Third Time's the Charm

Some good news and some bad, I'll start with the good. Our donor, bless you where ever you are, agreed to donate again! We found out shortly after my last post. He went in to donate his blood today, then his blood travels to us from wherever he may be - we suspect Europe somewhere, and it will be ready for Sebastian on Wednesday May 9th. We are being admitted Tuesday night, then get a pass, same as the last two boosts. This time will be slightly different as this blood will be a 'live' donation as it will not be frozen first. There is higher risk for graft vs host disease with a live donation and Bash will be given approx 10,000 cells like in his first boost. The donation should be higher concentrations of B-cells and stem cells, which we all hope kick start those cells into gear.

The bad news is we got chimerism results back and those pesky B-cells are still dropping. They currently sit at 61%, previously 69%. His T-cells are at 97% which is good as they have been staying steady, previously 98%, and his doctor said it would be more worrisome if those were dropping too. His Myeloid cells are now at 84%, down from 86%. We are really hoping third times the charm on this one as it's really felt like we have all been dragged through the mud for the past few months. Don't get me wrong, things could be way worse. Sebastian is healthy, and he is cancer free! I just feel like I live life on the edge, as every bump or bruise, every fever, every cough, every day that he might be fussier than normal, it terrifies me. That the what if's are always there staring you blankly in the face and it can be really hard to stay positive about this whole crumby cancer situation. I just want him to be ok, I don't want to worry anymore if his cells are up or down, purple or blue, I just want him to be better, to grow up, and to not have to keep visiting the oncology clinic every week. I so badly want to be past this part and looking forward.

He's seriously such a champ, does his weekly blood work now with less and less tears. He is a very active and charming little boy. He is growing more and more independent everyday. Yesterday I was out front with him and he started walking, guess we are going for a walk I thought. He walked all the way to the park - about a 7 min walk from our house. He knew how to get there all by himself, practically dragged me there haha, and was so proud when he found it! If he ever figures out the front door and I can't find him, I know where I'll look first!

Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers this Wednesday and in the weeks that follow, I feel like we need some extra positive vibes in our lives. As always, thanks for all the love.