Hoping and Praying for a Miracle…..

Hey everyone it has been a while since I have updated this blog so here we go. Things have been going well for Abby she has been married almost 3 years now and they both have been working hard with work and school and enjoying married life. There comes  a time in every married couples life where they feel that desire for more. And by more I mean more to love more to care for and more to live for… a BABY.
For most people it is pretty simple you decide to have a baby and then the fun starts of trying. Well for Abby and Jake it isn't simple with having a baby comes the fear of passing on the disease that almost took her life and her brother Caleb's life and did take the life of our brother Jacob along with other family members.
This has been weighing on her mind and Jake's since they got married. They want nothing more than to start a family. Luckily in this day and age there is a way for them to have a healthy baby but it is very expensive. It is called PGD it is an advanced form of IVF where only healthy non-OTC eggs are fertilized and transferred to the mother to be carried to full term.
Abby and Jake want nothing more than to start a family and it breaks my heart that it has to be so complicated. We as their family would support any decision they make regarding having a baby…. Doing it the natural way and hoping for the best outcome, PGD or adoption. We would love a baby they bring into this world no matter what.
As of now they want to try to go for the PGD so that they can end the cycle of OTC. As I stated before it is very expensive so Jake has set up a go fund me account which I linked in this blog click on the red wording to the right of this post "go fund me miracle baby" to donate.
If you can donate please do any amount helps. If you are not able to please keep this cute couple in your prayers.
We know miracles can happen Abby is our miracle and deserves a little miracle of her own. She will be a wonderful mother and Jake will be a wonderful Dad. Let's help their dreams come true.

3 Years Later.....

So a few days ago I felt very anxious and didn't know why,  I was on the verge of tears all day and my chest was tight. Then I realized 10/10 is a few days away. 10/10/10 was to say the least a day from HELL. It was a day that feels like a dream because I can't imagine that bad of a day being reality. That being said it also was the day that gave Abby a chance of a normal life. Unfortunately it just was a long hard road for all of us but especially Abby.
So even though that day was the worst day of our lives we are blessed because of it. I think we all learned a lot about prayer and faith. We also learned a lot about love and the love of family and friends. We were blessed to have the outpouring of love from so many people who love Abby.
I will never forget the feeling in my chest and gut when the Doctors said I am sorry she is dying. I felt like my life was spinning out of control I felt sick and sad and very MAD.  My siblings and I felt scared and didn't know what to do. Luckily we had other family there as well and one of my Aunts suggested that we sing hymns. We did and the spirit was instantly there and I felt strangely calm. But as the night went on the outcome was looking worse. Caleb our brother gave Abby a blessing and we were all allowed to see her. Which was probably because the doctors were letting us say goodbye. She was no longer the beautiful Abby who we saw earlier that day she was void of color and 2 times her normal size. It was the worst thing I have ever seen. The Doctors and nurses calmly worked on her as my parents held each other in the corner. I remember thinking my parents cannot watch another child die they just can't.
We were now into the early morning of 10/11/13 and she looked like she was gone. Her pupils were fixed and no response to pain or anything. Courtney decided to call my parents bishop even though it was 2 in the morning. He started a phone tree and had the whole ward praying for our sweet Abby. And at 4:00 A.M I was in the bathroom sick to my stomach when a pounding at the door said come quick. I thought she had died and I didn't want to open the door. Then I heard she opened her eyes. I quickly ran out we went to her room and she was responding to her name. It was nothing short of a miracle, she had been without oxygen for far too long and had gone into major organ failure. She should have died according to all medical knowledge. But she didn't she held on and even though it was a long hard journey with many hiccups along the way she made it. I cry just thinking about all the pain she endured and all the set backs that happened. It makes me realize what a strong person my sister Abby is because she did it and I think she did it pretty gracefully.
I would never wish what our family has been through on anybody. But part of me knows it made us stronger. I love my family so much and know I would be lost without them.
So here we are 3 years later and our family is so blessed! Abby was married to her sweetheart prince charming Jake in May of 2012. They have a sweet pup named Joe. Abby is working on prerequisites for the Nursing program at SLCC and Jake is in school also. They both work at ARUP and seem to enjoy it.
Even though the memories of 10/10/10 leave me feeling nauseated and anxious. I am also very grateful for all the doctors and nurses who didn't give up. For all the prayers and fasting done on Abby's behalf and for the family of the liver donor who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
I love you Abby Jean and so glad you are here with us! Miracles do happen!

Happily Ever After at last.....

