Lift Up Your Hearts!

The chemo is beginning to tell on Grace. (For you medical people, or those familiar with chemo side effects, she's beginning to experience mucositis, which is not fun at any age.) But Heather was able to spend several hours with her today, so that helped a lot.

And yes, we are surviving the cold, thanks for asking. They have a lovely pellet stove to snuggle up to when we need to warm up, and we're sleeping in the computer room, which gets toasty if you close the door. However, we're not taking leisurely strolls through town. Current temperature is a blamy 36F, but we're looking at a low of 15 tomorrow. No snow now, but you could (please) pray for our return flight next week, scheduled the day after a "potential winter storm." I'm okay with potential winter storms, as long as they don't materialize. :) Okay, maybe a few flakes would be fun to see, as long as they don't mess with air traffic.

UPDATE (already): I should have waited five more minutes before posting. Now I have the word directly from Heather:

I drove up this morning to take Grace to her infusion today. It was good to see her!

She is mostly doing great. (She and Jon both tested negative today.) However, she is starting to develop mucositis, which is a very common side effect of chemo. This is where the mucus membranes do not replenish themselves after sloughing off. She will not fully heal until after her immune system builds back up after transplant. Unless the Holy Spirit does a divine healing work!

Tomorrow, she will be having an EKG and an ultrasound in addition to her final chemo for this round. These things are part of the pre-transplant whole-body workup. 

We are now in New Hampshire with the family. We have not yet seen Grace nor Jon, except via Skype. They are staying in a hotel near the hospital until Thursday, when she completes her current round of chemotherapy. Grace is being a real trouper, but has been sad today. I don't know how much is due to chemo, but I know she is missing her large family, and lights up whenever she sees them on Skype.

It's been so good to see everyone else, and give and receive plenty of hugs. Our thanks to all of you who prayed for our travels, which went well. (Travelling on New Year's Day morning, while truckers and crazy motorcyclists are mostly still nursing their hangovers, is almost pleasant.)

The main thing now is to keep everyone healthy—which in a very busy, very large household during a New Hampshire winter may be a God-sized miracle in itself.

Directly from Heather:

Grace had her last dose of remdesivir and her first dose of second round azacytadine today (with anti nausea meds also.)

Then she and Jon are spending the night at home! We ate dinner all together as a family, and the siblings are having fun reading to her and playing with her. She is such sunshine in our lives.

They will go back up tomorrow for more chemo, and then stay at the wonderful David's House for the next few days as she finishes this round.

Continued thanks for continued prayers.