You’re right – the world certainly has changed! Emily would have been born a few days before 9/11. I was pregnant with my son who will be 7 in Novemeber and remember thinking what kind of world was i bringing this child into.

Glad to hear she had a happy day – the photos are lovely, thanks for sharing

Happy, happy Birthday Emily and lots more of them to come full of the joy of living. It is so great to be a big seven. Life just has more possibilities! I know that you all know this very well especially considering the last two years.

Just my two cents on the port. Virtually all of our kids with cancer at our hospital have ports or central lines. For the girls with leukemia, the ports stay in at least two and a half years. For the boys with leukemia, the ports stay in at least three and a half years. I have know a few kids in which the ports stay in five to six years (because of relapses or need for ongoing immunoglobulin therapy in some). Two of the children that I can think of right away have had a port for seven years. As long as Emily needs it for infusions and as long as it does not get an infection that means it HAS to come out, let it be. She is big enough, she might do okay with an IV every three weeks now if she had to, but why not let life be a tiny bit easier on her as long as the port is functioning okay and it might for as long as she needs it, I pray.

Each birthday is especially precious when a child has been facing a serious illness. We are all so happy that Emily is doing well and that she is doing so well that she can very slowly wean immunoglobulin infusions. It is our prayer that peace stays with her immune system.

WithHope