Bone Marrow and other updates
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Marchuk Family
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Marchuk Family
We wanted to share another update on Josh's journey and first want to thank every single one of you who has continued to pray for him, encourage our family, and walk alongside us. Your love has carried us through some incredibly difficult days.
Yesterday, Josh had his second bone marrow biopsy along with another lumbar puncture to check for any leukemia cells in his spinal fluid. We are so thankful to share that his spinal fluid came back clear with no leukemia cells. Praise God! His bone marrow biopsy results will take several weeks to come back, so we would appreciate your continued prayers as we wait.
Another update we've been anxiously waiting for was regarding Josh's future bone marrow transplant. The doctors tested all three of his siblings to see if any of them would be a match.
Unfortunately, none of the three kids are a match.
That news was hard for Serge, myself, and for our entire family to process. As parents, you pray that the answer will be right in front of you. While this wasn't the outcome we were hoping for, we continue to have faith in the fact that God has a plan. We don't understand His timing or His plans, but we trust that He is is in control. We believe He already knows who Josh's donor will be, and we are trusting Him - and as difficult as it is sometimes, we put our hope and faith into His timing.
The next step is for the transplant team to begin searching the national bone marrow donor registry for the closest possible match. We were told this process can take anywhere from six to eight weeks, so we would deeply appreciate your prayers that God would guide every step of that search, provide the perfect donor, and continue to remind us that He is in complete control.
We also learned something that caught us completely off guard. During his first round of chemotherapy, Josh lost 25 pounds. We knew he had lost weight, but we had no idea it was that significant. His oncology team is concerned and emphasized how important it is that he at least maintain his weight before his next round of chemotherapy—or, even better, begin gaining some of it back. If he is unable to do that, they may need to place a feeding tube to help him get the nutrition his body desperately needs.
Hearing that was difficult. It wasn't news we were expecting.
The silver lining is that Josh has taken it to heart. He's determined to fight through the lack of appetite and nausea because he understands that eating is now part of his treatment. Even when food doesn't sound appealing, he's choosing to nourish his body so it has the strength to keep fighting. We are incredibly proud of his determination.
We also received some encouraging news from Tuesday's blood work. Josh's hemoglobin has started to rise on its own - a small but meaningful step in the right direction. Even more exciting, his ANC (his infection-fighting neutrophils) increased from 270 to 800. That is a huge answer to prayer and a reminder that his body is beginning to recover from this first round of chemotherapy.
One of Josh's biggest requests has been to come to church this Sunday. As parents, Serge and I were hesitant because of the crowds and the risk of exposure. After talking with his oncologist, she felt that by Sunday his neutrophil count should be high enough for him to safely attend. Seeing how much this means to Josh fills our hearts with gratitude. Being able to worship alongside our church family is something he has been looking forward to, and we know it will encourage his heart.
As we continue waiting for biopsy results and preparing for the next cycle of treatment, we ask that you would continue praying with us:
Yesterday, Josh had his second bone marrow biopsy along with another lumbar puncture to check for any leukemia cells in his spinal fluid. We are so thankful to share that his spinal fluid came back clear with no leukemia cells. Praise God! His bone marrow biopsy results will take several weeks to come back, so we would appreciate your continued prayers as we wait.
Another update we've been anxiously waiting for was regarding Josh's future bone marrow transplant. The doctors tested all three of his siblings to see if any of them would be a match.
Unfortunately, none of the three kids are a match.
That news was hard for Serge, myself, and for our entire family to process. As parents, you pray that the answer will be right in front of you. While this wasn't the outcome we were hoping for, we continue to have faith in the fact that God has a plan. We don't understand His timing or His plans, but we trust that He is is in control. We believe He already knows who Josh's donor will be, and we are trusting Him - and as difficult as it is sometimes, we put our hope and faith into His timing.
The next step is for the transplant team to begin searching the national bone marrow donor registry for the closest possible match. We were told this process can take anywhere from six to eight weeks, so we would deeply appreciate your prayers that God would guide every step of that search, provide the perfect donor, and continue to remind us that He is in complete control.
We also learned something that caught us completely off guard. During his first round of chemotherapy, Josh lost 25 pounds. We knew he had lost weight, but we had no idea it was that significant. His oncology team is concerned and emphasized how important it is that he at least maintain his weight before his next round of chemotherapy—or, even better, begin gaining some of it back. If he is unable to do that, they may need to place a feeding tube to help him get the nutrition his body desperately needs.
Hearing that was difficult. It wasn't news we were expecting.
The silver lining is that Josh has taken it to heart. He's determined to fight through the lack of appetite and nausea because he understands that eating is now part of his treatment. Even when food doesn't sound appealing, he's choosing to nourish his body so it has the strength to keep fighting. We are incredibly proud of his determination.
We also received some encouraging news from Tuesday's blood work. Josh's hemoglobin has started to rise on its own - a small but meaningful step in the right direction. Even more exciting, his ANC (his infection-fighting neutrophils) increased from 270 to 800. That is a huge answer to prayer and a reminder that his body is beginning to recover from this first round of chemotherapy.
One of Josh's biggest requests has been to come to church this Sunday. As parents, Serge and I were hesitant because of the crowds and the risk of exposure. After talking with his oncologist, she felt that by Sunday his neutrophil count should be high enough for him to safely attend. Seeing how much this means to Josh fills our hearts with gratitude. Being able to worship alongside our church family is something he has been looking forward to, and we know it will encourage his heart.
As we continue waiting for biopsy results and preparing for the next cycle of treatment, we ask that you would continue praying with us:
- That Josh's bone marrow biopsy would show a strong response to treatment.
- That God would provide the perfect bone marrow donor in His perfect timing.
- That God would restore Josh's appetite and help him regain the weight his body needs.
- That his blood counts would continue to recover and strengthen.
- That the Lord would protect him from infection and prepare his body for the next round of chemotherapy.
- Above all, that God would continue to receive all the glory through Josh's story.
Some updates bring difficult news. Others remind us that God is answering prayers in ways we can already see. Through every step, we continue to trust that the Lord is walking before us, beside us, and behind us.
Thank you for faithfully praying, encouraging, and loving our family. We feel those prayers every single day.
- Serge, Anna, Joshua, Theodore, Liam, and Ada ❤️
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