Please pray for Phoebe who is unwell again

"The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective" (James 5:16 NIV)

Last night (Sunday) about 10.30pm (4.30pm in Alabama) we received the following message from Rachel:

Please pray for Phoebe. We are on our way to hospital. She is not right at all, been vomiting and neurologically unresponsive.

Phoebe a month ago

Rachel & Matt, Phoebe and Reuben had enjoyed a happy weekend away from Mobile with friends.
While on the their way back home, they had to call an ambulance after Phoebe was very unresponsive and crying. She was taken to hospital in Montgomery, Alabama (about 170 miles from Mobile). Obviously they are very concerned for her.

Since then Rachel has asked:
Please pray especially for Reuben. He is finding it very distressing seeing Phoebe in this state.

At 5am this morning (11pm for them) we received this update from Rachel:

We are all back in Mobile. Reuben staying the night with the friends we've been with this weekend. He'll go to Matt's sister's tomorrow. I'm staying at the hospital with Phoebe; Matt has nipped home to bring me a few supplies and all Phoebe's notes. 

So far CT scan and X ray suggest shunt is ok and she wasn't dehydrated as we thought . But she's still not right at all. Could still be shunt malfunction. Aiming to keep her comfortable overnight and waiting to see a neuro surgeon early tomorrow . But she's starting with a fever now (11pm) so pray that doesn't develop. Staff here are v nice. Thanks for prayers.

She's been quite incoherent, confused, and distressed. She's sleeping calmly now but is running a fever. Yet again we covet your prayers. We haven't seen her this poorly since she was in ICU with sepsis in Aug 2015.

This brings back painful memories of two and a half years ago. Please pray for them!

Thank you

Marcus and Jen

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For email subscribers:

We know that our journey with Phoebe is being repeated again and again in other families around the world, and that other people and situations may become your new focus and concern. If you no longer wish to receive these updates, simply click on the 'unsubscribe now' link at the foot of this email. Thank you.

The USA adventure begins!

It is great to report more good news for Phoebe – another clear scan, and another 2 cms gained in height!  What a great way to sign off at Sheffield Children’s Hospital after two and half years!

Rachel’s Green Card was at last granted last month and in these last few weeks she has continued to work very hard sorting out everything that needs to be done when a family moves from one continent to another!  Meanwhile Matt was busy preparing their new home in Mobile, Alabama where he has been working since February.  Although it goes without saying that we will miss them hugely, we are delighted to report that today all 4 Lollars are together again and on their way to the USA.

Leaving their home in Sheffield

Farewell photo with English grandparents

It has been an emotional time for them with so many fond farewells to be made with neighbours, school friends, church, rugby coaches (Reuben) and art club leaders (Phoebe).  Not to mention the difficult decision made not to take Bramble the dog with them; she is going to live with their friend Phil near Matlock and will probably still come to us for her holidays!  But this morning the children were excited to be on their way at last, and thanks to the prayers of our good friends we were able to take them to Manchester Airport and wave them off without tears!

Matt, Reuben, Rachel and Phoebe at Manchester Airport

So now it’s our turn to be the long-distance grandparents and learn to relate to the family via Skype and Facetime.  We hope to plan a visit to them in the autumn, by which time we hope they will be well settled in neighbourhood, church and school.

If you are interested in continuing to follow Phoebe's story, why not visit the new blog set up by Rachel and Matt. - prayforphoebe.wordpress.com/. At this stage we are not expecting their updates to be regular or frequent.

Thanks for your interest and prayers!

Marcus and Jen

_____________________________________________________________

For email subscribers:

We know that our journey with Phoebe is being repeated again and again in other families around the world, and that other people and situations may become your new focus and concern. If you no longer wish to receive these updates, simply click on the 'unsubscribe now' link at the foot of this email. Thank you.

New tooth and 2 centimetres taller!

It is now about seven weeks since Phoebe started having nightly growth hormone injections, and we did not know what the exact outcome would be or when. But already we have seen two consequences.


