8:30 p.m.

Mallory had labs today and it just amazes me how quick things can change.  Her kidney numbers were a little better, however he liver numbers have gone up, two of them.  So, as expected we received a call from the liver team late this afternoon.  Todd wants to do labs again on Wednesday at clinic instead of waiting until Thursday, he is also ordering an ultrasound to be done before clinic.  So, we will know more on Wednesday after the labs and ultrasound and our clinic visit and will update as soon as we can.  She has been having some pain off and on so I am not sure if this has anything to do with the numbers or not.  Please say a special prayer that all the news on Wednesday is good!! Thanks for checking on us and good night.

9:35 p.m.

Happy 5 Month Anniversary Mal and Izzie!!!

Today had been a rainy lazy day.  Not too much going on around here, Mike and I did some more work in the dining room and we are almost done, I will be so glad to be finished with this project!!  Mal has just been watching tv and taking it easy today.  She has eaten really good today, which is great!  I forgot to mention in my post last night that she went to the High School yesterday to visit some of her former teachers, they were so happy to see her and I think Mal really enjoyed being there.  She did not get to stop by and see everyone as she got tired so maybe she will come again soon.  Labs tomorrow so please pray for good numbers.  Have a good evening and God Bless You All!!!  Lisa

8:35 p.m.

The last two days have been good days.  Mallory is feeling okay just tired.  She has started on the new medicine and we think it might be working, she has eaten very good today.  The feeds are going good and she seems to be tolerating them well.  Michael came over today and spent a few hours with us, Mal cooked dinner, her famous lasagna and it was great.  We are just hanging out around the house taking it easy and enjoying the nice weather.  Labs again on Monday.  Speaking of Michael, he volunteered on Friday at his EMT class to be shot with a Tazer gun, I don"t think he will do that again!  He did earn some respect from his fellow firefighters but he also admitted it HURT!!  I told him he is crazy.  Well, thanks for checking on us and have a good night.  Lisa

10:31 p.m.

Happy Valentine"s Day Everyone!!!!  Wow, we have received 2,020 entries to the guestbook, this site has been up since 8/31/07, so Mal has had that many notes in less than 6 months.  That is AWESOME, thank you!!

Mal had labs done today, her liver is still doing great.  Her kidney numbers are still high, one of them went down slightly and one of them went up again.  Hopefully, with the feeds going again these numbers will start to improve very soon.  Dr.Romero did put Mal on a new medicine yesterday, it is to help increase her appetite and maybe help decrease the number of headaches she is having.  Mallory is very upset about this feeding tube and absolutely hates it!!  Please pray for her in regards to this tube and for her kidneys to improve.  Thanks to everyone for leaving a note when you stop by, it is nice to see who is checking on Mal.  Lisa

Hey, it"s Mallory.

Today wasn"t a very great day. Momma has been sick all day! Plesae pray that she gets better! Daddy took me to clinic today. I had lost a little weight, and because of that and my kidney numbers were really high, Dr Heffron decided to put the feeding tube back in. It wasn"t the best news i"d heard, and it took a while to get it down. So we are going to keep doing tube feeds at night and hopefully it will come out again soon. I have labs tomorrow, so hopefully my creat and bun will go down! (kidney numbers)

Mallory

6:30 p.m.

Sorry I did not update everyone last night but I just got busy and forgot.  Yesterday was better so Mal and I did go to the mall for a short time and had a good time.  Last night the headache came back and it took a long time for us to get rid of it.  We have an appointment with the neurologist on the 21st so we are hoping they can put her back on topomax to help prevent these headaches.  She did have labs done today, her liver numbers are great but her kidney numbers were not.  One stayed about the same and one went up again.  We had call from Jill (Transplant Cooridator) and were told to reduce her progragf again, so now she will be taking 1 mg twice a day.  I am still not sure what is up with the kidneys!  Her blood counts had gone down a bit too but nothing drastic.  Clinic is Wednesday so we are hoping to know more then.  She is doing a great job with the Ensures and keeping her weight up.  Thanks for checking on us and please continue to pray for Mal!  Lisa

11:00 p.m.

Hello everyone.  I wanted to ask everyone to say a special prayer for Mal, she has not had a good day at all today.  She has been fighting a headache all day.  I ended up calling the liver team to see if I could give her an Imitrex and was told it was okay.  Not long after taking the pill she felt better but then started feeling bad again.  She is having a hard time getting rid of this headache, she has also been throwing up today.  Mike and I went to Greg and Dana"s (friends) for dinner tonight and had a great meal, Thanks guys!!  Michael stayed here with Mal, she threw up a few more times tonight so I instructed Michael over the phone how to get a bag of fluids going in her picc line.  Maybe part of the problem is dehydration so we decided to get fluids in her, watch her overnight and if she is not better tomorrow we will call Todd.  As you now one day can be great and the next one not, one day at a time.  Mal and I have planned to go to the mall tomorrow so we will just wait and see how she is feeling, I will keep you posted.  Thanks and good night.

11:10 p.m.

