We're out!

So...below you will see the update posted by my Mom Saturday. There have been a few changes since that update. Caden is officially done with inpatient treatment. His counts had come up over 200 and he was discharged. His marrow is not responding as well as we would like. He had to have a platelet infusion yesterday, but they have assured us that this is normal and it may happen a few times before he is completely done. He was supposed to have his final bone aspiration today but after the labs came back we found out that his ANC had dropped down below 200. :( They said they would not readmit him but we needed to be very careful and keep him isolated at the McDonald House. His bone aspiration and CAT scan have been put off until probably the first week of August. I am posting some pics that you all will love. This has been a tremendously trying journey for us all, but as Caden's mother I cannot describe how I felt when I saw him coming down the path with my mom. after discharge. He had his arms reaching out for me and he ran toward me saying "mommy I'm free from the hospital!!!!". Please continue to pray for healing and a smooth transition.

From my Mom:

Hello, hello, hello! I had my update ready to send out yesterday. I was going to give you the results of his blood work. His ANC was at 238!!!!! I was so excited, the nurses were laughing at me!

Joyce, the nurse Caden had yesterday morning, is in love with him. She told me she is happy and sad and that she is going to miss him so much. Oh and surprise, this is the beginning of your 28 day countdown, the doctors are discharging you today! It was so funny because Caden was still asleep when she told me. I packed our belongings then woke him up to tell him we could leave after he took his medicine and ate his breakfast. He jumped up (he never wakes up like that), took his medicine, put on his own clothes and said "yeah, let's go I will eat at the RMH." It was a good thing I had already packed our belongings! I told him I needed to call his Mommy to come pick us up but he said no, he wanted to walk to the RMH and surprise her.

What comes next? We wait for his counts to come up so they can do the final LP and Bone Marrow test, this is to confirm he is cancer free. (Just writing it brings tears to my eyes.). They will also do one more CT scan before they are done (I think to check his internal organs before they let him go home). They did the final hearing test last week; he has some hearing loss in his left ear (this doesn't surprise me as this is the ear that has been bleeding periodically throughout treatment). Before they can remove the Hickman line his platelets have to be much higher and stay high on their own. We are far from that right now. His platelets and RBC are low enough that they will be doing transfusions today. They will do that in the out patient clinic at the hospital. We will be there all morning but will go play this afternoon.

Please pray for his bone marrow recovery and that when they do the final test we get the official word that his cancer is gone! Love to all of you and thank you for your support!

Cindy