Eid Mubarak!

Salaamu Alaikum [Peace and blessings to All]

Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating Eid ul Adha.  This turned out to be a great Eid for us.  Zaynab was in the hospital for almost three weeks.  She went in for her last dose of chemo for that phase of treatment and they ended up admitting her because she was running a fever.  After courses of antibiotics, anti-virals and all sorts of other medicines to everyone's surprise she was still running a fever.  We thought we were going to have to spend Eid in the hospital.  Thankfully we barely made it out one day before Eid. 

She is home now and doing well, Alhamduillah.

I want to thank everyone who donated for our Light the Night Walk.  We raised $9400 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  A special thanks to everyone who showed up at the walk, it was great to see everyone!  Zaynab herself wasn't able to attend because she was still in the hospital, but we're hopeful she can make it next year. 

Thanks
Musaab and Eyman

Delayed intensification

Salaamu alaikum

Alhamdulilah, Zaynab is doing well.  We started 'Delayed Intensification' phase about 5 weeks ago and this is one of the tougher phases.  The types of medicines and the frequency are higher then the last few phases.  They full expect her blood counts to dip quite a bit.  She is already neutropenic but luckily her hemoglobin is still high enough where she hasn't needed a transfusion.  However, there are still a few more weeks to go and there doesn't seem to be a break in the chemo she has to take.  Pelease keep us in your prayers.

Despite all the treatments etc, Zaynab is doing well.  She has a teacher that comes to the house every school day and spends an hour or so with her teaching her the lessons she's missed in school. We don't know when she will be cleared to go back to school, but most likely that won't be until January or February.  In her extra time, Zaynab has been able to read quite a few books and these days she is reading a set by Lemony Snicket called, 'A Series of Unfortunate Events.'

For those who can make it we are also getting close to the Leukemia and Lymphoma's 'Light the Night Walk.'  It will be on October 20th and Discovery Meadow at 180 Woz Way.  Visit here for details:

http://www.lightthenight.org/sj/

Also if you would like to support Team Zaynab you can donate here:

http://bit.ly/yZwbt7

Thats it for now ... thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers.

Musaab

Ramadan and Chemo

Salaamu alaikum

We are really sorry for the delay in posting an update.  The past couple of months have actually gone well alhamdulilah.  Zaynab is almost done with Interim Maintenance I.  We have had to spend 4-5 days in the hospital every two weeks.  We are currently in our last hospital stay of Interim Maintenance.

All in all it hasn't been too bad.  Her body has had time to recover in between hospital stays and so her blood counts didn't really get low enough where we had to be concerned.

Zaynab has also been really busy because her cousins came to visit from Saudia Arabia.  This has been a great break for Zaynab as well.  They are having a lot of fun and I think it has really helped take her mind off of the treatments.

Thanks for all your prayers.  She will start the next phase of treatment in two weeks Insha Allah.  That phase is expected to be pretty tough.  Its called Delayed Intensification and it uses pretty strong chemo medicines.

Thanks and we will try and keep the blog updated more regularly!

Salam
Musaab

Back to Chemo

Salamu Alaikum

It has been a crazy couple of weeks!  Alhamdulilah mostly good.  After coming home from the hospital, Zaynab spent time recovering and was doing well.  Her blood counts recovered and she was almost ready to start the next phase of chemo.

However, about 10 days ago, she got a lump under her chin that had us all scared.  We were worried that it was cancerous since it looked to be in the lymph nodes.  Alhamdulilah, after they biopsied it, they determined that it was an infection and they treated it with antibiotics.  Since then it has all but disappeared.

This last Thursday, Zaynab had a planned surgery to insert a "port" into her chest.  A port is a central catheter that is inserted under skin (in the chest) that is accessed when they need to administer chemo.  Prior to the port they were using a PICC line in her arm.  Zaynab opted to get the port since it will allow her to shower without having to cover and tape the PICC line.  She is also hoping to go swimming this summer if she can!

After getting the port, she started her next phase of chemo on Saturday.  This phase is called Interim Maintenance 1and lasts for two months.  The tough thing about this phase is every two weeks she has to be admitted into the hospital to take a high dose of Methotrexate.  They keep her in the hospital for about 4 days to make sure that the medicine has cleared out of her body.

