November 3, 2019– Day +45, Bone Marrow Biopsy Results

Bo’s bone marrow biopsy results finally came back and we are excited to report that Bo is officially 100% engrafted. This means that all of the cells that were tested in his marrow are those of his donor. Not a single cell of Bo’s remains–including any leukemia cells. This is the news we have been praying for all along–God has done it!

His team was quick to remind us that it is impossible to test every single cell in his body, so the only way to know for certain that the cancer is truly gone is if he does not relapse in the next 5 years. We are just going to take things one day at a time and trust that God can sustain the healing that He has done. We are so grateful for science and medicine that have been instruments in Bo’s healing and are in awe of the incredible complexity of our bodies. We are also so incredibly grateful for Bo’s donor and continue to think of him often. We still pray that God makes a way for us to know him someday.

There have been so many things that have had to line up perfectly over the last several months in order for Bo’s transplant to be a success, and in God’s infinite wisdom, He paved the way. Even through the detour down to the PICU, God was still moving and working and healing. Although we might never understand why that needed to happen, we trust that He knows all and we are grateful for the way He continued to sustain and heal our boy in more ways than we were able to see.

As of today, Bo is continuing to make some big strides in his recovery. He has continued to remain off dialysis since his last treatment on Wednesday. We have been told that they are planning to remove his dialysis central line sometime this week because he no longer needs it. As I write that, I am in awe of the mountains that have fallen in front of us. At this time last week, Bo was still very much dependent on his daily dialysis and today it’s not even necessary. He is actually peeing out more than he should be! The issue with that is that although he is peeing out toxins (as he should), he is also peeing out his electrolytes and his body isn’t holding on to what it needs. Will you continue to pray that his kidneys will start to function as they were designed? We have full confidence that God will restore full function to all of his systems that were injured. We are also still praying that Bo’s blood pressures would come down and stabilize as well.

Remember all of the platelet issues we were having a few weeks back? Well, Bo was able to skip a platelet transfusion yesterday–the first time since getting his transplant. Because his liver is healing and not eating up all the platelets he’s getting and also because his body is becoming more stable and able to hold onto them better, Bo’s platelet levels didn’t indicate that he needed any extra yesterday! That’s another step toward getting home! Once he can go 2-3 days between needing platelets, that’s another sign he’s stable enough to leave.

The process of weaning Bo from his pain pump and one of the nausea meds has slowed. We started to observe some symptoms of withdrawal and had to halt the process. He was beginning to have tremors in his hands as well as high heart rates, increased vomiting and dry heaving, and overall irritability. Since we’ve paused the weaning process, he’s done better. We will try again in a few days and hope to continue weaning him over the next week or two.

For a while it seemed like the goals to head home were a long ways off, but after seeing the strides he’s made in the last several days alone, it is starting to sink in that we might be going home sooner than later. Lance and I were talking last night about how weird it will be to head home and not have another inpatient stay to prepare for. It will probably take a few weeks to truly sink in. We will be coming back to the hospital frequently even once we’re home (several times per week) so his team will be able to monitor him closely, although all of those should be clinic visits only and not overnight stays.

On Friday, our sweet Naomi turned 4 years old! It’s hard to believe what a big girl she is. We celebrated her the best we knew how under the circumstances, and I think she had a pretty wonderful day! She is an incredible girl–she is kind, loving, a friend to all, so funny and smart. God has poured out an extra measure of grace on her through this season–she is doing GREAT! She seems to understand in a lot of ways why Lance and I need to be at the hospital with Bo and she is more than content to be home with my parents (Coco & Tutu). She has received the best care from them and we attribute how well she’s done first to God’s grace and second to how well they love her. I am so grateful that she will always remember this unique season and the time she’s been able to spend with them. Her heart has been protected and nourished and I truly believe that this part of our family’s story will shape her in ways we can’t yet see. We can’t wait to see the plans God has for our girl!

I hope that you will praise God with us for the amazing healing we have seen! Our sweet Boaz is making strides in ways we could only have dreamed. Thank you for the ways you continue to carry our family through this journey. We pray your faith is continually strengthened as we witness together how great God is!