April 24. In two more weeks Michael will face the next hurdle in this race. That day marks six months (Day 180) since his bone marrow transplant. He will have another biopsy done that day, and we will learn whether the transplant continues to be successful and if he is still in remission.
On one hand, the last six months have passed in an unbelievably quick blur. The doctors are quite pleased with Michael's progress and remark with surprise at each clinic visit that he has not had any side effects, setbacks, or sickness due to his compromised immunity. I am sure that if we had dealt with complications or hospital stays, we would feel that the time had been far more trying.
On the other hand, Michael has had to learn much patience over these months of following all the rules that govern what he can eat, where he can go, and whom he can see. He is counting down these last fourteen days until his restrictions are lifted even more. He'll have to wait until a full year has passed before his immune system is expected to be "normal" again. No matter how long the days are for him, we count each healthy one as a true blessing, a gift.
The butterflies are already beginning their fluttering. Even though we know God's plan is perfect, we still struggle while waiting for the results of each biopsy. Should this biopsy show that the cancer and/or the chromosomal anomaly have returned, a new plan will begin to attempt to get Michael back into remission and repeat the transplant. If the results show that he is still in remission, then biopsies will be repeated at frequent intervals. Thank you for praying with us as Michael continues his journey.
Praying much with you for the 24th.
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