Good morning! It was a busy weekend with not a lot of extra time to sit and provide updates- sorry! Hours upon hours of sitting at the lacrosse fields in the Florida heat and humidity wore me down- but was totally worth it when Alex's team took home the championship t-shirt! They gave us an extra to give to his brother as well.

There have not been many major changes with how Mason is doing. He has been battling a 104 degree fever for days now. They have done ALL the testing to rule out any possible infection (it does not appear to be bacterial or fungal). He had an EKG to rule out any issues with his heart. He had a CT scan and abdominal ultrasound. Everything is looking normal. The doctors indicated that this could just be what they call a "tumor fever" which is the body fighting the cancer- but they are exploring every possible avenue to make sure they don't miss something. He is also being treated around the clock with antibiotic meds and antifungal meds.

The nausea came back full force, so he is also back on Zofran and Benadryl around the clock, along with an IV (THANK YOU LORD) of Tylenol since he has the fever and was unable to keep the meds down. Even with the nausea, he has been able to keep some nutrients in- they weighed him yesterday and he is up to 126 pounds (at the start of this journey, before we knew he was sick, he was at 144 pounds. He dropped to 121 at his lowest). We are thankful that he continues to head in the right direction for weight.

On Saturday, he mentioned that he was seeing a big red spot with his right eye. The doctors looked him over and called in an ophthalmologist who confirmed that he had a broken blood vessel in the eye, but it has resolved somewhat and he sees a "smaller spot" now.

He had an uneventful night last night, although he was up at 5 a.m. to throw up. He has requested that I bring him Chef Boyardee ravioli, so after a quick trip to drop off the rental car from the trip, I will make a stop at the grocery store and be on my way to him. This mama can't wait to get to the hospital to squeeze him and sit and stare at him uncomfortably till he tells me to knock it off. He's been pretty patient with the overbearing mom!

I do have a big update regarding Mason's treatment plan. The doctors spoke to John and I last week in a little more depth as they had some new genetic testing results in. They have identified that Mason has a specific genetic mutation within his leukemia that they know for certain will not be cured with chemotherapy treatments alone. We are being placed with a transplant team, and a bone marrow/stem cell transplant will be our next course of treatment (following 2-3 more rounds of chemo to wipe out the leukemia that is still present). The hope would be to proceed with the transplant within the next four months.

This was not news that we were expecting, and it has taken us some time to process the change in direction. I have 3 million questions for the doctor since the conversation, so will share more details about what exactly this might mean as soon as I am able to spend some more time in the room with them and get a few of those questions answered. We do know that they will test the immediate family first for a potential match, so prayers that one of us will be a match are much appreciated. In addition, due to his vulnerable state, they did confirm that we will need to make arrangements for Mason to complete 8th grade in a virtual setting- he will not be able to be around large crowds for a significant amount of time. This news is hitting him hard, as he loves his friends and is a very social kid.

As we continue to fight the daily battles to just keep him comfortable, it is hard to also try to think about the larger war we are fighting. Please keep up with the prayers to cover this journey as we take it one step at a time (currently- specific prayers for relief from this nausea, nose bleeds, platelet count, continued appetite and weight and energy gain for Mason as well as peace and clarity on the continued treatment plan with the transplant team).

Just a few other notes-

1. Mason has loved every single Smilegram he has received- I added the link below again- he is at Scottish Rite, room 563- he would love to hear from you!

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

2. The hospital brought Mason a beanie hat the other day when he had a serious case of the chills. He said that it helps his self-esteem, now that his hair is gone. It is from a company called Love Your Melon. They donate millions to pediatric cancer research. They also donate the beanies to pediatric hospitals around the country. If you are in need of a hat, feel free to check out this amazing company. What a beautiful ministry (also- super cute merchandise)!

Thank you all for your continued support!