Prayers needed for Amelie

I'm writing as a mother on behalf of another mother now.

Their daughter, Amelie barely turns 2 is diagnosed with a blood disorder - Aplastic Anemia where the bone marrow doesn't produce blood cells. It's another rare disease. Another family fighting for their baby. Amelie is covered with bruises all over her little body due to her single digit plalet count.

Little Amelie is going in for a surgery to insert a port-a-cath into her body like all other cancer kids. But Amelie has very low plalet counts even after transfusion. I remember when Charmaine was first wheeled in for her first surgery like Amelie. Charmaine's count was considered normal because she hasn't begin her chemo yet and I was already so helpless, worried and scared. I cannot even imagine the amount of anxiety going through her parent's mind. When I enquired about Amelie's condition, tears welled up her mother's eyes. I wanted to provide some comfort but ended up tearing as well. Of course, we know that the doctors will only go ahead if they are confident of the risks. But as mothers, we know how painful it is to sit out and wait in agony for that hour, praying that she wouldn't bleed excessively due to her low plalet counts. No doubt it is usually known as a simple procedure but nothing is simple when a mother or father has to send their own child in for surgery, no matter how small.

I have witnessed your prayers' strength and I believe firmly in that prayers are part of a good doctor, a good medicine and a good nurse in making the treatment work! I believe in what many of you said that everything happens for a reason, and there's usually a lesson behind each reason. Hence, the fact that we are warded in the same room as Amelie must be for a reason too. At this moment in time, there's nothing much we can do except to offer something simple yet powerful - prayers. As such, I'm humbly requesting that if all of you could please say one prayer for Amelie, maybe it's all the difference it would take to help Amelie go through the procedure smoothly and safely. Thank you all so much!

Amelie is fighting a different battle. Chemo won't work on her. Transplants provide a 50% chance but there is no match found yet.

When Charmaine was diagnosed last year, her school speech and drama teacher called me up. She said to me: "I'm going to give birth to a baby in a couple of days and I want to donate all our cord blood to Charmaine." I am touched beyond words. Donation of any kind is a gift of a chance of life for my little girl but donation of one's own baby's cord blood is beyond any description of words! It's giving up the chance for your own child not knowing if she/he will ever need it. Selflessness is an understatement here.

I thanked her Teacher Fen in tears and declined her offer because I had already stored Chatmaine's cord blood myself and it's a decision I'm glad I did!!! Even though we have not used any of her cord blood yet but I'm happy to say that I won't have any regrets of not storing them. Jase is a different story. My than husband doesn't believe in storage of cord blood and I used to obey every decision he made without questioning. I regreted so now. When he walked out on us, I had an intense belief that I only have these 2 kids now and I MUST do everything as a mother to endure that chance of survival for them. Yes, it sounds strange but I just had this strange thought that should something happen to my kids, I will not be able to depend on my now ex husband to come forth and help me save my babies. And how odd it is to actually be in this situation and have all that I strangely assumed had all became such a reality, down to the fact of an non existent father, who not to mention help, but has not even come forth to even peek at his very own blood and kin daughter... I'm so sorry that I digressed again... Pardon me please...

My thought as an oncology mommy is that I regreted not fighting to collect Jase's cord blood even more now because if it had been a match, maybe just maybe... But I'm glad when I had the chance to make decisions on my own, I did one that I will not have any regrets now - I stored Charmaine's cord blood. From a mother to all the mothers to be, please do consider the decision of cord blood storage carefully. Yes you may never need the use of those cord blood but one will never know... Little Amelie's parents didn't store her cord blood and non of her family members are a match... So, please... If you could afford it, why not? Just another insurance policy which is better than just providing money to tide you over... It's another gift of a chance of life which money can't buy...

I have a last purpose in this entry today which I must admit may be too much to ask for. But miracle has happened on Charmaine before and maybe it will happen for little Amelie too. Teacher Fen was the one who inspired me to make this request for little Amelie.

Little Amelie's parents are not sure if Amelie will eventually walk down the path of a transplant. But that option is open to them and the hospital is trying to find a match. Teacher Fen has once offered her baby's cord blood for Char, maybe today someone else will offer their child's cord blood for little Amelie. (The chance of finding a match through cord blood is higher because we don't need a perfect match)

Just maybe...Someone or something will work out a way for Amelie. I have to write this for little Amelie because I feel like this must be the reason we are put in the same room...

Thank you all for your patience in reading this entry today. If anyone of you is offended by my request, I apologise sincerely. Forgive me that I just had to write it out for we never know...

Lastly, please rem to say a prayer for Amelie and do consider cord blood storage carefully!

Love,
Cyn mommy

PS: Char temp took another spike last night 7pm to 38. Please continue to pray that her underlying cause of fever is completely healed and no more fever!!!