Delayed Intensification Day 54: A Full Heart

We are actually 4 days past the end of this cycle but we will continue counting until the first day of maintenance. I hadn’t seen Scarlett since Thursday afternoon. Only a day and a half but, wow! What a difference! Her counts have been the same (Hgb 8.3, platelets 36 after transfusion, and WBC 0.2) which is good news. It would only be better if they were all going up. Hopefully tomorrow we will see enough of an increase that they will be able to calculate an ANC. Even one is better than zero!

Scarlett was taken off all of her IVs for about six hours this afternoon. I don’t think she stopped moving the whole time! She practiced jumping, walked and rode in the car with her siblings, colored Easter eggs, she even asked if she could do exercises with me! Energy is a very good sign!

Her appetite came back a little bit today too. She ate about a third of a piece of pizza and I was very excited about that. But then she threw it all back up. Later tonight, though, she did eat about half an apple. Every bite of food goes towards energy to make cells!

She is done with her antibiotics now for her mouth sores. She will continue two more antibiotics for another nine days. Today she had a very drippy nose. Brock said that her doctor told him this was a good sign of recovery. The body finally has enough cells to try to push that infection out.

We were able to spend about four hours together as a family today. Tate and Evie were so excited to see Scarlett. She was in such a happy mood when we arrived. It was so nice to be able to watch them interact, listen to their conversations. Tate spent a good portion of time pushing his sisters in the car. Brock and I were able to just walk behind them and enjoy the moment. It made my heart so proud to see them give such genuine hugs and kisses when they left.

As Scarlett and I made what seemed like our fiftieth lap around the floor, I began to hear her talking. Which then turned to singing. My heart swelled with such gratitude. To God for blessing us with her, to her doctors for saving her. We came so close to losing her. My eyes filled with tears and I had to stop in the hall and give her a hug. I expected resistance but instead she just sat in her wagon and held me too. It is moments like this that I try to take mental pictures of. The moments when my heart explodes.