We’re hoping that Ella will be coming home towards the end of December, just before Christmas. Both of our families will for sure be having big Christmas celebrations if Ella is home. Mike, Ella’s grandfather and Cathi, Ella’s grandmother have been helping the four of us, staying with Ella at UCSF. This has been incredibly helpful and has enabled us to all get some rest and get our emotions under control, so we can look towards the future and be optimistic about Ella’s recovery.
Ella, against all odds, has made incredible progress this week. She is now able to communicate with us by shaking her head, up and down for yes and left to right for no. This is amazing, as she is now able to let us know if she is in pain or uncomfortable, etc. We’re getting her up in the wheelchair daily and we’re rolling her around the 7th floor cancer ward, for a half an hour sometimes more. She has her eyes open the whole time. She is smiling, although only the muscles on the left side of her face are working, so it’s kind of a half smile, but hey we’ll take it!! Ella is not fully awake, she is in a semi-conscious state. Not deep coma and not awake, her brain is still healing.
She’ll wrap up her radiation treatment in 3 weeks, then we’ll keep her at UCSF for a couple of weeks just to monitor her. Alycia and I each have separate insurances providers, we’ll be getting the special hospital beds for each of our homes and monitors. Insurance will provide an in-home nurse to visit a couple of times a week, but mostly we’ll be doing everything for Ella. We can’t wait to have her home and we’re pretty confident that once she is in a familiar place, and we start her rehab, she’ll be making some more big strides in the coming months and years.
We are in need of donations as insurance is not going to pay for the kind of extensive rehabilitation that Ella is going to need. Physical therapy, speech therapy, all of these things she will need on a daily basis. We are planning a silent auction and dinner benefit in the coming months. We’re hoping that we can find a suitable restaurant here in Sonoma County to hold the event, so if anyone has any inside connects, be sure to email me and let me know. Please click on the donate button to the right of the page to donate to Ella’s rehabilitation fund. All donations go to pay for Ella’s therapy, so with your help, Ella will get the care she needs to make a real recovery.
Our little girl has suffered for 3 months in the hospital, fighting for her life. All of us have been on an unbelievably difficult emotional roller-coaster, but we’re trying to stay strong, stay positive and focus on Ella. She is the one that really needs the help right now, we’re all adults, and as hard as it gets, we’re not the ones in the hospital bed suffering from a rare brain cancer. I am so proud to be Ella’s father and I cannot wait to hear my daughter speak again, walk again, laugh again.
I’m sure all of you can’t wait either. Please donate, help us get Ella the best care possible.
Thank you all. Pictures and video of Ella coming soon, I’ll post them here on the blog.
email:
excuse2realize@hotmail.com
with any suggestions on places to hold the auction event.
What wonderful news!!!!!!
Tears of joy here! I can’t even begin to express how happy and relieved I am, nor can I imagine how you all must be feeling. Lots of love to you all!
I was so amazed by the fact that she isnow communiating that it brought me to tears!! Im soooooo glad for her!! I’ll be praying harder!!
Tell Ella she has a friend faaar away from home, in Ecuador/South America.
Continue to hold Ella and you in his armas
Estefania Peña
WOW! This is incredible news! I sent an email to the above address regarding a place to hold a fundraiser. If you need any other assistance in this matter, please do not hesitate to ask me, and I will be more than happy to assist you.
BTW….My last name has changed, considering, on the 13th of November, I got married! Eventually, our IT department will be changing my email address to sholloway@hanselauto.com. I’m informing you of this so you know it’s still ME who’s following and responding to your blog.
In the meantime, HURRAH, HURRAH, to the wonderful news. My thoughts and prayers have not changed, if anything, they are more and more intense.
Love Always,
Sara Holloway once was Dudley
Dazzling and much welcome news. I check in on you once a week but think of you all daily. I received your kind note a few weeks ago and Ella’s smiling face is tucked into the edge of my blackboard and beams out over my kitchen. She has fans whom she has never met, rooting for her way over here in the middle of nowheresville, in the far southwest of England.
