The healing power of family

A lot has happened since my last update. Let’s dive right in!

Danny came home from the hospital on January 13 after 26 long days. We were very surprised when the doctor came into our room the morning of January 12 and said, “I think we’ll send you home tomorrow.”

During his previous hospital stay, they wouldn’t send him home until he was no longer neutropenic. However, at this hospital, they send patients home when they’re still neutropenic, because they believe that the benefits of recovering at home outweigh the risks that come with managing neutropenia at home. Since being discharged from the hospital, we make regular trips to the cancer care clinic so that the doctors can monitor Danny.

It couldn’t have worked out any better, because Danny’s uncle Irv and Irv’s son Aaron arrived in Austin on January 12. So, we had lots of help at home… and lots of fun, barbecue, and Shiner Bock!

Aunt Paula visited us in Austin for a few days and joined Team Danny in helping to build Danny’s strength and stamina. The doctors encourage Danny to stay active and get exercise, so we’ve been taking daily walks, which have the added benefit of fresh air!

Family Team Danny walk, from left to right: Uncle Irv, Helen (front), Aunt Paula, Jen + 1990’s Ice Cube (see t-shirt), Danny

Overall, Danny has been feeling and doing well! I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he’s doing so well while surrounded by the love and support of family. All the home-cooked food is no doubt playing a role too!

The next step is another bone marrow biopsy tomorrow, Monday, January 30. This biopsy should tell us how well the chemotherapy worked this time. If the results are as expected, Danny will be re-admitted to the hospital (possibly as early as this Friday) to begin consolidation chemotherapy. The purpose of this therapy is to kill any cancer cells that may be left in Danny’s body.

Consolidation therapy is a necessary part of treatment to prepare Danny for the bone marrow transplant.

Speaking of the bone marrow transplant, we recently received an update from our transplant coordinator. She told us that they have narrowed the donor search down to two candidates. Neither is a full match, but both candidates are suitable partial matches. The candidate that the transplant doctor is leaning toward is a 19-year-old female.

Soon, the transplant team will begin all the pre-testing required before Danny can be cleared for his transplant.

More to come… stay tuned. Thank you for all your amazing support! Keep it coming, please!!