Due to a mix-up from the hospital Kendall was unable to get his PET scan on Friday. It has been rescheduled for this coming Monday. We did, however, learn more about what his chemotherapy regimen will look like with his Philadelphia positive diagnosis.
We were under the impression that he would do another course of chemo, possibly followed by radiation and most likely a bone marrow transplant. Instead we learned that Kendall will need to do eight courses of chemotherapy, each approximately a month long, and each requiring a hospitalization at the beginning (anywhere from 5-14+ days). Each of those hospitalizations will be followed with weeks like we have been doing, with trips back and forth to Salt Lake for labs, transfusions, imaging, appointments, and other procedures. Once the eight courses of chemo are complete, THEN we will be most likely looking at a bone marrow transplant (which can be up to three months in the hospital, followed by a year’s recovery period).
We’re still processing what this will all mean for our family. In the meantime, we have several meetings this coming week with the transplant team, and Kendall will be readmitted to the hospital on Wednesday. I’ve given myself permission to not have to deal with anything “hard” until after Kendall gets home from this hospitalization. Due to the incredible generosity of some friends, while Kendall is in the hospital the kids and I will be getting away for a much needed 4-day break down in St. George, where we can “vacation in isolation.” It will be nice to get to celebrate Halloween on our own away from all the festivities at home (if there are any this year with COVID?) where the kids would be unable to participate. With snow expected tomorrow, we’ll really enjoy the warmer weather (and swimming!) down there.
(And for your viewing pleasure, here is a cute picture of our “car date” in between appointments at the hospital yesterday. So glad that food has tasted relatively normal to Kendall for the past week!)
