We have another update to Isaac's chemo to let you all know about, and this is for the better!
When we figured out the staging and histology of the tumor had changed last Thursday the doctor mentioned that she was doing some calling around due to the rarity of Isaac's case. The super short of the story is that the guy who author's the main Wilms' Tumor study in Washington D.C. recommended a different treatment plan than what the actual protocol (that he helped create) dictated. With that we moved from a chemo regimen called UH1 to regimen I.
The main difference in these two regimens is that Isaac avoids the worst of the 5 drugs in regimen I. That drug was Carboplatin and it was found to be most effective in treating Stage 3 and Stage 4 cancers. This wasn't a decision that any us took lightly and I'm leaving out a TON of the conversation, but the bulk of the decision was made based on the fact that the expert pushed us in this direction.
The other part of the decision was based on us praying hard over the weekend against his hearing loss and the hardship that his body was going to be going through. Melissa made a comment referring to a story that we've talked about a bit recently. The story is a classic many of you have probably heard.
It starts with a man sitting on top of his house with the ground flooded all around him. A boat pulls up asking if he wants to jump in and he says,
"My God will save me, you go on ahead."
That process repeats a couple of times and he ends up dying and at the Pearly Gates he's pissed at God.
"Why didn't you save me?" He questions.
"I tried to 3 times. Why did you stay on top of that house?" Was God's reply.
This story walks the gray area of trusting God and acting in His will. Something I'll never fully understand. But when Melissa looked at me and said, "Andrew, maybe this is our boat. Maybe we don't have to walk the most difficult path." I felt that was from God. Oh Lordy, how I love my wife!
So there it sits. We chose this path and we're trusting God that it was the right one. Truth of the matter is we could very easily second guess whichever of the choices we'd have taken.
I will end this post with an update on how we're doing on a daily basis. The best word I can describe us is that we're weary. So weary. Melissa and I, Leah, Isaac, James. We are leaning into our village and that village is weary. It's so taxing. BUT...we've started realizing that the future is so much scarier than the present. It's been said to us in direct ways and it's been something that we've noticed, but (at least for me personally) it's something that's finally sinking in. Tomorrow's worries can stay there. We won't forget about them and we won't avoid them. But we'll sit here today and enjoy what we can.
Love you all. I pray that you all can sit in quietness at Abba's feet. That you won't worry about the dishes or the meals or the bills and you'll just listen for his still, small voice and you'll worship him. And then you can get up and do the dishes. Haha!
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