Sunday - December 7

I am finally home! When we got here my first surprise was that my bedroom was painted aqua, just like a tropical beach! I have a lighted palm tree and ornaments, a beach chair, shark teeth, grass skirts, surf board, signs and fish and all kinds of stuff! I LOVE IT! Thank you to everybody who helped do all the work.
Love,
Bree

Note from Parents:
We had a couple of obstacles to overcome in our trip home, but we made it and enjoyed our first weekend resting at home. In a previous update we thanked everyone in Memphis. This update is to thank the home team in Naperville. Matt will post an update tomorrow thanking his team.
Thank you to the White family for painting Brianna's room a beautiful Jamaican aqua color. It's perfect for her new tropical beach theme. Thank you Bob, Eric, and Haley for moving furniture and getting the room ready for painting. Thank you Aunt Pat, Uncle John, Dan, Aunt Jackie, & Grandma Close for beautifully decorating Brianna's room. Uncle John even suggested removing the dresser and adding a Tiki Bar. (Maybe give her at least a few more years!) She loved her new room and is very grateful to all who worked hard putting it together. Kaitlyn is planning on her theme and it appears she may go in the opposite direction as she suggested an arctic theme (polar bears, penguins, northern lights, snow, ice, skiing, etc!) If you get too warm in Brianna's room you can just head over to Kaitlyn's to cool down! Haley will take her time thinking about what theme she will go with...she always has a difficult time making up her mind! :-)
Bob, Eric, Haley & Kaitlyn met us at the airport. We thoroughly enjoyed the car ride home as Brianna was giddy with excitement...talking and laughing non-stop. When we turned into our subdivision we noticed that every single tree had blue, pink, and green ribbons tied on them (Brianna's three favorite colors). The Ose family organized a "ribbon team" so Brianna could see the love and support from all of our neighbors.
Bob and I would like to personally thank all of the neighbors for their help over the last couple of months. Jennifer Charboneau organized a meal team where many people provided Bob, Eric, Haley and Kaitlyn with dinners while we were gone.
Thank you Gina (Eric & Haley's mom) for providing a meal and also helping out by taking Haley and Kaitlyn to see the HSM3 movie so Bob and Eric wouldn't have to endure that torture!
Thank you to Max's and Brianna's supporters who coordinated the ornament fundraiser. The ornaments are beautiful!! If you missed out so far they will still be selling/taking orders at the 95th Street YMCA tomorrow.
Thank you to our extended Siemann family. Georgia, thank you for your spiritual support in getting us through the past two months. Bill and Connie for coming to visit and for taking care of Bob and kids while Brianna and I were gone. Mike, Steve, and Amy for offering any help and support when needed.
Thank you to Gregory Middle School teachers, parents, and students for their unbelievable support for Brianna, Eric, and Haley! Thank you for the wonderful cards and letters of encouragement for Brianna. Thank you 7th grade teachers for the holiday giftcard for our family.
Thank you to Brianna's friends and their parents for their love and support. Brianna has a remarkable group of friends that love her, support her, and protect her through everything. Please know that Bob and I feel very blessed to have the support of their families as well. Edwards', Didiers', Binkus', Oses', Whites', Riveros', and many more...thank you for everything!!
Thank you Eric, Haley, & Kaitlyn for welcoming Brianna home, making her feel loved, and helping her get back into her routine of playing and having fun. Saturday morning, Haley and Brianna decided to step out on the patio in their robes and winter boots to see if it was really cold and if it was actually snowing. When Bob found out he immediately ordered them back into the house...but only after taking a picture!
As we settle back in the comforts of our home and prepare for Brianna's return to school, we ask that you continue praying for her, that she continue to heal and that the tumor continues to shrink. Radiation will continue to work for another 3 months...so we will pray for the tumor to continue to shrink and to go into remission. The last MRI showed an overall 20% reduction since our arrival. (That number is only a guess by doctors as it is impossible to give an exact number. The doctors have to confer with the radiologists and others to measure a tmour that is not a perfect shape. The doctor said that different areas are shrinking at different rates.)
Please continue to pray for Brianna, Max, Kole, and Keleigh who are all fighting DIPG. Please pray for their complete healing, that they may all experience God's grace and mercy. We will enjoy this holiday season more than ever as we have grown in our faith and have been blessed with an outpouring of friendship and love from a community greater than one could ever imagine! God Bless!!

Brianna's Family