First out-patient visit today

Hebrews 4:16, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
Louis took us to MD Anderson Cancer Center this AM for Katrina's first out patient visit. We know the hospital fairly well now even though it is huge. We went to fast-track lab and it turned out to be just that. Sign-in, wait a short time, called for blood work, sent to a room for vitals, ready to settle in and wait to see the doctor and we were called back within maybe 10 minutes for the consultation. We met her clinical doctor who will follow her for the rest of her chemotherapy. His name is Dr. Kantarjian (he gave her the challenge of being able to spell his name by the next time he sees her:) Dr. Kantarjian is head of the leukemia dept. at the hospital and he developed the protocol for Burkitts which is the form of acute leukemia Katrina has. Steve found that this protocol he developed has been successful for 15 years. He still sees some Burkitt's patients but most are seen by another doctor now but we're told Katrina's doctor has stayed very current with Burkitt's. He was forthright and personable. We are thankful he is going to be her doctor! He explained the need to continue to treat her leukemia/lymphoma aggressively so Katrina will go back to the hospital on Monday to be seen by him, have a bone marrow aspiration (yes, again) and then be admitted for Course 2. She is going to have 8 courses of chemo spaced about every 3 weeks. This should get her through chemo in about 5 months. Currently she continues to have some stomach upset causing more weight loss. Please pray she is able to eat and gain some weight back. She is having difficulty sleeping and this will be again disrupted with another hospitalization- would you pray she could sleep at night while she is home? Insomnia is so frustrating when you are tired.
I wrote the Hebrews verse to ask you to pray specifically for this Course 2 chemo that Katrina would tolerate it without complications, reactions or set-backs. That would be a complete reversal of the first go-round as you know where she suffered pneumonia, tumor lysis, acute kidney failure, blood infection and GI ilius problems. Please pray for God's grace and mercy in her time of need. Obviously it was hard news for Katrina to hear, but this is the only option. We continue to be encouraged that the chemo is working and she is in remission. This is curable and she is young so that is in her favor. Thanks for specifically petitioning our Great High Priest for her- so many of you have told us you pray daily and some many times a day. Lori