cycle 2

Tomorrow (Wed Jan 7) Ethan starts Cycle 2 of his Maintenance phase. What that means is that we basically do what we just did from October until now, as Maintenance is the same 84 day cycle that repeats again and again until his last day of treatment in May 2017.

So, tomorrow we begin Cycle 2. We have a full day that involves meeting with his team, receiving one IV chemo and his immunoglobin infusion, and he will also be sedated for intrathecal chemo. He will also start his 5 day dose of steroids for the month tomorrow as well.

I've been reminded lately about the importance of this phase - Maintenance. That even though the side effects aren't as brutal, the chemo he takes every day or weekly -- all of it is so important to his treatment, and is purposeful in helping to maintain his remission. Please continue to pray for Ethan's remission - that this chemo would continue getting rid of any trace of cancer and keep any new cancer cells from growing. 

This will be the first time since October that Ethan has had to be sedated. Since it hasn't been as routine as it was (during the first 8 months he was sedated at least twice per month on average) -- we would definitely appreciate your prayers for Ethan for comfort and protection during the procedure but also from anxiety and fear. His sedation is scheduled for 10:30.

We've also been navigating some new waters with physical side effects from chemo that Ethan has been working on in Physical Therapy. Perhaps more on that another time, but for now, please pray for comfort for Ethan and for us all to figure out the best way to incorporate some new treatments at home.

Thanks for continuing to pray for us, guys.