I have only glimpsed the terror that you are all facing. My son was desperately ill for over year and “slept” for only a week, it was unspeakably harrowing. He “woke up” 7 months ago, is doing great and is currently in remission. I so desperately hope Ella’s recovery carries on at this meteoric pace and she continues to surprise, baffle and bamboozle the universe.
Wishing you all much love, peace and strength.
This is such amazing news. I’m so happy to hear it!
I wish you all great strength in the upcoming months and years.
Hi there. I stumbled upon your website weeks and weeks ago and have been coming back daily ever since, hoping beyond hope that there would be a post like this one. I’m so happy for you guys even though I don’t know you!!! Glen, you remind me so much of one of my favorite author’s- Jonathan Tropper. You are a GREAT writer.
Anyway, much love, hope and positivity is coming Ella’s way from our home in the Napa Valley. I have to tell you that after I read the post before this I LITERALLY got down on my knees and prayed for her, like I’ve never prayed before. I will continue to do so. For whatever it’s worth…
I dont know your family but have been following your blog after seeing Ellas story at Community Market. I am so happy for you all, this is welcomed news as a friend of mine passed away from brain cancer 2 days ago. I though of your dear Ella and said a little prayer for her. Dont be alarmed by the news of my friends death, she was not recieving any treatment as she had a form unresponsive to chemo so she wanted to live what time she had as healthy as possible.
I have seen the comments that say you have been too negative and I just want to say it is your brutal honesty that draws me in. I think it is amazing that you are able to be so honest about your feelings and not hold them in like they dont exist.
But now is a time for hope and celebration and I am happy to hear the optomism in your words!!
Hell yes!!!! I knew when I watched that video of your sweet Ella that she had what it takes to make it through this!! I will donate something for your silent auction! Email me when you are ready.
heather
AWESOME NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Matthew Callaway, amy. amy said: Amazing news for a friend's family!!!! http://hope4ella.com/2010/11/ella-is-coming-home #miracles [...]
Balance. Something I really appreciate. My Dad passed on Sunday, he would have been 89 in December. Ella’s coming home in December. I like that feeling of balance. It feels so very good in my heart to know that we will be celebrating the wonder of Ella’s homecoming during the Holidays. I am also celebrating the birth of Snapdragon Bakery and want to donate to the auction if that would be something you could use. I continue to send you and Ella and your family love. T
Glen, Deb and Family…
That is such great news!! We are thinking of all of you always and envision AJ and Ella digging in the dirt of your backyard someday soon. She still need to teach him the poopy eye song, remember!!
Take very good care of each other as you are that precious little angel of yours.
This is breathtakingly awesome news! What a difference a few days makes. I am so heartened, so encouraged for all of you, Glenn! We’ll still keep up with our daily Ella prayers but now they’re full of gratitude & even more hope!
We are sooooooooooooooooo happy.. Just got home.. clicked onto Ella’s blog as I do each day… Started reading and started cheering.. I ran up and down the hall telling my family all about it. They are cheering and very happy too. Way to GO ELLA!!! Keep up the Great WORK… We are rooting for you. Hugs and Love to you all!
Excuse my profanity, but Holy Shit!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can’t believe what I just read, especially after being so upset by the last blog I read just a few days ago. I am soooo excited for Ella and you all, this is incredible news!!!!!!! I am sharing this news with Mikyla right now as I write this and she is smiling, I have tears welling up in my eyes……….Ella is a living miracle in progress and she is undeniable proof that the human spirit is stronger than anything, no matter what obstacles we are faced. Thank you Universe, God or whomever for responding to all of this positive energy we have been putting out for Ella, it’s working!!!! Hooray!!!!!
Love and Hugs,
Summer and Mikyla
This is such great news, I am so happy for all of you…She is making her way back to you guys…
this is awesome Glen. Amanda and I are super stoked to hear the news.
I’m crying too! I’m so very very happy for you, Glen! Ella’s coming home! Shout it from the rafters, hallelujah!
I am also in tears, but they are joyous! Your daughter has an amazing strength and spirit.
glad to hear she is getting better. when the silent auction is being prepared let us over at Muse Hairdressing know and some of us would love to donate our services in the auction. keep staying strong Ella!
I’m crying, I’m speechless, I’m so fucking happy. GO ELLA!!!!!!!!!!