Thursday, December 31, 2015

New Year's Eve 2015


Happy New Year from Newport Beach California!!! One of Mia's favorite places ever!

Friday, December 25, 2015

Christmas 2015


Oh Christmas tree...we hope you have a guitar that was on Mia's Christmas wish list...


Thanks to the Chinn Guitar project via Sophie's Place...Mia got her guitar!! A very beautiful guitar at that!!! Wow, we are super humbled and blessed because of them, thank you so so much!! Another port for Mia, learning to play the guitar!! Rock on Mia!

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Kindness of Strangers



Mia was picked as a service project from a Girls Running Club in Pennsylvania called Girls on the Run...they made Mia their honorary Coach, and mailed her hand made ornaments to hand out to patients at the hospital. How sweet is that!?! They even made a special one for our neighbor Ken, Thank you Shahonna for thinking of Mia!!!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Horsing Around


Mia's new sport...riding horses!! This girl just loves horses and always has since she was little. What a blessed girl to be able to have lessons now at Welcome Home Ranch.


Sure she loves this big guy named Buck. Two peas in a pod.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Suns / Mercury Make A Wish night


Mia was blessed with some Phoenix Suns tickets through Make A Wish Arizona (Make A Wish is one of thee best experiences we, as a family, will have ever have...Mia picked Hawaii and we went in 2013!) Through Macy's...if you write a letter to Santa and mail it at Macy's, they will donate $1.00 to Make A Wish...and the Phoenix Mercury will match them!! Ahhhh yeah. We wrote a lot of letters!!! 

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Mia Week


While Mia was out of school having her 134th blood transfusion...back at school the kids were busy making signs for Mia's upcoming blood drive. 

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Doctor Appt.


This was kind of a big doctor appointment with our new Endocrinologist. Who is fabulous by the way and the doctor loves Stars Wars. So it was fitting that Dad came along...


Mia checking out the light saber in the glass case. Pretty legit. 

Monday, December 14, 2015

Blood Drive & Be The Match Drive


We had such a great day at the blood drive that Mia's school hosted in honor of her!! Words won't be able to express how thankful our family is for all this support. 


Mia with a very special guy 'Skeeter' who has had all of our girls (except Madison) in Jr. high and we love him very much!! He has always been so supportive to our family and we couldn't thank him enough for coming out to donate blood in honor of Mia. Warms the heart.


Then Dad comes along, and it melts my heart. What a dad. Sharing his life in hopes for his daughter so that she may live again for the next three weeks. 

Friday, December 11, 2015

Health & Wellness Night


We were invited to Back In Line Spine Chiropractic's Health Night...and they wanted to help Mia by having a Be The Match booth and a raffle...with all proceeds going to Mia's Marrow!! What a blessing!! We just can't believe it!!


Mia and Miss Barbara setting up the Be The Match Booth.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Sick of Being Sick


Even though Mia looks great, as usual...she feels terrible. She feels better now that she got a blood transfusion next Friday but she has a horrible virus...cold, sore throat fever...etc. Tis the Season. She tried making it to school but that didn't really work. However at least the school front office is rocking Be The Match for Mia...oh yeah! Represent. It's actually Mia week at school, everything is Mia-fied. 



Someone even made this wreath to auction off with proceeds going to Be The Match. It's so amazing to have so much support from her school. There are some amazing people who work there. We are truly blessed to not only have such good medical care for Mia, but awesome friend and teachers as well. Thank you all so much!

Friday, December 4, 2015

Mia's 134th Transfusion


Mia's all set to go getting her 134th (2 units) blood transfusion today. She always looks forward to her hospital day because she knows she will feel better afterwards.




If you are able to come to this December 14th blood drive / Be the Match drive...feel free!! The cheek swab is actually free ages 18-44 years old!! You could potentially save a life like Mia's. See our event page for more information. 


Homework Flow...oh yeah! Her Junior High teachers would be so proud!


Our precious Miss (Fancy) Nancy gave Mia the best Christmas ornament ever - My heart belongs to bacon!! she knows Mia so well! Thank you Miss Nancy...we love you so much!


Hmmm, I wonder who's this was/is. I hope they know they saved my life.


Psalm 73:26 - 'My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.' 


I love this girl! Always a smile no matter what she's going through.


Oh yeah, hey Taylor Swift, representing in the hospital!! We are so bummed Taylor Swift never saw how Mia and her sisters were gifted with tickets to her concert. you can watch it HERE


I asked Mia to caption this photo, she said: 'I'm just thankful that I get to have this, it reminds myself that I get another 3 weeks to live.' / Heartbreaking but happy at the same time. 


Heading down to the toy closet.


We are so thankful for little things, like getting to pick something out for getting poked all the time. It helps to bring a smile.


Ohhhhhhh yeah...we love #MusicTherapy - Miss Angela rocks. The first thing on Mia's Christmas list is a red guitar. Hoe fitting she swung by with her guitar.