One nice thing about starting Interim Maintenance is that she will be about halfway through the intense part of treatment and two years from the end of her treatment God willing.  Basically the doctors start counting the two years only when you start Interim Maintenance.  All the delays after this point do not affect the duration of the treatment.

Thats all for now!

Salam
Eyman

Back at home

Salaamu Alaikum


Alhamdulilah we were discharged from the hospital this weekend. Zaynab's blood counts are still low but since her fevers had stopped and the blood counts had started coming back up the doctors felt it was ok to leave.

After two weeks in the hospital it was the best feeling in the world to be home!

Zaynab is scheduled to start her chemo in one more week ... That's dependent upon her meeting her blood count numbers.

That's all for now we will hopefully update you soon when you know when her next treatment will be. Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Salam

Still in the hospital

Salam

Unfortunately we are still in the hospital.  Zaynab's fevers increased initially after coming to the hospital. Thankfully they are now only a few times a day as opposed to around the clock like they were before.

Its hard to say what has actually made her sick.  She came in with fevers, they got worse, then after a few days she started getting stomach pain and vomiting.  And most recently her energy levels have gotten lower.  The doctors think that it is more than one thing her body is trying to fight and they have given her a range of antibiotics as well as anti-fungal medicines.  Most recently they think her fatigue is due to mono ... the test results haven't come back yet.

Zaynab is still doing relatively well, but her eating has diminished altogether.  We usually have to talk her into a few spoons of soup at one sitting.

While her fevers have lessened, her white blood cell counts are still *very* low.  We have asked everyone even all the nurses and staff to come in wearing masks so as to avoid her contracting anything else.

Please keep us in your prayers.  We are praying her counts come back up so she can fight this infection and get back to what we used to call normal.  :)

Salam
Musaab

Back in the hospital

Salam

Well, it seemed too good to be true. Zaynab was running a fever last night and we had to take her in to the hospital. Her white blood cell count has been very low this last week and it seemed like only a matter of time before she caught an infection. She is doing well but anytime she has a fever she has to be admitted.

She was pretty disappointed at having to be checked in but she did have a great weekend before that though ... She played with friends and even had a quiet showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. So all in all not too bad.

We are hoping it will only be a couple of days here but it all depends on how fast she can get over the infection and have her WBCs go back up to a reasonable number.

That's all for now.

Musaab

Consolidation - day 47

Salam

Sorry for not posting in a while. Zaynab has been doing better Alhamdulilah. Overall her spirits have been better. Her energy levels are higher then they were before and although her blood counts continue to go up and down she has been more active.

She was able to go out and catch a showing of Cirque de Soleil with her mom. She was also able to have a play date with a friend and has been trying to keep up with her school work.

It hasn't all been great she did have to have two blood transfusions in the last few weeks as well as a platelet transfusion. But these are considered a normal occurrence in the treatment of Leukemia.

This past week was also the week in which she cut the majority of her remaining hair. It was pretty uneventful but the hair that was there was damaged by the chemo anyway. Thankfully the hair loss didn't phase her since she knew it was coming.

That's all for now.

Salam
Musaab

Back Home

Salam

Just a quick update. Late last Thursday, Zaynab was discharged from the hospital. Her blood counts were low but high enough where they felt it was ok to come back home.

She spent the weekend at home and she seems to be doing ok. No fever so that's a good thing. We will be doing more blood counts on Monday to determine when she can restart the chemo treatments. Hopefully she will be able to restart sometime this coming week. That's all for now.

Salam

In the hospital

Salam

Just wanted to update folks to let them know that Zaynab was running a fever and we had to take her to the hospital on Sunday. The doctors want to keep her there until her fever is gone and her white blood cell count goes back up. So far thankfully the fever seems to be going away and her white blood cell count is inching back up again. Right now she is still considered to be very neutropenic and at risk of infection.

They have been giving her fluids and antibiotics and she seems to be doing ok except for the normal aches and pains. She is however anxious to get back home.

