Day 26

(From Esther): 

Day 26: Ava is going in for an endoscopy to find the cause for her severe gut pain. She spent most of the day crying from pain, hunger ( she was NPO), and steroid induced emotions. We are praying for clear results so that we can treat her pain. Although GVHD is not wanted, in Ava's situation, a slight case would be helpful due to her residual cancer. So with mixed emotions, we pray for some GVHD and ultimately trust God's sovereign plan. Thank you for praying with us!
‪#‎day26‬

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In the end, Ava's endoscopy got pushed back 4 hours, which meant she remained NPO (nothing by mouth) that entire time. She was already super hungry by lunch time, so waiting an additional 4 hours for the procedure was extremely difficult!

They hope to have results by Friday, as Ava's diarrhea/stomach pains continue. Her bowel movements showed some signs of improvement for about a day, but the diarrhea returned.

Meanwhile, Ava had chimerism testing done. This is where they check (post-transplant) to see how much of the white blood cells she is producing are the donor's cells vs. her own. Test results of her peripheral blood showed 100% of the cells are from the donor! This is great news! They will still test the actual bone marrow, as the bone marrow will be more accurate than the peripheral blood. If the bone marrow test results reveal the same (100% donor cells), this should point to Ava being MRD negative for the first time! I believe they will check the bone marrow tomorrow (Thursday), anticipating results to come back on Friday along with the endoscopy results. If all looks good, Ava may be permitted to get a 4-hour pass to leave the hospital next week! This would be a huge treat, considering she's been on isolation for weeks and cooped up in the hospital room. Of course, she won't be touring Seattle out in the public or anything, but the opportunity to get a change of scenery and have some more room to stretch out and play would be a real blessing. All little steps toward healing and hopefully, discharge!

Today was also the day that Seattle's KISS 106.1FM station had their 14th annual "One Big Kiss" Radiothon to raise money for Seattle Children's Hospital. The station interviewed 12 children at the hospital ahead of time in order to share their stories as part of the radiothon. Ava was one of those interviewed, and you can listen to her interview on the website as well as listen to the stories of the other children featured.

Thank you again for your continued support, prayers and love. We are extremely thankful to God for His abundant blessings along this difficult road. Though it has been extremely difficult at times, His hand is evident and we give Him praise. Thank you for praying for continued strength and endurance for the whole Lee family, and of course for Ava's complete healing. To God be all glory.