Well, it has been a while since the last update. And again, that's good news.
Evan started kindergarten this year and has been loving his classes and making new friends. At our school, luckily there isn't a mask mandate. We have been having Evan wear a mask while in class though, which he has been doing very well. We know, with the latest research and application of common sense, that cloth masks offer little protection from virus particles as tiny as Sars CoV 2. But it may help a couple of percent. And it may help protect him from larger bacterial bugs like strep, etc.
Last week, Evan had his, now every three months lumbar puncture with IT chemo and then IV chemo. He has been on a steroid burst too. Luckily his lab work the day prior to the procedure was perfectly normal (for a kid on daily oral chemo).
However, he has been suffering from a viral cold of some sort. We have all had the sniffles and a cough but recovered very quickly. With his suppressed immune system, Evan's cold has been lingering. We have all tested negative for covid, which has been the least of our concerns. According to the oncologists, the cancer kids who have tested positive for covid are doing really well with minimal symptoms. They think, perhaps, that the kids' immune systems are already mediated from the cancer treatment, so they are faring much better. Let's research that.
Anyway, with the cold, coupled with all the chemo, Evan has been pretty wiped out. We have kept him home from school last week and this week. The school has been great! The teacher sends homework for him to do and holds Zoom classes with him throughout the week, Today, he received get-well cards from the entire class. As he read through them, he cried- hard. He misses his class and his teacher.
Once again, we know that a diagnosis like Evan's is complex and difficult. The physical toll is pretty incredible, but the psychological toll can't be underestimated. We continue to treat him like a "normal" kid while navigating the journey. We still would not wish this journey on anyone. And really, we have had it pretty easy. So many kids are suffering much worse fates than Evan.
Just a reminder that when you think you are out of options, just when you think the world has become too dark, just when you are at the end of what you think you can handle, pray. God is still alive and well and He is in the business of answering those prayers according to His will. So many times throughout the hills and valleys of life, even right up to this very day, I have seen God do some pretty amazing things. If you have never seen His work, maybe you're not allowing yourself to see it. If you have never felt a leading from His holy spirit, maybe you aren't allowing yourself to hear it. In this fallen world and in this darkening time, we need to pray. We need to refocus on what is important. What if, when faced with a crisis, instead of reaching for a bottle, we opened the Bible? What if, when faced with trials, instead of lashing out, we went to church? What if when we are at the end of our rope and all hope is lost, instead of reaching for a gun, we get on our knees? Our prayers may not get answered when and how we want, but I assure you, God is listening and He will never leave your side. Right now, He is working on your behalf.
Have an addiction? Right now Jesus is reaching out and saying "give it to me". Feeling lost? Right now, Jesus is reaching out saying "give it to me". Facing the trial of your life? Right now, Jesus is reaching out to you saying "give it to me". Are you celebrating a victory? Right now, Jesus is reaching out saying "give it me". So why not give it all to Him right now. Peace, comfort, steadfastness, eternity can be yours. Just give it to Him.
I cannot imagine going through a cancer diagnosis, a loss, a triumph without knowing God's presence and plan through it all. It can be yours too. Just give it to Him.
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