Well, our bed didn't catch on fire

Last year when our friends were walking this cancer road with their son, their bed caught fire from a rogue tip of a match. On Friday afternoon I was thinking of this story, aside from the casualty of a special quilt, is humorous now. Our bed didn't catch fire, but our house has some major water damage.

On Thursday I left the spigot in the front yard on a bit. There is a sprayer attached to the end of the hose, so a little pressure was built up in the hose. This little bit of pressure caused a lot a bit of water damage in our school room. After calling a mitigation company to take a look at the sagging ceiling and bubbling walls, we learned this has been a slow leak, and there is a decent amount of mold in the area from the leak. You remember that whole mold and stem cell transplant thing? This is not good!

The mitigation company has been very helpful and compassionate regarding Esther's health. They sealed the area off, started a dehumidifier and two HEPA filters to keep the air clean. Esther is not allowed to go downstairs. The BMT staff considered putting her on something prophylactically, but felt like since she's so close to 6 months post transplant and her numbers look good now she'll be okay as long as she stays away from the area. Our insurance company didn't initially seem able to cover the damage, but after a claims adjuster came today, we were surprised to see they will cover some of the damage and repair costs. Possibly most of it depending of the cause of the slow leak. If it was from a freeze, they may cover more.

These last few days as I have considered these circumstances I have been peaceful. There was an initial freak out, of course, but I was humbled to know...deep in my soul know...if God can carry us through the last year, this is nothing.

We're beginning Esther's 4th round of antibody therapy. Today we spent most of the day in the clinic doing labs and beginning a 96 hour infusion of Il-2, a very strong drug to kick start her immune system. It causes the same immune response a healthy person would have when fighting a serious illness. This tells Esther's body there is something wrong and it's time to battle. Next Monday, the 10th of June, we will head back to the PICU where she will be given a higher dose of this antibody and the companion drug that binds to any neuroblastoma cells, causing them to be marked and stand out to her immune system, training her body to fight the cancer on its own. Pretty amazing stuff.

This is the same combination Esther had in April and it was very, very hard on her. This time she's only getting half of the antibody dose and the companion drug, chimeric, will be given at a slower rate. We are praying this will stay any of the difficult side effects she endured last time.

So much all at once. My grandpa was also admitted to the hospital on Sunday. I have not been able to see him as much as I'd like over the last year and am feeling burdened by this.

Tonight as I was praying about our home, Esther's treatment, my grandpa's health I wandered to the patio and was just wrapped in beauty. A glass of wine in hand, a warm breeze holding my body, and an orange to red to pink to purple sunset in my view, I just found myself at rest. Peaceful. Deep in my soul knowing that tonight, that my life, all of it, is all a gift from the magnificent Creator who loves me.

 

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