6 December 2017 - news from our visit

We promised an update after our visit to the Lollars in Alabama, so here we are, asking you again for your prayers for the family and thanking you for your ongoing interest and support.

We thoroughly enjoyed our first ever visit to USA; it was great to be able to share in Lollar family life, be with them for Thanksgiving with Matt’s extended (and extensive!) family, visit the children for lunch at school etc.  We accompanied them to Memphis for 3 days where Phoebe underwent all sorts of tests at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital which has taken over her care from Sheffield Children’s Hospital.  Her serious illness shortly after arriving in USA had delayed this.  Wonderfully, the scans showed that she remains clear of cancer which is a great cause for thankfulness.

But her damaged brain and body give her many challenges every day, and Rachel and Matt need great reserves of wisdom, patience and resilience to help her with them.  The biggest challenge is her almost complete lack of appetite and consequent unwillingness to eat very much at all; she seems to exist mostly on chocolate milk, small bowls of cereal and bites of apple dipped in peanut butter.  Even the smell of some family meals makes her want to leave the table.  She is very thin and frail as a result, crying out when she bumps into things or has her nightly injection of growth hormone.  Since our return home we’ve been delighted to hear that Phoebe has had 5 consecutive days without vomiting and has had a better appetite, so please pray that this improvement will continue!!

Given her lack of energy, poor memory and short concentration span, school work is a real challenge. We’d be grateful for your prayers for her class teacher to understand and be able to allow for her needs. 

On 13^th December Phoebe and Rachel will be in Memphis again for Phoebe to undergo a day of psychological testing.  The flights and accommodation are provided and organised by St Jude’s, a wonderful provision.

Christmas follows hot on the heels of Thanksgiving, hence an appropriate photo of Phoebe and Reuben in front of the Christmas tree!

Thank you for your prayers for Phoebe, Rachel, Matt & Reuben. 
We wish you God's rich blessings as you celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus.

Marcus and Jen

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