The first is that Phoebe's second teeth have started to grow, and push the first teeth out. So last Saturday we received a message and photo from Rachel showing this photo of the first tooth gone!
Phoebe was so pleased to be like her school friends who already have some of their second teeth.

The second outcome was on Tuesday. Rachel wrote the following recently in her blog:

Phoebe was seen in the late effects clinic yesterday to check on her general health and specifically how she's been getting on with the growth hormone.  Thankfully she's experienced no side effects from taking the hormone, and she's a complete trouper about her daily 'poke' with a needle. We were delighted to discover that she has grown 2cm in height! So it works!  She also seems to have more energy in general which is great.

The neuro-surgeon, who we haven't seen for ages, seemed amazed at how well she is. He commented on how bright, alert, co-ordinated, engaged and conversational she is, and said "considering that we sliced open the back of her head and messed about with her brain, she's doing incredibly well".  It was so encouraging to hear that, because it's easy in the mundane routines of life to focus more on what she lacks and struggles with due to the tumour and treatment, rather than on how far she's come since then, and how much worse things could easily have ended up.

She continues to struggle with school work, particularly maths, but her teacher assures us that she is making progress.  She seems to manage better in the classroom environment than at home, perhaps because she's keen to do what her peers are doing, or perhaps because by the time she gets home her brain's too tired to function well.  Either way, there is cause for encouragement.  However, the late effects consultant said that at some point in the years to come she will likely meet saturation point in terms of her ability to keep learning, and whilst other children's learning will accelerate, hers won't, and so the divergence between her and the 'norm' will widen. We've no idea yet what this might mean in terms of secondary education, but for now we're thankful that she is as healthy and cheerful as she is.

Please thank God with us for these encouragements, and pray with us for the following things:

• Phoebe learning to ride a bike - she's keen to learn but her poor balance makes it very tricky!
• for a good transition of medical care for Phoebe as we move to the States, particularly for getting to know new systems and staff once there
• for Phoebe's lack of hair to not be a barrier to her making friends when we move (she is still self-conscious about it around people she doesn't know well)
• for her next scan (in June) to be clear
• for us as parents to continue to adjust to our new norm and have realistic / appropriate expectations of Phoebe; for the balance of grieving what's been lost (and the lost potential) whilst remaining joyful and hopeful for the present and future.

On 5th June Rachel has to attend an interview at the American Embassy in London, for what we hope will be the last step in the process for her to be able to enter the USA to become a resident. All the items to be shipped to the USA should be packed and taken on Monday, so the departure of Rachel, Phoebe and Reuben to Mobile, Alabama is getting closer. So we are making the most of their remaining time here in the UK.

Thanks for your interest and prayers!

Marcus and Jen

_____________________________________________________________

For email subscribers:

We know that our journey with Phoebe is being repeated again and again in other families around the world, and that other people and situations may become your new focus and concern. If you no longer wish to receive these updates, simply click on the 'unsubscribe now' link at the foot of this email. Thank you.

Phoebe update

Some of you have been asking how we are since the Lollars moved to the States, and as Rachel and the children are still here it is clearly time for an update!

The wheels of Rachel’s Green Card application seem to be turning, but more slowly than she would wish.  She is due to have a medical in London soon but still has no idea of a date when she can take Phoebe and Reuben to be reunited with Matt in Mobile.  To state the obvious, it is very hard to be separated and we hope and pray that the wait will end soon.  Meanwhile we continue to try to support Rachel in the care of the children and preparing the house to be let.  Matt came back for a few days just before Easter and was able to attend a friend’s wedding where Phoebe was a flower girl.

Poignantly, Phoebe wore the same dress as she had worn as a flower girl two and half years ago.  This gives an indication of the damage to her body from the aggressive cancer treatment she underwent; her pituitary gland no longer functions and so her growth has halted.  About a month ago she started an unwelcome but necessary addition to her day – growth hormone injections.  Rachel was shown at the Children’s Hospital how to give the daily dose by injecting into Phoebe’s tummy or thigh and this is now part of the usual bedtime routine alongside brushing teeth etc.

