We are officially GO for T cell harvest on Tuesday, January 14th! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The January 6th PET scan results showed no new cancer growth and minimal change to the spot lumbar region. The results are slightly inconclusive until the MRIs can be used for analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spinal fluid collected during the lumbar puncture with intrathecal chemo showed no evidence of cancer cells, this is a big blessing from the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both of our medical teams have communicated they are satisfied with the results of the TEDDI-R chemo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This protocol is quite challenging with 5 days of chemo, 4 which are inpatient, plus a daily chemo pill.\u00a0 Both round 1&2 have taken a full week to recover from the chemo, leaving just one week of Chris feeling like himself and not totally exhausted.\u00a0 This, combined with a significant respiratory virus, made for a tough last 10 days.\u00a0 We are thankful to the Lord that the chemo was not delayed, he has not had any fevers, and his bloodwork is good enough to proceed with the T-cell collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chris will have 4 MRIs here in Grand Rapids on Monday 1\/13 and then he and I will leave for Northwestern in Chicago. An afternoon lumbar puncture has been scheduled. Doctors plan to compare MRI results with PET to decide next steps for treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Tuesday, the 14th, he will have a full day at Northwestern, starting with a 6:30am arrival.\u00a0 He will have the line placed in the morning, T-cell harvest and then the line removal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have not heard yet what treatment he will have the week of January 20th or any subsequent treatment. One day at a time with the Lord\u2019s strength is one of my mantras. While we would like more information we are not in the driver’s seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Future peek: The estimated date of the T cell infusion is Feb 19, but he will report to Northwestern by approximately February 11th for appointments and various treatments, including chemo, which happen prior to the infusion.\u00a0 He will be in the hospital at Northwestern for about 2 weeks after the infusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are several protocols he will need to follow after the infusion. First, he cannot be more than 2 hours from Northwestern, therefore, he will be in Chicago and unable to return to Michigan for +\\-40 days. Next, he cannot be alone for 30 days after the infusion. Finally, he cannot drive for 60 days after the infusion. We are exceedingly grateful for parents who are able and willing to help to make this more doable for our family. We are thankful for so many who are making this journey less challenging through financial support, meals, and prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prayer requests:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prayers for our kids as they continue to build friends and trust God in this season that they did not anticipate or choose. Prayers especially for our time apart. Due to our life overseas they are not used to both mom and dad being gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prayers for our parents as they are an important provision from the Lord in this journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Continued prayers for complete healing for Chris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Continued clear direction from the Lord for the doctors as they make important decisions regarding Chris’s treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nPsalm 36: 5-10<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
<\/sup>Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
Your judgments are like a great deep.
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
<\/sup>They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;
And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.
<\/sup>For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/sup>O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This hike in Thailand from last August felt like we were atop the mountains of God and could see his faithfulness to the skies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=501"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":510,"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501\/revisions\/510"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}