Results are in...

Two weeks ago we checked into the hospital for Sofia's bone marrow aspirate and start of chemo. After 5 nights in the hospital her methotrexate levels were finally low enough to be discharged. Luckily, Sofia experienced minimal side effects and has had a pretty great week being home. 

As I mentioned in my last post, the bone marrow test is to find out her MRD, which is a detection of cancer cells in her marrow. The standard test called a "flow" test looks for 1 out of 100,000 cells. Those test results came back last week and they were undetectable! This was great news and for most of the world this would be the final word. BUT in the past year a new test has been developed which tests 1 in a million cells. There are only 3 cancer centers who are using this advanced test, with Lucile Packard being one of them. Sofia is one of the first patients to have access to this advanced test and for that we are grateful. This test did show remaining cells. 0.0003 so it's almost nothing but it is still something. At the end of induction this same test showed her cells at 0.013 so it's significantly lower. Again, most leukemia patients would only know the results from 1 in 100,000 which was undectecable. With this advanced testing they can now test more regularly to make sure the cancer keeps getting lower until eventually it's 0.00000000 in all 1 million cells! This is why leukemia treatment is so long because even when then 1 in a million test comes back at zero it doesn't mean if the tested 1 in 5 million they wouldn't find something. They just don't have the 5 million test yet. Nothing changes in her treatment expect that we get to do another bone marrow 1 in a million test after this round of treatment. We were crushed by this news because We just want them to tell us it is gone. But my doctor reminded me that we're kind of alone with this knowledge as most of our friends who got the "undetectable" news were only tested on the 1 in 100,000 and we too are undetectable in that test. Knowledge is a blessing and a curse. All we know is that today Sofia is feeling great. 

So, on Wednesday we are checking back in to start our second round of High Dose methotrexate! We are praying that she does just as well this round as last.

Thank you all for all the prayers these past few months and especially the past couple of weeks!! We hope you all had an amazing Easter!