She was also scheduled to start the second month of Consolidation tomorrow, but because her blood counts are low she will most likely have to wait a week. At least we are kind of hoping that's the case.

That's all for now ...

Consolidation Day 23

Assalaamu Alaikum

Thanks everyone for your continued thoughts and prayers we are definitely feeling the effect.

This past week for Zaynab has been pretty good Alhamdulilah. There were several days where she was able to work on her homework and do some activities like playing the guitar. This has probably been the first time she actually had a full week of school. If you remember from the last post we were a little worried about one of the medicines causing an allergic reaction. Thankfully Zaynab did not experience any allergic reaction to the medicine.

There were days however where she was nauseous and a little fatigued but all in all we're very thankful. Her latest blood counts show that her hemoglobin levels are close to normal, however, her white blood cell count is still very low. We are one week away from the end of the first month of Consolidation. After the first month they run another blood test to make sure her blood counts are high enough to continue consolidation. If her blood counts are not high enough they will wait a week. Secretly we are kind of hoping for a week off but we are putting our faith in God and hoping for the best.

thanks everyone and hopefully we'll try and update you soon.

Eyman

Consolidation Day 16

Salaamu Alaikum

This last week we were lucky enough to have my sister Abrar visiting. I got a week's break from Zaynab's nightshifts...:) It was Abrar's first time to visit since Zaynab got sick and Zaynab was so excited to see her that she begged her dad to go with him to pick her up from the airport and guess what she did.

That was about a week ago and since then the chemo really started affecting her and her blood counts got very low. She suffered from mild headaches and fatigue. The nausea also was starting to get a bit worse. We had to cancel some of her home schooling arrangements. Last Thursday and they had to give her a blood and a platelet transfusion. Zaynab wasn't too happy about it, but she did look and feel a little better afterwards. Alhamdulilah. All of these side effects and low blood counts are expected and we are grateful and praying that her treatment continues to go well. Insha Allah.

On Friday she got another dose of chemo and Alhamdulilah they said she didn't need anymore blood at that point. One of the medicines, Peg Asperiginase, that they gave her has a risk of severe allergic reaction and we need to monitor her over the next couple of weeks to ensure that nothing develops. Alhamdulilah so far so good.

Thanks to everyone for the help and support and continued prayers.

Eyman

Continuing to adjust

Salam

Its been a week since our last post and Alhamdulilah things are progressing.  This week Zaynab started Consolidation and so far its been going ok.  Some nausea and stomach pain initially but that has lessened the last couple of days Alhamdulilah.  She also was able to sleep through the whole night the last few nights!

Alhamdulilah, Zaynab has been trying to get caught back up with school.  Her teachers have been leaving her lots of homework to catch up on ... :).  She has also been trying to go for short walks outside to regain her strength.  Walking up the stairs is still a struggle though.

While this phase has gone ok so far, we were told however about Consolidation is that very soon (either this week or next) the doctors expect her blood counts to get very low again.  From what they tell us, its normal for kids to get admitted in the hospital during this phase because their counts get very low and are prone to infection.  So please keep us in your prayers.

Once again, I would like to thank all of our friends and family for the love and support.  We feel blessed for all the love and support.  As we are going through this we realize that there are a lot of simple things that we take for granted.  As Zaynab was suffering from constipation and bloating we saw first hand how valuable human functions that we assumed to be involuntary actions affect the quality of everyday life.

Salam
Musaab and Eyman

Bone Marrow Biopsy Results

Alhamdulilah, by the grace of God, we got a call today from the medical office telling us that the results of her bone marrow biopsy came back negative.

While this obviously doesn't mean she is cured it is still a good sign.  It lets the doctors know that her body has been responding to the treatment so far.  Its the first milestone to make sure Zaynab is progressing in the right direction.

This means that Zaynab will start the next phase of her treatment called Consolidation.  It is a two month phase that has several new medicines.  I pray that God gives her the benefits of the treatment and protects her from the side effects.  Ameen.

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers.  Insha Allah we will try and post more as we find out more info from the doctors.

