roadblocks

I think I have started and restarted this post three different times now. I really don't even know where to begin. I am still in shock from all of the information we received this afternoon and am trying to process it. Jake finished his five rounds of chemo this yesterday morning.


He did very well overall. He has been sick to his stomach and did not eat anything until late last night. We were told to expect his counts to drop in days and to expect him to not feel well. Because of the drop in counts, we are supposed to give him neupogen for the next ten days. Neupogen is this lovely little drug that comes in the form of a shot. I will give it to him in his leg, while Jeff will most likely hold him down. I am anxious to see how he does with this. Especially when you consider how well he did the last time around. He will also start needing to have blood transfusions. We already have a time scheduled on friday for him to go in for blood.

Cole came up on Saturday and for a few hours on sunday. He was very clingy and did not want to leave the hospital either day. I know I have said this before, but he is the child I worry about the most through this whole ordeal. He is so quiet and it is difficult to get him share how he is feeling about things. Things that are usually not a fight with him, have become difficult. I realize that he is trying to adjust to things as well, but I still worry about him. It is not just Jake this is hard on. It has turned Cole and Crew's world upside down too. He and Jake played the xbox and had a lot of fun together. Which I am so grateful for. Because with those two, you never know what you are going to get!:)


One of Jake's best friends came up to visit on monday. It was so good for him... they had fun playing Diary of a Wimpy Kid board game and of course the xbox. I am not sure what people did years ago with no video games to keep their kids entertained in the hospital! As much as I hate the thing, it was a lifesaver most days!



After all of this, we were told that he needs a bone marrow transplant. The bone marrow test that was sent back to seattle this weekend came back positive. Meaning, he is still not in remission. .01% of his cells were still leukemic. It may sound like a small number, but it means that there are still about a million leukemia cells floating around in his body. Because of this, a transplant will give him the best fighting chance to survive. If we did only the high dose chemo, he would have a 40% survival rate. With the transplant, his survival rate goes up to about 80%. Even with the odds though, I still have my doubts. There are so many risks involved with a transplant, it scares me to death. Not to mention the months that you are in the hospital and the side effects. We will finish out this course of treatment, and do another five weeks of chemo. After which, he will be admitted for the transplant. It is tentatively set for sometime in May. He will miss all of fourth grade. He will be on immunosupressants and be kept isolated for a very long time. Even with all of this, if it saves his life, I am more than happy to do it. Both Jeff and I and even Jake are in a little bit of shock. We never expected to be in this situation. We never expected radiation and chemo and a transplant. It has been a difficult couple of days. I am pretty sure I am going to go prematurely gray because of this child and the stress that comes with all of this!



Thank you so much for the prayers and cards and support that is continuously sent our way. We have a rough road ahead of us, but we know that things will work out the way that they are supposed to. We have a wonderful team of doctors and nurses and know that our little kiddo is in the best possible hands. We will continue to keep you updated on his progress.