"To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight, and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings." - Wendell Berry New life starts in the dark. I read these words Saturday morning (6/16). Before the fever. Before another trip to the ER. Before "code sepsis" would be announced in reference to my child. Before another admission [...]
Slow work of God
50 days in. Day +39 post transplant. God willing, Geoffrey will get to come home to Mama Micah's tomorrow. At this point, this is where he knows home to be. For 50 days, with very little exception, he has remained within the confines of four walls. There is a window to show him when it [...]
A Parade for Mama’s Day
Our week has been filled with setbacks in the form of infections, GVHD, and a nursing strike at UCLA. While the path we trudge is exhausting and the one ahead feels daunting, I am grateful for this moment where our little boy had the strength to get out of bed and the desire to climb [...]
Refuge
refuge - a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble. For the last 31 days, this "airplane bed" has served as a sacred space for us. It has been a place to hide. To rest. To laugh and cry. To play. To pray. Up and down, this bed has traveled with [...]
Day +13
Wednesday, December 13th: Ryan was Day +13 post-transplant. Sharon's cells were beginning to engraft, but it felt more cruel than celebratory. Ryan was in the ICU with multisystem organ failure. His entire body had grown edematous, as his liver enzymes escalated out of control. Dialysis would begin in the afternoon. By evening, intubation was required [...]
Love
Day +11. Geoffrey said these words, "I am not going to get better," as tears streamed down his little face. My reply, as tears flooded down mine: "Pole Geoffrey, but you are going to get better. Geoffrey, I love you so much." Over the past few days, I have said these words on repeat. In moments [...]
Unlearning
Day +6. Our sweet Geoffrey, to this point, has done well. I say that fully aware, at this early stage post-transplant, it is complex medical care and the grace of God that is sustaining Geoffrey's life. Sharon's cells are still finding their way around. They need time to grow and to find their home. We [...]
Two!
Ryan turns 2 today! I cannot begin to describe the love that fills our hearts for this sweet little boy. His life is a miracle and an indescribable gift to our family and to the world. I pray this coming year will be filled with much healing and joy! May there be endless play and [...]
Making space – part 2
There are so many things to love about Geoffrey. I am only beginning to discover them all. Shortly after receiving his sickle cell diagnosis, he was terribly sick and I was holding his little body in a waiting room in Eldoret. I kissed his cheek, and with no hesitation, he lifted his head to kiss [...]
Day 1 of Lent: Making Space
Today is Ash Wednesday. It is also Valentine’s Day. It is a day for a double portion of love and sacrifice. I didn’t grow up in a tradition that recognized the season of Lent, but I find it important to make space in my life to remember the suffering and death of Jesus in order [...]
Juli Mcgowan Boit 