Hi every person! I just cannot believe that we are on the cusp of Labor Day and summer coming to a near. The past 5 to 6 months have been a whole blur and this summertime, in distinct, has flown by. There’s been hospitals (chemo, stem cell harvest, medical procedures), clinic appointments, and driving back again and forth to New York.
But, one particular foot in entrance of the other and just one day at a time, we are grateful to be heading into a new time with a potent boy and hearts comprehensive of hope.
Dominic had a occupied to start with couple weeks of August…
🔍 To start with, he had a new established of scans (MRI + MIBG) in addition a further bone marrow biopsy. The scans however demonstrate disorder in the course of his bones but most of the spots are “dimmer” than prior to, and the bone marrow involvement decreased by more than 50%.
So, there is still get the job done to do, but there is an improvement. And! Dominic did each of the scans devoid of anesthesia (he has been sedated previously since you have to lay completely however and the MIBG is more than 2 several hours). He’s a rock star.
🏥 Future, he experienced his initial round of immunotherapy. The antibody he’s given targets the protein of neuroblastoma cells and considering that they generally sit on nerve cells, there is significant nerve suffering accompanying the remedy. The infusion is shorter (45 minutes) but intense.
There is a whole lot of pre-medication and pain management throughout and soon after, and he would fundamentally rest the complete rest of the working day afterward. But, the solutions are outpatient so no healthcare facility stays, and they don’t affect counts like chemotherapy, so no neutropenia or blood or platelet transfusions.
🦸♂️ Then, he crossed off yet another huge hurdle… radiation. He did this awake with no anesthesia as well… 2 times a working day for five days, he was strapped down working with a specific mask that was molded to his head and higher system to hold his head and neck in the actual exact placement every single time (his clavicle was radiated thanks to the cluster of diseased lymph nodes that ended up there, as effectively as the tumor bed in his abdomen). An astounding woman who functions there has the children pick what they want their masks to be and then personalized paints them… Dominic selected Iron Gentleman. There are some unbelievably exclusive persons in this environment.
He could also pick whatever tunes he needed to be piped in every time and selected Xmas audio each day 💕🌲 He totally rocked it and the men and women working there have been absolutely phenomenal.
➡️ Next… we get to be home for a couple of months, then it is back again to NY for a different round of immunotherapy, a new set of scans, and a different bone marrow biopsy.
📘 In the meantime, he begun kindergarten this 7 days! He’ll be becoming a member of course pretty much until finally his oncologist provides him the go-forward to attend in man or woman, which we’re hoping will be late September.
💈 His eyebrows, eyelashes, AND hair have all began rising back! He’s had a ton of strength, has received back all of the excess weight he dropped soon after operation and that final round of chemo and is if not performing actually, really properly.
❤️ Thank you all for your ongoing prayers, it usually means so considerably to our family.
In other news, I am scheduling to get some email messages scheduled out heading into the fall and holiday period to refresh some internet site written content. So, you can glimpse forward to me popping into your inbox extra regularly in the coming months 🎉