After being at home for just over 8 days, Michalla’s blood counts increased to the point where the doctors needed to start chemotherapy on her again, which meant being admitted to the hospital to begin a 30-40 day inpatient process. Last Friday, Michalla and Teri made their way back to their “home away from home” to begin this process.
First, an EKG needed to be performed to check the condition of her heart before administering more chemotherapy. This is a standard test that is performed before another round of chemo begins, as damage to the heart is a possible side-effect and they want to keep everything in check. What was discovered next is something they never imagined. As several doctors stood around puzzled – they knew it wasn’t the results the doctors were looking for. It is uncertain the extent – but Michalla’s heart has definitely been damaged by the chemotherapy and they were not able to begin the new series on Friday as anticipated. It’s almost like one problem was traded for another and is very discouraging. They can’t not do chemotherapy though, they just need to figure out the direction they are going to go.
Michalla remains in the hospital and is being medicated and monitored for her heart and followed closely. She will have another EKG done tomorrow (Tuesday) to see if it has improved since finding the damage on Friday. At that point, the doctors will determine when they will start the next round of chemo.
You may be asking, “Where does the silver lining title of this post come in? None of this is really very good news and what could the silver lining be?" I Googled "silver lining” and its meaning and here is some information that it brought up: “Every cloud has a silver lining means that you should never feel hopeless because difficult times always lead to better days, every difficult situation has a bright side.” Another definition was: “Difficult times are like dark clouds that pass overhead and block the sun. When we look more closely at the edges of every cloud we can see the sun shining there like a silver lining.”
So – this is the silver lining . . . . . You may all be aware that Megan (Michalla’s sister) is getting married this Thursday (September 20th). Because the 2nd round of chemo hasn’t been started yet and likely won’t be started until after Wednesday, the doctors have agreed to allow Michalla to attend the wedding on Thursday. As Teri stated, Michalla was in tears and they were definitely tears of joy because this is something she has deeply desired. There have actually been a lot of family members and friends fasting and praying that this small miracle would come to pass. Though this is a difficult time and new challenges have presented themselves (heart problems), by looking closely at the edges of the cloud, the sun is shining brightly and Michalla (and the rest of us) are allowed to see the silver lining.
We continue to pray for Michalla and the rest of the Beardall family. We hope you can feel the hand of the Lord and see how your lives are being blessed and will continue to be blessed as your faith and testimonies are strengthened.
