December 19, 2007 update
Melynna December 19th, 2007
It has been several months since I have posted anything about Mary Ann. Honestly no news is good news in this case. Mary Ann is doing great. We had the opportunity to visit her in late October and took our daughters and two of our grandchildren with us. It was their first chance to meet the little girl they have heard so much about — the little girl they have actively supported through prayer and fundraising efforts on her behalf. When we arrived at the Amish school, Mary Ann was outside playing “kick ball” with the other children. From a distance she blended in with all the other little girls. She looked healthy with rosy cheeks, sparkling eyes and lots of energy. The only way you could tell she is a recovering cancer patient was her short hair. When she removed her “kapp” or head covering, her hair was about an inch long. It will be quite a whilte before she is able to pin it up under her kapp.
Right now Mary Ann is concentrating on her school work and her daily mouth exercises. The radiation treatments or “proton therapy” killed the bones and teeth around the tumor. In order to retain movement in her jaw, she is required to stretch her mouth by stacking popsicle sticks between her teeth. At last count she was up to 18. That is quite an improvement from the two or three she began with last summer when she was barely able to eat. Unfortunately “regression” travels at the speed of a freight train and “progress” travels at a snails pace. She NEEDS to exercise at least a couple of times every day for the rest of her life. She will also follow up with MRI’s every three months to make sure the tumor doesn’t start growing again.
Book sales have been rather slow since last July but picked up as the Holiday season drew near. Many thanks to the First Baptist Church of Lexington for allowing me to share “The Story Behind the Book.” Hosting that event has made it possible for us to send her family another check. As of today we have raised a little over $38,000.00 for Mary Ann’s medical care.
God Bless each and every one of you for supporting our efforts and we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.