Praise God, Jeremy ate well and was fever free the last two days.

He was complaining about some belly aches yesterday and today, which started at around 1:30am yesterday. They mostly went away after he had gone to the potty, so he was on the potty at least 5 times for #2 yesterday and another 5 times today. Not sure if it’s ok to be going #2 this much. We checked with the doctor and it’s possible that it’s a result of the chemo breaking down the mucous lining in his GI tract.

Other than the multiple trips to the potty the last few days, it’s been relatively quiet. We really, really like quiet.  We also had a doctor’s appointment to check on baby brother and  praise God, he’s looking well.  During the appointment, we also confirmed that the OB’s are in the loop in regards to the cord blood collection.

With Jeremy unhooked, we try to take advantage of private playtime in the playroom before Jeremy is completely neutropenic and unable to leave the room. It was baking hot in there yesterday and we had to cut our time short. Here’s a video of him leaving the playroom, heading back to our room.

Tonight makes 72 hours after Jeremy’s last dose of chemo, which means he and Alice get to cuddle all they want for nighttime sleep! Everyone’s happy about that.

I still had one night with Jeremy last night. It was a memorable one, only because Jeremy makes it so. We were lying down, not completely face to face, but definitely looking in each other’s direction. His eyes were closed for a while and I was watching him to make sure they stayed shut. After a few minutes, he opened them, looked at me, and said, “Stop.” Curious, I asked, “Stop what?” He said, “Do like this.” And he closed his eyes to show me that I can close my eyes. Then he opened his eyes took a deep breath in, exhaled, and instructed, “Don’t do like that.” I couldn’t stop laughing. He basically told me to stop breathing because the resulting smelly draft was bothering him.

Right before bed tonight, as we were about to say our nighttime prayers, Jeremy had a few prayer requests of his own.  “Daddy? Pray for spot on my leg, spot on my other leg, my belly hurt, my dressing, my tubeys.”  Alice also mentioned that her belly hurts (contractions) and that it means baby brother is almost ready to come out.  She asked him if he was excited to see him.  Jeremy grinned and nodded.  He also comforted Alice for her belly pains, hugging her, saying, “It’s ok belly hurts.  I’m here, I’m here.”

Jeremy’s almost neutropenic.  Counts continue to drop, which is expected, but the neutropenic period is always nerve racking. When every fever encountered is considered life-threatening, how can it not be nerve racking? We can only lift this entire situation up to God and pray. We’re encouraged that our brothers and sisters in Christ pray, too, and that the Holy Spirit Himself also prays.

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our heart knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” (Romans 8:26)

Praise God:

  • for His gift of the Holy Spirit, who intercedes for us
  • that Jeremy remains fever free
  • that Jeremy is eating well
  • that Monday’s dressing change hasn’t caused any irritation
  • that baby brother is doing well
  • that the people who need to be aware of the cord blood collection know what needs to be done
  • that Alice and I continue to be healthy to care for our family
  • for our parents, who continue to provide lunch and dinner everyday
  • for you all, our brothers and sisters in Christ, who continue to cover Jeremy in prayer

Please continue to pray (new/updated items in bold):

  • that God would continue to use this situation for His glory
  • that we would be obedient to God’s plans for this situation
  • that we would continue to cast our worries and fears on the Lord, that we would fix our eyes on Him
  • that we would continue to be reminded of God’s greatness and provision, that we would wait on Him, and that we would not allow fear to creep in
  • that we would rejoice in the moments that God gives us
  • that God would provide full and complete healing and total health for Jeremy
  • that God would provide with the whole process of finding a bone marrow match, the risks of transplant, and the anxiety of it achieving long-term remission for Jeremy
  • that word would continue to get out about the need for a perfect bone marrow match and that one would be found for Jeremy
  • that Jeremy’s little brother would be a match and that there would be a sufficient volume of cells in the cord blood to qualify for a good transplant
  • that everyone who needs to be involved in the cord blood collection would be diligent and the collection and processing would go smoothly
  • that the cord collection would be sterile and free of contaminants
  • that Jeremy would not experience any more stomach pain
  • that Jeremy will not encounter any life threatening side effects during this round of chemo
  • that Jeremy would not have any brain, liver, lung, kidney, pancreatic, heart, or any other type of organ damage as a result of the chemo
  • that God would continue to protect Jeremy’s heart from the lasting effects of the medication (mitoxantrone) from the last round
  • that God would protect Jeremy from any bacterial, yeast, or fungal infections
  • that Jeremy would not encounter any infections so that he can remain unhooked from the IV pole for the duration of this round
  • that there wouldn’t be any more line infections and that we wouldn’t need to replace it at any point during Jeremy’s treatments
  • that God would protect Jeremy’s kidneys and liver from the medications he will receive during this block of treatment
  • that God would continue to protect Jeremy’s central line and there would be no additional infections as a result of it
  • that Jeremy would sleep well during this round of treatment
  • that Jeremy would continue to eat well during this round of treatment
  • that Alice and I would not get sick in order to care for our family
  • that God would protect Alice and baby brother from all the emotional stress
  • for adjustment for all of us when we welcome baby brother into the family
  • that baby brother’s birth would be free of complications and that it would be quick and easy
  • that Alice would recover quickly from baby brother’s birth
  • that baby brother would nurse easily and sleep well
  • for our neighbors who are also enduring trials of their own
  • for our parents – that they would have rest and place their trust in Jesus
  • that God would give us wisdom in teaching Jeremy in the hospital environment
  • that we would be witnesses of God’s love and grace to our neighbors and the medical staff