These days it feels as though time is slipping past us, it has been over two weeks since my last update!

My sister Lauren flew down from Kansas City on 8/12 and the boys could not have been more excited! We drove to Austin to pick her up but before we left, Hunter had already said “Aunt Lauren is sitting by me!” Once we had the goods we stopped for a snack in Round Rock and had some delicious breakfast tacos with chips and salsa and the entire ride home was full of chatter, each of the boys fighting for the chance to grab her attention. By the end of it, we were all so overstimulated we enjoyed some quiet time at home.

Hunter’s clinic on 8/13 went well, albeit long. James was able to get away from work to finish his appointment with us then we went home to build a blanket fort and hang out for the evening. We made homemade pizzas, bought the kids a water slide because why not! When you’re copped up at home you have to find new ways to have fun and nobody loves a good clearance Sam’s Club find as much as I do! It was a hit! Then Jackson started school and it was time to kickstart the end of summer with the second half of phase 2 of Hunter’s treatment.

We’ve been doing two visits a week for the last four weeks, Mondays have been reserved for checking blood counts and other numbers and Thursdays are still chemotherapy/lumbar puncture days. In the last few weeks Hunter has had very low platelet counts and has needed platelet infusions a couple of times. He had his last appointment in the first part of phase 2 on 8/20 during which he had a blood transfusion and experienced a mild allergic reaction.

We were set to start the second half of phase 2 this Thursday and continue for four more weeks provided he makes counts every week. It is typical for kids to have to wait a week for counts to recover before continuing treatment, however, this week has turned out very different than we planned. Hunter presented with a high fever Friday 8/21 and we were admitted to the hospital for a staph infection. Hunter has been pretty miserable the last three days but the antibiotics are working and his high fever has not returned. We’ll be here until Friday at the earliest, he will need to continue to have negative blood cultures and his ANC will need to rise from 0.

It’s unbelievable the twists and turns life takes you on when you least expect it. I had hoped we would get lucky and make it through the bulk of his treatment with no hospital stays, I know now that was wishful thinking. We’re praying hard that we can get back on schedule and stay on track so Hunter can make it to the next phase of treatment by October. Phase 3 is supposedly much easier on patients because we switch from chemotherapy to immunotherapy. So keep those prayers coming! Prayers for healing and positivity, prayers for Jackson starting school and making good friends he can talk to about what’s going on in his life through all this, prayers for James and I to be able to decompress and destress whenever possible so we can take the best care of our kiddos and each other. Thank you for loving us and supporting us!

Last Thursday 7/30 was Hunter’s second week of treatment in phase two. Our first week, 7/23, was very difficult. Between clinic for chemo treatment and the hospital for lumbar and marrow procedures, we were there for 9 hours. But, both our boys did amazing and were incredibly patient. Hunter had a bone marrow biopsy during week one of phase two, we got the news on 7/30 that Hunter’s leukemia cell counts went from 70% when he was admitted at the beginning of all of this, to 0%! Treatment is working! Hunter has responded so well and we are really seeing the answered prayers in his progress, he is in remission!

Two weekends ago we went to Waco Surf with some good friends and Hunter really enjoyed the looooong lazy river. This past weekend, we attended a local community event celebrating Puerto Rico and ate some delicious barbecue, danced to some music, got face paint tattoos, and purchased a few prints from a wonderful Puerto Rican artist who paints wildlife native to the region.

This week 8/10, we’re starting off with blood counts being a little low, so he is currently receiving a blood transfusion and Thursday we will check platelets before we start another long day of chemotherapy and procedures. We’re praying his blood counts improve and his body is able to utilize the chemo without depleting everything he has. We’d love for him to keep this energy! We were really missing our happy go lucky Hunky Man.

As always, thank you for your continued support, it means the world to us.