"Dancers are the athletes of God." -Albert Einstein

We are so excited about all of the progress Erin has made this summer! She is taking dance classes again, starting back slowly with bar exercises and strengthening for 1 hour every week. We can't wait to see her dance again! 

A Special Thanks to J.T. Saldivar Elementary!!!

The Perez Family would like to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to the Scholars and Professors at Julian T. Saldivar Elementary in Dallas! Their generosity, love, and selflessness towards Erin has ceased to amaze us! On their last day of school they made Erin an honorary scholar at their "Kids Helping Kids" campaign assembly called "Caring for Erin". In less than four days they raised over $1,000 to help cover Erin's medical expenses. In addition, each student designed their own card for Erin with special uplifting messages. These special cards have put a smile on Erin's face and she is able to use them to help her practice reading in a fun way! The students and staff at this school will forever have a special place in our hearts! 

Erin's Going Home!!!!!!

Erin has surprised EVERYONE!!!! She is doing so well; walking, AND talking!!! It's like everything changed over night. The doctors said she can go  home tomorrow and we will start out-patient therapy soon. Her last day at the hospital was filled with celebrities! She got to meet Cody Simpson and Ryan Beatty. Yes, that is Cody Simpson wearing Erin's bracelet!! It has been such an exciting day! She can't even sleep she is so excited about going home:). 

One step back, TWO STEPS FORWARD!!!

Erin has had an amazing couple of days!!!! She enjoyed a visit from her Aunt Lydia, Cousin Kristen, and Grandpa Perez on one of her BEST days. She is more alert, smiling, and TALKING again! She even bought a mood ring to give to her sister, Sarah, for her birthday (Happy Birthday Sarah!). Hopefully now we can stay on track and go back to rehab soon! Thank you for all of your prayers, keep them coming!

Our Journey is Feeling More Like a Roller Coaster..

The doctor's weren't kidding when they said there would be ups and downs. After such an exciting weekend with a new puppy, Erin's week is off to a rough start. Today we were sent back to Children's Medical Center. Erin has not been herself recently and it was starting to concern us. The doctors at Baylor's Rehab center suggested that she go back to Children's to get some answers. There she will be doing more blood work and test to see if there is something they can do to help get her back on track. This set back is upsetting but we know everyone is praying for her and God will get her through this!

Meet Buddy:)

Erin has been very agitated and grumpy because they adjusted her medicine so when the opportunity arose we decided it was the perfect time for a new puppy!! She had responded very well to the therapy dogs that visit the hospital so our goal is to have the puppy trained as a therapy dog for her. He is already VERY sweet he lets Erin hug him and he rides around on her wheel chair, he is the perfect little dog for Erin!

Jesus, Take the Wheel

With all of the ups and downs she has experienced this week Erin still has a smile on her face! She enjoys singing along with her favorite songs, especially "Jesus, Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood. It was so sweet we had to share her video. She even sang for her nurse yesterday! The chemotherapy has kicked in and the side effects are beginning to show but we are learning how to tie scarves in some really fun and beautiful styles! We know this is all part of God's plan and continue to have faith!

Splendid Sunday

Erin's white blood cell count is back up again! This means she doesn't have to wear the mask anymore! Erin is happy about that! She was really excited to see her Grandparents and Aunt Jesica today!

Fun with Family

On Saturday, Erin enjoyed her visitors. Her Aunt Mary, Uncle Lynn, and cousins, Ashlynn and Kassidy came to see her for the first time since Erin has been in hospital. Earlier in the week on Thursday, Erin's Aunt Lydia visited as well.Erin loved seeing all their smiling faces.

White Blood Cells

The doctors found Erin's white blood cell count to be low today. With that increased risk to her immune system, she can't have anyone near her who may  be sick. We pray that these increased precautions will keep her healthy.  She was able to attend her therapies, but she still was not feeling well.

One Small Step for Erin

Today Erin's journey to walking again surprised us all! While we were inside the therapy gym, she only took 3 steps while holding onto the parallel bars. Then the physical therapist took her outside and ERIN TOOK 1300 steps! They ended up walking around the perimeter of the Baylor Our Children's House! It truly was a miracle! We know God is hearing everyone's prayers!

 

"The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -Chinese proverb

Sleeping Beauty

Today was a very long day. Erin was exhausted! She couldn't wake up enough to participate in her therapy sessions. We don't if it was due to her medicines or if it was from still getting used to a new routine & place. Hopefully our Sleeping Beauty will be well rested for therapy tomorrow!

The Next Step In Her Journey

Today Erin was moved to Our Children's House at Baylor, an inpatient rehab center in Dallas. We are happy about the move because it means Erin is finally on the road to recovery. She will have therapists that work with her all day, everyday to learn how to walk, talk, and dance again:) It is going to be a long road but she is ready!
“Though she be but little, she is fierce!”― William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

Mother's Day

Erin has been asleep all day because of the medication they gave her for her seizure last night, but she opened her eyes for a second and gave us a HUGE smile when she saw Mom's Mother's Day card. This definitely brightened Mom's day! Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Post-surgery May 11, 2013

Angelica came home from college with a lot of goodies from her Fish Camp Crew!!!! Erin was in a little pain from the gastric feeding tube surgery but the sight of all her gifts made her smile.

Pre-surgery May 10, 2013

Erin was very brave waiting for surgery!

Plasmapheresis

Erin completed her last plasmapheresis today. The doctors are deciding on how to go about the next steps in  her treatment. Please continue to keep Erin in your prayers and pray that God will guide the doctors to do what is best for her and her healing process. 

A message from The Band Perry :)JUST FOR ERIN!!!!

Friendly visitors

Today, we were lucky to have visitors that made Erin smile. Wayne and Kerry, our in-laws came to visit.  Kerry prayed with Erin and the family a beautiful prayer.  After the visit, Erin played with some of the Barbies and puzzles that Child life brought us. It is the third time she has had Plasmapheresis.  We also went on a roll in the wheelchair.

Wrong Diagnosis..

A lot has happened in the past week. We took Erin to her pediatrician because her neck was hurting and the pediatrician was in shock at her condition. We explained that the neurologist diagnosed her with Sydenham's Chorea and she was being treated, but that Erin seemed to only get worse. She immediately got on the phone with another hospital and got us into the emergency room so we could get admitted as soon as possible. At the ER we got the best checkups and questions about her background and they seemed really interested in helping us. They couldn't believe the other hospital had been treating the SC for 30 days and Erin was in this state.  Right away they knew that was the wrong diagnosis.  They started talking about inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) which also causes a lot of movement. They will monitor Erin for at least 10 more days as they complete a plasmapheresis. She has been on steroids for a few days and we already see improvement. We will continue to pray and hope for a complete recovery.

Video Diary Day 1

How It All Began

It started with something so dismissible; tingling in her left arm...  One month later, she can't eat or walk on her own and barely talks. The journey has been long and scary but we are praying that things only get better from here. During a rare moment of lucidness Erin said she wanted to start a video journal to record her experience. We thought it was a wonderful idea and want to share it. Maybe this will help others that find themselves struggling with this disorder to cope and know that they are not alone.