Praise God, we’re home!

There’s much to do (mostly cleaning), so I’ll have to keep this update short.

Jeremy’s counts made a huge leap forward yesterday and we were discharged and home by 3:30pm.  He was beyond excited.  Everyone who came in to our room after he heard we were going home was greeted with an ecstatic, “I’m going home today!” As we were driving home from the hospital, Jeremy had a huge grin on his face.  When we opened our garage door his face just lit up as we drove in.  His first few hours at home were much like previous post-chemo-round celebrations – lots of smiling, laughing, and running.

It’s weird to be at home after being gone for a month at a time.  For the first day, the place almost seems foreign.  Still, it was great to bring Jeremy back and to bring Matty home for the first time and we’re just happy to be together.

No word yet on whether or not Jeremy will need that additional round of chemo.  The doctors have submitted paperwork and desired dates for stem cell collection and they are waiting for the donor to respond.  No word either on the infectious disease workup or physical exam.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and words of encouragement.  We are blessed to have you journey beside us.

Praise God:

• for Him, our great comfort
• Jeremy’s counts recovered so quickly
• Jeremy did not encounter any life threatening side effects during this last round of chemo
• Jeremy did not encounter another fever after that first one on 10/11/12
• Jeremy ate extremely well during this last round and even gained weight
• Jeremy slept much better the last few days in the hospital
• it’s been a while since Jeremy’s complained of any stomach pain
• we can all be home for a little bit
• Alice and I continue to be healthy and able to care for our boys

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 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 God would protect Jeremy’s kidneys and livers as they process the antibiotics and residual chemotherapies
• 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