November 15, 2025

*Transplant Time * Please Join Us in Prayer Every Day for the next 30 days at 9 AM beginning November 17th

Transplant is finally here, the timeframe we’ve been warned about, anxious about, and prayed over since we first learned about this grueling part of her treatment plan for stage 4 neuroblastoma. I know we are walking into the hardest and darkest few weeks yet, and honestly, I’m scared.
Stem cell transplant means a 4–6 week hospital stay. We’ll be confined to the transplant floor and, if infection occurs, even to the room. Erma won’t be able to see Johnny, and our little family will spend Thanksgiving apart this year. We are praying BIG prayers that she’ll be out by Christmas so we can be reunited with John-Boy.

The process starts with 7 days of high-dose chemotherapy, which will likely cause severe mucositis (painful mouth and throat sores), nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, agitation, fatigue, and organ toxicity. She’ll need round-the-clock care, including showers and dressing changes every 6 hours (even in the middle of the night) to protect her central line. There are serious risks that come with this phase, including infection and organ complications. She will also receive a feeding tube to help her stay nourished during this time. After chemo, she’ll receive her own stem cells back, a process meant to “rescue” her bone marrow and help her body recover from the chemo. And if all of this sounds overwhelming… we unfortunately have to complete the transplant process twice. The second one beginning in January. 

Because of infection risks, she can’t have stuffed animals, any toys with cloth, or many items from home. Toys must come fresh out of the box. If you’ve sent something from our Amazon wishlist, please know that we saved most of it for this exact time, thank you so much for your generosity and support. 

After seeing so many of you at the Fight Like the Dickens event at Gnarly Barley last weekend and feeling your love and prayers, I know that my girl is being covered in prayer. Our doctors make rounds each morning around 9 AM, so I would love if you would set your alarm and pray with us every day at 9 AM. Pray for Erma’s strength. Pray for healing. Pray for her doctors and nurses to be compassionate and kind and pray for our hearts to be strong too.

If you’re new to praying or don’t know what to say, you can simply whisper what I sometimes do when it all feels too heavy:
"God, save Erma.”
"God, cure Erma.”

Thank you all for standing with us, for believing with us, and for lifting Erma up in prayer. I am very scared — but I know that God is still working miracles for Erma.