Praise God, this morning we woke up with intense comfort for day 0 and beyond.  The Lord is good.  We were also told that the nose swab came back negative for the rhinovirus!

We were told this morning that the marrow is infected with a common skin surface bacterium (likely as a result of mishandling at some point in extracting and containing the marrow).  Because of this, Jeremy is being treated prophylactically with a wide spectrum antibiotic, one that is very familiar to us – vancomycin.  The vanco is strong, so it more toxic than other antibiotics.  They’ve increased his fluids to flush it out of system as it does it’s thing.

Additionally, the transplant has been postponed to 2:00pm.  They were already planning to plasma reduce the marrow, but they will now remove the red blood cells as well.  In doing this, they hope to remove as much of the bacteria as possible.  He will get a reduced amount of stem cells this way, but the reduction is worth the benefit.  It could mean additional time for recovery, too.

We were also told that, in the past, they would have received the marrow on the day of transplant and would have infused it without any testing.  So even if donated marrow was contaminated with something, they would not have known about it.  With this marrow, though, they received it a day early and were able to run some tests.  Praise God it was discovered early so the doctors can decide on the best course possible.

The doctors also told us that they’ve alerted the PICU to prepare a room for Jeremy, just in case anything comes up.

Yet, the Holy Spirit continues to comfort us through all this.  At every turn we have been placed in a situation where we can do little except commit everything to the Lord.  How wonderful it is to have a God who is beyond all this.  Regardless of how this turns out, God is and always has been good.  We are encouraged, too, by all of you – your prayers and comments and commitment in journeying beside us.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Praise God:

  • for Him, for Christ and the peace we freely receive from Him
  • that this bacterium was discovered early
  • that God gave the doctors wisdom in the choosing the best course of action
  • that the nose swab came back negative for the rhinovirus

Please pray:

  • 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 Jeremy would clear the congestion/runny nose
  • that God would protect Jeremy from any scrapes or bumps
  • that Alice and I would not get sick in order to care for our family
  • that Matty would nurse easily and sleep well
  • that God would give us wisdom in teaching Jeremy in the hospital environment
  • that we would extend Jeremy an extra portion of patience and grace as we try to care for him with the added hyperactivity
  • that we would adjust well to the new challenges of being in the BMT unit, with all it’s necessary rules and regulations

Please pray for the conditioning chemo regimen:

  • that it would be effective in destroying any lingering cancer cells
  • that Jeremy would not encounter any mucousitis (mouth, GI tract sores) that would prevent him from eating or drinking
  • that Jeremy would not encounter any fevers during the neutropenic period
  • 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 and antibiotics
  • that Jeremy’s behavior would be unaffected by the pre-medications he receives with each dose of chemo
  • that the new chemotherapies Jeremy will receive over the next  4 days will not cause any nausea or vomiting or any additional harm to his vital organs
  • that the new antibiotic will not cause any c-diff and that it would be effective in preventing any harmful infections
  • that the new medication, ATG, would not cause any more fevers, chills, body aches, rashes, hives, high or low blood pressure, tiredness, or loss of appetite for Jeremy
  • that Jeremy’s liver numbers would continue to stabilize and the chemotherapies would not cause additional damage to his liver
  • that Jeremy would not need to be admitted to the PICU at any point during the chemo regimen or bone marrow transplant
  • that Alice, Matthew, and myself would not be harmed by the chemo we might come in contact with when changing Jeremy’s diapers

Please pray for the bone marrow transplant:

  • that the transplant would go smoothly without any complications
  • that the donor cells would engraft, that Jeremy’s body would not reject the transplant
  • that Jeremy would not encounter any graft vs. host disease, acute or chronic, especially anything severe or fatal
  • that God would protect Jeremy’s skin, kidneys, liver, stomach, and intestines from both the donor cells and the medications used to treat and prevent gvhd
  • that the mismatched blood type would not cause any issues for Jeremy
  • that Jeremy would not experience any severe or dangerous infections from the transplant
  • that Jeremy would not need to be admitted to the PICU
  • that the prophylactic antibiotics would be effective in treating the bacterium in the donor marrow

Please pray for our family and neighbors:

  • for our neighbors who are also enduring trials of their own, that they would find their comfort in Christ
  • for our parents – that they would have rest and place their trust in Jesus and receive His comfort
  • that we would be witnesses of God’s love and grace to our neighbors and the medical staff