Update -- Sunday, November 16th

Hey everyone. Sorry I didn't send an update yesterday. There wasn't much new to report, and we were all very busy with the yard sale. Patti was able to talk to Smiley late Friday night and again last night. He was very groggy from the pain medicine, but he was able to speak to her. She told him how very much everyone in Greer loves him and is pulling for him! They gave Smiley the platelets on Friday, the blood transfusion on Saturday, and they were scheduled to give him the protein treatment on Sunday (it's already night time again there!) When Patti talked with Steve last night, he told her that they were having to give Smiley more blood. They are now trying to make a decision on whether or not the stem cell treatment can be done on Smiley. Obviously, this news was very disturbing to Patti. She has been unable to get in contact with Dr. Moon by phone, but she sent him an email. Hopefully, he will call her soon to further explain everything. I misunderstood that Dr. Moon had already arrived back in Korea; however, he is still in Florida - communicating with the other doctors and staff about Smiley. He is scheduled to travel back to Korea soon. We need to pray that Dr. Moon will have a safe trip to get to our Smiley.
As I am no doctor, I don't fully understand all of the medical procedures and am unable to explain them all to you. I do know that it is very critical that they be able to start the stem cell procedure as quickly as possible. They are unable to do so at this time because Smiley's body is simply not at a point to do so. As we all know, Smiley's health is very critical. Please pray for wisdom and guidance for everyone who is taking care of him in Korea. Also, please say special prayers for Steve Berry. What a difficult situation that he is in - he doesn't have all of us to lean on and talk all of this out with, so we need to make sure that we continue to lift him up in prayer.
I know that the support and prayers for Smiley and his family are so far-reaching! Please continue to pray for our dear friend and his family. Each day, I am more amazed at how God is working in the lives of so many through Smiley's battle. I have a calendar that has a different Bible verse each day. It's so incredible how the perfect verse seems to be there on the day that I need it most! I want to share with you all the verse of today, the day that we are all more anxious about Smiley's health than ever:
Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.
Of course, we are all anxious and worried about Smiley. However, Smiley took a huge leap of faith to get on that plane to Korea. We must all follow his lead and keep our faith in the Lord. He is a great God, who knows what is happening to Smiley's body before it even happens. Please, let's all continue to support Smiley, his family, and each other! God has given us this opportunity to come together for Smiley, but in His name! Wow, what a blessing!
Thanks so much to all who contributed to the yard sale - those who organized the event, those who donated items, those who purchased items, and those who stopped by for support!! It was a wonderful success - once again, an opportunity for us to unite for a great cause! I think it was only fitting that the yard sale be moved to a place of worship! The rain was around just long enough for us to need to move the sale, but the sunshine soon arrived! For those of you who were unable to attend, the amount of items donated was breath-taking, filling the gym at Memorial Methodist Church!!
Have a blessed Sunday! I will be in touch as soon as we receive more news from Korea...
Love and thanks to you all :)
Leigh
PS - Don't forget the Bluegrass Concert and hot dog supper - this Thursday, November 20th - at Blue Ridge Middle School! Hope to see you all there!