Nico has now completed 11 of his 28 radiation treatments. The past couple of weeks have gone by pretty quick! One of Nico’s favorite moments was when he was transported to his radiation appointment at Mayo Clinic via ambulance while admitted at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Nick said he was all smiles that morning!
Last Monday we realized that Nico’s chemo treatment roadmap for cycles 5-10 are a little bit different than his first four cycles. Which means he didn’t have any chemo last week or this week! It’s been nice to have a bit of a break. And we had some nice cooler temps last week which we took full advantage of by checking out the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale. We loved it!
One of the short term side effects of radiation is the area being treated having a sun-like burn. The first week of radiation the area was a bit pink in color and it has gotten more red with each treatment. This past Thursday it started to look really bad with a blister type sore. Nico’s radiation oncologist at Mayo told Nick about a wound dressing called Mepitel that they just recently started using with radiation patients to help the skin during treatment. The research is finding that it helps to heal burns faster and with less pain. The nurses were telling Nick that they had another child who they used it with during radiation and it helped heal the skin during radiation. So we are hopeful that this will minimize any pain or discomfort for Nico as radiation progresses!
We also had some wonderful visitors this past weekend. My baby sister and her husband came to see us for a long weekend. The boys loved playing with Titi Meisha (Melissa) and Uncle Adam!! We enjoyed the zoo, the boy’s first bowling experience and the Children’s Museum. And they are planning to come see us again at the end of July in British Columbia which we are super excited about!
This past Sabbath, as I was journaling, I realized just how faithful God has been to us the past couple of weeks. He has provided a place for us to stay when we get back to BC. He provided a rental car for the entire time we are here in Phoenix. Our house has finally sold and we will be closing in just a couple of weeks! Nali has been an amazingly easy baby thus far and is growing and gaining beautifully. She is two months old now and about 13 pounds- officially doubling her birth weight. Nico has been doing very well- having lots of energy. We are so thankful for all the prayers that continue to go up for our little family. There is so much happening in this world- real pain and suffering. Our days are not easy but we are extremely blessed and Nick and I appreciate the prayers so so much!
Please pray for us as we finish up the next 17 days of radiation. Next week Nico will have his Irinotecan chemo which means he will be going to radiation and PCH for chemo everyday. It will be a long week for us but the Lord is our strength.
Courage for Nico 