SO it has been a while since I have posted anything mostly because I was waiting for this moment to post a happy ending to our long roller coaster of a story. So first of all Abby's health has been good she has been just getting stronger every day and is back to work and working full time again. She is back to her normal self she is goofy and fun and cares about everyone. She had a few issues with her Potassium levels being kind of high but they are getting that figured out and it isn't anything serious now. She has no drains and no PICC lines she is device free. She looks absolutely beautiful and her hair is back and she looks so cute with her short sassy hair cut.
So in past posts I mentioned her prince charming who was by her side this whole time. Jake has been our prince and Abby's prince. He came home from his Mission 2 weeks after her transplant and has been by her side ever since he visitied at the hospital every chance he got. And he kept her spirits up even when things got tough. He sat with her the whole night when our brother got married and we all had to be at the wedding and he kept her company on that hard night. He was there for all of the ups and downs and stayed strong for her. When she was at her worst in the SICU and was barely responsive the only name she would respond to was his name. And the day he came home from his mission he came to the hospital and she responded to him when he walked in. It was the most alert she was since the surgery, so we knew she was waiting for him. She held on for him and because of him she is alive today. We feel so lucky that she has Jake they make a perfect couple.
So for the best news of all they are ENGAGED!!! Jake had such a cute plan and made us all a part of it which made it so special for the all of us. He had collected pictures of Abby from baby pics to recent ones. Then he made video and in the video he was playing the guitar and singing their song. A Keith Urban song Always on My Mind. But before he showed his video he had his little sister blind fold her at the door while we all hid inside his house. He then had me take her by the hand and tell her my favorite memory of her as we walked around and I held her hand. Then I passed her on to Courtney, then Caleb then Jake's parents then our Mom then my dad finished and sat her infront of the TV and started the video. Then when the video was over Jake got down on his knee and asked her to marry him. The ring is beautiful and they are both so happy to be engaged. And we couldn't be happier. We have had a hell of a ride the past 11 months and it has felt like a make believe story with the ups and downs and crazy things happening. We fought our dragons and had our knights and our prince and now we have our fairy tale ending. Happily ever after is all they deserve from here on out. We love Abby and Jake so much and wish them nothing but the best! Here is to happy endings and thanks to all who have had a hand in the happy ending!

Just a little update....

So things have been pretty good for Abby Jean. It feels good to say that it actually brings tears to my eyes. Abby has gotten so strong she is amazing, we even walked around Temple Square last weekend and she was in very high heels. It seems like something small but to see her doing normal things again is huge!

She had her pancreatic stint out and all is well with that no leaking which is great. So the drain came out last week. Abby got a nasty cold last week but is getting better every day.

She had to reapply for her job because her FMLA ran out. So she is having an interview tomorrow, she is so ready to go back to work and have a normal life again.

Abby still has to be on the antiviral because she still has a little bit of detectable virus, so they want to play it safe. Hopefully her next blood test will show no virus. Then the PICC line can come out.

So things are finally good in the Fullmer family life seems normal again (knock on wood.) We joked that at least Abby slept through winter and now she can enjoy Summer to its fullest.

We are so very thankful for this chance we have to be a family and to have fun with each other again.

So enjoy your loved ones laugh a lot and don't sweat the small stuff. Family is a special gift and I got a great one!!

Great things are happening.....

Sorry for the break from blogging, I wanted to post an amazing update again and by waiting I am getting to do that... So Abby came home from the hospital on the 12th and things have been pretty dang good. She has still had to be on antibiotics and an anti-viral through her picc line but she is handling the meds well. They make her feel a little yucky but she seems good. The 14th was her Birthday and we celebrated like we always do. But this time is was more special because there was a time in the last 6 months when we didn't know if Abby would have another birthday and she did and it was great. We had a little party with some family and friends she god a lot of great gifts and hugs from people who love her. She even got tickets to a Kenney Chesney concert from her Jake. She was so excited she hit him, it was funny. The concert is in July so she should be good as new for the concert.
Her viral load went up a little so she had to increase the medicine a bit, but now the load is non-detectable as of Wednesday. So we are happy about that, they are going to keep her on treatment doses of the med for another week just to make sure. Also she found out that they will be taking her pancreatic stint out on Friday, if that goes well and there is no more leaking or bleeding they will take out her drains.
May 7th is the last day of her antibiotics so after that the picc line will be removed. And if I dare say it she will be free from all medical "stuff" in her body. This is huge for Abby she has had some sort of line or drain in her body for almost 7 months. She is excited to be able to take a bath again. We might not be able to get her out once she gets in, she has been dying to take a bath especially the days where she is achy.
She did have a skin infection the last couple weeks but that has been resolved so that is good. She is still on blood thinners and will most likely will be on them for a couple more months just in case. But they will take her off the blood thinners for a few days for procedures that she is having on Friday.
Easter Sunday was a great day for Abby, she was able to attend church for the first time in over 6 months. She looked GORGEOUS, she had a new Easter outfit and a cute hat. My mom, Courtney, my daughter and I all wore hats as well which was fun for Easter. My dad spoke in church that day and did an amazing job. It was great to be in there ward and for Abby to see the people who have prayed and fasted for her a lot.
Abby is getting so strong and even she can see a difference. She can get around without help now even up and down the stairs. She gets ready and everything by herself now. She is amazing and amazes us all daily. She also has been driving her car again the last few days. Which is awesome to see her do again and her car is manual so it takes some effort to drive. She also went on a date last week and she really enjoyed that. I think it gives her more motivation to get better and stronger and she is doing it.
We all feel very blessed Abby has had a LONG road and a lot of ups and downs. But now the downs are getting fewer and the ups are hanging around. Abby is such a strong girl and anyone who has seen her lately knows that. She went from being sick in bed to getting around and being beautiful as ever. She is even eating better and keeping food down as well. Hopefully she will just continue to improve more and we know once she gets off all the antibiotics she will feel much better.
Thanks for the continued prayers and thoughts on Abby's behalf we couldn't have done it without all of you. She is alive and well!

