Still Home

Dear friends,

We still can’t believe we’ve been home for a couple of weeks now! Every week, Liam continues to improve. He is getting stronger and more stable. Although his appetite is up and down, we are slowly increasing the amount of formula through his feeding tube. The TPN (IV calories) that he receives at night is aggravating his liver, so please pray that he would continue to tolerate more food and formula. 

While we are thoroughly enjoying our time together as a family, our life looks very different than it did before. We give Liam medicine through his feeding tube every few hours, including during the night. We administer two different IV medications. We care for his feeding tube and dressing where his IV lines hang from his chest. We track his intake and output. He has at least four appointments every week. We are basically full time nurses! And while we are so thankful to have the opportunity to do these things at home instead of at the hospital, it’s still quite the challenge. Please pray for us for strength as we care for Liam and our other two children. 

We shared in our last post that our insurance approved us for a night nurse. This would be huge. Currently, Ben and I take shifts caring for Liam during the night, setting alarms so that we can wake up to give him medicine, helping him with vomiting and bathroom needs, etc.  Someone came to our home last week to perform an assessment, and we are waiting to hear back. Please pray that they will find a nurse that will be a good fit for our family. 

Next week we will begin the next phase of chemotherapy. The month of December will hopefully be uneventful, but January will include the really intense treatment that hospitalized Liam last time. Please pray that we can remain home as long as possible, and that Liam’s blood counts will be slow to drop. Please also pray that Liam's fungal infection remains under control.

Lastly, my sweet grandmother just passed away last week. Please pray for our family as we grieve. The timing feels harsh, to be surrounded by so much sickness and death. We are reminded yet again to cling to Jesus, the One who will destroy both sickness and death and wipe away every tear.

Thank you always for all the prayers and generosity, and supporting our family so well!