Alhamdillah: Biopsy went well

 Zaynab's bone marrow biopsy was done this morning at 9:30. Thankfully, there were no complications with the procedure which took about 30 minutes. Afterwards, Zaynab had a dose of antibiotic through IV & some fluids to keep her well hydrated. An oral antibiotic had been recently prescribed for a minor urine infection  and the nausea was giving her a hard time to keep the oral medication on track.
  Zaynab is happy she won't be taking the Prednisone tablets for the next couple of weeks.However, she will be taking medications for the side effects of the previous block of treatment.The results of the biopsy are expected  next week, since some of the tests will be sent out of the hospital and then double checked. The results will determine the coarse of treatment for the next phase.

  Thank you all for the continuous love and support, and keep us in your prayers.

Day 26 - Bone marrow biopsy in two days

Today was an interesting day.  After several days of Zaynab complaining of fatigue and weakness we went for a dr. appt to check her blood work.  The blood work actually came back not too bad.  Her red blood cells were low, but they were actually up week over week.  The doctor however felt it was better to give her a blood transfusion to get her energy levels back up and prepare for the next phase of treatment.

For those who have never seen a blood transfusion, it looks like an IV of blood ... :).  Alhamdulilah it seemed like the blood had a quick impact.  When she went into the clinic she was weak and tired ... Afterwards, she was able to walk out on her own feet.  The funniest moment was Zaynab's reaction to the idea of getting blood from some unknown donor.  She didnt like the idea at all and the question she most wanted to know was whether the donor was male or female!  She didn't want the blood if it was from a male donor ... :). I was able to comfort her by telling her whoever it was, they must have been a kind and caring person to donate their blood to those in need.

This Friday morning will be her bone marrow biopsy.  Please make duaa that it goes well and that it shows the cancer in remission.  I ask you all to make duaa and for those who can to donate sadaqa to the charities above or to any other worthy cause. 

Zaynab Skyping!

     Thanks to Musab who managed to solve the weak Internet signal in Zaynab's room, I've finally been able to Skype Zaynab and see her high spirits & beautiful smiles! She told me she's very thankful she's out of the hospital and back home where it's more comfortable, clean and cheerful. I got an exclusive peek into her beautiful newly decorated room which she centered in a cute kitty t-shirt. I almost saw myself in the cool mirror stickers on her wall! There was evidence of the home-schooling efforts in her room, too; she was actually taking a break from her homework when we talked. ( So teachers: this kid is serious!).
     My kids were delighted to see Zaynab and grandma. We has a nice long talk- full of toddlers' interruptions! She caught up on our recent vacation to Sudan, with my daughter, and told us how she loved the raspberry lotion she was using. She was glad to be back home with family around her and freshly cooked meals. To her delight, the doctor had given her thumbs up for the Chinese food she had been craving for weeks,(but had been prohibited from due to fear from bacteria in catered meals).She enjoyed her Friday, Chinese food day, but was a bit disappointed when she came looking for the leftovers on Saturday and found that others had enjoyed it too!!
     Zaynab spends her day doing homework, reading, resting,and chatting.She was telling me she gets really hungry with all the medication and needs to snack frequently. Thanks to Mom & Dad she's drinking lots of  delicious, homemade, healthy- sometimes green- smoothies. She had one as we talked and it looked great!!  She has recently started to feel light headed and dizzy. This is due to the low red blood counts. She will start to take iron supplements and everything else mom and her could think of, in order to increase her hemoglobin, regain her strength and avoid blood transfusion. Alhamdilla she was feeling better than the preceding days, which she was very weak in.
      Friday, she will be going in for the bone marrow biopsy. We pray that goes well and the results are better than anticipated. According to Zaynab the week that follows, will be chemotherapy- free; the doctors will be looking into the results of the biopsy and planning the next phase of treatment. She hopes she'll also be taking a break from the 8 fast dissolving Prednisone tablets she has to take everyday! Zaynab will also have her braces removed during that week as a precaution from catching any bacterial infection.
     Zaynab is  is very grateful for all the support and love she continues to receive. The hospital visit from her teacher & friends in the previous school has left a special heartwarming effect on her. She mentioned that a couple of times she opened Skype, but was only lucky enough to meet Aneesa (who she loves).  Zaynab is glad to have the Internet connection available in her room and looks forward to replying to the posted comments -which she actually reads- so keep them coming!!
 
