Update

We didn’t get the news we wanted today. Jack had his bloodwork done and all of his counts are now falling. His platelets were so low that, even after Thursday's IVIG treatment, he had to get a platelet transfusion this morning. He is scheduled to go back to the clinic on Friday to check his counts again and possibly receive another transfusion if the trend continues. 

If his counts have not improved next Tuesday, he will have another bone marrow aspiration and a biopsy to try to determine why his bone marrow is failing. Please pray that God would encourage Jack’s heart and hold him fast, that his counts would improve dramatically, and that the doctors would have wisdom.

Trusting in Him...

A Very Long Day

Jack went in last Tuesday and his platelet count was still not high enough to start the next round of chemo. It was so low, in fact, that he got a platelet transfusion and was scheduled to come back to the clinic on Thursday to check his counts again. If his platelets weren’t high enough on Thursday, he would need an Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) infusion.

Thursday was a very long day. We left for the hospital at 7:30 Thursday morning really hoping Jack’s platelets would be climbing. Unfortunately, even with the transfusion, his platelets were still very low and he was admitted to receive the six hour IVIG treatment. Six hours turned into a lot more, and we ended up not getting home until 11:30pm.

I just have to mention, after being at the hospital for more than 15 hours, we did not see one nurse playing cards. Instead, Jack was cared for by more than eleven nurses who were kind, knowledgeable, skilled, compassionate, patient and hard working. At least three nurses who were on their way home after long shifts stopped by to see Jack because they had heard we were there and were concerned about him. This cancer road is hard but we are so very thankful for the many wonderful nurses and doctors we have met along the way.

Jack will go back tomorrow, Tuesday, to see if his counts are high enough to start the next phase of chemo. We would so appreciate your prayers that they would be.

Hard Week; Good News

It was a hard week. We knew it would be because it was six years ago on Friday that Pete’s dad died of colon cancer. We miss him in so many ways and this week is always full of memories of our last weeks with him.

In addition to that, on Tuesday, we were really hoping Jack would be able to start his next phase of chemo after a month of being on hold due to low counts. But his counts were still falling. The doctor was concerned that Jack might have relapsed, so he had a bone marrow aspiration Tuesday morning.

Jack is so brave. Unlike a younger child, Jack knows exactly what is going on and what a relapse would mean: radiation, a bone marrow transplant and no college next year, at the least. He pushes forward with courage at each setback, however. (I on the other hand, barely held it together and went home and ate almost a pint of Ben & Jerry’s by the individual spoonful while standing in front of the freezer.) 

The bone marrow is sent to Ann Arbor for testing and unfortunately, we had to wait for 24 hours to get results. On Wednesday afternoon, we learned that half of the test was negative for leukemic cells. Great news but because of a miscommunication at the lab, we had to wait another 24 hours to receive the rest of the test results. Needless to say, that was tough. We are overwhelmingly thankful, though that those test results came back negative, as well, and Jack is still in remission. He will go back next week to see if his counts are finally high enough to start the next phase of chemo. As our friend Charlie and his family say, "Onward!"

Looking Back and Looking Forward

This time last year, the days were flying by, full of varsity baseball games, prom, big decisions and big plans for college and graduation. So these days feel a little strange. Like we’ve been stuck in some kind of alternate universe the last year full of hospital visits and chemo and hard days. But spring is coming and better than that Jesus is coming, and our hope continues to be in Him. Psalm 121:1-2 reminds us, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

We haven’t posted much lately because not a lot has been happening. The last three Tuesdays, Jack was scheduled to begin a new phase of his treatment. Each week though, his levels weren’t where they needed to be, so he hasn’t had any treatment now for a month. The good news is that, other than being stuck at home because of low immunity, he has felt relatively good. The bad news, of course, is that he needs to move forward with treatment.

So our prayer request for Tuesday is pretty straightforward: please pray that Jack’s levels would be high enough and that he would be able to start the next phase of his treatment this week. Thank you for your love, your support, and especially your prayers.