Persy has enjoyed six uneventful days since our last update. It has been truly wonderful to be back in our “new house” spending quality time as a family of four, plus a few extras. 😉

P has had more and more energy each day. He has been having so much fun “flying” all over the house on his broom with Aunt Ween, playing with new toys from loved ones far and wide ❤️, taking bubble baths with his brother, and going to the playground in his blue car.

Each day without pain has brought further reductions in his pain medications all the way down to the lowest doses his doctors can recommend.

We’ve noticed continued shrinking of the visible tumors in his eye and on his shoulder. It’s still too early to draw any conclusions, but such noticeable changes after just one chemo cycle certainly aren’t a bad sign.

On Wednesday, December 15th we’ll check into the clinic for labs followed by admission to the hospital. This will begin the second chemo cycle. Each cycle is 21 days long. The first 5 days are composed of daily infusions of the drug cocktail we refer to as chemotherapy. The low point of Persy’s immune system comes between days 10 and 13. By day 21 Persy should be recovered enough to start another cycle.

This cycle will be especially trying because just when Persy is recovering he will be in the hospital yet again for harvesting of stem cells. Those cells will be used in completing two bone marrow transplants that will take place later in the therapy. The stem cell harvesting machine is similar to a dialysis machine. All his blood will be rerouted through the machine for two days to facilitate harvesting of the needed cells.

Despite the challenging schedule ahead, if nothing unexpected happens, we’ll be able to be home for Christmas and the New Year. With the trials of the remainder of the year ahead, we’re enjoying the comforts of home with our boys for a few more days.

Little victories

• Persy has had more and more energy each day.
• Persy’s pain levels have remained low and even gotten lower.
• Persy’s tumors in his eye and shoulder have visibly shrunk.
• Persy has been able to enjoy life at home as a normal little boy.

Please pray

• For Persy to stay his happy self while back in the hospital for his second cycle of chemo.
• For Persy’s pain levels to remain low throughout each upcoming trial.
• For Persy to be able to spend Christmas and the New Year at home with his baby brother.
• For Persy’s body to respond to the chemo and specifically that the chemo obliterates all of the metastatic cancer sites in his body.
• For his cancer to be attacked by the chemo, but for his precious body to be protected from the damage caused by the toxic chemicals.
• For continued strength for Persy’s mama and dada and his whole family.

Dear heavenly father, we come to you in prayer in the name of your son Jesus. We ask that you grant us wisdom to know what to pray for, and faith and strength to seek and follow your word. We lift Persy up to you at this time and ask that you minimize his pain, maximize the effectiveness of his treatments, and protect him from side effects. We ask that you send comfort to Persy and the rest of us who surround and care for him in this difficult time. Amen.