If it’s possible to send a group hug by e-mail – you should be feeling it right about now. Abby spent her first chemotherapy treatment pouring through your many texts, photos and messages of inspiration and encouragement. You lifted us up and that feeling of community support, friendship, love and prayer was just what we needed. We also got the final report while we were in treatment that Abby’s bone marrow is clean!

Back home now, Abby would tell you that the chemo is working as advertised and we’re now adjusting quickly to life during treatment. A house full of sick kids, two ER trips and a Super Bowl spent in the hospital cheering on white blood cell regeneration has accelerated our acceptance of what this new normal is going to be like.

This week is going to have their own physical and emotional hurdles. Our continued focus is that Abby’s chemotherapy is fully effective against the cancer while being as gentle as possible on her body.  When we have our next CT scan in April, we want to see signs that Abby’s treatments are working and any remaining cancer continues to be localized and shrinking.  Please continue to join us and focus your prayers there for Abby (Abby’s Hebrew name is Rachel Chaya bat Miral veh Lee).

Here are some other ways you can help.

For Abby:

• Wig Out! – Tomorrow Abby’s hair will be transformed into a wig. It will be bittersweet for her to reclaim her locks in the form of a wig. Dig out your best wig – costume wig or otherwise – and send her a silly picture of you wigging out! If you don’t have Abby’s contact info, you can send it to me and I’ll pass it along.
• Hospital Visits – On Monday Abby goes back to UW Medical Center for her first 5-day chemo treatment. If you would like to stop by, please give me a call the day before or the day of and I can advise a time.

For Jaren and Miri:

• Find a Nanny – We are continuing to look for an afterschool nanny (3:30-8:30pm) on weekdays. E-mail Maya Hasson – mlhasson@gmail.com – if you know someone with a car that would be a good fit for our family.
• Share Your Nanny – If you have a nanny and are willing to share them with us while we look for someone, that would be most helpful. We would pay for their time.

For Justin

• Evenings at Calvo House – Let me know if you are willing to spend time at our house while the kids are asleep (after 7:30pm). This will give me the opportunity to get out of the house to take many of you up on your offers of good beer, conversation, and learning opportunities.

Okay, the time for shock, sadness, and disbelief is over.  It’s now time to kick the %&#@ out of this cancer!

You’re already doing a lot. Many of you have e-mailed suggesting different ways you could help – watching Jaren and Miri, giving a hand at the house, keeping Abby’s spirit sky high, and helping us cover some of these new costs. We’re starting to organize and harness your heartfelt offers so we can hunker down together for this journey. One step in that process was creating www.AbbysArmy.org to make it easy for you to share how you’d like to stay engaged in the coming days, weeks, and months. In tandem with the AbbysArmy.org, as our family leans into the treatment process, you’ll start to hear more and more from some of our dear friends who have offered their time and energy to help us mobilize and activate your support. Thanks for everything you do for us.

Love and healing,

Justin, Abby, Jaren and Miri