This week was very busy, but a good week overall. Despite Mother Nature’s best attempts to cause chaos with multiple rounds of snow and high winds, we made it to every doctor appointment on time! There were several appointments across the entire week, all with the focus of assessing Araeya’s core body functions to make sure her body is capable of handling the bone marrow transplant. The tests assessed her heart, lungs, kidney, and liver functions along with looking for any hiding viruses that may cause issues. I am happy to report all of her major organs are working properly, and she does not have any hidden illnesses to resolve before moving forward!

Next Steps for the bone marrow transplant:

• We are waiting on final confirmation that the donor passes their labs, and will be allowed to donate their bone marrow. We should know by early next week.
  • We have been assured there are suitable back-up donors available. It may extend the timing of everything should it be necessary to pivot.
• January 9th: Araeya will be having a central IV placed. This central line will allow the medical team to give medications, take labs, provide nutrition, and ultimately deliver the stem cells on transplant day.
• Insurance needs to review the test results from this past week and provide a final authorization to proceed with the chemotherapy and transplant. We have been told several times by our insurance liason that they will approve it, as long as there’s no major medical issue that could prevent it. Prayers that everything is approved are still greatly appreciated!
• If all continues to go well, which we know it will… Admission date and the start of chemo is set for 1/12/26. Only 10 days away….

Fundraising:

• Rahne, Mady, MeLinda, Nicole, and Araeya have been very active in promoting the Washington Square Restaurant Fundraiser for COTA for Rae and seeking donations from local businesses to place in the basket drawings for the event. If you know of anyone willing to donate items for the baskets, please let one of us know. Any donation would be greatly appreciated!
• Lisa, an amazing instructor at the Y for the 5:10am group of crazies like me, organized a class fundraiser for COTA for Rae and presented it to me at the Christmas Eve class. We cannot thank them enough for their kindness and supportive messages they also shared! I cannot wait to get back to class and thank each one of them!
• A group of very gracious friends/co-workers at Connexus Energy have begun working on a lunch fundraiser. They will be donating and serving a pulled pork sandwich lunch complete with sides and desert to all employees donating at least $10 to COTA in honor of Araeya.
• We are truly humbled by the overwhelming financial support many of you have provided to COTA for Rae! COTA funds will go a long way to meet Araeya’s (and our families) transplant related expenses. We have already begun to use COTA funds to cover our parking and other expenses during this weeks testing visits. Also, with the new year, we now face a new insurance deductible. COTA funds will go a long way towards helping cover those costs! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We cannot say enough how grateful we are to everyone that has worked on fundraising for COTA for Rae, or shared the fundraiser flyer! It has been an overwhelming show of support that we had not expected! Thank you!

Other Activities:

Happy New Year to you all! Even with everything going on, we were able to continue participating in a few Christmas gatherings with family, and then celebrate New Years. Rae was able to spend the night with a few girlfreinds to bring in the new year. The rest of us stayed home to enjoy some pizza and board games. In between it all, we were able to get in some snowtubing with friends and family. Thankfully, we are still going strong… we have a Christmas dinner with Josh, Kat, Jake, and Aleesha on Saturday, then the Arden family (Nicoles side) Christmas on Sunday after church.

Please continue to pray!

We greatly appreciate your prayers for Araeya, our family, the donor, and the medical team! The great results from this weeks tests, and how amazing her transplant team is are proof that your prayers work! As we are now only 10 days away from admission day, and the start of chemotherapy, we need your prayers to continue.

With love and gratitude,

The Sells

#COTAHOPE