So Close and Yet So Far

Despite having a few good days without fevers, Liam spiked multiple fevers yesterday. Today, a blood culture came back positive for MRSA, which is a bacterial infection. Our oncologist reassured us that this sort of infection is common in many of their oncology patients when their immune system drops from chemo. It can be serious, but right now it looks treatable. Unfortunately, this meant pulling out Liam’s PICC line (his central IV) for fear of it stimulating the infection and putting in a new IV (which, of course, was not fun for Liam).

Right now, Liam’s medical team is pumping him full of antibiotics and will closely monitor him over the next few days in hopes of improvement. During this time, we are also hoping his blood counts and immune system will come back up.

Unfortunately, this means we are not going home tomorrow. The doctor said that if everything is looking good, maybe toward the end of this week we’ll be home. Liam’s medical team is pushing to get us home ASAP since his hospital stay—now 73 days—has been abnormally long for his condition.

We’re learning that part of the reason leukemia treatment is so difficult is that treating the cancer brings about a litany of other, potentially serious, complications. Liam is not only facing various infections but also issues with mobility, regressions in bathroom habits, dietary challenges, and simply feeling down. Being in the hospital this long and away from normal life rhythms is slowly sapping Liam of joy. All of this is hard to watch your son go through.

Despite these setbacks, I’ve been encouraged, among other things, by the words of Richard Sibbes in his 1630 classic, The Bruised Reed. On suffering, he says this:

“’Alas!’ we lament, ‘I shall never get through such a trial.’ But if God brings us into the trial he will be with us in the trial, and at length bring us out, more refined...From our own strength we cannot bear the least trouble, but by [God’s] assistance we can bear the greatest. [God] will add his shoulders to help us to bear our infirmities.”

So, as I sit by Liam's bedside tonight, lamenting the reality of his condition, I am also finding rest in the reality of God’s comprehensive care for his people. Though my shoulders feel crushed under the weight of our situation, my Lord's shoulders are not.

Please pray for us in the following ways:

• Pray for endurance for our family.

• Pray we go home soon (and for an extended time).

• Pray for healing from infections.

• Pray for Liam’s joy and increased mobility.

• Pray our God would use this to help all our kids trust in Jesus.

• Pray for wisdom for Liam’s medical team.

• Pray against further infections infections.