Ashtyn woke up early at 10:30 a.m. in preparation for her 1:00 p.m. scheduled visit from the BYU cheerleaders. I was so pleased that she felt well enough to get out of bed that early. On top of that, she felt well enough to eat. Nutrition is obviously an ongoing issue we deal with. As long as her mouth, throat, and stomach can handle food, it's so important that she tries her hardest to eat. For the past week her caloric intake has been minimal. I don't think there's been a day where she's eaten more than 300 calories. Before her cancer diagnosis she had already lost 10 pounds during the past few months. Whether her weight loss was due to cancer, or stress from a full schedule in high school, we'll never know. The important thing is, she needs to eat food as long as possible before we resort to IV nutrition. From the cafeteria menu she ordered a bowl of mash potatoes and a soft pretzel. She ate the mash potatoes and was almost done with the pretzel when her nose started to bleed. Her platelet count was low at 15 and needed another transfusion. For over an hour she kept pressure on her nose to control the bleeding. She was bummed and irritated having to deal with the bloody nose right when she was actually able to eat. By 1:15 p.m. it was still bleeding. Nonetheless, Ashtyn put makeup on and got ready for her visitors. A platelet transfusion was started, the bloody nose stopped, and by 1:45 p.m BYU cheer coach Jocelyn Allan, the cheerleaders, and BYU basketball forward, Eric Mika came to say Hi. What a kind group of people. So sincere. So caring. Ashtyn was physically tired but her spirits were lifted. The visit not only brightened that moment but the memory will continue to bring hope to Ashtyn. That one day she'll be a student at BYU and this cancer crap will be a thing of the past. Thank you so much @jocelyn_allan #ericmika #byucheerleaders You truly brought a spirit that warmed our hearts.
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