So cute...Mia has always loved music.


We had a nice visit from our neighbor Ken. Mia always looks forward to his visits. So sweet!


After Mia's blood transfusion, she felt better blood wise, but sick other wise. Fever, sore throat...just a bad virus. Please pray she feels better we have so many blood drives / be the match drives we need to be at!!!

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Doctor Appointment


You know it's Christmas when The Polar Express is playing in the doctor office! We love this movie!! Sure helps to take your mind off all the pokes. 

Mia's Christmas List



This is SO sweet!! I found Mia's Christmas List and had to post it...because #4 & #5 are so caring. Mia always thinks of others and always has. I'm sure no matter what, Mia will be blessed this Christmas, especially thanks to blood donors because she will be able to spend time with her family. Thank you, and Merry Christmas!! 

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Thanksgiving 2015


I am thankful for blood donors, I wouldn't be here with my family at Thanksguving if it weren't for you. Thank you! 

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Welcome Home Ranch


Mia had one of the best surprises ever last night. An early Christmas present from our neighbor Ken. Mia has always loved horses...it started back when she went with Camp Soaring Eagle to the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Conneticut...where she met a horse named Magic. Ever since, she has been in love with horses. Ken arranged for a horse riding lesson for Mia & little sis Madi. Here's Mia meeting Buck for the first time. 

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Fireside / Annual Affair


Mia and friend sitting fireside at the Camp Soaring Eagle Annual Affair. Mia is so blessed to be able to attend a free camp for kids with life threatening illnesses. The best part for parents is that it is medically supervised so even children with cancer taking lots of medicine can even go! CSE is the best!! 


A little practice run through of the song they sang in front of the whole dinner crowd...I fly like an Eagle... 🎤

Friday, November 13, 2015

Mia's 133rd Transfusion


Getting all ready for Mia's 133rd blood transfusion. We started off the morning drawing extra blood. Mia has been a part of a bone marrow failure study through the NIH since 2004 and they (out of the blue) requested more blood for gene testing etc. I wish I could explain it better but it's very interesting. We are so thankful for our nurse Lynette who helped us draw all the samples and get Fed Ex to come pick it up right away to be sent back to their lab in Maryland. Whew! Maybe one of these years we will fly back there and do all the testing they have been wanting to do. (Only if it involves a trip to NY - wink! wink! Right Mia?!)


Go Mia, being all brave through about 7 tubes of extra blood to be drawn...don't worry, we will replace all that they took away!!

Friday, November 6, 2015

#WinterJam


A last minute decision... Mia was blessed to be able to go to Winterjam 2015!! We saw the Air1 booth as we were walking into Jobing.com arena.


When you hear music that touches your soul...

HOSA Conference / UBS



Mia was invited to share her story at the Hosa Conference in downtown Phoenix at the Convention Center to students thinking of going into the medical field.


Sharon surprised Mia with a red cape (because we all know she's a hero!) and Mia's name was embroidered on it. How thoughtful!! Thank you Sharon & Jeanette for thinking of her. That's a very special gift.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Blood Transfusion #132


IV in...check! Ready to feel better...check! It's going to be a long day, but that's ok...check!


I turned around and this is what I saw...melts my heart, that's for sure.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Hopekids



Mia has been a Hopekid since Kindergarten and it's time for the annual 5K walk - to walk in the name of HOPE!! Our family has been so blessed by Hopekids over the years...they provide fun activities for the WHOLE family, because a life threatening illness doesn't just affect the child who has the illness, it affects the entire family.

If you would like to donate to Team Mia's Marrow...CLICK HERE !! Even a dollar helps...and many families will be blessed because of you. The best medicine, is HOPE.




Mia dancing in her Hopekids shirt...showing her doctor how to 'flip' his hair. We are so blessed with all these wonderful nurses and doctors who love and take care of my sweet girl. Thank you!


http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/mia-mcpoland/2015hopewalk

Monday, October 12, 2015

When you Donate Blood / Others May Live


It's true. When you take the time out of your day to simply stick a needle in your arm, drain some of the blood from your body and give it to someone else, they get to keep on living. Like Mia. She's is ONLY alive, and I mean only here because someone like you donated their blood. You shared your life, so that Mia could go to the beach on another annual family vacation. Thank you.




"It's better to be absolutely ridiculous then absolutely boring." Marilyn Monroe - and Mia's instagram post. 


Mia truly believes that the ocean is healing...there's something about the water.

"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:13-14


Water is refreshing...the smell, the sound, and the feeling.


Ice cream is good too, you can never go wrong with ice cream!!


Sisters and ice cream go hand in hand...especially at sunset by the ocean.





I heart blood donors...and everyone who steps up to save a life. 


Thank you God for another annual family vacation at the beach...we are blessed because of you.