God is good--all the time

We were able to get James in to see his pediatrician this morning. She had some immediate concerns regarding a 'rash' (I will get the medical name again tomorrow--I didn't realize it would be so easy to get onto a computer here and update the blog). James had blood drawn for a number of tests and one came back with blood counts that looked suspiciously like leukemia. The pathologist looked at a blood smear and said it definitely looks like cancer cells.

Northern Minnesota is currently under a blizzard watch and winter storm watch and some are forecasting 9-18 inches of snow. So time was of the essence to get James to Duluth where they have a pediatric oncologist. Before we had even arrived home from James' morning appointment the family was already packing clothes and good food for us to bring with us. Owen came with me for help and company and we arrived in at St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth around 5 p.m.

So far, James has just given some more blood, had a chest x-ray taken and started an IV for fluids. Tomorrow morning he will get platelets and then he will go into surgery. They will take a sample of his blood marrow--probably from his femur--, do a spinal tap to draw spinal fluid and give him his first chemotherapy treatment and install a central line for future chemo treatments. James' oncologist, Dr. Jacqui Wiermaa, looked at his blood smears and preliminarily thinks James has AML (the other kind of infant leukemia is ALL--I can't remember at this point what they each stand for). Most childhood leukemia is ALL, which is relatively straightforward to treat. AML is more difficult to treat in normal children, but children with Down syndrome have an advantage in that the extra chromosome somehow makes them more receptive to the treatment. Of course, this is what also makes children with Down syndrome more susceptible to AML.

I am glad to have Owen with me. We are really grateful for the wonderful homemade potato soup Katie sent with us. I need to get out to the car and bring in the things we need for the night. Right now, we are in an open bay in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit). Tomorrow after the surgery, we hope to get a private bay. That will be nice so we don't have to worry too much about 'disturbing the neighbors'.

I will try to get some regular updates here and maybe some photos and links with more information for those who are interested. Please feel free to leave comments, but know that I may not be able to respond to them all.

We can feel the Lord and sense His presence. His peace, which truly passes all understanding, is guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Stephanie