THE Day

Today started like most days in Children's.  The nurse coming in, doing the rounds, taking vital signs.  Jacob - tolerating it but hanging on to just a bit more sleep.  Dad on the fold down couch -tolerating it but hanging on to a bit more sleep.  Then remembering...

Today is the day that just might save Jacob's life.  Yesterday a young man, somewhere in the country woke up and drove to a bone marrow donor clinic.  In that clinic he filled out forms, was asked if he had anything to drink or to eat in the last 12 hours, he was given one of those lovely hospital gowns and then asked to count backwards...10, 9, 8, 7, 6... out.  The docs inserted a needle into his pelvis and perhaps his femur to extract healthy bone marrow - what  Jacob needs so desperately.

While our young man was recovering, the marrow was processed by doctors, lab techs and others to get it into the form Jacob needs - T cells.  This morning, as our young man was popping a tylenol to take the edge off the pain in his hip and catching up on the lack of coffee the day before a Fedex truck arrived at Childrens with a small insulated box - probably at about the time Jacob and I realized the nurse was not going to let us sleep any more.

As I sit here, Jacob eats breakfeast, and is giggling as he watches Tim Hawkins videos on youtube.  He makes a passing remark about how his stomach hurts this am - the last chemo round is catching up to him.  This is the day. The day we thought we would not make it to and the day we hoped for a hope.  It's here.  In about 5 minutes they will bring some of the IV meds to prep for the transplant.  In about an hour they will bring in the most precious gift we have ever recieved second only to the gift Jesus gave us.

I have no idea how it will feel to watch this.  I have no idea.   I'll write again after.  Right now I'm catching up on my coffee like our young man is. Maybe popping an advil to take the edge off of what the hospital couch does to my back and asking the High King to bless the man who gave of himself and Jacob giggling under the covers.

Not my prayer but His plan...he's soverign and good, we're His and He's ours.

Marshall