Greetings and Prayers

Last night some of my friends and I got together for something neat, and I hope someone else reading this might also try it.

We informally called it "Potluck and Prayers," but all we really did was get together for appetizers and a little fellowship, then we all sat down in a big circle and just prayed and prayed for Katie and the entire McCarty family.  I found it to be quite powerful.

If you're so inclined, please send up your prayers as well.

Furthermore, we discussed other things we can do to help Katie.  It's really simple and really inexpensive:  Send her some greeting cards and letters!  Let her know you're thinking about her while she's in the hospital and you're not there.

Also, thank you to those of you who are donating via PayPal on this site!  Rest assured that your donation will go to the McCarty family 100 percent, and also that they will receive notice that you have made a gift to them (unless you specifically request to donate anonymously, of course).

One more thing, if you have signed up to receive email updates for this site, I've noticed that some of you are still listed in my records as "unverified."  This means that you have not yet clicked the link from Feedburner.com to confirm your subscription.  It's free and very quick and easy, but it's just to be sure you really requested the service.  If you signed up but have not been getting update messages, that's likely the reason why, so just go into your inbox (or spam folder) and be sure you click the confirmation link.  If you haven't signed up, go ahead and do that now!  It's secure and will notify you each time new information is posted here.

The last I heard today, we're still waiting to hear if Katie is in remission.  She had a procedure done Monday and was supposed to find out the next day.  However, the machine they use is down, so hopefully it will be working soon and give us some good news.  This does not mean she's done, unfortunately, but it will determine how she's doing and when the next round of chemo will begin.

If you are interested in visiting Katie in the hospital, you should go ahead and make plans to do that pretty soon.  Once she has the bone marrow transplant, my understanding is that she will have about 100 days where she won't be allowed visitors.

Also, if you're in San Antonio and want to visit, please remember that children under the age of 12 are not allowed in, and it's also a good idea to call first to be sure it's a good time.  (That's my personal take on it anyway.)  It goes without saying, but just in case it slips your mind, I'll say it anyway -- If you have been the least bit sick at all (even a cough) or you've been around someone who has been the least bit sick, please do not visit Katie at that time.  Her immune system can't handle it.

I will be posting in the next few days about our newest fundraiser, and you won't want to miss this one!