Hi anyone! I just cannot consider that we are on the cusp of Labor Working day and summer coming to a close. The last 5 to six months have been a total blur and this summer months, in specific, has flown by. There’s been hospitals (chemo, stem cell harvest, surgical procedures), clinic appointments, and driving again and forth to New York.
But, one foot in entrance of the other and 1 day at a time, we are grateful to be heading into a new season with a powerful boy and hearts comprehensive of hope.
Dominic experienced a active initial number of weeks of August…
🔍 To start with, he had a new set of scans (MRI + MIBG) furthermore yet another bone marrow biopsy. The scans still display illness through his bones but most of the spots are “dimmer” than in advance of, and the bone marrow involvement lowered by around 50%.
So, there is nevertheless operate to do, but there is an enhancement. And! Dominic did each of the scans without anesthesia (he has been sedated previously simply because you have to lay fully continue to and the MIBG is about 2 several hours). He’s a rock star.
🏥 Subsequent, he experienced his 1st round of immunotherapy. The antibody he’s given targets the protein of neuroblastoma cells and considering that they generally sit on nerve cells, there is considerable nerve agony accompanying the remedy. The infusion is small (45 minutes) but intensive.
There is a large amount of pre-medication and soreness management through and right after, and he would in essence slumber the total relaxation of the day afterward. But, the treatments are outpatient so no hospital stays, and they don’t influence counts like chemotherapy, so no neutropenia or blood or platelet transfusions.
🦸♂️ Then, he crossed off an additional big hurdle… radiation. He did this awake with no anesthesia as well… 2 times a day for five times, he was strapped down utilizing a exclusive mask that was molded to his head and higher physique to hold his head and neck in the correct identical posture each individual time (his clavicle was radiated owing to the cluster of diseased lymph nodes that were there, as properly as the tumor bed in his stomach). An awesome woman who will work there has the young ones pick what they want their masks to be and then customized paints them… Dominic chose Iron Man. There are some exceptionally distinctive folks in this environment.
He could also select whatsoever audio he needed to be piped in every time and chose Xmas songs each and every working day 💕🌲 He entirely rocked it and the people today doing the job there were being unquestionably phenomenal.
➡️ Next… we get to be residence for a pair of weeks, then it’s back again to NY for an additional round of immunotherapy, a new set of scans, and a further bone marrow biopsy.
📘 In the meantime, he started off kindergarten this 7 days! He’ll be signing up for class nearly right until his oncologist gives him the go-forward to go to in individual, which we’re hoping will be late September.
💈 His eyebrows, eyelashes, AND hair have all started off escalating back! He’s had a ton of strength, has received again all of the fat he dropped after surgical procedure and that very last round of chemo and is usually carrying out actually, truly effectively.
❤️ Thank you all for your continued prayers, it means so considerably to our family.
In other information, I am preparing to get some email messages scheduled out heading into the drop and holiday year to refresh some web page content. So, you can glimpse ahead to me popping into your inbox more routinely in the coming months 🎉