Transplant #2 postponed...links added to the chain...

Rowan has had a rough couple days.  He continues to spike fevers, have abdominal pain and bone pain.  They have sent blood cultures and we are awaiting results.  For the past 48 hours, this is pretty much all he has done...

 

(going down for chest x-ray)

Rowan was supposed to start chemo tomorrow morning, in preparation for transplant #2 next week.  Due to his current health status, they informed us tonight that this unfortunately has to be postponed. 

This has already been such a difficult month, with him sitting at a zero ANC while we have waited for the second transplant.  Every day he has torn a link off of the paper chain we started, to help us pass the days until transplant #2.  Today was day -7.  Chemo was supposed to start on day -6.  Hearing that they couldn't start tomorrow was heartbreaking...for all of us.

We said a prayer, asking God to pass the days quickly, to help him get into a better position health wise, and for no infections to brew in the meantime.

Then, I sadly went to the drawer to pull out some more construction paper to add to the paper chain.  Ironically, there were 3 links left that were already cut.  They were leftover from when I made the original chain.  The current plan from the bone marrow team is to push back transplant 3 days.  It may not sound like a lot, but when you've been sitting in here for over 75 days, with one failed transplant already, multiple infections and complications already faced, zero immune system, etc...3 more days can be an eternity.  I told Rowan, "Hmmm, look at this.  There are exactly 3 links that were left over.  We can just add those."  Rowan of course, in his infinite wisdom and faith said, "See, God knew we were going to have to wait 3 more days, we just didn't know it yet."

So, those 3 extra links were added today.  

It was difficult to do, but Rowan's outlook made it easier.

The chain is longer, but believing God already had that length planned out, makes that bearable.

Rowan's new chemo start date will hopefully be the 11th of October. 

His new transplant date will hopefully be the 17th. 

All of this is of course contingent on his blood cultures remaining clean, his fevers subsiding, and us figuring out what is causing his current issues.

For now, all we can do, is what we have been doing...trusting God, inching through each minute of each hour of each day, pulling the links off the chain, and holding on to each other...

 

(Ironically, I also received this shirt in the mail today. I ordered it a week or two ago but wasn't expecting it for a while still. I am wearing it now.  And I mean it!)