Olivia has officially begun her next phase of treatment.

After extensive evaluation and genetic testing at St. Jude, her medical team determined that a targeted therapy called Mirdametinib would be the most promising next step. This medication, a type of MEK inhibitor, was selected specifically because Olivia’s tumor has a genetic feature known as a BRAF fusion, which makes it more likely to respond to this type of treatment.

Unlike traditional chemotherapy, Mirdametinib is designed to precisely interrupt the abnormal cell signaling driving the tumor’s growth. Olivia started taking it this past Monday, and her doctors will be closely monitoring her through regular scans, labs, and follow-ups in the coming weeks.

There is hopeful news ahead: Olivia and her family are expecting to return home soon. However, they’ll be traveling back to St. Jude every 2-4 weeks for now, until there’s visible improvement in symptoms and evidence that the medicine is working. At that point, check-ups can be spaced out a bit more.

In the meantime, Olivia continues to show her bright spirit — especially when at the apartment, where she’s playing, growing again, and hitting new milestones. At the same time, she is experiencing more pain when lying flat, likely due to increased pressure from the tumor, and her care team is watching this closely.

Jason and Victoria remain hopeful and are asking for your continued prayers — specifically, that the medication will do exactly what it’s designed to do: stop the tumor from growing and begin to shrink it.

Your love, support, and encouragement continue to sustain them in this season.