Hey everyone! 
A few months have passed since my last update, but in this case, "no news" has been "GOOD news."

Shortly after my last update, a friend reached out and connected me to her family member who works with cancer patients, and she shared a protocol to help with mouth sore prevention/soothing! It was an immediate answer to prayer, and we implemented it right away (thanks Leslie😉). Aliza NEVER got mouth sores during Interim Maintenance 1! 🙌🏼 

After that treatment phase, Aliza had another immunotherapy backpack month. During that time she had great quality of life! Other than a few extra ER/clinic visits caused by her infusion line getting tugged, it was an overall good month of treatment for Aliza. 

 

This past Monday (April 14th) marked the beginning of Aliza's current treatment phase; “Delayed Intensification”. This phase will last two months. The treatments will be very similar to what she received at the very beginning of her treatment, and we are praying for limited/no side effects this time. 

Prayer requests: 

 
On the positive side, our family just got to take a vacation through an incredible organization called “Lighthouse”! Their mission is to help families walking through pediatric cancer find Hope in God. Our family got to stay in a beautiful condo for a week, while two other families (who raised support to be there to serve our family specifically) helped out with our kids, meals, laundry, etc... 

Each morning, as our children were cared for,  Michael and I got to spend time finding common ground with the other parents who are also walking through pediatric cancer in their families. We shared our stories, cried together, and encouraged one another. It was such a beautiful, raw, authentic, and meaningful time together. The retreat exceeded our expectations, and we felt so loved and strengthened by our time there. 

We were so thankful for this week-long break in Alizas treatments, where she could ENJOY time her time at the beach, play with other kids, and just feel like a normal 9yr old!
We were so thankful River could feel equally celebrated and spoiled by the Lighthouse staff/familes. She said she didn't want to leave because she "felt like a QUEEN!"
 
My biggest takeaway from the retreat, personally, was something another couple shared. They said they turned their “what if?” into “Even if”. EVEN IF these next two months are incredibly difficult, we will get through them together as a family & get to the other side. EVEN IF the "worst case scenario" (fill in the blank) happens, God is still good & we will be okay and know what to do. EVEN IF... 

As someone who often asks “what if?” regarding worst-case-scenarios, this phrase was so helpful for me to embrace, because it looks beyond the fear of the worst-case-scenario to the hope on the other side. I am so grateful for our time with other incredible families! Lighthouse is AMAZING, and I highly recommend it to every family walking through pediatric cancer!!
 
I will do my best to update you all throughout this DI phase of treatment! For now, I'll leave you with a cute picture of a Aliza & River at clinic the day Aliza got disconnected from her backpack treatment! Aliza had SO much fun showing River around the clinic for the first time, and showing her what she does routinely each visit. It was a very positive/fun experience all around & Aliza was SO happy to shed that backpack again!