White Blood Count Improving

Henry & I took Jayson back to the NMCSD this past Monday for a complete blood count check and blood transfusions. We arrived there about 8:30 in the morning and his nurse quickly drew some blood for lab work. We were then taken to the pediatric ward, 2 East, where Jayson was given a room to stay at while he received the transfusions.  After about an hour, Dr. McManaman came in with the lab results and the plan.

Dr. McManaman examines Jayson

We have some good news to share.  Jayson's bone marrow is starting to produce its own blood! During last Friday's checkup, his total white blood count (WBC) was at 0.4, up from the 0.2 when he was discharged from PICU. The additional test that was done on Friday also indicated there were no blast cells in this sample.  The total WBC from Monday's labs was 1.2. The count went up by 0.8 in 3 days! We realize that 1.2 is still below the normal range of 4.5-13.5, but we are happy to see that Jayson's WBC is moving upward. Jayson's platelets was low and his red blood count had gone down, as expected, so Jayson received 3 units of platelets and 2 units of red blood on Monday. Each unit of platelet takes about 30 mins. to administer and it takes about 1.5 hrs. for the red blood. Based on these rates, total transfusion time was expected to take about 5 hrs. Jayson received Tylenol and Benadryl before the transfusion to minimize any allergic reaction to the blood and platelets. So, total it was suppose to take about 6 hours total for the transfusion process, however, we were there for 12 hours. About half of this time was spent waiting for the blood and platelets to be available from the blood bank. It was a long day for Jayson, but at least he was comfortable in bed.  He spent his time either napping or playing on his laptop.

During Dr. McManaman's examination, Jayson rubbed his head and asked her if his hair was going to grow back. Dr. McManaman said that as long as he was getting chemotherapy, it would not.  Jayson immediately got very emotional and teary-eyed as soon as he heard her answer. Dr. McManaman did tell him there was the option of getting a wig to help, but this was not what Jayson wanted.  He wanted his own hair. I just looked at him and felt the tears running down my own face as I wiped away Jayson's tears from his cheeks. I felt his disappointment and prayed to God to help give me the words to comfort him and God did. I told Jayson that he looked beautiful even without hair.  He had a nicely shaped head. I also asked him if he remembered when his hair had initially fallen out when he first received chemotherapy in December 2011 and he said he did. I also told him that once the chemotherapy stopped, his hair and grown out again. I told that it can be the same way when he was done receiving chemotherapy this time around.  I also asked if there was anything we can get for him to help in the meantime. So, he asked for some beanies to cover his head. I immediately contacted Jayson's older brother, Justin, at school and had him buy some.  Within a few hours, Justin was in the hospital with four beanies and Jayson picked one to put on.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I had noticed that Jayson was more emotional now and his reaction to Dr. McManaman's answer about his hair is evidence of his emotional state.  I'm not sure if the gravity of his condition is finally hitting him or if there's something else going on.  We will keep an eye on this, but on the meantime, we will continue to show our love to him, give him words of encouragement and hope.

We didn't arrive home until about 10:00 on Monday night. On our front porch was some food that our closest friends, the Salardas, had dropped off that night. It was a welcome sight!  Thank you Glenda & Jong!

Monday was a long day for Jayson and he had mostly slept during the drive home. He slept well the rest of the night and he was excited for the following day when his friends from the Youth For Christ (YFC) would be coming to have their weekly household worship and meeting.

On Tuesday morning, Jayson received some visitors from the Elizabeth Hospice organization.  His case worker, Denise, came with Gina, a nurse practitioner and Brian, a student. Gina examined Jayson to make sure he was doing well and was comfortable. Denise & Brian checked Jayson's medication supply to make sure he had all the medication and supplies needed.  Later that morning, Heather, one of the social worker from Elizabeth Hospice came by to talk about some of the other non-medical services that their company provides, i.e. counseling & spiritual support.  They were all here to make sure that our family was taken care of, especially Jayson.  They are here to insure that all of our family's needs & concerns were being addressed.

