Lighter Hearts & Answered Prayers

Friends, our hearts are lighter tonight than they have been in several days. Thank you for praying! It seems that Liam has finally turned a corner. 

The last several days have brought us through an agonizing whirlwind of rattling circumstances and heart-wrenching grief. Liam’s condition was worsening, he was in severe pain, he experienced unexplainable hypothermia, he was delirious, high fevers continued to torment his body, he began having trouble breathing, and he could barely stay awake. The doctors informed us that they were worried about him declining further. 

However, Liam woke up feeling a little better today! Now, when I say better, I mean that he only had a low grade fever that lingered throughout the night and morning. That was the longest stretch without a high fever that he’s had in weeks! He is still on oxygen, but needing less than last night. He is more alert, awake, and happy than we’ve seen him in days. The doctors are very pleased with this turn of events. It means that the medication and his immune system seem to be working. He only had one high fever this afternoon, but if the fever curve continues to improve, they will resume with his cancer treatments next week. 

We are still waiting on final results from the liver biopsy, but what they initially see from the samples is just damaged tissue. The fact that fungus was not visible on the first look shows that the anti-fungal medication seems to be working. The final results will be available sometime next week. The doctors also assured us that livers are really resilient and that his labs are still showing good liver function despite the abscesses and injury.

Despite all of this, Liam is still in a fragile state. As we are learning, his status changes by the hour. Each day, the doctors are making new decisions about his treatment. Please continue to pray that the fungal infection stays under control, especially as Liam’s immune system will vanish next week with chemo.

Finally, our day ended with an unexpected blessing: a feeding tube. When Liam first got diagnosed and they told us that a feeding tube might be in our future, I wanted to avoid it at all costs. However, I now see how much it will benefit him and take some pressure off of us. Liam has hardly eaten anything in the last several weeks. He’s gotten weaker every day, and he is at the point now that he can’t get out of bed or walk on his own. It’s painful for him to move around. The feeding tube will provide him with the nutrition his body needs to get stronger. And, I just found out that they can use the tube to administer the icky oral medications that we’ve had to force on him until now! That alone is enough to make me cry with joy. 

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and tears on our behalf. Thank you for being present with us through all of these crazy ups and downs. 

How To Pray:

As I write this, Liam’s temperature is hovering a bit too low. His heart rate is also low. Please pray that he gets better and that we don’t have to move upstairs to the ICU again tonight. 

Liam has been having some pretty bad tummy/potty issues for the past few weeks and it’s gotten worse the last couple of days. The GI doctors have been added to his care team. Unfortunately, there aren’t any medications to fix this that are safe for Liam right now. Please pray that this resolves soon. 

Our doctors are consulting with Seattle Children’s Hospital regarding Liam’s case. Please pray for wisdom for us and for our doctors as we navigate the possibility of transferring Liam to Seattle. For now, we are planning on staying at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma, but a transfer may become wise or necessary in the future.

Please continue to pray for healing from the fungal infection and leukemia. 

Please pray for strength and comfort through all of the ups and downs.