The last two days have been very good for Mal.  Yesterday she had labs done and they were great!!  One of her kidney numbers stayed the same and one went down, very good news!!  Her liver numbers are still great.  She has been playing Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution to help pass time and is getting quit good at both.  Yesterday she did have a visit from Farid and today she went over to his house, she even drove herself.  Michael picked her up tonight and they went to dinner and to see a movie.  It is so nice to see her feeling so well and able to get out and enjoy life again.  Thank you so much for checking on us and for continuing to pray for her.  Lisa

Hey, this is Mallory. Today we had clinic, and it went very well. The team was pleased to discover that i had maintained my weight since the pulling of the tube! I was told to stop taking the valcyte because CMV was negative again! Also, Todd removed some of the remaining stitches that were poking out from my incision, and i am happy to have them gone! I have been getting headaches alot lately, so we are going to follow up with the neurologist i saw before. Last year, i was taking topamax for my headaches, but i was taken off of it when i got really sick again. Another issue is still my kidneys. They just don"t want to hold in all of the water I am giving them.. it would be nice if they"d help me out a little bit, im already drinking plenty of h2o! Todd told us that they have the same problem with most of their teenage transplant recipients, so all i can do is drink more if i can! I guess thats about all that is going on. Thanks for checking on me!

Mal

9:30 p.m.

So, yesterday was a good day, Michael picked Mal up and they went to see a movie.  Michael is such a good big brother and always makes time to spend with Mallory.  Mal had labs this morning, one of her kidney numbers remained the same and one went up a little bit.  Both numbers are still too high, I am not sure what all this means so we will just wait and see what the doctors have to say.  Her blood pressure was better this morning so maybe this means the patch is working.  Mal is tired today and not feeling great.  She is having some pain in her left side so has taken some pain medicine, please say an extra prayer for her tonight.  Thanks for checking on us.  Lisa

10:30 p.m.

Well, Friday and today have been good days.  Mal actually slept good last night for the first time in a long time.  She is doing a great job meeting her goal of drinking the water and ensure.  She did start wearing a blood pressure patch last night and this morning her blood pressure was better than it had been.  Last night we went to dinner and Mal drove us to the restaurant and back home, she did a great job.  Today has been a busy day for her, her friend Ben was home for the weekend, he picked her up and they went to lunch.  Then later this afternoon Farid picked her up and they went out for ice cream.  And, now tonight she is at Starbucks with her friend Cody.  It is so good to see her feeling well enough to get out and about with her friends.  Oh yeah, I finally have some news on the Team Mal shirts, if you ordered with our first order and did not get your shirt or if you ordered with our second order we will have them soon.  We finally worked out everything with the shirt company and should have them within the next two weeks, I will notify everyone as soon as we get them in.  Thanks for checking on Mal and have a good Sunday.  Lisa 

10:00 p.m.

Mal had a good day today.  She did have labs done today, her kidney numbers went up again and I am not sure why. No calls today from the docs about the high kidney numbers so I guess we will just wait and see what the labs look like on Monday.  Her blood pressure was very high yesterday at clinic, it was also very high this morning and again around lunch time.  I contacted the liver team and they have decided to put her back on the patch to help control this.  Tomorrow a prescription will be called in and we will start her on this again.  We will continue to check her blood pressure every morning. We have pretty much learned to take things one day at a time.  I must say Mal looked adorable today, she put together a very cute outfit, maybe I will post a picture this weekend.  Thanks for the notes and prayers.  Lisa 

8:45 p.m.

Oh Happy Day Oh Happy Day!!!!  Feeding tube is out!!!  We went to clinic today and it was a great visit.  Mal has maintained her weight, so the feeding tube has been removed.  She is to drink 4 Ensure"s a day and at least 4 bottles of water a day, no IV fluids right now either.  Please say a prayer that she can drink the Ensure and water so the feeding tube stays out and we can stay off IV fluids.  She will need to stay hydrated and continue to maintain her weight.  She will be trying very hard to do this and feels very confident about it.  Dr. Romero told her that if she is not able to do it and they need to put the tube back in that this does not mean she has failed it just means it was a little too soon.  However, SHE CAN DO IT!!  Also, her CMV was negative this week, so the one pill a day for the last week has helped get rid of the virus again.  It appears her kidneys are okay, they will continue to monitor her with labs two times a week and we will go back to Egleston next week for clinic.  She looks really good and everyone was so happy with how much better she looks just since last weeks visit.  On the way home we stopped by Town Center and walked around for a little bit then met Michael at Outback for dinner, we had to celebrate!!!  Michael was looking handsome in his uniform, and we even got a discount!!  We are so happy with all our good news.  On another note, the hospital needs wheelchairs, we know from experience, so we bought 3 and a coworker of mine bought 1, Thanks Ryland, we delivered them today.  We bought them specifically for the transplant unit so once the engineering department stencils the lettering on the back of the chairs they will be delivered to the unit.  It was such a good feeling to help out the place that has helped us so much!!!  Well, thanks for all the prayers and please keep them going.  Oh yeah, labs again tomorrow  Good night.  Lisa

9:00 p.m.

