Dec.31st!!! I wrote already...and something happened to the whole letter... so I guess that I am not ready to replace Liza Peirce yet.. as Queen of the bloggers... Because Kit is still asleep from his bone marrow tap this a.m., I can not get him to help me..so..... I will just start over....
Kit had to have more platelets today... and they are giving him anti fungal and anti bacterial medicines around the clock.. and hopefully they will be able to destroy the things that they find in the blood that Kit's blood can't fight , because he does not have any good white blood cells to fight infections.
The bone marrow test went fine and Kit is asleep... mumbling and rambling on and on. This behavior was frightening for me at first, because I was afraid that he was going to be like this forever... but it is just how Kit handles drugs and certain medicines. He is just talking up a storm.. with many of you .. with his kids... with the doctors here...etc... I see how much he loves people , because the mental state that he is in ... is not a fearful place... but a loving place.
We will not find out for a few days the results of the bone marrow tap, because tomorrow is New Years...
This past year has been a year with much pain and much joy.... but I know that you are all praying that 2009 will bring good news for Kit . It is so awesome to read the blog and realize that people from everywhere.... Hawaii, Calif. , Oregon, Wash. Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Texas, Chile,Honduras, Greece and etc.. are praying for us. We are connected by this blog.... it is amazing ..it's like how Jesus is with each one of us all at the same time all over the world... He is infinite..
We have been so blessed by all of you... how much you love us and care for us. We are praying that you have a wonderful and safe New Years Eve!!!! and that in the New Year ,the Lord will bring you even closer to Him.
Love,shelly and Kit

Shelly here again.... I love reading your notes... thank you so much for praying for us... I am a slow learner.. and setting up Kit's computer was difficult for me... but... I have it down now..so I can help do the blogging now. I love to look on the blog and read what our dear friends and family have to say. You guys are so encouraging!!!!
The infectious disease doctor called a little while ago to say that the recent blood work identified some strange flagellum, so they started Kit on some new medicine. Kim Insley-Morell said that she knew about the roller coaster ride.. because of what she went through when Randy died of cancer many years ago. It is such an up and down ride... but we contiue to pray to our Lord for strength and healing , we play our worship music, read our daily devotional, our Bible and another special book that Mikey's mother in law bought for me years ago...and with your prayers.... we are getting through each day.
For Christmas, I had bought Kit a special photo of a honu.( turtle)..because Kit has a special love for turtles because of Mikey. I had Maisha bring the photo over here for
Christmas and it is on the wall in our room. I just told one of our favorite doctor's the story of "turtle life" when Randy Insley died years ago....and Mikey ( a four year old) thought that eternal life was "turtle life"... and Mikey asked Kit if "Randy got to go live with the turtles now? "
Well ...I am signing off. I love you guys.. and I am so thankful to be here with Kit and to have you lifting us up in prayer.
Love,shelly

Shelly here again. It is Dec. 30th. Just when we were thinking that Kit was getting better , the chills and fever began... over 103 last night, but we are controlling them with warm blankets and tylenol . One thing good about being here again at Kaiser... I know right where to get the warm blankets and we have the routine down.
Most of Kit's infection is in his nasal sinus' now. His eye is so much better. It is completely open now.
The oncologist came in this a.m. and said that Kit's bone marrow tap will be tomorrow at 10:00a.m. Because New Years day is the next day, we will not get results as quickly as we would like. I know that all of you will be praying for miraculous results and I thank you for that.
Reading the comments by each of you is very encouraging. Thank you for taking the time.. thank you for your prayers... thank you for loving Maisha and Mikey (too)as you do.
Love,shelly and Kit

Shelly here. We have been on Oahu for 2 weeks today. I think Kit is making good progress now. Last night , he did not take any pain pills, his eye that was swollen shut, is much better now. He got fairly good sleep. His disorientation, hallucinations, and confusing thoughts are less frequent now. ( We are almost sure that it comes from the anti-fungal medicine.. which he will eventually not have to take). He still has a skin rash, but he is handling the itching. Because Kit's platelet count is low , he will have another platelet transfusion today. The plan is for Kit to have the bone marrow tap on Wed. at 9:00 a.m.
We are very pleased with the nursing staff and doctor's here at Kaiser. We know they are doing their best to help fight the infections etc.
We are so thankful for all of your prayers... and loving thoughts..And Dionei, I know that you love us...so never say that you are a terrible friend. Kit and I are so blessed to have the family and friends that we have. We are continually thanking God for you all. I hope that you really KNOW how your love inspires us. Love,Shelly and Kit

Thank you so much for praying!  Tonight, my dad had more energy and his mind was a little more clear.  Also, the CT scan didn't show anything major going on behind the eye, so that is very positive....they are thinking it is just an allergic reaction.

Hopefully, tonight will be a more restful night for Kit.

With grateful hearts,

The Lauers

Bad Night for Kit...

Dear friends and Family,
I just spoke with my mom and my dad had a very difficult night. My dad (and my mom) could really use prayer.
The power went out on Oahu and, they have some things on a generator at the hospital, but not everything. The lights in the rooms did not work, and unfortunately my dad was sick throughout the night and the pick line came out of his arm and was bleeding everywhere. They had to try to put it back in with flashlights.
My dad is a little better this morning. He is on pain meds and it's difficult for him to communicate what he's feeling and what he needs to my mom. He's very tired and his mind is very slow. I know it's frustrating for both of them.
Another thing is that my dad's eye is pretty much swollen shut and they are afraid that it is an infection. They thought it was allergies because he had reactions to meds before. They are doing a scan on it today. Eye infections like this can be very dangerous because the eye is an extension of the brain and it could potentially be fatal if they don't get it under control. He is already on many antibiotics.
Please pray that the Lord comforts my dad and sustains him, and also that my mom is comforted.
This is all so difficult but I am trying to keep you guys aware of everything because we really need and appreciate the prayer!
love, the Lauers

Merry Christmas

I am writing this from the hospital room in Kaiser on Oahu. Although this is not the ideal Christmas...my mom and I are happy to be here with my dad and we are very grateful to have him with us.
I mentioned before that my dad is still battling infections, so he could use prayer that they would stay under control.
Also, it seems that one or more of the medications are having an effect on my dad's mind...he is not lucid all of the time. We pray that this will get better and that nothing is permanent. It's very difficult for him to carry on conversations right now.
My dad is relying on God to hold him up for the next 12 to 13 days until the bone marrow test. We are all praying that his blood counts will come back up, that the chemo worked on the bone marrow, and that there will be no major complications.
Our deepest gratitude for your love and support!
Happy Christmas and a wonderful 2009!!
All our love,
Maisha, Shelly and Kit