 Love you Zaynab..Our prayers with you. Till the next time,

Auntie Elham on behalf of Mom..

Day 19

Salaamu alaikum

Zaynab is gradually regaining some strength and she has begun going for short walks alhamdulilah.

These days she is mostly dealing with the side effects of the chemo.  Stomach pain is the thing she complains about the most.  Luckily with her starting home schooling this week we are forced to get her back to a normal sleep schedule.

Thanks to the amazing support we've gotten from our friends and family we are making lots of progress.  Thanks to all those who have helped out in so many ways!  We are truly blessed.  Also, having both grandmothers and aunt Esra has helped tremendously!

Zaynab is 10 days away from finishing the first phase of treatment they call Induction.  Induction is the first phase of treatment where they expect by the end of it that her cancer should be in remission.  That doesn't mean its gone, more like it goes into hiding ... :).  But its the litmus test for how effective the treatment is working.  So please keep us in your prayers ... in 10 days from now they will do a bone marrow biopsy to determine the effectiveness of the chemo so far.

We are schedule for another chemo dose this Friday insha Allah.

Salam for now.
Musaab

Day 14 - What is normal?

Salaamu alaikum.  Our apologies for not posting in the last few days.  The past few days have been very hectic.

I am writing this post as I am waiting for my mom to arrive from Sudan, I can actually hear the clock ticking ... :).   We are excited to have both grandmothers here!

Alhamdulilah, Zaynab is slowly improving.  She still has sporadic pain and some nausea.  Since being discharged we have been trying to re-establish a sense of normal.  That has been really difficult to achieve.  Despite all the help and prayers, I would be lying if I said it was easy.  Alhamdulilah.  Sleep is still a luxury ... :).  Between Zaynab and Yusuf its not easy to get more than 2 hours of sleep at a time.

Zaynab's vacation from school is about to end.  She will be starting this coming week with a teacher who will be coming to the house three times a week for a couple of hours at a time.  She is only partly excited about that of course.

Zaynab just had another chemo treatment today.  Alhamdulilah it went well.  She is beginning to have some nausea and fatigue and that should last a couple of days.  Hopefully it will be over by the end of the weekend.  She continues to be prone to infection so we have her walking around the house in a mask ... :). 

Thats all for now, we will try and make sure to update the blog more frequently.

Welcome Home Zaynab

Alhamdulilah, the doctors today allowed us to go home.  Like Matthew indicated, her immune system is pretty weak and will be that way for the next three weeks at least ... and then off and on afterwards throughout the 8 months of treatment.  The doctors have warned us that any infection and she's going to have to come back and stay in the hospital until it passes.  For that reason, we ask that instead of visiting please keep her in your thoughts and prayers and we will try to keep updating the blog.

BTW ... She was *very* happy to be leaving the hospital and was excited to see her younger siblings.  Just being home even for the last couple of hours and you can already see the impact its had on her emotional well being and we hope it helps her recovery!

Thanks again for the love and support.

Well wishes and visiting

To all of Zaynab's supporters... the family is getting a ton of visitors.  This is wonderful for Zaynab, but also provides a bit of a challenge for them.  Zaynab is now immunocompromised and each visitor adds just a little risk to getting her sick.

I'm going to play the part of the "scrooge" and ask that everyone pour the love and affection out with all the support we can, but let's make sure to limit somewhat our visits to ease the family somewhat and to ensure Zaynab isn't exposed to anything.

