We Celebrate!
worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts…” Matthew 2:9-12 
Great NEWS….. The official numbers are in and we got 13 MILLION!!!!!!!! Jake’s stem cell harvest was a success. The goal was 8 million CD34 cells. The catheters that they put in were not pretty. He did well for the surgery and with the catheter in but taking it out was not as easy as they said. We lived through it but there were stitches that held them in place and one of them didn’t want to come loose – and taking suchers out of an area that close to a little man’s parts is tricky, and was really scary for him. Plus, Jake has an allergy to tape. He must use cloth tape and it’s noted in his file but someone didn’t pay attention so his little area was burnt and beginning to blister… not fun when it came time to remove the tape. It was agony, he is the bravest little boy in the whole world and we are so happy that the first leg of the stem cell process is behind 
us! We have a whole week to be home… no shots, no accesses, no doctor visits, just be HOME! So today we celebrate… with a visit from Santa Clause. You should have heard the shrill when Jake saw Santa at our door. I must thank my very best friend Tracy for arranging this special visit. She made a little boy so very happy… and his brothers, sisters, mom and dad too. How magical to have St. Nick in our home. Sadly, Meghan’s family (our oldest) couldn’t join us for our little shin-dig, due to a little respiratory gunk running through their household but we’re hoping they will be on the mend by Christmas day. We also received the most amazing load of gifts through our church for our family’s Christmas. I will never be able to say thank you enough for the generous outpouring of love from so many friends. We are so grateful to our church family for all they continue to do for us. There is no way we could manage all that we 
must do without you. The constant meals, offers to
help with the kids, gifts, donations and prayers have kept our heads above water when we have felt so close to going under. THANK YOU! And I must say a very special thank you to my dear friends Debbie, Jean, Sarah, Michelle, and Tracy for organizing our daily lives, for being involved, and for putting so much heart and time into being sure our family has a nice Christmas. All my love, hugs and kisses go to these amazing ladies and so many more that go un-named, who shower us with their help, their encouragement, and their never-ending love. They have blessed our family in more ways than I can ever write about and we are so, so thankful. From the bottom of my heart… thank you to EVERY ONE who played a part in 
our Christmas! It is such a relief and the most touching and beautiful blessing for our family. And to all of you who continue to follow Jake’s journey, we are so blessed for your daily thoughts and prayers. May the beauty of the season fill your hearts with joy and may Jesus fill you with peace as you worship Him this Christmas time. “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming into the house, they saw him with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and
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Comments (7)
Shirley Hamilton
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Praising God for the many answered prayers for Jake and the entire family. So thankful for the support group that surrounds you and the tons of people elsewhere that continue to lift Jake before the Lord God. Praying God will continue to Bless you all!
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Sharon Grave
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Merry Christmas to you all. I cannot thank you enough for sharing your journey. May the Lord continue to bless your family with hope, peace, love, & faith. You all are in our prayers continually. We pray This Christmas fills your house with lots of joy & laughter.
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Jeanne Brandenburg
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Praise God! Merry Christmas to an amazing family.
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Ginna Goodenow
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Praise the Lord! That picture of Jake with Santa makes my heart burst with joy for you all. Enjoy the Christmas gift of being together. You are never far from my thoughts. My kids ask about Jake almost every day. I show them his pictures and they include him and your family in their prayers at night. We follow you from Maryland…know that you’re being lifted up here. Merry Christmas!
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Debbie
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What a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas! We loved being there!
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Tracy
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Just amazing and so beautiful … Thank you for letting me share this moment with your family! Love you all so much!
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Missy
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I am so glad that you are feeling the love!!! YEA for being HOME for Christmas, and not ‘only in your dreams’!!!!
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