Eventful in a good way.  Praise God, we welcomed Matthew Joshua Kong into our family on the evening of October 11, 2012!  Alice and baby are a great team and both doing well.  Thank you all for your prayers!

I’ll have to keep this update brief.  I’ve been running up and down between two floors the last two nights.  But I wanted to continue to ask for prayer for Jeremy.

Praise God, that Jeremy hasn’t had a fever since his first spike two mornings ago.  However, Jeremy’s blood cultures from his central line and his peripheral blood came back positive for strep “something”.  The “something” is undetermined right now.  The lab will figure out what specific type of strep it is and what antibiotics it will be sensitive to.  Praying that it will be treatable by the least toxic antibiotic.

The cord blood collection looked like it went well.  I’m not a medical professional, so I’m not sure how much my perspective is worth.  The courier came to pick it up at around 3am.  I’ve sent the collection company an email, asking them to verify when they’ve received it.

Matthew was also cheek swabbed and the swabs were sent to the labs stat, so we should see the results in a few days.  We are lifting up this entire situation to God and praying that Matthew will be Jeremy’s match, that the cord blood volume would be sufficient and contaminant free, and that the cord blood processing would be smooth and efficient.

I will be able to update more in a day or two.  Thank you all so much for your continued prayers.

Praise God:

  • for Him, His impeccable timing (more on this later)
  • for Him, His continued provision
  • that Jeremy hasn’t hit any fevers since that first spike
  • that Jeremy continues to be playful and energetic
  • that Matty is doing well, eating and pooping as expected
  • that Alice is doing well and recovering

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 Matthew would be a match for Jeremy 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 would not experience any discomfort when using the potty
  • 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, fungal, or viral infections
  • that the blood cultures would show something easily treatable
  • that Jeremy’s line would not need to be replaced
  • that Jeremy would not encounter any more fevers for the duration of this round
  • that God would protect Jeremy’s kidneys and livers as they process the antibiotics and residual chemotherapies
  • 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