Thank you all,
Matthew

Day 8 continued

Alhamdulilah Zaynab's chemo went well. She slept through most of it. She woke up towards the end feeling some pain. Fortunately that didn't last too long and they were able to put her back on the morphine pump. Alhamdulilah...:) Then she had something to eat and is sound asleep now. The Dr talked about getting her pain undercontrol using oral meds so we can go home. Hopefully they figure that out soon. Musaab and I both were taught how to take care of her IV line at home. So not much holding us up here. Zaynab and I spent some time reading comments on the blog. She told me that it made her feel as if people were here beside her. I am so happy to see posts from family and friends all over the world. Special thanks for family posting in Arabic it will give us an opprotunity to practice. My love and salaam to all

Day 8

Zaynab just had a lumbar puncture where they took a sample of her spinal fluid for testing.  They also injected chemo intrathecally (medicine injected into the spinal space).  In talking to the doctor this procedure was developed to ensure that the cancer doesn't resurface in the central nervous system.

As I am writing this, they are preparing to give her two more chemo meds through her IV.  Unfortunately these meds cause nausea and vomiting ... so please keep her in your prayers.  We are praying that she gets the benefit from the meds while avoiding the negative effects.

We have been reading the blog posts and the comments to Zaynab and she has been really happy to know so many people are thinking about her.

Yesterday, Zaynab was ecstatic that her friends from her old school visited her ... she played Clue with Annie and Alex.  She got a custom made bear from Kelly with a recorded message built in every time Zaynab squeezed it!  She also got another visit from Mrs. Yoshikawa who brought her tons of cards from the 5th grade class at her school. It will take a couple of days to read all of them. Thanks JFS!

Thanks again for all your continuous love and support.

Eyman

Day 7- Friday

This morning I was fortunate to be able to spend some quality time with Zaynab.  Unfortunately though, this will have been it for me for quite a while now.  As she is experiencing leukopenia, I told Zaynab and Eyman that I will not bring my germs (even though I am not sick) with me to visit until I get the clear from them once she is discharged to her home.  We’re all hoping she is able to go home Sunday, but due to recent, sporadic pain, she may possibly have to remain at the hospital slightly longer.  (Zaynab, I’m praying your pain gets under control so this will not be an issue on Sunday.)   

I also had a nice chat with Zaynab and her dad about her new diet.  After bringing her many unhealthy, sugary sweets, I realized they will be limiting all of this in their home.  The family is going to try to make some changes in their diet, and I am thinking I need to seriously do the same thing in my home!  

Zaynab was also very excited to tell me her grandmother came on Wed. and that her other grandmother and cousins are coming soon too.  InshAllah she will be having some nice rest and homemade, nutritious food at home with all the family soon.  

Tomorrow, Zaynab will be having another lumbar puncture (hopefully early in the day so she can eat a nice brunch afterwards).  I will be praying the test goes well and she is able to handle the chemo as well as she did the last time she had this test done.

Zaynab, I really enjoyed being able to chat with you about instruments, books, food, family, school, etc., etc.  InshAllah may your pain get under control and test go well tomorrow so you can return home soon.

Lots of love and duas!

Day 5 & 6

Mashah ALLAH today Zaynab looked great. Both Musaab and Eyman told me it was one of the best day she has had since her diagnosis. Zaynab went for a walk outside and also walked around in her ward. She also finished Anne of Green Gables in just two days :-)

She is waiting to finish the remaining three Harry Potter movies which I think she will start from tomorrow. She did start a new medicine and Alhamdulliah she adjusted to it really well.

Zaina and Zaynab also got to spend quality time together and they talked about how they can trick their dad's (me and Musaab) in putting nail polish on them :-) Yeah right!! as if that will ever happen.

There have also been a slew of other visitors that have been coming daily to see Zaynab and today she got a surprise visit from one of her old school teachers. Everyone in her school also sent their best wishes and speedy recovery prayers for her.

Her grandma (Musaab's mother) also gave her visit straight from the airport and Musaab told me that she was excited to see her grandma. For the last couple of day's Zaynab had been asking her dad to bring her iPod from home, but he could not find it and today she got a new one as present from one the visitors (can't remember the person who brought it). Now Zaynab is connected and will be responding back to her email and checking her blog daily. So you all be better putting loads of comments on her blog.

