Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good. His mercy endures forever!

It has been exactly a year since this journey began for Lauren. She had just celebrated her 11th birthday on a Friday and was diagnosed with cancer that Monday. We are happy to report that Lauren was successfully treated at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and her cancer is now in remission.

Lauren had a rare form of pediatric cancer, undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma, and it was in her liver. There were no known cases in the United States, so they had to rely on information from other parts of the world to determine how to go about treating it. The plan was to shrink the tumor with chemotherapy, then remove it surgically. Lauren had her first chemo treatment on August 5, 2005, and the battle for her life began. She was very sick initially, confined to a wheelchair and unable to eat at all. After several weeks and a 10-pound weight loss, she had to have a feeding tube inserted in her nose. She was fed this way every night for two full months, and finally regained her weight and strength. She had to be hospitalized every three weeks for the chemotherapy treatments, and was hospitalized again every weekend after the treatments because of the side effects.

Needless to say, our home became the ninth floor at M. D. Anderson, or the 10th floor at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. She would have one good week of recovery, then it was back to Houston for more chemotherapy. We did this from August 5 to October 26, 2005. When it was determined she was ready for surgery, the date was set for November 3, 2005. The prayers for Lauren had been ongoing since she was first diagnosed, but they were taken to another level on the day of surgery. So many people were fasting and praying for Lauren, it was unbelievable – people who did not know her but had heard of her through family and friends, her classmates and, of course, all of you.

Lauren really felt the presence of angels that day because that morning while being prepared for surgery, she had an amazing peace about her. She never cried or asked questions; she simply rested. She was in surgery about six hours before we finally heard from the surgeon, "We believe we got it all." What a celebration! Lauren was in Houston for two weeks recovering from the surgery. It was during those two weeks that we were told she would need an additional six months of chemotherapy. We were allowed to go home and enjoy our Thanksgiving holiday, but resumed our previous treatment schedule on December 2, 2005. We were back and forth to Houston every three weeks again. However, this time, the tumor was gone, Lauren was getting healthier and she tolerated the chemotherapy much better. It was still tough on her, but she did not have the additional hospital stays when she returned to Dallas as before. She would often need blood transfusions and be limited to staying home for chemotherapy recovery, but we would call that our "Blockbuster weekend" and get comfy. We thought it would never end and before we knew it, spring was here, school was almost over and chemotherapy was finished.

Lauren had her last treatment on May 18, 2005, (Hallelujah!) and was sent home to enjoy her summer. The staff at M. D. Anderson will follow her through her 18th birthday. She will go back every three months for a while for checkups, then every six months and then once a year. Through it all, Lauren was always motivated by school, dance and cheerleading – her favorite pastimes. She was able to cheer for several football and basketball games, she resumed dancing in January and participated in the end-of-the-year recital. She completed the sixth grade, making the A honor roll the entire year. She got numerous awards from her school, including an award created especially for her called the "Ruth Award." It was derived from Ruth in the Bible, who suffered many hardships but never lost faith in God. That was Lauren. Her principal made the comment that God is the same God we served yesterday, today and always. He is still in the business of healing and performing miracles, if you just believe. We certainly do.