It’s been 365 days since Eli was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia). A day that changed so much in so may ways… both positive and negative. My TimeHop app pulled up pictures from a year ago and it brought back such strong emotions and tears, but also loads of praise and thankfulness. While they don’t refer to him as ‘in remission’ while he’s still receiving treatment, his blood remains cancer free and that’s awesomely amazing! (pics from a year ago)
Eli received chemo through his port August 1st and 29th and will return September 27th. He continues his daily oral chemo at home. The latest medically with Eli is that he reached 35.6lbs! Which is great, however, it was the next threshold for increasing all his medications and we weren’t aware of that;( So, it was a bummer. All three of his chemos and steroids were elevated to the next dosage….(sigh). The last three weeks have been hard on his body again… inconsistent vomiting and fevering and lots of nausea again although there are times of great energy and focus!
We were able to visit Isle Royale National Park and Voyagers National Park in August. Overall Eli had an incredible trip with great spurts of energy for hiking and swimming.
We stopped to stretch our legs and have dinner in Mackinaw City as well as a stop in Duluth, MN to spend some time with our sweet friends, the Nelsons!
We also celebrated a momentous occasion when Eli lost his first tooth on the ferry ride to Isle Royale! Unfortunately we didn’t have his special pillow with us so we replayed the whole thing when we returned home;-)
Had to include some fun food/eating pics of Eli since his appetite comes and goes with his steroid usage (1 week out of each month). As much as we dislike the steroids, it makes him ravenous, which is crazy because he typically has such a small appetite;-) Some of his intense facial expressions in the below pictures crack us up!
Coach Jake from Wales came back for a visit, which is always a highlight for Eli;-)
And an afternoon of beach time with Curtis always brings smiles and creativity galore!
Unfortunately, Eli had FIVE cavities- ugh;( We were informed by his oncologists that chemo deteriorates tooth enamel. WHAT?!?! Thankfully we see Dr. Dillingham and he handled Eli beautifully!
A huge thank you to Ms. Cobb and Miss Jessie for letting the kids come and love on the newest additions to Leader Dog! Eli fell in love and showed complete favoritism to Mr. Orange. Free puppy therapy for him 😉
Emily had a soccer tournament in Petoskey last weekend so we took an extra day and headed to Mackinaw Island. Eli loved everything about it… the biking, ROCKS, food, ROCKS, ferry ride, and a few more ROCKS!
Eli has 26 months and one day left of chemo! Woohoo! We’re counting it down to keep our sanity;-) Please pray for his body to strengthen & fight despite the increased chemo/steroid dosing. Please pray for the nausea to stop altogether. Please join us in claiming Eli to remain cancer free for the rest of his life. Please pray over his adult teeth! Please praise God on our behalf for current peace in the midst of this journey! Appreciate your calls, texts, emails and cards! You all rock!!
Psalm 105:1 “Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!”
Please enjoy a short message from Eli;-)
birdiewatchers 