Just had a friend check in with me and see how things are going and I've realized I'm slacking on the updates! With all the craziness of life that happens during this time of year (especially at a pie company!) I've left many of you in the dark. Here's some quick highlights of the last while.
Isaac has turned chunky! It's so amazing to me how God has answered prayers. We were positive he would need an NG tube and now he's got a little belly on him. We pulled him off of one of the appetite stimulants (steroid) around a 2 weeks ago as he was CONSTANTLY asking for food. Definitely not a problem any of us were expecting to have.
Thanksgiving week was spent up at RCH (Randall Children's Hospital) and RMH (Ronald Mcdonald House). Definitely wasn't the preferred place but it turned out to be great. Instead of the hubbub that we usually experience during Thanksgiving we were able to just slow down as a family and enjoy time together.
Grandparents have continued to cover us tremendously. In the aforementioned Thanksgiving week James came down with a cold and Grandma and Grandpa took on that trial with no questions asked. They're around at the drop of a hat and have put plenty of miles on their new car just driving back and forth from Glide (Roseburg) to Silverton to take care of all of us. Nana and Papa have covered Sunday evenings so we could go to church without distractions, have picked up Leah from school countless times (and spoiled her rotten!), and consistently watch with James whenever we need.
This last week is usually the roughest on our family as Isaac feels crappiest, but it hasn't been so bad this last time. His hemoglobin stayed high (which affects how he feels more than most things) even while his ANC (think white blood cells) was incredibly low. Melissa took him into the Silverton Hospital to get a blood draw and the nurse came back with his numbers with a statement along the lines of "his counts are some of the lowest I've ever seen, did he get treatment recently?" Haha, Melissa was kind but internally sort of laughing. "Of course...why do you think he's here?!?" It is interesting how much of experts Melissa and I have become in Isaac's world.
In the same breath we've been sooooo appreciative of all the people in the medical world that have cared on us. The STEPS Clinic at Silverton Hospital has gone out of their way to help save Melissa from 2 hour commutes when it's not necessary. Friends and family from High School, College, and life have helped us in so many ways. The doctor's and nurses at RCH have been unbelievable in their care for us. I often think of the medical world as full of red tape and the initial answer being "No, but we can try," to most questions. In the children's oncology world (and I'm sure many other places as well) the answer is "YES! We'll figure out how to write it up after the fact." The way our entire family has been cared for has been tremendous.
Our biggest needs right now are just your prayers. First and foremost that Isaac would continue to heal and stay that way. Most all my prayers and worries our centered around the MRI's that Isaac will be getting for the next few years and that his cancer wouldn't return. Thoughts of it coming back terrify me and they're a good reminder to not worry about tomorrow.
Secondly, that Leah and James would feel valued. The schedule tends to revolve around Isaac (as it somewhat should), but that can manifest itself in the other two getting pushed to the fringes.
Kids are terrorizing each other right now and lunch is trying to get made. I ended up writing more than I thought. Love you all and please keep praying daily for us.
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