Current Status

When will Ava be discharged?
At this point, the doctors are looking for two things in order for Ava to be discharged:

1. that Ava is stabilized post-anaphylaxis
2. for Ava to have a higher platelet level

The latter is why Ava had a platelet infusion this morning in the first place. Because of her reaction, the infusion was stopped prematurely. Ava will receive another platelet infusion tomorrow, with pre-medication to hopefully avoid a repeat of today. Please pray for a successful infusion.

What does this mean in terms of Ava's treatment?
The "blasts" portion of Ava's blood count (which are further subtyped and connected with either AML or ALL) has oddly shown an increase in percentage, not the decrease as expected or desired. However, the doctors feel that Ava's initial response to AML treatment has been good, and they are still hopeful for continued response to treatment. Even though Ava is done with this first round of chemo, it's possible that her numbers will continue to decrease over the next couple days as the chemo continues to work within her body.

Still, the increase in blasts is unusual; it's possible that while the AML portion is responding to treatment, ALL activity may be causing an increase in blasts. This would suggest that the ALL may need to be targeted; however, they cannot do back-to-back chemotherapy because it would be too much for Ava's body to handle. They will continue to monitor Ava to see how she responds to the AML treatment. If necessary, they will switch to ALL treatment at some point. They are initiating a request to find a match for Ava on the bone marrow registry, so bone marrow transplant is still a possibility down the line, but hopefully it won't come to that.

What can I do to help?
First and foremost, Mike & Esther greatly appreciate all of the prayers lifted up on Ava's behalf and are grateful for your continued prayers. The meals and childcare are always above and beyond their expectations, and not something they expect or take for granted by any means. They are so thankful for the sacrifices you have made to care for them at this time. Gwen is now at home with grandma, and will return to the hospital during the days, but continue spending the nights at home. There will be enough family members at the hospital to help watch Gwen when she is there. Mike & Esther would like to take care of their own meals for the remainder of the hospital stay so as not to burden anyone. (In fact, they received a wonderful gift card to the hospital's food area, and will put that to good use!) For those who signed up for home-delivered meals, please stand by and we'll see what will be needed as things unfold/progress. Thank you for your flexibility.

Though they cannot respond individually to every note/message, your messages offer so much encouragement, knowing that you are thinking of and praying for them. Thank you for continuing to reach out.

Last but not least, if you are not already on the bone marrow registry, please consider joining! We are in discussion about which way(s) is the best approach, and will let you know more details hopefully soon. In the meantime, feel free to check out Be the Match for more information.

How can I pray?

1. Pray for no more setbacks to Ava's discharge, and that her platelet infusion tomorrow will be uneventful.
2. Pray for continued effectiveness of the chemo, and for God to grant wisdom regarding Ava's care.
3. Pray for the Lee family to be strengthened, remain healthy and to get rest when they can.

Thank you for your partnership and friendship with them on this journey; it helps make it all the more bearable.