Merry Christmas from the Lews! Sorry I haven't updated the blog in a while.

Gary and the girls arrived last week just as Alex was going into his first chemo free week. As you know, the last month has been very difficult with IV chemo 4 times a week and oral chemo everyday. All of this knocked Alex's blood counts way down. The week off was a chance for his blood counts to come back up a bit. As his counts have slowly climbed so have his spirits. It helps to have his sisters here as well. He has been teasing Jessie relentlessly. They have been playing on the Wii non-stop. When the girls aren't around he's always asking, "when are they coming back?". He welcomes the company. And he's loving all of the cards and packages he has received. His AP calculus teacher, Mrs. Ueland was in Utah on a ski trip this week. We drove up to see her and she gave Alex some things from Alex's homeroom and from other friends. Thank you everyone!!!!

With his counts up a bit, he is able to start the next phase of chemo, Interim Maintenance. The doctor said Alex could have another week off to let his counts go up even more and to enjoy the Christmas holiday, but Alex wanted to get the show on the road. So we started phase 3 yesterday. For this phase, there will be no IV chemo. He will be taking oral medication for 8 weeks and have two lumbar punctures, one yesterday and another one in four weeks.

With Alex in remission and only oral meds for the next 8 weeks, this is a good time to transition Alex's care back to Hong Kong. We have one more visit with the doctor on Monday. If his counts are good enough, we'll get the green light to go home!!!! We should be back in HK by New Year's Eve!

Alex has really been struggling with Anticipatory Nausea. Anytime anyone talks about his diagnosis, treatment or prognosis around him, he gets nauseated. On days that we have to go into the hospital, he vomits constantly. If there is nothing left, he has the dry heaves. As we go back to HK and everyone is excited to see him and wants to know how things are going, please know that I won't want to discuss things in front of him. He doesn't mind talking about it himself, he just doesn't like to read the blog or hear me talk about him. It's strange but according to the doctors and nurses, this is very common. I guess he won't be doing pre-med in college. At one point he thought he might like to be a doctor, but now the thought of going into a hospital for work everyday makes him ill.

That's it for now.

May the Peace, Joy and Comfort from Him whose birth we celebrate at this Christmas season Light the way for you always!!!!

Not much new to report. The weekend was spent on the couch watching the entire season one of Heroes. The three units of red blood cells that Alex received on Friday gave him a bit more energy but the nausea has been more intense the last few days. We are done with IV chemo for a while and his oral medication for this phase come will be completed on Wednesday. He will have at least one week of no chemo meds which will be nice. Hopefully his body can recover a bit. Once his blood counts are up, he will begin the next phase of chemo.

Alex has been so strong through all of this but I can tell it's been hard on him emotionally. Right now anything to take his mind off of his condition is a welcome relief but he doesn't have the energy to do anything which leaves a lot of time to think and ponder which is sometimes not a good thing so we look for distractions. How grateful we both are for technology. Being able to keep in touch with friends has been a lifesaver for both of us. We love Facebook and Skype.

Gary and the girls arrive in two days and we are excited to all be together again. As always, thanks for the love and prayers!

Just got back from Alex's weekly chemo treatment. It's the last in this phase of treatment. He gets a week off and depending on blood counts, will begin the next phase (which should be a bit easier on him) just before Christmas.
His blood counts this week are way down so we have to go back tomorrow for some transfusions of red blood cells. We'll have to do blood counts twice a week now. He is what they call Neutropenic or having a low immune system.
So no crowded places and staying away from sick people (which we have been doing all along). It's strange because he has actually been feeling better the last two days but when he awoke this morning it was a different story. A part of it is the anxiety of having to go to the hospital and getting chemo. He has been vomiting all day today and was dehydrated. They gave him two bags of IV fluids in the hospital. His lumbar puncture didn't quite go smoothly either. They had to do it twice today so his back is sore. Hopefully, no spinal headaches this week. He didn't have any after last week's LP. Hoping and praying that the blood counts will come back up soon.

Had a marathon day at the hospital yesterday. We arrived just before 9am and didn't leave until after 4:30pm. Alex had his usual lumbar puncture and two different IV chemo treatments along with some IV fluids and anti-nausea medication. Because his red blood count was very low he also received two units of red blood cells. The transfusions took nearly 4 hours. At least they brought in a TV so he was able to watch a movie through most of it. It was tough because he was very nauseous and felt weak all day long. The chemo area was extremely busy with lots of little kids and a newborn baby. It was very sad to see so many little ones hooked up to IVs, but the nurses and doctors are all so cheerful and positive. The next two weeks may be rough like the last two, but then it should get better.

He awoke this morning feeling a bit better and is back at his usual spot on the sofa next to his laptop. He's managed to eat some french toast for breakfast and a sloppy joe with fries for lunch. Hoping he feels good enough to walk around soon.

It's getting cold here but still no snow (which makes the 1 hour trip to the hospital much easier).