Re-entry

Mike, Esther & Ava returned home late this afternoon (hooray!) They are thankful to be home, and thankful to have the comforts of home. It's hard to believe they've pretty much lived at the hospital these past 3 weeks.

First point of news, Ava's blasts decreased to 7% today!!! This must be a work of God, as no one can explain it. However, her WBC increased a bit. Ava continues to be treated for a suspected fungal infection, and they want to do a CT scan in a few weeks to verify this (they would only do it if they felt it was necessary). However, with the CT scan comes more radiation, and with the radiation, the possibility of secondary cancers, so please pray by some miracle, Ava would improve over the next couple weeks such that the doctors no longer feel the need to have a CT scan done.

Regarding treatment, they are still planning on starting ALL treatment whenever the time is right. Out of 4 oncologists who have weighed in (including Ava's own doctor), two would go with ALL treatment, while two would recommend staying with the AML treatment. Please pray for wisdom for the medical team, and ultimately - for God to be the guide on this road.

The home health nurse also came by the house today to go over how to administer/take care of Ava's IV antibiotics.

While it is nice to be home, "re-entry" has its adjustments as well. Gwen was a little shell-shocked by Ava's new hairdo. Even though she told Ava that she's "beautiful" (as she was repeatedly trained by her mom earlier in the week), Gwen's expression revealed that she needs time to process it. Ava tried explaining that she has "short hair now" and even invited Gwen to touch it. But Gwen declined... leaving Ava feeling rather insecure and hurt, and she now insists on wearing her hat inside the house. Please pray for the girls' adjustment to one another, that their strong bond of love would overcome all insecurities and become a source of comfort and joy to one another.

Another reality of being home is seeing how many things seem to "speak" of Ava, and it's hard to imagine what it would be like if the unthinkable happened... trying to take things one day at a time, but one day can be filled with so much as it...

So, prayer recap:

1. Please pray that Ava remains infection-free (and fever-free!) at home, especially with Mike & Esther caring for her IV line and Gwen adjusting how she plays with Ava. (Gwen is learning that she needs to be more gentle, for example).
2. Please pray for the girls to reacquaint themselves with one another in a way that each feels free to be herself.
3. Please pray for Gwen as she attempts to process all that's happened... that she wouldn't somehow feel second-best or forgotten, but be able to feel just as connected to her family, even if it looks different than it did just 3 weeks ago.
4. Please pray for Ava, that her tender heart would be secure in the love of God and her family. Please pray that she wouldn't shoulder any more burdens from her illness than she's already had to endure, worrying that she is either inconveniencing people or causing them sorrow or heartache. Please pray that she will feel up to the fight, but not because she fears letting anyone else down with her health.
5. Please continue to pray for the whole Lee family as they adjust to being home and learning how to effectively work together as a team. Please pray that they will also look out for one another's needs, including their own.
6. Finally, an overarching prayer request is for God's wisdom to lead Ava's treatment and care. We humbly find ourselves in a place where we don't have all the answers (which is simply the reality of our everyday life, we just operate under varying illusions/delusions of control). So we look to God to shed light on our steps.

As always, thank you for your prayers and friendship.