just some extra time together.  It doesn't need to be the big, grand things that we are thankful for.  Everyday holds many things to be grateful for.

There are small things everyday that should cause us gratitude.  But we have to slow down to see them.  I know that during these next 5 weeks, it will be hard to slow down.  It's hard not to get too busy.  But when we are so busy running here and there, we can't possibly notice all of the miralces and beauty around us.  If this journey has taught me nothing else, it has taught me to really appreciate what you have.  You never know what the bend in the road will bring.  Last year at Thanksgiving, we did not know that Ellie had a cancerous tumor growing in her.  I am sure I was concerned with what we were serving for the meal, what the decorations would be.... if only I had just appreciated the little 2-year-old who probably would have loved for me to simply play with her instead of run around trying to do too much.   We are only promised today.  And for being given today, we should be so grateful. 

We are also thankful for you.  During these last 11 months, we have been surrounded by such strong prayer warriors.  We are blessed to have God's people storming Heaven on our account.  We are so very grateful to all who have reached out to us.  Ellie's diagnosis left us devastated, but we were quickly lifted up by all of you.  We are forever grateful.

Most of all, we are thankful to God.  He allowed Ellie to be healed.  He continues to keep the cancer away.  He loves her with an everylasting love.  We know He never left her side thoughout this journey.

We wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever."  Psalm 118:1 

(Tom asked me to put all of Psalm 118 on here, but there isn't room - please read it when you get a chance)

November 24, 9pm: Ellie's doctor's appointment today went good.  They gave her a check-up and thought everything looked great.  In fact, she is getting taller and gaining weight. 

She had to have a few "pokes" today: she got part two of her flu shot; they flushed out her port; and they drew blood for her blood work-up.  She was a great patient, but she is getting tired of the shots.  Before they started, she said, "Please don't let them do this to me, Mommy!"  But she was a trooper and it was over quickly. 

The picture is of Ellie at the wish fountain at the hospital.  We always start there so Ellie can make some wishes first. 

We are so thankful that Ellie's check-ups continue to be positive.  We know there is a chance that the cancer will come back and we are extremely grateful for each month that the doctors tell us she looks good. 

Thanks for your continued prayers and support!  We are so blessed by you!!

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."  James 4:8

  
November 19, 2pm: Here is Ellie after she got out of the bath last night.  Lexie put her hair in a mohawk!

Ellie continues to do great.  In fact, she is gaining weight quickly.  She is back to 30 pounds.  She was 30 pounds before her surgery and the radiation and chemo that followed.  She lost almost 10 pounds and has been trying to gain that back ever since.  I think we are finally back to her starting weight!  She is feeling great and getting stronger. 

We go back to the hospital for a check-up on Monday.  I'll keep you updated.

Thanks to all of you who are supporting our fund-raising efforts for Make-A-Wish.  I appreciate the thoughts and prayers for our efforts - in addition to those who are contributing to the fund-raising.  We are getting closer and closer to our goal of raising $1000 through Mary Kay (details in the entries below).  Tom and I will then match that $1000 so that we can give $2000 to Make-A-Wish.  Thank you to those who have contributed: Kim, Traci, Janet, Michelle, Diane, Jenny, Jan, Amy, Sue, Wendy, Rita, Becky, Addie, Jennifer, Rita, Sally & Kim. 

Thanks to everyone for your continued prayers and support.  We feel so blessed.  For you to lift Ellie up and pray for her is amazing.  Thank you!  We are constantly reminded of how blessed we are by you. 

I just opened my Bible to find a verse for today and I opened to John 6:30, where a crowd is asking Jesus, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you?  What will you do?"  I think that verse is perfect because I think that even though we don't live in Bible times where big miracles were witnessed, we still have miracles happening all of the time.  Miracles happen around us every day.  We just have to believe.  I know Ellie's healing is a miracle.  I know medical technology is a miracle.  I know the fact that anyone found this little website - which we set up at the last-minute the night before we went into the hospital - is a miracle.  It's a miracle that God's people come together to pray for their own.  It's a miracle that today someone, somewhere will decide to trust in God and become a Christian.  Miracles are everywhere.  We just have to look for them.  And believe.

November 12, 10pm: Ellie is doing really good.  She is feeling great and has tons of energy.  We are so thankful!  God is granting wonderful healing.

Thank you so much to everyone who is supporting our Make-A-Wish fund-raising efforts through Mary Kay.  I met with Kiley, from Make-A-Wish, today and we discussed what we are trying to do through this website.  I am so excited to think that we might be able to help another child have a wish granted.  Thank you to all who are supporting us in this campaign.  All profits from my November Mary Kay sales will go to Make-A-Wish.  You can visit my site at: www.marykay.com/dvolk.   

I also want to thank all of you who are praying for Ellie.  I have to tell you, every day when we are out running errands or attending one of our children's events, we are approached by people who ask about Ellie and tell us they are praying for us.  It is an incredible way to go through a day.  Having people tell you they think of you and talk to God about you?!  It's amazing!  We have been incredibly blessed - thank you!

