Our Week Off - 7/20/17

Hey everyone!

Things have been going so very, very well. This is our longest break between chemo days, 9 days in a row off, and it's been great to see Peter regain strength and rest up. He's even been able to watch Esther for a few short periods of time while I do something in another room, or go for a walk by himself, and those little bits of normalcy have been so good for us! I even went to work for a few hours Tuesday after taking a few weeks off and it was SO GOOD for me.

It's been so good to see Peter's appetite return, and his sound and light sensitivity go away. He is still dealing with some weakness, and he did lose 20 lbs in his first three weeks of chemo. But otherwise these past few days he has been feeling totally normal, and not feeling any abdominal pain at all!! We take this in faith that the chemo is working, and we are hopeful that the cancer is shrinking and leaving his body, in accordance with our prayers.

We are preparing for next week to be another hard one, and hoping it won't be quite as intense as our first 5-day chemo week was, but realizing that this fight plan is called "aggressive" for a reason. Someone mentioned to me this week that they were surprised to learn how hard this treatment plan is on Peter's body, since he is otherwise young, strong and healthy. This type of chemo is a hard-hitter, and even in seasons of sickness and weakness, we are confident and resting in the goodness of the Lord. We believe our doctors know what they are doing, and that this treatment plan, though harsh, is our best course of action.

Thank you for continuing to pray! Peter's white blood count has stayed low, so we continue to be cautious. Prayers for both his WBC and ANC to rise to healthy levels are needed! Also, Monday morning at 8 AM we have our first full blood work test that will check on his tumor marker levels. Pray for remarkably healthy, even miraculous results. Pray for Peter's port to stay healthy, and not irritate him at all. Pray for wisdom for us and our doctors as we go forward to make the right choices. Pray for us to have opportunities to enjoy summer throughout this journey as a family, even with so much of the season taken away to focus on health. Continue to pray for our sleep, for all three of us.

Thank you so much! We love you all!!!