Hey,
Thank you for loving our boy Murphy so much that you are partnering in prayer for him! To help share with Murphy your wonderful prayerful support, can I ask you to do something for us? Can you write in the comments section below both where you’re praying from (geographical location) and what scriptures you have found helpful or you declare when you intercede for Murphy? I would love to personally read them and share them with Murphy (and the other children!).
OK, onto his current treatment. High dose chemo has begun…
Murphy has and will continue to show us his incredible character through this next round of treatment. Here’s one short story to show how proud I am of his strength. Tonight, Murphy had to have a needle in his leg to thin his blood, treating the clots that have formed on his lungs. This needle is not a large needle, but murphy has to overcome the fact that he has this injection in his leg twice a day. Murphy knows that he needs this needle morning and night, and it plays on his mind throughout the day, and even when he drifts off to sleep. Only a matter of months ago did Murphy need sedation to have a dressing change, but for a needle tonight, Murphy’s strength showed. As Murphy lay there watching Bluey on TV we let him know it was time to have the needle. With a quivering lip and shaking hands he nodded, knowing it was simply something he just had to do. Nat and I lay at his side while he was afraid, and in his face you could see it. He counted himself down from five, telling himself ‘it will be ok’, lifting up the leg of his Pyjama pants and saying ok, do it here (pointing to his leg). The nurse swiftly gave the medication and Murphy let out both a tear and a scream. While the fear faded away, and the scream ceased, Murphy was left there once again angry at this whole situation. Nat and I looked at each other with that same feeling while trying to remain strong for Murphy. This small act of our boy watching that needle go in showed us his determination to beat cancer. For most, cancer isn’t beaten overnight, but it is beaten over time through small moments of God-given bravery such as tonight’s needle.
This round of treatment has been referred to as the Everest of our treatment plan. The first 5 rounds of chemo allow us to get to base camp, but in the coming 14 weeks Murphy will endure the hardest type of treatment. Other neuroblastoma parents have shared with us that after these dual stem cell transplants, we can expect to have some relief through the radiotherapy phase. Although this doesn’t provide much solace, knowing further treatments still bring their own risks, and we want immediate and complete healing for our boy, hope of any form of ‘relief’ is welcomed!
What is this round?
· There will be 7 days of chemo, with the current drug being a new one, and tomorrow he begins with a drug he has had before, but a triple dose (that’s why they call it high dose chemo)
· He needs to bath every 6 hours, to help relieve the skin from burning due to the toxicity of the drugs.
· 17th of March, Murphy will be given back his own stem cells to help ‘rescue’ him after his body will be too depleted from the high dose chemotherapy.
· It is a high risk but high reward form of treatment, and we are expecting that Nat and Murphy will need to stay in hospital for most of the 49 day cycle.
· I had previously shared it was 42 days per high dose chemo round, but this did not count the 7 days beforehand of chemotherapy infusion, which we are currently in.
Big cousin fun!
Prayer points:
· After multiple audiology tests, it has become apparent that Murphy has lost some of his hearing in both ears. This damage is long term, and last week’s test shows that the loss is too much and therefore will require intervention. Pray that his hearing returns, WE WANT A MIRACLE in this space.
· Last Friday, during one of the scans, doctors found some blood clots in Murphy’s Lungs. Further scans showed that the clots were not in the legs, but they all centralise around the lungs. Pray for the doctor’s wisdom as they try and balance blood thinning medication throughout these rounds of Chemo.
· Murphy has lost weight after the surgery, that he has not been able to put back on, please pray that he can put on and retain weight.
· The effects of these medications are LIMITED to the point that they’re NOT FELT by him! No pain and no sickness in JESUS NAME!
· Pray that he keeps his Murphy sense of humour, and his love for his family.
· Pray that his faith can grow over this time. May Murphy lean on and feel God’s comfort.
With much to pray for, I am always mindful to look at what good things God is doing. One of those blessings is that the MIBG scan revealed that the overall cancer throughout Murphy’s body has reduced, and that he is well on track for his treatment. It is now proven that…
ALL CANCER IN MURPHY’S BODY HAS REDUCED. Praise God!
As I wrote at the top, can you please share below a verse, or portion of scripture that God has revealed to you that has helped your prayers for Murphy. Or if God has simply brought a scripture to your mind, can you share that below as I hope to encourage Murphy with telling him of the many people praying for him by name, and reading scripture over him. Psalm 119, verse 105 shares about God’s Word being a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. My prayer is that through God’s Word, it helps encourage and make a way on our way up Everest.
Thank you!
I’ll leave this post with a Gallery of pictures below, in which you will see how incredibly blessed we were to be gifted a weekend away as a family, Murphy and all the kids cherished this time together, before our hospital stay began.
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This was from our fun weekend getaway!