Gabriel completed his spinal tap and first phase of chemotherapy. He also completed his first bone marrow to determine the type of Leukemia. Many positive items have occurred. Mike and I have discovered that we need to focus only on the positive elements of this disease in order for us to cope. Gabriel has Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which is the leukemia that has the highest cure rate of 95%. Thank you Jesus! Gabriel's central nervous system was also tested for cancer and this too was clear. Thank you Jesus! His age is also a positive element of this disease, which makes the possibility of being cured even better. We have discovered that cured and treated are two different things. Gabriel will not be considered cured until he is cancer free for 5 years. Our process at this time will be a 3-4 year treatment process.
Our biggest struggle until now in this journey is the continuous blood work that he has to get done. Three times a day and sometimes more. We suffer as he screams, but as of today he now has a port. He no longer has to be poked or be touched by a poker as our son describes it. It was difficult to watch my baby go into surgery while he screamed for me, but I knew the benefits of this surgery were so important. We were lucky to be able to sit with Gabriel when he went to sleep for his spinal tap and bone marrow surgery and were there upon recover. It was just like we never left. However, his port was done in the OR, which we could not be a part of. This was so difficult for me. I wish we could have done the same as we did with his previous surgery.
Gabriel's platelet count is quite low and blood level was low. As a result, he has received two platelet transfusions and one blood transfusion. This brought great relief when we saw the energy and life it brought for Gabriel. He is beginning to feel a little better, but in some pain from his surgery. Gabriel has also been on chemotherapy for two days now!
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