So, today was a good day for Mal.  She had labs done this morning and her numbers continue to look good.  So far the tests on her kidneys have come back good too, so we are still unsure what is going on with her kidneys.  We will go to clinic on Wednesday so maybe they will have more answers.  We went to see 27 Dresses tonight and it was so good, if you have not seen it yet I would definitely recommend it.  Please say a prayer for a beautiful little girl Kennedy Grace, she is fighting ALL (a form of leukemia) we just met her and her family a few weeks ago and she has touched our hearts.  She is going through chemo now and has a ways to go on her journey.  God Bless and thanks for checking on Mal.  Lisa

Hi it"s Mal. Today was good. I didn"t feel great this morning, Ive been getting headaches, but i feel better tonight. Weve just been hanging around the house today. I have labs tomorrow, and will be getting additional tests on my kidneys so we"ll see! Munchkin got a new sweater today and her leg is bum. she has a dressing on it so she doesnt feel great =[.

Oh and last night i couldnt sleep because i had SLOW RIDE stuck in my head thanks to guitar hero and i was seeing arrows everywhere thanks to ddr.

Check Ya Latahh

Mal

9:00 p.m.

So yesterday and today have been good days for Mallory.  She had ordered Dance Dance Revolution for her Wii and it came yesterday, she is definitely getting her workout.  It really is a lot of fun to play but I must say I am not very good at it.  Michael came over last night and Mal cooked dinner for the two of them, they played Wii and Michael brought over his Playstation 2 and they played Guitar Hero.  Mike and I went to see the new Rambo movie, I must say Sylvester Stallone still looks great even at his age.  The movie was good but VERY gory!!!  Today Michael went to the mall and came across Guitar Hero for Wii so of course we have it now!!  Looks like Mal has alot to keep her busy over the next few days.  She seems to be feeling pretty good these days, we should know more about her kidney issues at the beginning of the week.  Please pray the tests are all okay and this will be a simple issue.   Thanks for checking on Mal and have a good evening!!  Lisa

Hi it"s Mal!

So today was good, I stayed home today and i played super mario galaxy but unfortuneatley after i died 5 times i gave up. Tonight I went over to my friend Claire"s house and had dinner with her family and played guitar hero! It was alot of fun, she is so sweet and so is her family! We got labs done today . My liver numbers are good. My white blood count is low but we think it is because of the cytomegalovirus (CMV.) Also, my kidney numbers are still kind of high, but we"ll know more once i get more tests done. Oh yeah and my shoes came in today, they are cute. Im hoping my DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION comes in tomorrow so that i can start playing that and start getting in shape!!!

Anyways, momma is making cookies, because i really wanted cookies!

That"s All!

Mallory

8:30 p.m.

So, today was our clinic visit at Egleston.  Izzie is still doing great and everyone thought Mal looks great.  She did gain another pound, this puts her that much closer to getting the feeding tube out.  A concern is her dehydration issue, it is possible that her kidneys are not doing exactly what they need to be doing.  Mal will have additional test done on Monday, if a problem is found we will be referred to Dr. Greenbaum, he treated her when her kidneys shut down back in September.  Her CMV came back low positive for the third week in a row so we have started back on a low dose of the medicine used to treat this.  Todd cut out some "yucky stuff" from the small opening of her incision, hopefully this will help it heal and close quicker.  So, as you can see we need some special prayers for Mal, first of all for George and Alex (her kidneys) to be okay and for the CMV to go away again and stay gone.  Labs again tomorrow.  Thanks for checking on us!!!  Destin, we love you and are praying for you.  Preston, we are proud of you and praying for you too.  You two are making your families very proud!!!!  Lisa

9:30 P.M.

We did get the results from labs done yesterday, everything looks good, one kidney number is a little elevated, not sure why.  We will go to clinic tomorrow and visit with the docs at Egleston.  Mal has not felt great today, we will discuss her "pains" tomorrow at clinic and hope to find some answers.  Last night was a crazy nite, Mal woke up around 4:00 to a puddle of feeds on the floor in her room, we think maybe she forgot to hook it back up after getting up to go to the bathroom.  After getting them cleaned up and going again the feeding pump kept giving us a flow error.  I ended up needing to change the feeding bag out and that corrected the issue.  Very weird.  Michael went to the doctor and has a sinus infection, Michael we love you and hope you feel better!!  Of course, I met him after work at the doctor, made sure he got all the meds he needed and sent him home, I must say I would rather him be here so I can take care of him but he wanted to go home to his own bed.  It is hard to let go!!  Thanks for checking on Mal and please keep those prayers going.  Lisa

So my mom did the update earlier (see below) but she left out the coolest thing that happened today!

where my incision comes together it"s open, and theres a HUGE glob of stitches that i"ve been patiently waiting for it to dissolve and fall out, and tonight it finally came out! thats a big step woo hoo!!!! hi five for me.

anyways..see the other entry for today too~

9:30 p.m.

