Day 22: Yep, still in the hospital

 "I don't know karate, but I do know 'crazy' ...and I'm not afraid to use it." ~James Brown 

Sorry for the lack of updates, but unless you're especially interested in vomit and diarrhea, I unfortunately haven't had that much to write about. We have been given conflicting reports on what Chelsa's blood counts have been the past couple of days... which is a bit frustrating. First we were told that her counts were up to 360 on Sunday, so while she felt pretty awful all weekend, she was expecting to go home today, but instead was told her numbers had slumped back down to 300. Super discouraging. However, a nurse came in this evening and told us that her numbers had been at 390 and were now 370. ...either way, not the 500 that we've been hoping for.

The good news is that Chelsa has been feeling a lot better today. I was pretty concerned about her this weekend (and was feeling pretty awful myself), her eyes couldn't really focus and most of her time was spent curled in a little ball, so it was great to see her up and causing trouble today. She said she is feeling more like herself, but that also means feeling even more stir-crazy. She is really missing fresh air, home, and normalcy. They took her off from one of the antibiotic drugs today (levaquin), which we take as a good sign. We also think that antibiotic has been a major contributor to her stomach aches and "uppie-chuckies," so hopefully that will begin to get better.  

"I'm really hoping to go home tomorrow."  ~Chelsa (every day for the past two weeks)

She has absolutely LOVED the Q&A letters that folks have sent to Sarah. Thank you to everyone who contributed! ...and for all of the sweet cards, notes, posts, and texts. That has been a huge help when she starts feeling really trapped here. Nights are hard, so gearing up for that now, but we're feeling hopeful for a good report tomorrow. 

I didn't get permission, so hope this is okay, but I just have to share a few highlights from a couple of the notes that we received today...

What do you like most about Chelsa?I love her honesty. If she likes something, she says it. If she doesn't like something, she will… Be very gracious about it. I know I can always trust her to tell the truth. She is so full of love it comes seeping out of her pores.  She is genuinely interested in other people, makes others feel comfortable around her, and makes people just want to be with her.  It's hard to say what I like most about Chelsa, because there really really is so much to like.  Her honesty, Love for truth, and Grace fill her whether she's taking joy in a sweet moment, or even grieving pain.  I love her for letting me share in her moments.

What lord of the rings character do you think Chelsa is most like?Some days she's a humble and adventurous Bilbo, some days she's a commanding Gandalf, but if you cross her she's as tenacious as Smaug. 

If Chelsa could choose a superpower what would it be?In addition to her current ability to silence Matt with just one look... travel through time so all this stupid cancer stuff will be over with? Seriously, if I could choose one for her that's what I would choose.  

What Bible verses on your heart for Chelsa right now?Zephaniah 3:17 ~ "He will rejoice over you with His gladness..."

A good friend also recently started a playlist of sing-alongs at concerts for us... 

I've been thinking about the idea of community this week. As we go through hard times, there is nothing else that can remind us that we're not alone like our chosen communities can. Chelsa Wojo and Matt Wojo are dealing with some stuff many of us could never imagine, but their positivity is amazing and I hope they know they are always in our thoughts. I love when a band can put their egos aside and let the audiences take a song away from them. Songs become our own. Songs are important. They become more than the band that sang them, more than the performance that was happening. In these rare instances the moment of community is exhilarating. I hope you all have some favorite sing-alongs.

Here is a link to that playlist in case you use Spotify and would like to listen and/or contribute a few of your own favorite sing-alongs: https://open.spotify.com/user/1247918027/playlist/1TKYAZHRObukLg7jsJBCwV