I was thinking that this was going to be the easiest post to write, or maybe the most difficult. I was hoping that I would have clever thoughts running through my head — baseball quips if you will — that would weave my thoughts and good news together. I was wondering if this was going to be the time that I would just hand this over to Dave and say, “Here, you write it this time.”

I know that none of that matters now, as this update does not have Dave sliding head first into home. It does not have him clearing the bases, pumping his fists in the air, in “Gibby” form. It is not a walk-off, a grand slam, the game winning RBI.

Last week, Dave’s counts provided doctors with a glimpse of changes happening, but it did not “present” what the issues might be. As we waited and watched for something to occur, he developed a fever on Sunday while he was receiving a blood transfusion. Concerned that is was a reaction to new blood, they halted the transfusion. He was admitted to the hospital when the fever did not subside. Fearing that the high temperature was an effect from the disease returning, the bone marrow biopsy was rescheduled from June 6 to June 3. On Monday, he had his ninth bone marrow biopsy. We anticipated that the results would inform the doctors what their next steps should be.

CAR T-Cell therapy was not a success and the leukemia has returned. The CAR T-Cells are still present and working, but they simply cannot combat this monumental task alone. Another cutting-edge medication, Besponsa, was infused yesterday, in order to avoid a possible pain crisis on our trip back to Michigan. Contrary to what the counts lead us to expect, Dave is in no pain at this moment. Some patients have gone into remission after several doses of this anti-leukemia medication. But like most powerful cancer drugs, it has a lifetime limit, and this drug is restricted to six doses.

What is amazing is that our team of doctors are using two treatments in tandem, CAR T-Cell therapy and Besponsa. Dr. Geoffrey Hill informed us today that, “We feel these two novel agents may have never been teamed together until now.” A hopeless verdict on Tuesday has been overturned and gives us hope that this could be groundbreaking and miraculous.

We have never hidden our faith, hope and trust in God. He is the Great Physician. He is the ultimate healer. He has written our story long ago. And, we believe that miracles do happen. So now we pray that through us, He looks favorably upon us and presents us with a miracle. We ask for complete healing and an end to this horrible disease.

Please join us in that prayer.

It is time for us to come home.

Update:

We will be staying another week in order to receive an additional infusion of Besponsa. Dave’s team of doctors feel confident that after two infusions, he will be ready for the 4 1/2 hour flight home.