Today was a good day, Mal had labs but because the transplant clinic was closed we were not able to get the results, I hope to have them in the morning.  Mal has felt pretty good, we are still doing extra fluids and are hoping this can be decreased soon.  Michael took her to the mall today and she bought a new pair of sunglasses.  I took Munchkin to the vet today for her shots so she is sleeping alot tonight, she did get a pretty new collar for being such a good girl (Munchkin not Mal!!  haha).  Please pray for Destin and his friend Preston, they are at boot camp in Fort Benning, we can write now as we have an address for them.  Oh yeah, I made turkey and dressing today and it was a big hit with the family.  Thanks for checking on us and God Bless!!!  Lisa

Hello All

Today was okay. I (mal) spent alot of the day playing wii and watching tv. Tonight I did some online shopping, i got a new pair of shoes and ddr for wii. woooo! Im very excited about DDR!! We"re watchhing football. Labs  and Picc dressing change in the morning..yuck.

thats about it...nothing exciting happening.

mal

11:00 p.m.

Mal had a good day today, we just hung out here at the house.  Michael came over and we had some chili.  We did get snow but not alot, it was so pretty coming down.  Mal finished the scrub pants she was making for Michael and they turned out great.  The temperature is suppose to get very low tonight so we will kick up the heat and try to stay warm.  Tomorrow we will watch some football and see who makes it to the Super Bowl.  Have a good night and thanks for checking on us.  Lisa

10:30 p.m.

TGIF, well I made it through my first week back at work and boy am I tired.  I guess it will take a few weeks to get back in the swing of things!!!  I am so thankful for the wonderful folks at Georgian Bank and happy to be a part of their family.  Mal had a good day, alittle tired to start off but feeling great tonight.  Abby picked her up around 5:30 this evening and they went to see the new movie 27 Dresses then to dinner at OCharleys.  The two of them had a great time together and Abby is still here hanging out with Mallory.  Mal and Abby have been friends for a long time and we just love her so much. Thank you Abby for your friendship and all the prayers for Mal, you are a great friend.  Looks like snow is headed to Kennesaw, maybe enough to build a snowman!!!  Have a good night and thanks for all the prayers!!  Lisa

9:45 p.m.

Another good day for Miss Mallory.  She did have labs done and her numbers look very good.   Her prograf level was low so I suspect if it is low again on Monday then her medicine dose will be increased.  Thanks for continuing to check on Mallory and for all the prayers that are still going up for her.  Thanks to Aunt Dot for the cell phones you recently sent.  Have a good Friday and stay warm.  Lisa

9:30 p.m.

So, today was a great day for Mal.  We went to clinic and had a very good report.  She was taken off her blood pressure medicine, off the zyvox her least favorite to take that was for a bacteria infection she had and she had been on it for a VERY long time, another med was decreased and she will be off it by next week.  Her CMV is still negative and she had gained a little over a pound.  We will still do fluids and feeds and she is still working toward her goal of no feeding tube!!!!  She will have labs again tomorrow and we will go to clinic again next week.  She and I went to Target on our way home and picked up a few things, we had some snow and it was absolutely beautiful!!!!  I went to the tag office and got Michael a tag for his truck, a special tag that is, an official Firefighter tag!  We are SO proud of him, he is a fine young man, we love you Michael!!!  Thanks for checking in and have a good night.  Lisa

9:30 p.m.

Well, I am back doing the update tonight, I know mine are not as funny as Mal"s, everyone loves to hear from her and she always makes us smile.  Mal had a very good day today and I must say she looks very good. After work I went to a team building night with my coworkers from the Bank, I had a very nice time and enjoyed socializing with everyone.  Mal cooked dinner for her and her dad, chicken alfredo I believe.  She is beginning to get bored so that is a good sign that she is getting better.  We will go to clinic tomorrow and are praying for a good report!!  Thanks for checking Mal and have a good night.  Lisa

Hi!

This is Mallory... Whazzzuupp?Today"s been a good day, I stayed home, and my mom went to work! She had a good day at work, and I did great at home. It was a good day and tonight was fun, we went out to dinner. Uhhhh we do have a problem though, we have  no good food at our house to eat, so lunchtime was like woah totally uncool. Oh yeah i had labs done today and my bloodwork looks really good. They increased my prograf to 2 and made sure my vitamin had iron in it but i have to say the flintstones i was taking DIDNT but luckily we had some in reserve.

Uhhhh that"s all i have to say about that.

Mallory and Izzie. (R.I.P. Doug)

9:30 p.m.

Mallory had a good day again today, not much went on we just hung out around the house and watched some tv.  I will return to work tomorrow, I have mixed feelings about going back.  I miss everyone at the bank and look forward to being back but at the same time I am nervous about leaving Mal. She and I have been together pretty much 24 hours a day 7 days a week for almost 6 months so this will definitely be an adjustment.  Mike will be here during the day with her so she will be in good hands!!  She will have labs in the morning and we will go to clinic on Wednesday.  Thanks for checking on us and good night.  Lisa

10:15 p.m.

