We were told today that the doctors are discussing whether or not Jeremy will need an additional round of chemo before going to transplant.  Because his counts are recovering quicker than expected and the bone marrow transplant process has all this workup that needs to be done (and it takes a few weeks), it may not be safe to wait too long between this round and transplant.

AML is an extremely aggressive disease.  Even though Jeremy is in remission, there is little doubt in the doctor’s minds, based on previous studies and accumulated data, that there is still residual disease in his body.  If there is too much time between the end of this round and the start of transplant, it may give the disease an opportunity to relapse.

This was hard news to hear.  We really don’t want Jeremy to have to go through another cycle of chemo because that’s more toxicity in his body and more toxicity in his body before going to transplant is far from ideal.  The disease relapsing is even worse.

More and more we are reminded of the dire situation that Jeremy is in.  And more and more God reminds us that He is in control.  Our hearts are heavy with what we heard today, but we know and have faith that God is bigger than this situation and that He will provide in His way.  His timing is perfect.

“I remain confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27: 13-14)”

Praise God:

  • for Him, His perfect timing
  • for Him, His perfect provision
  • Jeremy is fever free
  • Jeremy is eating well
  • for blessing us with family

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 the potential 9/10 donor would be a suitable donor for Jeremy, in perfect health and free of infectious diseases (hep B, etc)
  • that the potential 9/10 donor would follow through with donation, so that a haplo transplant can be avoided and thus avoiding total body irradiation
  • that God’s timing would permit Jeremy to avoid another round of chemo
  • that God would give the doctors wisdom as they decide the best course of action
  • 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 God would guide the doctors in the decisions being made regarding Jeremy’s central line
  • 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 and that he would cooperate with our efforts to get him to sleep better
  • 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
  • for adjustment for all of us as we learn to care for one another in the hospital setting
  • 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 and receive His comfort
  • 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