Ari's herpes

We thought Ari just had mouth sores because one of her chemos gives her mouth sores. So we were sent home and they started getting worse and worse it turns out she got Herpes really bad. She couldn't eat, talk and she could barely drink. The only thing we could get her to drink was coke. Now we have a 2 year old that is a coke addict. I tried torturing her by making her take stuff in a syring but after a few weeks she looked awful so we started her on feeds through a feeding tube.It ended being herpes. Two months latter she finally stated eating. She ended up having herpes, EBV, infected lip nodes, and fishers. She was in the ICU at primaries for a few days and we almost lost her. Travis took her up himself since the baby was do any day.

Here is a email from Travis.


Hello Everyone,

Just a quick update about Ari. Some of you may know that we have been in and out of the hospital for the last 7 weeks, mainly in St. George. But we have been at Primary Childrens since Thursday (August 26, 2010). Mom was up here with me while we spent over a day in ICU. Haley couldn't take it anymore remaining in St. George so she came up yesterday evening. She was staying in St. George because she is due any day to have the baby. Actually her due date is on the 4th of September. But she has always been 10 days late with all of the other kids. Anyways we have decided to have both of us up here at PCH and have made arrangements that if she does go into labor we literally just have to walk over to the University Hospital. We won't even have to go outside and get into a car. The kids are with Grandma Bradshaw. They are on their second week of school and they really like it. Taylor is playing contact football and Haley recorded his games last Saturday and without being an unbiased father, he is unbelievable!

Ari is definitely struggling. The list of her infirmities is very long and the discomfort and pain that it is causing to her body is very sad. It is not just one single symptom that is killing her it is a multitude of diseases, viral's, bacterias and infections. Just one of those symptoms would bring me to my knees begging God to take my spirit to allow my physical body to be alleviated from the pain.

She has herpes that has infected her mouth down her throat through her digestive tract all the way to her rectum. She also has a viral called EBV. I forget what it stands for, but it is causing her body to not be able to heal and reproduce white and red blood cells. She also has staph and strep--not the normal strep that most people get but the kind that eats through your skin and organs. Obviously the pain of all of these is extremely painful. I am seriously blown away of how she continues to bare it.

The cancer has moved into her jaw on both sides and into the base of her skull as well as into her lip nodes. So now the LCH is in her liver, lungs, kidneys, spleen top of her skull, the base of her skull her jaw and her lip nodes. The doctors were joking today saying that this is a new disease and it should be named after Ari. But they were serious when they said that they had never seen anything like this and they are amazed as to how she continues to fight this disease.

The plan now is to get her healed of the Herpes, staph, strep, and EBV. Once she is healed of those bacterias, virals, and infections then they are going to work on the Cancer. They are very concerned about the cancer in the lip nodes especially because that will aggressively spread and it is a large chance that it is in her bone marrow. So we are closer to the bone marrow transplant and hopefully the new baby's placenta will match. If not we will start with Taylor then Kaley then Laney. Then, if they don't match we will move on to Ron and Vicki's kids (LOL).

I did not know that bone marrow transplant was so risky. The doctor explained the risks of the transplant and now I understand why it is the very last resort.

Thanks for all of your help and love.

Love
Travis








I'm having a hard time tonight. I have never been away from her. But since the baby is due any day,Travis took her up this time. She almost died tonight. They are now in intensive care. I've always said to myself it would be ok if she skipped of to heaven. She is in so much pain I would have to be really selfish to not want her to receive relief. Tonight I realized that I still feel the same way but if it is going to happened I want it to be in my arms. I think the only reason I'm ever strong is because I have this amazingly strong spirit nestled in my arm and my spirit just feeds of her's. She is so amazing in every way. I am so grateful for her. Thank you Heavenly Father for sending me such a beautiful angel.

I'm sure every thing will seem brighter in the morning.
but for now thanks for all the prayers.