Mallory had a good day today, she and I went to the outlet stores and did a little shopping and had a nice time.  Tonight she went to dinner with Farid and had a nice time as well.  She has felt pretty good today and is still up searching the net and we are watching the football game.  Our favorite team, Seahawks, lost today, bummer!!  Kim heard from Destin today and he is doing good, she said he sounded good and upbeat!!  Michael is not feeling well and has a cold or something so please say a special prayer for him.  Well, gotta go, meds to give, IV"s to do and feeds to get started.  Have a good Sunday.  Lisa

10:00 p.m.

Today was a good day for Mallory, she just sat around watching tv and taking it easy.  Her labs from yesterday were very good except her kidney numbers were a little elevated which indicates that she is dehydrated.  Jill called from Dr. Heffron"s office to tell us that we need to increase the IV fluids, so we will go from 1 liter to 3 liters per day.  This will mean Mal will be connected to the IV pole 7.5 hours per day instead of just 2.5 hours, so we will come up with some kind of schedule.  She has another headache tonight, we think it might be caused from the prevacid that she has been put back on for heartburn so I think we will skip it tomorrow night and see if she still gets the headache.  We want to say good luck to McKenna, she will sing with 3 other girls tomorrow night at the Thrashers Game, we just know you will do a great job and we are proud of you!!!  Well, thanks for checking on us and Good night!! Lisa

10:30 p.m.

Hey Team Mal readers, it"s Mallory here. Today was a good day. I woke up and got ready and then went to the movie with my mother. She wanted to see enchanted and I went with her because it"s the best movie ever! And then when we got home we rested a while and then went off again. We went to the KSU basketball game because there was some fundraising going on by Georgian Bank for CHOA! yay! Fundraising for CHOA makes me happy. So then we left because we had to get home for GREYS ANATOMY! I wish Meredith would get over her weirdness and just COMMIT! If she doesn"t want to live in a big house wih McDreamy... I SURE WILL!! hehehe. Im not kidding. Dr. Derek Shepherd if you read team mal, give me a call and i will move to Seattle and live with you and work at Seattle Grace, im sure I could have fun there!

So  im back in the real world.. I got a little carried away up there. But for real! AH! Anyways I am angry because my Cippro pills didnt come in the mail today so i had to drink the nasty liquid again!!! I mean come on send my medicine to me!! P.S. for anyone out there who has nasty medicine liquids to swallow here"s how to do it. Drink it and then IMMEDIATELY chase it with a pixy stick. Just pour it right on your tongue, it works great.

Oh in other news, besides my offer to Dr Shepherd, i have another TV husband. He"s in a commercial for.. bank america? maybe but he’s walking down the road and the bike is following him. He just looks so nice. I havent seen him in a while.

Last night i drew/oil pasteled a dino/dragon on clouds in Egypt. If you want to buy it, it’s going to the highest bidder. Limited time offer so call now. If you call in the next ten minutes you get a free gift.

 OKAY so now that you can all see that I’ve lost my mind.. i will end this entry by saying that i am doing good, and i appreciate everyone!!!!

Mallory

10:15 p.m.

So, clinic went very good today.  Mal has been put back on the blood pressure medicine because she has been running high the last few days.  We will take her blood pressure each morning and give the medicine if it is too high.  We will go back to clinic next Wednesday and Mal will have labs again tomorrow.  She did go to bed last night with a bad headache and had it when she woke up this morning, it finally went away around noon or so.  We think she is having these headaches because she has been weaned off methadone and could be having some withdrawal type symptoms, so we will watch this closely over the next couple of days.  Mal had a good day today and has been feeling very good.  She and I will go to a movie tomorrow to see Enchanted, she has seen it but wants to see it again and I have yet to see it.  Also, we will go to the basketball game at KSU tomorrow night for a special fundraiser they are doing for Children"s Healthcare of Atlanta, they will tell her story and introduce her to the crowd.  Well, thanks for checking on us.  Lisa

9:45 p.m.

Mallory had a very good day!!  She and I went to lunch then to Target, Hibbitts, Kohls and to get our eyebrows waxed!  We had a good time together.  We came home and watched a movie, The Devil Wears Prada, we both liked it and would recommend it for your viewing.  We have done the meds for the night, the IV is going and the feeds will start soon.  Denia called from the transplant clinic today to tell us to reduce Mal"s prograf to 1 MG twice a day, so her level must have still been too high.  We were also told that her labs will be done twice a week now (Monday and Thursday) instead of 3 times a week, this is great news as well!!!  We will go to clinic tomorrow for a checkup.  If everything continues to go well I will plan to go back to work next week.  YIPPEE AND YIKES!!!  I am excited but at the same time nervous.  I am so glad Mal is doing well enough for me to feel it is okay to go back but also so nervous about leaving her.  I am sure we will both have withdrawals from not being together all the time. I will take off on Wednesdays for a while to take her to clinic.  Mike will be here every day with her so she will be in great hands!!!  Destin leaves tomorrow for boot camp, we are so very proud of him and will pray for God to watch over and protect him, we love you so much Destin!!!  Good night and thanks for checking in on us.  Lisa

9:15 p.m.

