Hills and valleys.

This weekend felt like a major win- I was able to visit with my children for the first time since the beginning of August. The visit was beautiful, emotional and precious. If you follow me on social media, I posted a video of the kids realizing I was at the park and their subsequent reaction.

The good news– my PET scan was clear.

The bad-I didn’t have a great clinic appointment today. 1st- my counts are down. 2nd– I had a rash biopsied that has been on my trunk for about a week. 3rd- They conducted two engraftment studies (looked at two different kinds of cells) and those results hit my chart over the weekend. In one study, I engrafted 100% which is wonderful news. In the other study, I only engrafted 20% with my donor stem cells. The team was expecting it to be higher- closer to 80%. Obviously we are not there.

There is a plan in place and first up is a medication change that they are hoping will do the trick. If not, there is another intervention called a donor lymphocyte infusion.

Could I call upon you to pray once again? Pray specifically that this medication change is the answer to the problem.

I’m struggling with feeling frustrated at my body. There is only so much I can control. I’ve come to terms that I control what I eat, drink, take meds and exercise. THAT’S IT. My body has to do the rest of the work and I’m frustrated that I’m doing my part, but my body doesn’t want to participate in recovery.

I was really upset by this news today because it feels like a I failed a test that I’ve been studying really hard and sacrificing for.

It’s not in my hands and it never was.

Would you pray that God sees it fit to heal my body and aid my doctors in making the correct next steps in my treatment plan.

Thank you for being a part of my healing journey,

Danielle