Hey,
Round 2 has begun.
Yesterday marked the beginning of the final round of chemotherapy for Murphy! It has been 8 long months of chemo for our boy, and he has begun in true Murphy style.
Smiles.
Playing.
Craft.
Laughter.
Stories.
Sunday night was a difficult night for Nat to sleep, knowing that a 6 week stint in hospital was imminent. The siblings were also very emotional Sunday night. Murphy woke up on Monday morning and sat at the breakfast table with his toast and asked me, “Dad, how long will my stay in hostitipital?” We do love, Murphy’s pronunciation of the word ‘hospital’, Haha! I responded, “Mate, it’ll be a few weeks.” I was apprehensive as to how to explain he’ll be back on the ward for such a long time, and not wanting to over or under state it. Murphy quickly said, “Oh, just like last time, ok.” And just like that he went about his morning like normal. Later that morning when it was time for Murphy to say goodbye to his siblings, he wrapped his arms around Calista and said, “it’ll be ok Calista, you have to be strong, just like me.”
We have been blessed with a boy who processes everything so well and is in tune with his feelings.
Day 1 always feels like a longer day, because it begins in the clinic, where Murphy has bloods done, hyper-hydration started and a cocktail of antiemetics to help with the onslaught of chemo drugs that need to be given later that day. Murphy took all of it so well and met new friends in the clinic and played with Nat and the staff. It also happened to be superhero day at the hospital, therefore some special visitors came to visit!
The negative side-effects of chemotherapy in this round have not fully set in and are expected to begin in the coming days. We have been told to expect the worst yet in terms of Nausea, hallucinations, vomiting, bone pain, neutropenia, and mucositis due to the incredibly high doses of Chemotherapy. This is an overwhelming thought and the process to watch is so painful and heartbreaking as a parent, but we know with prayer and God on our side, we will expect the unexpected and victory in this circumstance. Lord, we pray for a greater level of comfort for Murphy, for a peace in his mind and body that surpasses all understanding, and for his joy to be ever-present through each day of treatment.
As a family, we had the best time at Monarto Safari Park!
What to expect this round:
6 million cells. If you recall from the last Stem Cell Transplant, Murphy had 3 million cells put in him, and around 2.5 million successfully took as new Bone Marrow. This cycle will see even higher doses of Chemotherapy in the coming days; therefore murphy will need 6 million cells to rescue him during the transplant next Monday.
3 new drugs. In this cycle there are a set of new Chemotherapy drugs that Murphy has not had yet, and they are being given to him in the highest possible doses. Therefore, we are hoping his body responds well to these.
Side-effects. These are the cause of the great suffering that we hate to see for Murphy. The nausea, pain, fevers, itchiness, lack of appetite, hearing loss, skin issues, kidney function and much more. HOWEVER. In faith I am asking God that Murphy will not see the full extent of these, and that God covers Murphy with His great love and grace.
Considering all of this, my eyes are set on one thing, complete removal of ALL cancer cells from Murphy’s body. Nothing more. My faith is high, and my heart is expectant of God doing what He loves to do – heal. Following this round of treatment Murphy will undergo a MIBG test. This test will indicate to what extent the cancer is found within his body. This test produces a score out of 30, and in September Murphy scored a 22. In January this score was reduced to 10, but I am pleading with God that this shrinks to a 0 after tis transplant round. The medical team has told Nat that they need the score to be below 5 for Murphy to continue on the same course of treatment – but why can’t we ask God to reduce it to nothing! Can you pray with me for that miraculous outcome?