Mal had labs done today, her numbers look GREAT, bilirubin is 0.2!!!  Today was uneventful, Mal has just been sitting around watching tv and taking it easy.  She has felt pretty good today but has just been very tired.  We will take it easy again tomorrow then have labs Wednesday morning and go to clinic.  I wanted to say Thank you to everyone for getting old cell phones for us.  We had a few folks set up collection boxes at their offices and churches.  So far we had great success, Mike and I went to the Post Office today and shipped out 345 phones.  This is a great way to raise money for Mal"s COTA account (cota.org) to help pay for medical expenses.  COTA provides the shipping labels postage paid and the boxes for shipping the phones, all we need to do is put the phones in boxes and take them to the Post Office.  This is an ongoing fundraiser so we will keep it going for now.  If you have any old cell phones to get rid of please send them our way, we only need the phone with the battery, no charges, manuals or boxes needed.  Thanks for checking on Mal and good night.  Lisa

10:00 p.m.

Hello Earth:

This is Mallory Speaking from Planet La-Z-Boy. Here I sit recieving my 0.9% Sodium Chloride infusion and I really have to go to the little girls room. But first, I will update you all on how I am doing on this day in history. today I had to get up around noon, to finish my medications and eat the pizza my mother cooked. Not much happened today, I watched television all day long. There isn"t much to say today in this entry. I am feeling pretty well today, and I am getting ready to go to sleep.

I really cannot think of anything exciting to post about, so this will have to do. I get to wake up nice and early for labs and a picc dressing change in the morning... yippee! (Not)

Mallory

10:00 P.M.

Mallory had a very good day today.  Her dad took her to pick up her ring that was being sized and she is so excited to have it.  They went to lunch at Chilis, Mike let her drive home, it is about 2 miles from our house, she was so excited and from what I hear did a great job. GO MALLORY!!  Her great friend Alyssa came by for the two of them to exchange Christmas gifts and just hang out, she stayed several hours and Mal enjoyed spending time with her, thanks Alyssa and we love you.  I spent the day in Alabama, the family gave Destin a send off party (he has enlisted and leaves next week for boot camp)and I decided to go down with Michael.   Destin, we are so proud of you and love you very much, we will continuing asking for God to watch over and protect you. We left about 8 this morning and I got home around 6:30 tonight.  We had a good time and surprised everyone, they knew Michael was coming but had no idea that I was!!  It was fun to see everyone get so excited.  While there I got to see my best friend from high school, we talked about our high school years and had fun laughing!!  Love you Theresa!!!  Well, thanks for checking on us!!  Lisa                 P.S.  Anyone who ordered a shirt with our second order or that has not received their shirt from the first order, I apologize!!!  We have not forgotten about you, we are just having some delays with the company but Bridget is still working on this and I hope to know more early next week!!! 

8:45 p.m.

Today started off with a visit to Egleston.  Last night when I was giving Mal her medicine through the feeding tube it clogged, yes the feeding tube clogged AGAIN!!!  Mike and me both tried many times to get it cleared with no luck, we put a little coke in it and left it overnight, this morning the tube was still clogged.  So, after a phone call to Egleston we headed down and the tube was removed and a new one was placed.  This was not very easy for Mal, the nurse numbed her throat and nose and tired to get the tube in, Mal needed some medicine to relax her so she was given versed and the tube was placed.  We have decided that Mal will need to take all her meds orally now, we are not putting anything down this new tube but her feeds, it is way too much stress when it gets clogged on everyone and Mal just has to go through the ordeal of a new tube.  She did have labs today also, I did not get a print out of them but as far as I know they all looked good.  On our way home we went stopped at Olive Garden for a late lunch then went to a couple of stores at Town Center, Mal got a couple pair of jeans, most of hers are too big right now so we needed to get her some that would fit.  Tonight Haley came by and she and Mal exchanged Christmas gifts, Thanks Haley for coming by it was great to see you.  Well, have a good night!!  Lisa

10:00 P.M.

Today was a pretty good day for Mallory.  She did sleep late today and had an afternoon nap.  Tonight she left the house for the first time without her dad, Michael or me going with her.  Her great friend, Ellie, picked her up and they went to dinner at OCharley"s, Mal had a good time and enjoyed spending time with her.  Thank you Ellie!!  Tomorrow we will have labs and are praying for good numbers!  Thanks for checking on us and have a good night.  Lisa

9:45 p.m.

