Continuing update

He wanted me to make him look like a caterpillar. Haha! What a cute kid! Well, round 3 of chemo went pretty well overall. We brought Kike home on an IV to help with hydration, magnesium replacement and so we could give IV anti-nausea meds, That worked very well! He ended up with a fever and low white cells again last Saturday so we have been camped out at the hospital for the last 6 days. He has been pretty peppy and spunky in here though. He has been harassing the nurses, handing out candies, and being super cute.

Wednesday he had round 5 or 6 of intra-spinal chemo. This happens under sedation every Wednesday. His initial lumbar puncture showed 33% cancer cells in his Spinal Fluid. The next dropped down to 1% and it has hovered between 1-4%. The one for this week showed ZERO!!!! The regular chemo seems to be working well for the tumor behind his eye and he will have an MRI this friday to check that. He will also have his usual exam under anesthesia for the good eye and probably some laser/cryo/chemo injection, as this usually seems to be the case. If all keeps going as planned, he will have his next round of chemo on Aug 21 then begin the workup for his bone marrow transplant. After that they will give him a super toxic dose of chemo to kill any remaining cancer cells but will also kill about everything else. They will give him his own stem cells and then give platelets and blood over the next month or so. He will be in the hospital 4-6 weeks for that part.

The Drs. are pleased that his chemo has been going better than expected and that he has tolerated it so well. Today marks 34 days in the hospital since the end of May, but they take great care of him here and it has been a wonderful opportunity to share his story, our testimony, and talk about Casa de Fe.

I realized while writing this that I have been remiss in updating about the goings on of the other two kids. Its not that they arent doing anything, but we all seem to have been simply focusing on the little guy.

Jos started her first "real" job today, meaning not employed by her parents. She is working at Panera Bread on Colfax just across from the hospital. The location is great because when Kike is in the hospital she can just walk over here rather than Ginia having to make another trip to pick her up. The OCD part of her is a bit distraught that they don't follow their own cookie cutter process 100% but I think she will work through that eventually. :) This year is her senior year and she is pretty excited about that! She is not completely sure what here future holds but is leaning towards nursing so we are starting to look into schools for that in the area. She has really gained a heart for little people over the course of the last two years as she has spent time at Casa de Fe and at the hospital here in Aurora. I can't think of a better career for that kid. She has a wonderful heart and she would make a great nurse.

Emery is starting to get busy helping folks with odd jobs, weed pulling, etc. in our neighborhood the last few weeks. That kid may end up having too many jobs if not careful, because he has been actually showing up and completing jobs. Seems to be a rarity now days! He will be a sophomore this year. Cant believe how fast the time flies with these two kids. He keeps making me measure him as he thinks he may be hitting another growth spurt. So far he is still stuck at where he has been for the last couple years, which is ok with me because he already passed me by over 3 inches. We have been working out hard this summer, trying to toughen him up a bit for next years wrestling season, but I keep telling him that if he is really going to be a Navy SEAL that I need to start trying to drown him in the bathtub and attacking him from behind without notice. Will keep y'all posted on how that goes.

I hate to say it but living in the big city has been good for both of them, and for us as well. They are both participating in sports at Hinkley High school which has 2500 or so students, but a smaller wrestling program than Lusk! I was a bit apprehensive as Hinkley is one of the "ghetto schools" in the Denver area, but have been pleasantly surprised as the kids have been super welcoming and kind to my kids. The coaches are super encouraging and even in a large 5A school they believe that everyone should get the chance to compete and not just the few elite. Thats very refreshing. And oddly, the conversations between the kids at practice and in the locker room are a lot more PG rated here, as compared to the R and X rated conversations of the kids in our "wholesome", small home town. Go figure.

Your prayers are definitely coveted as we look to be entering the next part of Kike's treatment. As I understand it, we will be gowned up, gloved up, masked up, even while in the room with Kike for the entire time he is in the Bone marrow transplant wing. That and many other things will make this an even more difficult time for our family. Please also pray for Kikes family situation. His family hasn't seen him for over a year and a half other than a 10 minute Skype call a month or so ago. I don't know whether God wants him back with his family, Casa de Fe, or with a new family. But if this chemo and bone marrow transplant all work it opens up many new questions as to how he can receive the needed medical care in Ecuador to sustain him as many of the treatments he gets here simply arent available there. We pray every day that God would put him in our family but we have to keep reminding ourselves that that isn't the reason we took him into our home. It has been wonderful to be a part of his journey!