What a Week!

This week has been a challenge. Megan (our oldest daughter), came down with a stomach virus on Sunday that lasted 48 hours. We had to keep her separated from Ashley for 2 full days. It was tough. My mom took Ashley and Cade for a day while I scoured the entire house with every disinfectant that I had. I cleaned every light switch, door knob, floor, counter, etc until my hands were raw. We've been praying and waiting and are grateful that the rest of us have not gotten sick. Praise God for keeping us well.

Today, Ashley had her clinic appointment and we found that her ANC (neutrophil count, infection fighters) went down pretty low. She was at 700 today. We were so disappointed. The doctor wouldn't allow Ashley to get the heavy chemo (AMD) today, but he did give her a stronger dose of VCR because that chemo doesn't affect the counts much. I guess what discouraged us the most was that the strong chemos that she has missed will now be added to the end of the chemo schedule. So instead of Ashley's final chemo dose being on Jan. 10, it has been extended 6 weeks later, to include a chemo (DOX-O) on Jan. 31 and a chemo (AMD) on Feb. 21. The doctor said that he thinks her counts are low because she is probably fighting a virus.

Please pray that Ashley's ANC counts go up. Her RBC (Red blood cells) and hemoglobin both are great. It's the ANC that needs to be above 1000 in order for her to receive the strong chemo. When her counts are below 1000, risk of infection increases. So, I'm trying to get over my disappointment of a longer chemo treatment end date. I know that an extra month or two of treatment is not that much compared to a lifetime after, but it's just hard to accept. We just want to be done with being overcautious about germs and would love to have Ashley start Kindergarten sometime this Spring. Please pray for us.

We know that God has a plan and that He is taking care of Ashley and caring for us too.