It’s been 7 months and the waves of grief continue. It is easier now for my mind’s eye to remember her as she was prior to our bone marrow transplant. Sometimes I can hear her laughter in my head causing simultaneous smiling and tears. Every time I step into her room – I … More The Greatest Gift of All
September 28, 2002 was the start of our family – it was our wedding day. It was perfect and beautiful – all I ever dreamt of and more. At that point in time, my grandmother was fighting her battle with cancer so we moved the date up by 6 months so she could see this … More Here Comes the Bride
Our hearts are heavy today. Our beautiful child has been called to her eternal home. We have been greatly blessed by her life. In her last days, she was comforted by this song. Trust in You – by Lauren Daigle Trust In You Khaleda Hadisa Assell, age 14, of Denver, North Carolina entered the gates … More
Mixed emotions have brewed over the past month. Coming to terms with our transplant results was gut wrenching; however, we didn’t spend too much time wallowing in our own self pity as we found ourselves fighting for survival once again on March 4th. Just when I thought we had hit rock bottom, a bacterial infection in the lungs sent … More The Body
Have you ever watched a sculptor work? It’s fascinating. Regardless of material – shrubs, wood, ice, or marble, the process begins on a randomly shaped piece of material with only a vision of the end product in the sculptor’s mind – to be fully revealed upon completion. The sculptor meticulously chisels away any piece that doesn’t look like his end product. Cutting … More Beautiful Things
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances,” I repeat it to myself multiple times a day and night. Today is day 15 since the second transplant. Did I mention before how hard it is to wait? We are technically just now entering the ideal time frame for … More Grow cells grow!!
On Sunday, Khaleda saw her biological mother for the first time in three years. It was an emotional experience. I could only imagine how I would feel walking into a hospital room and seeing my child after so long in that state. She stood by the bed and wept. I didn’t know … More Round Two
Last Monday evening, Khaleda’s mother and brother arrived. Our dear friends James and Shelly received an random email asking them to consider serving as an escort to the US and within a very short period of time Shelly found herself making the same tortuous 15 hour flight I made not too long ago. … More Chasing Daylight
All week my mind has raced like mad. Why is this happening? What is the purpose? What are we supposed to learn through this? How much can a body endure? When your child begs for surgery to relieve pain or asks you through tears of despair why none of this can be easy – your blood runs cold. No one ever imagines this … More Glorious Unfolding
I have thought about writing a post several times over the last 17 days, but I couldn’t find the proper words. We celebrated our engraftment on December 27, 2015. The few days following were overall uneventful with regard to health and progress. Lots of family visited and loved on Khaleda. She got fancy … More Deja Vu
The Assell Family 