Praises, New Challenges, and Almost Half Way There

It is so hard to believe that we are almost half way into Tzadok's treatment. I know I keep repeating this same statement, but Tzadok is a warrior. We have settled into a routine, which has helped him get more accustomed to this new normal. Every Friday his port buddy is deaccessed and on Monday he is reaccessed. For a visual, deaccessing and reaccessing is describing the needle connected to a small IV line that is used for drawing blood, giving medicine, and administering anesthesia to him. His port buddy, as we've come to call it, is the instrument that was surgically implanted next to a vein in his chest due to the amount of times he will have to be stuck with a needle over the next several years. Every Tuesday is picture day (MRI) and on Wednesday we have a doctor appointment along with normal treatment. It seems strange and unsettling that this is our weekly norm, but it is as close to a normal week that we have had since leaving Kansas. Most of Tzadok's anxiety has subsided, so as always thank you for your prayers and concern for Tzadok. All of Tzadok's scans since the initial scan have shown no growth of the tumor, which again is a major testimony to the Father's greatness. If the tumor grows, the radiation field will have to be widened, so no growth is the absolute best case scenario! Another praise is that Tzadok has not had any headaches since the first week, so his headache may have been unrelated to treatment. He is having some new difficulties however. Nausea is the main side effect we are facing right now. One of the major short term side effects for Tzadok is nausea because of all the anesthesia medicine he is given. He hasn't vomited but his appetite has definitely decreased. It appears that our next prayer request will be that we find ways to get him to eat and drink. Right now he will eat his favorite foods and he will drink as long as we push the fluids, but if we go a little outside of this realm he is not even slightly interested. The nausea also spikes when he rides in the car, so trips outside of the house are always taxing. If he has to eat spaghetti with chips and salsa for a month, than so be it, but we would like to vary his diet as much as possible. I will try to update again over the weekend, since our routine has become more stable, but please keep Tzadok and our family in your prayers and thoughts. Oh, I almost forgot if you would like to add a few other children to your prayer chains their names are Zen, Zoe, and Cole. Zen and Cole each have Craniopharngioma like Tzadok; however, they are 9 and 13, and Zoe, the little girl, is going through Cemo and radiation at the same time. She is so young facing so much. She is close to Tzadok's age. These are all amazing children that we have met and become close with. Even their stories are similar to ours. Please remember them, as you have remembered us. We miss everyone terribly and I pray blessings on all of your houses.