Phoebe is generally such a cheerful and positive little girl that it is easy to forget the huge challenges she faces on a daily basis.  Concentration and memory problems mean that learning, especially concepts she had not started before she was ill, is very hard for her.  Lack of balance and stamina mean that she has not yet mastered riding her bike unaided.

It was lovely to have Jono, Heather and Rosanne stay with us in the run-up to Easter, and as ever Rosanne (nearly 11) was a patient and cheerful playmate for her younger cousins.

The guitar concert mentioned in our previous update went really well; donations to Brain Tumour Research from those who came and those who couldn’t come amounted to £1180, a total that surpassed our hopes.  March 31^st was “Wear a Hat Day” to raise awareness of the charity, and although we didn’t do any further fundraising, Jen spent the whole day wearing the hat she had for Jono & Heather’s wedding, hoping to provoke some questions! 

We really do appreciate very much your ongoing interest in Phoebe and the family; although we update the blog less frequently than during her treatment, your encouragement and prayers are needed as much as ever.  

THANK YOU!!

Marcus and Jen

_____________________________________________________________

For email subscribers:

We know that our journey with Phoebe is being repeated again and again in other families around the world, and that other people and situations may become your new focus and concern. If you no longer wish to receive these updates, simply click on the 'unsubscribe now' link at the foot of this email. Thank you.

A new year, a new adventure!

We are delighted to report another clear scan for Phoebe last November – she has now been cancer-free for over a year!  Scans will be done every four months now, instead of every three.  Another milestone successfully passed!

You may be interested to know that Phoebe, Rachel and Matt featured in a short BBC Lifeline programme broadcast on 11th December. The BBC webpage still has some information about the BrainsTrust and Phoebe (but the programme is no longer available).

The Lollars are ready to draw a line under the last two very difficult years and have decided to do so in a big way!  Matt starts a new job on 6^th February – in Mobile, Alabama!  So he will be leaving Sheffield in a couple of weeks’ time; the rest of the family will follow later.  Rachel has applied for her Green Card (the children already have US citizenship) and has to do lots of paperwork and sorting out the house ready for letting. Once all the paperwork is in place they too will depart.

Over Christmas the family spent a happy two weeks in Pensacola, Florida with Matt’s extended family.  Mobile is about an hour away from there, so they were able to visit the town, meet people in the church they had made contact with and get a feel for what life might be like there.

So it will soon be our turn to be the long-distance grandparents!  It will be a big change for us of course, but we are really pleased that Matt and Rachel have the confidence to move forward like this and we will encourage them however we can.

If you are among the many who are still praying for Phoebe and her family, may we ask you to continue supporting them during this period of separation and then the transition into a new life in Mobile.

You may remember that they have been raising funds for Brain Tumour Research and we are joining them in this by organising a classical guitar concert on March 11^th.  We include the details below – please feel free to pass them on to anyone you think might be interested. 
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An Early Spring Concert for Two Classical Guitars

in aid of Brain Tumour Research

On: Saturday March 11th at 7.30pm.

At: 215 Sharrow Vale Road, Sheffield, S11 8ZB. (This is the old Wesleyan chapel which is now the home of The Crowded House).   

The Priestley Taylor Classical Guitar Duo will perform a varied programme of pieces from the sixteenth century to the present day and from around the world.    Works by Dowland, Scarlatti, Sor and others.

All proceeds will go to Brain Tumour Research.  
Please come prepared to make a donation on the door, or give beforehand at:  
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/guitarduo
You could also use this page to donate, even if you cannot join us!
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Thanks!

Marcus and Jen
_____________________________________________________________

For email subscribers:

We know that our journey with Phoebe is being repeated again and again in other families around the world, and that other people and situations may become your new focus and concern. If you no longer wish to receive these updates, simply click on the 'unsubscribe now' link at the foot of this email. Thank you.

Keeping on keeping on!

