3 days of Chemo down......6 more to go!! Then TRANSPLANT!

Alrighty, we are done with the first 3 days of chemo.....the next one, Ara C, starts tomorrow and he will get that for 3 days, then Melphalan for one day, and then finally ATG for three more days!! AND THEN.....the BIG day!! The one we have been waiting for soooooooooo long!! Transplant Day....with some precious baby's cord blood, that one very smart mom donated, knowing that it may someday help someone in need.....our precious Dylan!! Thank you, to whoever you are....I do not know who you are and I never will, but we are eternally thankful for you, for your special child...because their blood is being used by God to save our child.....THANK YOU!!
I want to take a second to let everyone know that it is FREE to donate your child's cord blood....I NEVER KNEW THAT!! It is something that a lot of people do not know, and therefore, there are millions of umbilical cords thrown away every year, that have the ability to save someone with a disease. This is obviously something that I am very passionate about, and I would appreciate it if you could tell anyone that you know who is pregnant or plans on getting pregnant about the options they have :) You can get more more information at www.marrow.org

Now, back to the man of the hour, Mr. Dylan :) He has tolerated the chemo well so far. His little bum is rash free and he is not showing any signs of sores in his mouth! Thank you Lord!! He is still showing slight symptoms of a cold, with a snotty nose (all clear) and a little bit of congestion, but its all in his nose and throat and not in his chest, which is a good thing. We had my Aunt Robin and cousin Kristi visit yesterday and it was really great to see them and get to spend some time talking! AND they gave me a break--I am truly spoiled! Erik also went home yesterday :( but we were thankful to have him here for 5 days!! He will be back next week....until then, we will miss Daddy!!
Last night D thought he would be adorable and charming at 2am.....and although I was REALLY tired, I took the opportunity to play with the smile machine. He was cooing and talking and kicking like crazy--and WAS NOT one bit tired!! Ahhhhhh the things I do! Ha!! Needless to say, it was a rough night. BUT the social worker at the hospital volunteered to babysit while I went back to Ronald McDonald house to take a nap--seriously spoiled I tell you! She is great, and has triplets a month older than Dylan, so she kind of knows what she is doing!!
All in all, we are coasting along without any big problems for now. Thank you for your continued prayers for D. This week specifically please pray that he can avoid as many side effects as possible. He will most likely be losing the rest of his hair soon, so I took a pic of the back of his cute little head--I love his cute hair!! Oh well, it will grow back!! We are more worried about the more painful side effects of the sores in his mouth and GI tract, and on his bottom. Also, he may not want to eat soon either, so he will be put on TPN. If he gets the sores on his throat, they will most likely put down a breathing tube until they subside, and he would not be awake during that time. I have to remind myself that things have to get worse before they will get better, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel!! Please pray against GVHD (graft vs host disease), this is when the transplant could reject Dylan's body and make it all that more difficult for him to recover. He will be on a lot of different meds in the next few months to avoid it, but it can happen and often does. We serve a MIGHTY God who already knows what is going to happen to our precious boy and is in CONTROL of it all. Knowing that, I rest in the peace that only God can give. IT IS NOT EASY by any means to watch our child suffer.....or to know all that he is about to go through, but we are thankful that God has provided a way for Dylan to fight this ugly cancer. September is Dylan vs Cancer month and its not looking so good for the cancer! He is going to kick some cancer booty with God by his side the whole time!! Please pray for strength for us as a family to endure this rough road ahead and that we continually look to God for strength. When I start to dwell on the present situation, I picture Christmas time with Dylanm and him charming all of the family and friends around him. I picture his one year old birthday party that will be the party of all parties!! I picture chasing him around and picking him up when he falls. I picture Erik playing catch with him and teaching him all about sports......He is such a little trooper and God is holding him in His hands.

A friend reminded me of the story of the blind man and Jesus in John 9:1-5

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam". So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

God healed him. God can heal Dylan. We may not know why Dylan has cancer, but we know that everything God does is for His glory. We have seen so many lives touched by God through Dylan......and I know there will be many more! Goodnight friends and family! We love you!

Love,
Michelle