Well, today was not a great day.  Mal had labs drawn this morning then this afternoon we went to Egleston for her clinic visit.  It was a hectic visit with alot of changes.  Some medicines were discontinued, some were added and some had dosage changes.  It was decided to remove the drainage tube from her side, we are to watch for fever, if she runs a fever or has any pain we will call Todd. She also had low blood pressure first thing this morning and at clinic and this is not good for the liver.  She had lost weight since our visit two weeks ago and was also dehydrated.  While we were there they gave her a liter of fluids and we will continue with one liter at home every night.  It was decided to put in another feeding tube.  This tube goes directly to her stomach instead of her small intestines, it is smaller and more flexible than the last one, hopefully making it more tolerable.  Mal was given some throat numbing medicine and some medicine to relax her so the drainage tube could be removed and the feeding tube put in, both procedures went well.  Mallory was not happy at all with the news of  needing to get another feeding tube, but Dr. Heffron took the time to explain exactly why she needed it, and he felt so bad doing this even though it was the right thing.  Basically, with her being dehydrated and her blood pressure being so low, this is just not good for the liver.  The IV fluids and the nutrition from the feeds should help things begin to stable out again.  He did tell her she has almost turned the corner and he is not taking any chances with her.  Although, she hates the feeding tube she does understand this is what is best for her overall health.  We were there 6:00 this evening so she slept all the way home.  Please keep the prayers going and thank you for checking on us.  Lisa

9:30 p.m.

Happy New Year!  Wow, I cannot believe 2007 is behind us and what a year it was. We have had a few not so good New Years Days in our family, 2005 my dad passed away on this day and let me just say I miss him so much!!  On this day in 2007 was the day we got the call to bring Mal to Egleston due to increased numbers in her labs, we were there for 43 days.  She was in the hospital a few other times for a few days at a time then it all started on July 24th.  We went in for a biopsy and a check to see if her bile duct was blocked (turns out it was), we thought a few drugs and a stent and we would be on our way out the door.  We certainly were wrong, 1 liver, many stents, several biopsies, lots of blood, platelets and plasma, dialysis, internal bleeding, TPN feeds, feeding tube, MANY drugs and the list goes on and on, 130 days later and we were out the door.  Then 9 days later back to Egleston for 6 days due to fluid between her liver and diaphram.  WOW, what a year, we spent more nights at the hospital than we did at our house in 2007.  Mallory has been through so much at such a young age and I will continue to say I (we) are so very proud of her.  As I sit here tonight and write this post I see her sitting across the room in my dad"s recliner and I am truly amazed, I am looking at a miracle!!  Sometimes when I look at her my heart, it just breaks, I have seen what all this sweet princess had to go through to get where she is today.  As a mom, it has been so difficult to witness this, I would take her place in a minute, but that is just not God"s plan. I have had to see her hurt so bad that she is begging for relief, if you have never had to witness a loved one feel this way then consider yourself blessed and pray you never do and if you have, I am so sorry, I know how you feel.   I know as each day goes by she will continue to get stronger and stronger.  I know that she still has healing to do.  I know she must get so frustrated at times but I also know she is very thankful.  I am so thankful to the donor"s family for deciding to give the best gift that anyone could ever receive, the gift of life.  I know the past week or so was very difficult for them as they had to celebrate the holidays without their loved one, and I continue to pray for them and thank God for their decision.  I would like to thank all of you to, our friends, family and those of you that we do not even know, we are so blessed to have all of you on this journey with us.  So, thank you!  Mal had a good day today, she has not felt great but it was still a good day.  We will have labs done in the morning then go to Egleston tomorrow afternoon for a checkup.  That is about it for today, have a good night and hope your 2008 is Great!!!!  The Smith family is praying for a great uneventful year!!!  Lisa

10:20 p.m.

Well, Mal did have labs done this morning but we have no idea about the results, I assume the clinic was closed since they did not get emailed to us.  We did not have any phone calls so that should mean that all is good.  Her weight is still the same so we did NOT need to go to Egleston, as I stated last night we will go to clinic on Wednesday.  Mal slept very late today and had a good day but is not feeling very well tonight, she is just tired and her tummy is not feeling great.  Michael did come over today and they went to Walmart, Mal bought some fabric so she can do some sewing, Michael gave her a sewing machine for Christmas and she loves it, she has made a shirt and a little pillow for Munchkin.  I believe her next project is a pair of scrub pants for Michael.  I wanted to ask everyone to say a special prayer for Ole Prior, he is a former boss of mine and such a wonderful man, earlier this year he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrigs disease and needs our prayers.  Ole and Markie (his wife) are such wonderful folks!!  We are praying for both of you and we love you!!!  Happy New Year and we love you all.  The Smiths

11:45 p.m.

Sorry for the late update but we were watching the Bama game, it started out good and we were so excited thinking we would get to watch a game with no stress, HA! we were so wrong.  Stress, stress, stress but at least we won!  Mal had a great day and has felt very good today.  She has ate alot and has been able to maintain her weight, so it looks like we will not need to go to Egleston tomorrow, we will do a weight check in the morning just to make sure her weight is still good.  She looks so good, it is so nice to see her beautiful smile without a feeding tube!  Michael spent most of the day with us again and we so enjoyed having the 4 of us here again, it is always nice when I have my sweet precious Michael and Mallory here!!  I wanted to say Thank you again to everyone, Mal continues to receive cards, notes and gifts from so many different folks and she adores every one of them!  You all have no idea how these little things brighten her day.  Good night and God Bless!!!