In the two months since our last update Phoebe and Reuben have both completed half a term of full-time school and are ready for the week off next week, spending some of it with Uncle Jono and family in Scotland.  For some time Reuben has been going to rugby training on Saturday mornings, and this term Phoebe has started her own Saturday activity, an art class which she enjoys and is suited to her skills and energy levels.

Over the summer she had a variety of medical appointments, and these continue from time to time - but other than that she has been in school all day every day.  She continues to face many challenges as her brain has to work so hard to do everything – for instance learning spellings involves not only remembering the order of the letters, but how to write them, controlling the pencil, concentrating long enough to get through the list … you get the picture.  

This week Rachel invited Jen to join her and Matt in a meeting with Phoebe’s class teacher, the school’s special educational needs co-ordinator and the clinical psychologist specialising in neuro cases at the Children’s Hospital.  It was a very positive and helpful meeting as the psychologist explained the results of all the tests Phoebe had undergone over the summer and each of us was able to ask questions, contribute suggestions etc as to how Phoebe can best be helped to progress at school and in life generally.  As a result, the teacher has already re-arranged the layout of the classroom so that Phoebe can do all her activities at one table instead of having to remember which table to go to for which lesson.  Rachel is making a picture chart to help Phoebe remember which order to do things when getting dressed as she is very easily distracted from the task in hand.  We were also reminded how much fatigue is an issue in being able to concentrate, and thus the time of day, or day of the week, or week of the term will make a difference to Phoebe’s ability to respond well to instructions and complete a task.

We are giving you this level of detail so that you can understand better the ongoing issues faced not only by Phoebe herself but the whole family as we seek to support and help her develop well.

Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killers of children in the UK, but the Government's spend on brain tumour research represents just 0.52% of its total spend on cancer research.  It’s the kind of statistic you come across only when your own family is affected by this horrible disease.  Rachel and Matt are supporting the Brain Tumour Research charity in various ways.  Rachel bakes cakes and sells them each Friday to a local workplace.  She is also running the Worksop half marathon at Clumber Park on 30^th October, so if you’d like to sponsor her please do so at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/matthewlollar.

If you send Christmas cards you might like to choose some from the Brain Tumour Research’s website!  Please forgive our shameless asking, but you can imagine this is a cause dear to our hearts! 

Thanks!

Marcus and Jen
_____________________________________________________________

We know that our journey with Phoebe is being repeated again and again in other families around the world, and that other people and situations may become your new focus and concern. If you no longer wish to receive these updates, simply click on the 'unsubscribe now' link at the foot of this email. Thank you.

Another encouraging milestone

Yesterday we had the result of Phoebe’s latest scan - which was clear!  The next one is due in November; the three months between each one seems to pass very quickly!  So she has been able to go off with Reuben and her parents for a holiday in France where her main intention seems to be to eat lots of croissants!

We have enjoyed seeing the children for a while on most days of the school holidays, helping Phoebe with reading and writing, or taking the dog out while she has one of her many hospital appointments.  Together with Jon, Heather and Rosanne we all (except Matt) shared a holiday in the Forest of Dean and had a great time building dens, hunting for the gruffalo, paddling in cold streams etc!

Last week Jen took Phoebe to a café for hot chocolate with marshmallows and chocolate cake, accompanied by an elderly lady from another Sheffield church who has prayed faithfully for Phoebe all through her treatment and during this period of ongoing recovery.  Margaret was so delighted to finally meet the little girl she has been praying for!


We continue to be touched and grateful for everyone who is still remembering to pray for Phoebe; the clear scan is of course brilliant news but, as we have intimated in the previous blog, there are lots of ongoing challenges to be faced that will require patience, courage and perseverance. We also trust in the one true God who loves us with an everlasting love!

Thanks!

Marcus and Jen
_____________________________________________________________

Yet we also know that our journey with Phoebe is being repeated again and again in other families around the world, and that other people and situations may become your new focus and concern. If you no longer wish to receive these updates, simply click on the 'unsubscribe now' link at the foot of this email. Thank you.