Well we thought we were done....

So last time I posted it was all happy news I wish I could say the same today. Last week Abby had to cut her trip short because of a very high fever. They came home and went straight to the hospital. She was admitted AGAIN and they ran tests. They found that she was dehydrated and that could be a cause of the fever and she also had a picc line that could have an infection. So they thought they would pull the line and see what happened. Well the line site was hurting a lot so they did a scan and found multiple blood clots in the vein around the line. This was very frustrating, so they had to decide what to do. They started her on blood thinners and tested for infection. They found that she had an infection in her blood from the line. And most likely was caused from the clots. So they started her on a couple of IV antibiotics and an oral one as well. They also found out that the CMV virus was NOT gone like they thought it was. The blood test was wrong, so they had to increase her dose of the nasty antiviral.

So most of that was last Friday so Abby and my parents were pretty down. Abby just is sick of being sick. She hates that she has lost her hair and that her skin is so dry and peeling. She is still beautiful but she doesn't see it.

Today things were a little better, her blood infection seems to be gone. But they will keep her on antibiotics for a month to be on the safe side. Her viral load is way down it was 3.5 last week and today it is under 1. So they were able to cut her dose in half of that nasty med. Her pancreas doesn't seem to be leaking anymore but they can't pull the stint out while she is on blood thinners. So once she is off of the blood thinners they will pull the stint out and watch the drains for a few days or so and if it seems like all is good they will pull the drains.

So the plan is for her to go home tomorrow, that doesn't mean she is all better. She just isn't sick enough to be in the hospital which is great. But she still feels pretty sick and it is a lot of work for my parents at home. This has been a long road for Abby and she just needs this to be over. The complications that is. I hope that this is the last of the complications, this poor girl deserves a break. As of yesterday it has been 6 months, that is too long for anyone to be so sick. I have complete faith that she will make a full recovery but it will take a long time.

My parent's have been by Abby's side this whole time and we try to help when we can. But the most of the burden has been on them. Now that she is going home my parent's realize they can't do it on their own anymore. If any friends and family out there would like to help we would love it. All we are asking is for people to take a few hours each week and just come and be there. So my parent's can run errands and so Abby can have different people around. It will help in her healing process as well. So if you are able and can maybe take a few hours out of your week, please let us know. No medical care is needed just someone to encourage her to eat and drink and walk around and just to lift her spirits. And to give my parent's a break. If you are interested in helping please email me ls.jess@hotmail.com.

Abby has been through so much and she has done it gracefully. I hope that the end is in site, right now she is still doing pretty well. Her labs look good and her organs are functioning like they should. So we know she can do this. But she needs our help to raise her up and keep her going. She has been blessed with some great friends and family who have been there this whole 6 months. So to all who have been there thank you so much. I especially want to give Jake a shout out. You have been great and I truly believe you have been an important part in her healing. So for that I am truly grateful!

Abby your beautiful your hair and skin will get better with time I promise. But either way you are still so beautiful and everyone thinks so. Just keep getting better you have a lot to live for. You are the strongest girl I know, I am amazed by you!

Next post will be all good again I just know it! Thanks again for all the prayers!!

IT'S ABOUT TIME......

So this has been a LONG journey for Abby Jean but we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. So in the past week we have had nothing but good news which is a first throughout this whole journey. Wednesday Abby had her clinic appointment and found out that her viral load was ZERO which was completely unexpected. It had only been dropping by like .7 each week, the week before it was 4.6 and now it is zero. A true miracle for sure. Then yesterday Abby called to inform me that her results came back from her stomach drain. Well her pancreas has been leaking for almost 6 months and now the results show that there is very little pancreatic enzymes in the fluid. Which means it isn't leaking anymore!! She will have a CT scan soon to see how big the fluid collection still is, if it is about gone they will pull the drains out.

This is it, the news we have been waiting for! For 6 months it has been ups and downs and worry and tears. But now the tears are happy tears, she is getting better she really is! Her liver is great her kidney is great, her pancreas is better, her virus and pneumonia are gone, and her white count is great. She is even keeping food down now as well and has a little bit of an appetite again. She still has to stay on the antiviral for another week so she will still have side effects from that. Which are no fun it makes her hair fall out and her skin peel. But that will be over with soon enough. She still needs to build her strength back as well, it takes everything she has just to get up a few stairs. But she will get there we know she will!

Really this is the healthiest she has been in 6 months and we couldn't be happier. Life is good in the Fullmer family again. She is even celebrating by going on a little vacation with my parents this week.

We are so blessed and want to thank everyone for the prayers, fasting and thoughts on Abby's behalf. She is our miracle for sure who would of thought that we would have so many in this family.

Way to get better Abby!!