Interim Maintenance

We have been enjoying a rainy, but event-free Spring. Audrey shaved her head at the beginning of May at the St. Baldricks event and raised $1500 for childhood cancer research. She truly is an inspiration to all or us! Casper is finishing off the last four weeks of Interim Maintenance. This period of treatment is less intensive than what he's received until now, with Chemotherapy treatments every ten days for two months. The drugs he has been on recently are also not as strong, so this has allowed him to recover to a large degree from the earlier treatments. He even has some peach fuzz growing from his head right now.

We were told that if we want to travel any time this summer that this was our window, so we made a trip down to California to visit family. We were sort of disoriented by seeing sunshine for the first time in so long :0) but we soon recovered and we all had a lovely time. Since we returned Casper has attended Sunflower House a few times, had the opportunity spend much missed quality swing-time with his BFF "Lilie Mae." and he's becoming a master tricyclist.

In July, Casper will start a period termed "Re-Intensification" which is a two-month, two-phased, very intensive treatment regime. As I think I'd mentioned earlier, no blasts were seen during his last marrow aspirate and he's termed "in-remission", but based on prior cases, researchers have come to understand that despite this, it's likely there is the odd cancer cell here and there still lurking around, and by adding in the re-intensifaction phase, doctors have been able to significantly lower relapse rates. From what we've read and heard from parents and doctors, this is going to be the most brutal period he's seen treatment-wise. He'll be back on the dreaded steriods again, (luckily he should only take these two weeks), but he'll also be introduced to three new very powerful chemotherapy drugs. We've been told that he'll be miserable, and there's about a 50% chance of him being hospitalized for a couple of weeks during both of the month-long phases.

It's been so great and revitalizing seeing Casper regaining his strength and bounce, so it's going to be difficult watching this regress for a period, but we are simultaneously grateful day-by-day just knowing that he's responded so well up until now, and that there is such a good chance that as a result of these incredible (and simultaneously medieval) medical interventions that he will continue to live a long and full life.

We also want to continue thanking our friends and loved ones for their continued love, wisdom, concern and support. We're also touched and surprised by the outpouring of kindness and generosity from people who don't even know us personally! We are blessed to be surrounded by so many caring, remarkable people. We haven't done a stellar job in communicating this with the outside world, and I'm sincerely hoping to: a)try to re-aquaint myself with the telephone sometime in the near future and b) post our next update a little sooner!