Someone posted this article yesterday in a Facebook group I am in. The gist of it is that there is a medication used to treat breast cancer by turning off the PAX3:FOXO1 genes, which also cause cancer in some kids with alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma. On Monday, the doctor said Eli is FOXO1 positive. When I asked …
Month: November 2018
The good, the bad, and the meeting?
Today was treatment day and, since I was out of town for the last treatment, I had lots of questions about his MRI reports, paperwork for a study he'll be in, and his future radiation treatments, among other things. The good: Eli's WBC count was up since last time, yay! His platelets were closer to …
I am grateful for…
Family and Friends. This week is an example of what it has been like since the day in the ER. You may notice that I haven't used many names to identify people, partly to respect privacy and partly so people don't feel like I don't appreciate the service they've given to our family. I was …
Picture perfect
With the developing bald spots, I decided yesterday morning to reschedule the photo shoot I had planned. My friend was going to trim Eli's hair this weekend, but that was looking like it wouldn't be soon enough. So, I trimmed it myself and scheduled the photo shoot for 1pm in the afternoon. It looks like …
Hair
While hiding in my room, trying to get this blog started, Eli came in and had me look at the back of his head. There was a bald spot. I saw some thinning on the front, too. I thought we would have more time, but he had been pulling wisps of hair out all day. …

Chemo begins
Friday, November 2, 2019 We had been warned earlier that week, while still admitted in the hospital, that they had some training in store for us. They ended up letting us be discharged with only some basic training, mostly centered around the administration of the blood thinner they put Eli on to prevent blood clots …
Final diagnosis
Thursday, November 1st It felt good to sleep in my own bed again after having spent the week in barely adequate accommodations next to Eli's hospital bed. We were home, but didn't know for how long, since treatment would begin after the diagnosis of the specific type of cancer was made. The schedule for the …
Halloween
What better way to celebrate a cancer diagnosis than with a Halloween party? By Wednesday morning, October 31st, the labs for Eli's tumor indicated that it wasn't lymphoma. The process to determine the particular type is complicated, so we didn't get a final diagnosis until Thursday, November 1st. I went home Halloween morning to get …