Good News!

We have good news...the bone marrow aspirate revealed that Anya has only 5-7% leukemia blasts remaining! And her good cell count has risen on its own! This demonstrates that the leukemia cells are responding to treatment and not returning. These results were what the doctors were hoping for and we are thrilled!

While this is very good news we still must continue with treatment for the next couple years to prevent relapse. Anya will continue to stay at home for most of the remainder of this first stage of treatment (which ends at the end of the month). She has weekly visits to the clinic where she will receive chemotherapy, have blood work done to check her blood counts, and other various things. Several people have offered to come visit us here at home but Anya is still not able to receive visitors because she is immocompromised. However we appreciate your offers and look forward to seeing you all again soon.

It has been very nice to have Anya home - for her benefit and ours. However her care is still absolutely exhausting. Most of the time she is crying, demanding, and unable to communicate her needs clearly. The doctors say that it is because of the steroids but I know that she is also uncomfortable, scared, and obviously unsure of what she wants or needs to feel better. Please pray for her that she can be comfortable and have joy and for us to have patience and long suffering. We love her so dearly and it breaks our hearts to see her in pain, discouraged, or unhappy.

There have been moments in the past few days that give us hope and inspiration to continue with joy. One such time happened yesterday afternoon. Anya was asking to hold Isaiah; when we laid him down with her she was smiling, laughing, and playing with him. Anya was back to her old self again for a few minutes and it was like a breath of fresh air for us. And today Anya was crying and Esther walked over to her, patted her leg and said, "Shh...it okay Anya". Despite the difficulties we trust that God is good and will bring our family closer together through all of this.

Anya's next clinic visit is on Monday. And the next week she will return to the hospital for another spinal tap and bone marrow aspirate.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'"