Cancer Free

We kept busy all day Monday with lots of medical interactions including physical therapy, dental exam, central line dressing change, labs, medications, and so forth. Things started to slow down at 5:00 p.m. and we still hadn't received her bone marrow aspirate results. At that point we tried keeping busy and waited for the news. At 6:30 p.m. a doctor came into her room and informed us that her aspirate results came back showing 0.00% leukemia cells with the plan to continue taking the study drug Venetoclax for a couple more weeks, be admitted into Seattle Children's Hospital on May 23rd for chemotherapy and radiation conditioning, and receive a cord blood bone marrow transplant on May 29th. Ashtyn's initial reaction finding out she's cancer free was what you may not expect, though it is understandable. She wasn't jovial but instead had a mix of gratitude and dread. She felt gratitude for the obvious miracle of getting cancer free after only one round of chemotherapy, a remarkable feat for a 3X leukemia patient. At the same time felt dread knowing what is still ahead. Getting cancer free is a monster. Getting a third bone marrow transplant is a total beast. Ashtyn said, "I geared up to get cancer free. Now I have to gear up for the transplant." There is also the ever present emotion of wanting to go home for good and knowing that won't be the case until September. With all that we feel concerning this cancer free miracle, first and foremost is gratitude to our Heavenly Father who we feel has never been too far away. Second is gratitude for the thoughts and prayers from all of you. I don't imagine we could be more blessed.