January 2008 Update

Dear Friends and Family:

What a wonderful experience being home with the family. That therapy alone is a miracle in itself. Hugging the children and reading to them is probably the best medicine that Sheryl could be taking.

Let me give all of you a look into the future for Sheryl for whom we all love and have been fasting, praying and serving. It will take all of our faith and prayers to have this miracle complete.

1st her normal skin color will start to come back. It will take a year.

2nd We will start seeing more blood veins. We have found 2!!

3rd Her skin will start to loosen up- again that will take a year to happen.

Right now she seems to have more energy- usually only 1 nap a day. Her white blood cell count has gone from 1.5 to 2.5. Normal range again is 4.5 to 11. The white blood cell count represents the immune system. Your immune system is what fights off colds, flu, and all forms of disease. That is why we have asked to have no visitors yet. When she gets up to the 4+ range we would love to have visitors if you are healthy. It will take some time for her body to heal from the disease that has plagued her for the last 19 months. It will be awhile before she can go out in public.

Dallin and Brandon, 16 and 14 bring her the sacrament each week. It is neat to have her own boys using their priesthood to serve their mother.

We have taken Travis and Weston out of school for the month of January. Elementary school classrooms seem to attract a lot of germs so I am taking them to ski school instead and Sheryl is doing math and reading with them daily. They both seem to enjoy ski school!

We are paying special attention to our eating habits. We have been extremely good in 2007 with exception to a few times in China eating at McDonalds and KFC. We know that eating right and exercising consistently is a must for full recovery and the best success.

Dr. Tom Dickinson has been incredible – not just as a friend but as the doctor who is overseeing Sheryl's care. We are blessed to have such a caring capable Doctor who is just down the street.

Thank you all for your prayers, fasting, service and love. I will do a blog once a month because so many of you have been asking. If any of you have any specific questions let me know and I will try to address them on my monthly blog.

I will continue to be Sheryl loving nurse. I have never enjoyed a job so much as being the "mom" of the family and being Sheryl's "go to man."

We love and appreciate all of you with all of our hearts.

Love your friend and brother, Lon

P.S. Our son, Jason, had an endoscopy and is on the slow recovery from the Dengue fever. He has been baptizing every month and also started a branch.