Merry Christmas to All - December 24th

Posted Dec 24, 2009 5:48pm
Dear Friends,
It's the night before Christmas (afternoon, actually) and there are creatures stirring all through the house (an 8-year-old and a 6 year-old). There is anticipation for tomorrow morning and, 'though the boys believe in Santa, they understand that Santa gives gifts to celebrate the greatest gift of all, one that God gave the world and that the best gift we can ever give back to Him is our heart, fully.
This has been a special season. Julian is home, and for that we are immensely grateful. We have been able to experience some very special holiday moments, ones we will never forget, and we have been blessed by the kindness of others.
Julian is weathering last weekend's chemo well, a bit nauseated at times, but much better than the previous chemo cycle. Since about three weeks ago, he has been nibbling on solid food, not enough to replace his formula and NG tube, but certainly a great start. He no longer needs his IV nutrition which is very nice not to have to prepare each night! Overall, I think he is feeling good; tired due to the chemo, but generally good. Has multiple follow-up appointments in the next weeks and a chemo push on Monday.
Asking for prayers for the next and final round of chemo set for Jan. 15. This will be with cisplatin which is quite harsh on his system and is responsible for his continuing hearing loss. We have the option of having cisplatin given at 50% to help spare some of the damage to his hearing, but it is a difficult decision because we don't want to do anything that could create an opportunity for a future relapse. So, we need lots of wisdom. But glad it's the last cycle!!!!
Christmas is about love, the greatest gift of all. May the world embrace Christ's message of love. Merry Christmas to all!