The past few days have been full of movement — physically, emotionally, and most importantly, in Teddie’s recovery. 💛 

On Day +16, we got the news we’ve been praying for: Teddie is engrafting! 🙌 Her numbers finally showed strong upward momentum, and her care team is hopeful that if all continues to go well, we could be looking at discharge sometime next week. After 25+ nights in the hospital, that hope feels like a breath of fresh air. 🏡 

She also took her first walk around the unit in a long time — a huge emotional lift for all of us — and had good bursts of energy despite a rough start to the day with nausea. We’ve begun slowly tapering some meds, making sure her body is ready to handle more on its own. 

 

Day +17 had its highs and lows. Teddie threw up her NG tube late the night before — tough for her and traumatic for us — but she bounced back quickly (asking for fruit snacks immediately afterward 😂). We’ve been trying to manage without it, and so far, she’s hanging in there. The day brought some blood pressure drops and a concerning, intense post-nap episode. It was scary and uncharacteristic, but she calmed after some comfort measures, and her team is monitoring closely. And in a fun twist, what we thought was an ANC of 56 turned out to be 560 — a huge and very welcome surprise. 🎉 

On Day +18, the hospital was quiet (weekends always are), but we kept our momentum. Teddie walked the halls a few times and received a sweet surprise gift from a fellow transplant family — a Bluey backpack full of crafts and love. 🐾💌 We ended the evening watching How to Train Your Dragon and relaxing together. 

Her ANC dipped slightly but is still holding strong. Hydration and eating are still challenges — her glucose was low this morning, and we’re doing everything we can to keep her off the NG tube. She’s made big strides with oral meds and nausea, and we really want to avoid any steps back. 

It’s been a wild ride — from sickness to laughter to tender fear — but we’re so thankful. Nervous about what’s ahead, yes… but deeply grateful for her donor and the incredible gift of this second chance at life. We are praying this is the path toward a truly cancer-free future for Teddie. 

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” — Philippians 1:3 We may never know who her donor is, but they are now part of our story forever.

 

One day closer. 💛