MY BOOK WON!!!!

My book THE MASTER’S WALL has won the 2011 Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award in the Fiction category!!! Thank you to all those who voted for my book!

It’s great to get this good news. I really needed it.

Something Beautiful

I’ve been holding this in for a couple months, but now, it’s safe to share. And now that it’s safe to share, I find I’m having the hardest time putting this down on the page. It’s something I’ve been dying to tell everyone. Something I’ve been jumping up and down about (inside, since I can’t do that very well physically, right now, lol). But really, there are no words to describe the joy and excitement I feel over this news.

For years when people would ask how many siblings I had, I’d say, I have one sister (the one you all met earlier; she came to see if she’d be a match for me), and then I’d add, I also have a half sister who I haven’t seen since she was two. We have the same father, and to keep her safe from him, her mother “disappeared” with her from our lives.

I remember when she was born, how cute she was, and how I’d make her giggle while playing peekaboo. She was my precious baby sister, and I longed to find her, to get to know her, and to simply love her. But for complicated reasons, that wasn’t to happen . . . until now.

Recently, I was reunited with my “baby sister,” Charis Joy Jackson (family calls her “Cari,” and that’s what I’ve always called her, so if I ever slip up and call her “Cari,” you’ll know why and who I’m talking about). She is 27 years old now and works in film with YWAM. You can read all about her work here: http://www.ywamconnect.com/sites/Charisjoy. You can also read her version of this grand event. It’s amazing how much we have in common! She also loves to write and has written several screenplays that have been made into short films. She sings and we can talk without end together . . . and just like years ago, she still has a beautiful (precious) laugh.

Below is a picture of all of us sisters. Cari is in the center. That’s me on the left (with my wig rising up, lol), and Kelli on the far right.

Charis Joy has brought renewed joy in our lives.

A beautiful thing: sisters reunited.

GOOD NEWS!!!

NO CANCER was found in my bone marrow! This means the chemo worked! Yeah!!! Thank You God! Thank God for all His blessings!

But the fight isn't over.

Starting on the 18th, I'll be undergoing radiation treatment aimed specifically on the tumor in my head. This shouldn't be too bad and will have few side-affects. I'll do this until May 3rd. Then . . .

On May 3rd, I'll go into the hospital and have three days of FULL BODY radiation. I've heard that this is worse than chemo. Gulp. After that, I'll undergo what the docs are calling "chemo from hell" because it will completely kill my bone marrow. That will last four or five days. After that, I'll get the transplant. Then we wait for the new cells to grow and wipe out my old cells and any disease that's left over. Whew.

The reason they have to give me new bone marrow is because the cancer will return. The less disease the new cells have to fight against, the better chance we have of them winning.

Despite the good news, I've been very down lately and having a hard time getting out of this "slump." I should be feeling great! I haven't had chemo in weeks, and I'm so much stronger than I've been since this whole thing started. I don't know what my problem is. sigh I guess I'm just scared. And well . . . there have been other things going on my my life.

Anyway, there ya have it! :-)