A Chapter Closes

Well, here we are, at the end of a protocol. Today we celebrated Jack's last chemo treatment. We had a great time. We brought a cake especially chosen by Jack, nurse Sara brought ice cream, one mom brought party favors and the party was complete. Jack chose a white chocolate rasberry cake from the bakery (what great taste) and everyone enjoyed it.

When we first arrive at chemo, nurse Sara accesses his port and draws his blood, then we wait for the results to return on his ANC to make sure he is healthy enough to receive chemo. Today his counts were low, 870 ANC. Nurse Sara said, well, no chemo today, and handed me the paper and I looked at it not believing that of all days, with a cake and ice cream and a party just waiting to take place, it would not be the last day after all. I suggested she call Dr. Bowman and check with him and see if that number could be flexible, or if he felt like it was stuck in stone. All the other kids can get chemo with their counts as low as 500, only Jack has to have over 1000. With Jack's chemo being overseen by one hospital but orders written at Dallas Children's I believe they might just have different protocol. So after talking it over with Dr. Bowman, nurse Sara said we would be finish up chemo today after all.

Jack will be in a mask for the next week or so, and we will keep him home from large gatherings, to keep him as safe as possible. Celebrate with us...we are done with this protocol.

The other end of the spectrum....A new family came to chemo today. They have a 4 month old son, Collin, who just had a tumor removed from his kidney a couple of weeks ago at Cook's. The doctors are hopeful and believe that they got all the tumor, but are doing chemo to make sure any rogue tumor cells are killed off. This poor mama and her husband with their baby walked into craziness today with the party and all. After they were introduced to everyone they found their seats and waited for their sons 2nd treatment to be given. The first was given at Cook's last week, so this was their first time at Dr. Hirsch's office. As I looked over at the mom, she was looking around the room at all 7 kids hooked up to chemo while they were playing and smiling and her eyes were filled with tears. She was overwhelmed by what she was seeing, and I am sure by the last couple of weeks. One day you take your baby to the doctor for their 4 month check up, the next day you are in a big hospital and your baby is being wheeled into surgery, and you have entered a community that you never knew existed.

I looked into her eyes and said, this is all pretty new to you isn't it? And she just started crying. I talked with her about how afraid I was in the beginning, and how I felt, then I shared all the blessings of friends, and how God can bring good from anything, and I started crying too. I am so going to miss these people. She was crying because she was entering and I was crying because we were leaving.
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In Luke 19:39, " Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples! I tell you, he (Jesus) replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
I will cry out what the people were saying.....Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in Heaven and glory in the highest!
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I want to cry out to the world, if you only knew how broken my heart was, how I was afraid and angry, how someone who lived in the pit of sin for so many years can have a cup that runs over with joy, the desire to abide in God's Word, tears that are counted by God, an assurance of life in heaven....you can have this....God is waiting to bless you....lift your eyes and behold the King of Glory, your Creator, the Lover of your soul, give Him your heart and you will never be sorry.
I praise you Lord, for turning our mourning into dancing, for the filling of your Spirit to live beyond ourselves, and in You.

In two weeks we go to Dallas and Jack will have his MRI and we will discover what is happening in his head. Will he need a different chemo? Will the tumor be gone? We are in a place where we just wait now and see. I am not crying out to the Lord in praise because our treatments are done, but because of his faithfulness in every moment of every day of our journey of chemo, and each day before and after. He absolutely thrills me. Glory.