Carried

 <sup>Nick and Amanda are both doing fine.  Since I last wrote, Nick had his Hickman port installed.  He did very well with that.  He just had a bit of soreness, but handled it like a trooper.  Then he and Amanda went back to Vanderbilt on Saturday morning.  He was admitted on Sunday morning and received chemo that evening and again on Monday.  Today he had his first two radiation treatments.  It caused a bit of redness, but other than that it hasn't seemed to cause any reactions.  Amanda joked that he was going for "rotisserie" treatments.  ( I'm glad that he didn't come back smelling like broiled chicken.)

Amanda has been getting daily Neupogen  shots to beef up her immune system.  This will continue until tomorrow, and the stem cell harvest will begin Thursday morning. 

Our children were born very close together.  Currently Amanda is 26, Megan is 25, and Nick is 23.  Amanda has always been petite and constantly moving.  She was full on running at 8 months of age, and still gets up every morning to run multiple miles. (I'm proud of her for doing it, but I do not understand it.)   Nick weighed 7lb 6 oz, and was born 4 weeks early.  I was told that he would have been an 11 pounder if he had been born on time.  He was a big boy.  

When Amanda was 4 and Nick was 1, Amanda would pick him up, put him on her hip, and walk around with him like she was already grown.  I don't think that there was much difference in their weights at the time, but it didn't seem to phase her.  I really believe that it took much longer for him to learn to walk because he just plain didn't need to.  He could holler, "Manda," and get taken anywhere he wanted to go.

As I think back on those memories that are emblazoned in my mind, I am in awe.  Only God knew that one day He would use her to save his life.  Nick is now nearly twice her size, but just let me tell you, size does not matter.  There is no way that she could carry him around on her hip, or even pick him up, but because God is in charge... she is carrying him.

Throughout this journey I have had so many people say, "I don't know how you are doing this."  The answer is that we are being carried.  All of you faithful friends and  family are praying, and the God that created the universe is upholding us with His strong right hand.  Glory to God!!!

It is well!</sup>