Happy Friday!

I don't know how an entire week went by without having a few minutes to provide y'all with an update, but I think we consider that a win... it means there is very little to report in the way of any drastic changes. We have decided we LOVE boring!!

Mason is on day 7 of his third round of chemo. The high dose drip chemo meds were completed on Monday. While he dealt with a bit of nausea, we have found the right dosage and combination of medications that help him, so he was able to continue to eat and keep food down all week. His weight remains mostly stable, and while we would prefer to see him gaining pounds on the scale, at least he is not losing anything. Hopefully when he comes home next time, we can add another 10 pounds so we are in a great place heading into transplant.

This week also brought another new activity for Mason- meeting with the school teachers at the hospital to work on actual schoolwork. We started slow, with 30 minute sessions and practice/review for math. He was able to quickly remember the concepts and the only major direction that the teacher provided to him was to stop doing it all in his head (SHOW YOUR WORK- I feel like that's a message I've tried to drill into his head for years). She has been fantastic at tips/tricks that are going to be new to Mason, but might help him as we move further into the transplant process, such as highlighting using a code and making sure everything is written down. We were advised that Mason will likely have "chemo brain" after the transplant prep regimen, so he may not be able to process as much in his head. We're trying to get him to learn the tips/tricks now so we can use them more easily in the future.

I spoke with Mason's transplant coordinator yesterday, and assuming that all things remain "boring" and the rest of this round of treatment go as planned, we have a few solid dates added to the calendar regarding transplant. As I mentioned in a prior post, Alex (Mason's 15 year old brother) will serve as Mason's bone marrow donor.

At this time, Mason is scheduled to be admitted into the hospital to begin the transplant prep regimen on Friday, September 20. Alex will also be admitted that day so they can perform the bone marrow draw. He will undergo the same bone marrow procedure that Mason has been through three times now when they are checking the levels of disease within the marrow; however, Alex's may be a bit more intense, as they will need to draw enough marrow to pull the stem cells for transplant. Alex will be able to go home the same day and might just have a few days of soreness/fatigue.

Mason will begin two days of high dose chemotherapy on Saturday, September 21. On Monday, September 23, he will begin three straight days of total body radiation. On Thursday, September 26, he will receive the stem cell transplant through transfusion. We have received a lot of education and information about what all this means, but this will be a week that we will be asking for ALL the prayers.

And because for us, life is not usually about just one challenge at a time, on Sunday, September 29, Mason will be transferred to the brand new Arthur M. Blank hospital. We've also received a lot of information about this- but essentially, the entire hospital we will be in is shutting down on that day- we've been told an ambulance will be leaving with a new patient every 3 minutes. I'm half fascinated and half terrified by how this is all going to work- but also have heard so many good things about the new hospital that we are looking forward to being the first ever patient in the new room.

That's it for now. Mason is in a great head space right now, although I know he wishes he was back at school with all his friends. He is choosing to make the best of being stuck in his hospital room on this special day, where Fortnite has just released a new season and he only has to take a break from it when his dad forces him to play basketball.

As for prayer requests- right now it's all about bringing clarity to his medical team to make sure everything is as smooth as possible as we head into transplant, as well as peace of mind for all of us as we face an unknown process that is absolutely no joke for side effects/possible complications. We do feel that we are going into the process with the very best odds and with the knowledge that Mason is a fighter who will take on each new challenge with his typical wit and smile. Thank you for your continued encouragement and support!