Fundraising efforts info

Salam and Hi,

I just wanted to send a quick note to say thank you to everyone who is supporting the fundraising efforts. Thus far, on day 5, we have raised $2700.00 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society...Our goal for this charity is $50,000.00....as well as getting as many people to actually join us and participate in the Light the Night walk on Oct. 20, 2012......For Charity:water organization, we have raised $1920.00. Our goal for this charity is $20,000.00. That amount will give water to 1000 people, 200 families, and 4 communities. God willing, we will be able to get these goals reached. Here are the 2 links:

http://pages.lightthenight.org/sj/SanJose12/TeamZaynab

http://mycharitywater.org/Zaynab

Thanks again, and may all your efforts be rewarded now and forever,
Nancy

Day 4

This is an update from Eyman... AKA "The Mom"

Alhamdulilah today was a good day for Zaynab. She was able to eat (not much) without feeling too nauseous. We also had a physical therapist come in and do some exercises in bed to strengthen or loosen her muscles.  What was most exciting Alhamdulilah was she was actually able to walk a couple of laps around the pediatric department.

Probably Zaynab's most exciting time of the day was when her teacher, Mrs. Yoshikawa came to visit her today. They talked, laughed and she shared some of the candy that the Mengerinks brought.

Tomorrow Zaynab is scheduled to have another strong dose of chemo so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers!

We feel so blessed to have such great family and friends!

Mom

Thanks

Assalamu Alaikum and hello,

I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone out there who has been sending prayers, and well wishes for Zaynab. We really feel  the good and kindness. Our hearts are happy knowing that Zaynab has such love coming her way.

Salam,
Eyman

Day 3

Today was one of the better days for Zaynab.  Eyman said that she looked better today than she's looked in quite some time.

Alaine, Sabrine, Bayaan & I dropped by and brought a bunch of candy.  We were only allowed to do so one time,... so we made it count.  Zaynab had a smile ear to ear.  She seemed very anxious to eat the popcorn we brought.

I was quick to notice that Zaynab was hogging up all of the morphine.  I suggested that she shared with her  uncle Matthew and she was quite willing.  Unfortunately, the morphine was literally behind lock and key.  Apparently, when the nurses come and give her a new unit, there has to be two of them to make sure one doesn't steal it!!!  The really nice part was the green button.  Zaynab kept telling me all I had to do to dose myself was click the green button.  Her father kept telling her that this would dose her, not me.  If you looked at the smile on her face, she knew this already.

At this rate, we're looking to see Zaynab out of the hospital on Sunday.  Here's hoping all goes well.  Again, overall, things are looking as good as they can be.  We'll keep praying and wishing Zaynab well. Please write things in the comments.  I'm looking for ways to allow people to post without opening up the blog to anyone who comes along.  In the mean time, Zaynab's keeping up with this one so let's fill her days with joy.

Peace,
Matthew

Fundraising effort

Nancy Clifford wrote the following message:

Salam and Hi Everyone,

Dear friends, If you have not heard, Zaynab 10, a shining light of ours has been diagnosed with Leukemia. Eyman and Musaab were given the news that Zaynab has ALL ( Acute Lymphoblatic leukemia ) this past week. Her prognosis is good, Thank God. When I heard the news, my first thought was how can we help our friends and how can we help the greater community who is suffering with this as well. I found out that there is a walk in October. It will be a very easy walk. Please join the team, and send out to everyone you know, hopefully they will send out to more and more people...post on Facebook, Google+, twitter, work...It doesnt matter...the more people we have to walk or just donate the better.....Please help and lets see how many people we can get to walk and Light the Night together for Team Zaynab.

Thanks,

Nancy

Zaynab's return to health

Dear friends and family,

It was of course with a heavy heart, we first heard the news about Zaynab At-Taras and her development of ALL (Acute Lymphoblatic Leukeima). The next thing we all heard was the tremendous strength that exists in this child and her unbelievably positive outlook on life.

As there are so many people in the world who love Zaynab and are wishing her well, we have created this blog to help keep everyone up to date on her progress and on news on how to help wish her well and to encourage her during her recovery.

Kathryn Mengerink, when she heard the news, said to me, "We'll be watching this child's high school graduation, I'm sure of it." Insha'Allah, she'll be right and Zaynab will recover soon.

Zaynab, we love you!!!

Salaam,

Matthew Mengerink