We also have funny moments each day.  Not a day goes by that Ellie doesn't get called "him" or "fella" or is somehow referred to as a boy.  She usually just looks at me and smiles.  We don't correct people because we don't want anyone to feel bad.  We just smile.  But every now and again, she gets tired of it.  The other day, a lady came up to me in a store and said, "What a good helper he is!", pointing to Ellie.  I said, "Yes, she is a good helper."  The woman continued, "He's a good boy."  I guess Ellie had had enough of this game, because she said, very loudly, "I'm a girl!"  But most of the time, she just smiles and then giggles later to me about someone thinking she's a boy.  Thankfully, she thinks it's funny and it doesn't hurt her feelings.

We are just thankful that Ellie is doing so well.  God had been so good.  I can get overwhelmed sometimes thinking about the "what if's" of this journey: What if they didn't get all of the cancer out during her surgery?  What if the cancer comes back?  What if she can't live on one kidney?....  but I just need to remember that God is in charge.  He knows where this journey is taking us and He knows the outcome.  He made Ellie and loves her.  He has plans for her that we don't know.  We just have to trust in Him.

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; that I know very well." Psalm 139:14

November 5, 2pm: Ellie continues to do great.  She is feeling wonderful and gaining strength.  We are going into cold and flu season, which makes me a little nervous because the smallest thing can be a setback for us, but I am confident we can go through these next few months staying healthy.

Tom & I have been doing a lot of thinking about ways we can start to return all of the kindness and generousity that has been shown to us.  We have been so immensely blessed during these last 10 months and we want to start to do good for others. 

Our first thought was to raise money for Make-A-Wish.  They were so incredible to us and we would love to raise funds to help another child have his/her wish granted too.  Tom & I decided the easiest way for us to raise funds is through my Mary Kay business.  So, for November, I will be donating my profits to Make-A-Wish.  I will include my website in case you want to do some fun holiday shopping and support a great cause - www.marykay.com/dvolk.  I talked with Kiley, the VP of Make-A-Wish of Nebraska, and she and I came up with a goal of raising $1000 through this fundraiser.  Tom & I will also match that amount so that we can give Make-A-Wish $2000 to help another child have a wish granted.

I am very prayerful that this does not sound like I am soliciting sales.  Mary Kay is simply the best way I have of raising funds for Make-A-Wish.  I am very excited to think we might all be able to come together and make a wish come true for another child!

Thanks for your continued prayers.  It is amazing the support we have been shown.  It is truly overwhelming.  We are more grateful than you will ever know!

I will leave you with the verse Mitchell picked for his confirmation this past weekend: "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  Psalm 23:6

October 30, 3pm:  Ellie had a long day yesterday.  It was a day of many tests.  But the good news is that all of the initial results look good.  We will get the official results in a day or two, but her doctor thought everything looked great.  What a blessing!

It was an exhausting day for Ellie.  She wasn't allowed to eat anything and she was very hungry.  And then she had to drink the contrast liquid for the CT scan and she didn't like that.  They also needed to put an IV in her hand; access her port (meaning put a butterfly needle in it); and give her a flu shot in her leg.  So three "pokes".  She did not like that either. 

But she was a real trooper.  She had a good attittude throughout the day.  The picture above shows her during her CT scan.  She has to hold her hands above her head while they insert her little body into the big machine.  She then has to hold completely still.  I was able to stand by her head and hold her hands during the test.  The technician said he has never had a three-year-old who he did not need to sedate for the scan.  Unfortunately, Ellie has had lots of practice at this and laid perfectly still.

During her check-up, we learned that Ellie has gained two pounds.  That is the most she has gained since her surgery and chemo!  We were excited for that good news.

I felt Ellie deserved a treat after her long day of tests and scans.  Here she is at the store with her find. 

It was a long day, but we are very excited that everything looked good.  We are so very thankful that Ellie seems to be coming out of this long tunnel and we are thrilled to be seeing the other side!  I am so grateful for each healthy day.  Each of those days gets us closer and closer to Ellie being declared cancer-free.  We praise God for that.

Thanks for all of your prayers and thoughts yesterday.  We really do appreciate it!  We feel so uplifted in prayer.  Thank you.

"There will be showers of blessing." Ezekiel 34:26

 
October 28, 1pm: Ellie and I head back to the hospital tomorrow for a series of tests.  She is having a CT scan, lung x-ray, blood work-up, and some other tests.  They just want to make sure that everything continues to look good.  If the cancer were to return, it would most likely be in her remaining kidney or her lungs.

The hardest part of the appointment for Ellie will simply be not eating any food and drinking that icky contrast liquid.  We will let you know how it goes when we return home.

Ellie continues to feel great.  She has a lot of energy and seems to be filling out.  Her hair continues to grow too!  The picture today is from a party she had at school this morning where all of the kids were supposed to come dressed as an animal. 

Although I always feel a little anxious when we go in for tests, I will continue to remember what the Lord has said, "Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid."  John 14:27