Things are still moving forward for Kendall to be hospitalized tomorrow for his bone marrow transplant prep, including those six sessions of total body radiation (which have required a surprising amount of procedures beforehand to get ready for). If everything goes according to plan, Kendall’s actual transplant should happen next Thursday.
Kendall had a PET scan this week and we just got the results today. I (thankfully) hadn’t been aware of just how worried the doctors were that he would have new masses of cancer show up since he hasn’t been able to do the regular chemotherapy regimen. But good news! No new cancer, and even his spine where he had surgery and the areas where he has been doing daily radiation for the past month didn’t light up. The nodule in his lungs is very small, and infectious disease has now given their approval for the transplant to take place. Kendall’s liver and kidney function also looked better, and his ANC and hemoglobin levels have improved as well. All in all, he is in much better shape heading into this transplant than we were expecting (and vast improvement from a week ago).
We also got notification today that the hospital’s visitor policy for BMT (bone marrow transplant) patients has changed, so I will be able to visit Kendall in the evenings. Overall I’m grateful for this news, but it has made me rethink some of the plans the kids and I had made for during Kendall’s hospitalization. I also realize that I’m going to need to be more balanced this time around, and it really isn’t feasible for me to get up there each night (thus missing dinner and bedtime with my kids), especially with my current work schedule. Still, this is a good change.
One of the things the kids and I are planning to do is attend church in person for a few weeks. In fact, I will actually be speaking in church this coming Sunday. The meeting will be broadcast virtually, and I’ve had a few people request the link so that they will be able to view it. All are welcome! Just email or message me if you would like the link.
We had several tender mercies today, in addition to the good news about Kendall’s PET scan and the visitors policy. We had thought that Kendall and I would need to be at the hospital from very early to very late, which was sad considering it was his last day he could be home with the family. Some of his appointments changed, however, and we were able to come home in the middle of the day before heading back for his later afternoon appointments. He even finished up the last one earlier than we had expected, which meant we were able to eat dinner together and play a game as a family before bedtime.
Kendall and I both received priesthood blessings last night, and one thing that stood out to me was the mention of the 100’s (!!!!) of people who are praying for him and our family, many of whom we don’t even know personally. Thank you. We’ve already seen so many miracles, and you are each helping us through this. We are confident that things are going to turn out how they are supposed to, whatever that may be, and that we will OK no matter the outcome.
