Hello! Another quiet few days to report- thank goodness!

Mason was still tired yesterday, recovering from all the activity on the 4th of July. He did have the energy to play NBA 2K on the Playstation for a few hours, which was again wonderfully normal for this kiddo. His goal for the day was to get through the dressing change on his central line- it was painful and terrible, but he did it. Thankfully this change only needs to happen once a week as long as we keep it dry. I was able to help with one part of it to reinforce the training I went through earlier in the week- but definitely need more practice!

We got through his evening routine last night, including both IV chemo and the seven chemo pills, without issues and were tucked in and asleep by 11:30 p.m. He had a quiet and restful night.

We woke up today just in time for Mason's morning chemo treatment. I asked him how he was feeling as we watched the nurse hanging the IV bag and he gave me a thumbs up and a big smile. Then he asked me to go find some whole milk to drink with his morning muffins. The cafeteria was out of whole milk, so he settled on another Starbucks hot chocolate instead.

Unfortunately, shortly after the chemo treatment, his nausea got the better of him and once again he threw up the feeding tube. The doctor came into the room while we cleaned him up, and she apologized to him and told him they would give him a break from the tube for a few days- they will look to put it back in on Monday or Tuesday.

Mason's labs continue to look good. The leukemia blasts are still clear. The white blood cell count continues to decrease. His final high dose chemo treatment is tonight and so far he has tolerated it well.

But best of all- the Mason that I got to hang out with today was a little closer to the funny, sweet kid that he has always been. He was handing out smiles to all the staff (normally he dives under the blankets the moment anyone walks in- we actually have a sign on his door asking the providers to pull us out of the room if they need something, just to try and give him a break). He turned off the television and started reading a book (which then made his blurry spot get worse, so maybe that wasn't the best idea, but he was enjoying the book that his friend sent to him). He was excited for his brothers to arrive so he could get out of the room and down to The Zone again.

Jack and Alex arrived just after lunch time, and we all took a field trip down to The Zone. Mason and John took on Alex and Jack in a game of corn hole, then Mason was able to shoot some hoops and then went down to the mini-golf holes to practice some putting. After 25 minutes of activity, he was exhausted and asked to go back up to his room. Once we were back in the room, we sang happy birthday and had cupcakes to celebrate Alex's 15th birthday (which was on Friday, 7/5), then I brought Jack and Alex home so Mason could get some rest.

Overall, Mason is handling this round of treatment well. His blood counts are reacting they way the doctors expect them to, and his side effects are well controlled. We ask for continued prayers regarding weight gain and continued energy to keep moving his body to regain some muscle strength.

Mason continues to really enjoy the Smilegrams and jokes sent his way- your words and support were key in getting him through the first really difficult weeks- please feel free to keep sending them his way- Mason Early, Scottish Rite, Room 559:

https://www.choa.org/visitors/contacting-a-patient/send-a-smilegram

Thank you all for your continued love and support!