10:00 p.m.

Well, we were not able to get the feeding tube unclogged.  I spoke with Todd today and at first they were going to replace the tube, however I suggested we take it out leave it out for a few days and see how her weight does.  I suggested we leave it out until Wednesday when we go to clinic, Todd did agree to give her an opportunity to eat, but not until Wednesday.  So, the plan is this, I removed the tube today (and let me say that sucker was long!) we will weigh Mallory tomorrow and again Monday morning, if she has lost 2 pounds or more we will go to Egleston on Monday to the ER and have a new tube put in.  If her weight increased or remains the same we will discuss this again at clinic on Wednesday.  She is working very hard on eating to maintain her weight but at the same time is not going to stress out about it.  Today was a good day, Michael came over and took Mal to the movie to see Enchanted, this is now her new favorite movie.  Then they came back here and Mike and me cooked dinner, the four of us had a nice meal together.  I must admit it was so nice to have the four of us here together, I am so thankful for the time we have together as a family.  Mal has felt good today and is smiling alot, this does my heart good.  Well, thanks for checking on us!!  Oh yeah and Bama plays tomorrow night, we will be shouting ROLL TIDE!!  God bless you all.  Lisa

10:20 p.m.

Mals labs look great again today, YIPPEE!!!  She and I went out shopping again today, we went down to Atlantic Station to Dillards, she did get a little tired and had to rest but still had a good time.  Farid came by tonight to see Mal and brought her a game for her wii and a very cute teddy bear, thanks for coming by it was very nice of you.  We have a special prayer request, for some strange reason the feeding tube is clogged!!!  It worked fine earlier today and we even flushed it with water and it worked fine then too but for some reason tonight when I went to give her nightly meds it was clogged.  Mike and me both worked on it for a little while with no luck, we have put coke in it for the night and will check it again in the morning.  Last time this cleared it so we are praying it will this time as well! Thanks for checking on us!  Lisa

9:45 p.m.

Well, another good day for Miss Mallory.  We did find out today that her CMV is still undetected which is great news!  She will have labs again tomorrow so we are praying for good numbers again.  If you want to know specifically what to pray for, then please pray for her appetite to continue to get better and for her strength to continue to get better as well.  Mal is feeling better these days but does still get tired quickly and still needs to eat more.  Michael went on his first call today as a firefighter, apparently someone"s heater overheated, I believe there was a small fire and noone was hurt, which is good to hear.  He will do ride along again tomorrow and next week for 3 days then he will start his EMT training which will last until mid March, then he will be placed at a fire station, as I have said before we are so very proud of him.  I went ot the dentist today and saw a great quote on a sign at a church in Smyrna, "Be an organ donor, give your heart to Jesus!"  Lisa

11:00 p.m.

Mal had labs again today and they looked great, Todd called to say he had good news and told Mike how awesome her labs are.  We did get a copy of them as I always do.  Her bilirubin is .2!!!  Her kidney numbers and the rest of her liver numbers were very good as well.  We are still doing a bag of IV fluids each day and feeds at night.  She does still have a cold or something and still gets tired pretty quickly but is making very good progress each day.  We went by my office today at Georgian Bank and everyone was very surprised to see us, especially Mallory!  We then went to the Avenues to shop a short time, Mal still has several gift cards to use so we ventured out for a while.  Tonight Rachel came over and she and Mal watched a movie and I picked up some food for them at Longhorn"s.  Mike and I went out for a quick dinner as well.  Mal is making progress and it is so good to see her finally doing well and realizing that she is getting better each day.  I pray 2008 will be an awesome year for her!!  Lisa

9:00 p.m.

I hope all of you had a great day today in celebrating Jesus with your family.  We had a very good day.  In my opinion the weather was just perfect, we need the rain and what an excuse to just eat and lay around all day!!  Mallory has felt good today, however she is very tired tonight.  She did go to bed later than normal last night and was up earlier than normal so she is pretty tired tonight.  She went to bed around 8:30 and is sleeping very good right now.  She ate very good today, which was a great sight.  If you did not read her post from earlier today then please do, she tells about her special gift we got here.  Mawmaw and Robert have made it safely home and we enjoyed having them with us for the past couple of days.  Thanks so much for continuing to check on Mal and for all the prayers, please keep them going.  Be sure to drop us a note to let us know you stopped by.  Good night and again Merry Christmas, we have so much to be thankful for and celebrate this year!! We love you all and are so grateful to our friends and family for the support we continue to receive.   Lisa

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

This is Mallory here to wish everyone a merry christmas! So far i have had a great day...mainly because i am so happy to be at home with my family to celebrate! I hope everyone else is having a great day and remembering the reason we are celebratitng this holiday!!

I woke up this morning and unwrapped presents with my family just like we always do. My parents and my brother, and santa did a great job! My mom had been telling me about a "special" gift for me so i was excited to unwrap it... a beautiful ring! It is so pretty and very special... to help me remember "the christmas that almost got away.. part two!"

well, more updating will come later.. FELIZ NAVIDAD!!