Bro. John leads the prayer

During the afternoon, Jayson spent most of the time resting so that he would have energy to participate in the YFC household that night. His friends and fellow members of the YFC began arriving just before 6:00 p.m. As soon as everyone arrived, they began their household with worship songs.  Jayson sat on our living room couch as the other youth stood, forming a circle in the room. They sang three songs and said praises glorifying God in between the songs. Jayson was able to sing and praise along with them.

After singing worship songs, the topic for the night was God's love.  While sitting in a circle, each youth shared how God showed His love for them that day.  Jayson was able to share as well.

After the sharing and prayers, the group shared a meal and spent time socializing among themselves. It was so great to see Jayson participating in the household meeting after about 7 weeks of not being able to.  I could tell he missed attending his weekly household and he enjoyed spending time again with his brothers and sisters in Christ.  It was a beautiful meeting and a nice way to end the day.

Chaplain Jeff sings to Jayson

Today, Wednesday (Oct. 22), was quieter day for Jayson.  In the morning, he asked to be taken to the family room to play video games on the X-Box.  He had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and milk for breakfast.  At about 11:00, Chaplain Jeff from the Elizabeth Hospice came by to introduce himself to us. He met with Jayson, prayed over him and even sang the "Our Father" to Jayson before he left.  His beautiful and deep voice just filled our home.  In fact, my sister-in-law, Carole, was asleep upstairs during this time and when she woke up she asked if there was a mass while she was sleeping.

Esther visits Jayson in Murrieta

At about 2:30 in the afternoon, Jayson's friend Esther came by to visit just after finishing up on Qtr. 1 finals at Westview High School. She came up from Rancho Penasquitos with her mom for a few hours to spend time with Jayson.  The two of them watched "Ratatouille" and ate some popcorn. Jayson was happy to see Esther and her mom once again.

In the evening, our family was blessed with a meal from Deacon Jim and Sister Merle.  Our Couples for Christ family had set up a meal train for us and since Saturday, we have been receiving a meal from a CFC family every day.  This is just one of the many blessings that have come our way.


Another blessing that came our way today was unexpected. I was able to watch Keilani at her new dance studio in Murrieta.  Our friend, Luz, had signed her up for classes while we were still in the hospital.  It's been about 3 weeks since she started attending jazz and hip-hop classes. Today was the first time I was able to watch her in her hip-hop classes. Before the class started, I talked to Liz at the front desk to make arrangement for automatic monthly payments for Keilani's classes. She couldn't find Keilani's paperwork and had to talk to Kellie, one of the owners of the studio.  When Liz came back, she looked at me and told me that Kellie & her mom, Karol, were aware of our family's situation and said we didn't have to worry about paying for Keilani's classes.  I was so touched and I could feel the tears about to come as I looked at Liz in disbelief.  By this time, Liz was also getting teary-eyed as well. I kept asking "Are you sure?" and saying "Thank you."  Liz just nodded and smiled. I told her I wanted to thank Kellie personally so she pointed me to the classroom where Kellie was teaching at the time.

I waited in the waiting area as I watched Keilani in her class through the glass door. After the classes were done, I saw Kellie come out of her class. I approached her, introduced myself as Keilani's mom and said "thank you for your generosity".  She said she understood and this was one way she could help us. She also said that Keilani can take any other classes that she wanted to. She said she was happy to have Keilani in her jazz class and appreciated Keilani coming to class with a smile. It was comforting to know that despite what was going on with Jayson, Keilani is still able to enjoy life.  It is so rare to find a company where the bottom line is all that matters.  This kind gesture by the owners of Studio 31 speaks volume about not just the heart and character of their company but also of the owners themselves. Thank you Kellie, Karol and Studio 31 for your generosity and kindness!

Still praising God!

YFC Topic: God's Love