Dominic Update 4.0 – Brown Eyed Baker

Hello absolutely everyone! I just cannot consider that we are on the cusp of Labor Working day and summertime coming to a shut. The past 5 to six months have been a complete blur and this summer months, in particular, has flown by. There is been hospitals (chemo, stem mobile harvest, surgical procedure), clinic appointments, and driving back again and forth to New York.

But, a single foot in front of the other and 1 day at a time, we are grateful to be heading into a new year with a solid boy and hearts total of hope.

Dominic had a active first couple of months of August…

🔍 Initially, he had a new established of scans (MRI + MIBG) moreover a further bone marrow biopsy. The scans however present illness in the course of his bones but most of the spots are “dimmer” than just before, and the bone marrow involvement lowered by about 50%.

So, there is still perform to do, but there is an improvement. And! Dominic did both of those of the scans devoid of anesthesia (he has been sedated earlier simply because you have to lay completely still and the MIBG is in excess of 2 several hours). He’s a rock star.

🏥 Following, he experienced his to start with round of immunotherapy. The antibody he’s offered targets the protein of neuroblastoma cells and considering the fact that they ordinarily sit on nerve cells, there is significant nerve pain accompanying the procedure. The infusion is brief (45 minutes) but powerful.

There is a large amount of pre-treatment and pain management during and soon after, and he would fundamentally rest the overall relaxation of the working day afterward. But, the therapies are outpatient so no clinic stays, and they really don’t impression counts like chemotherapy, so no neutropenia or blood or platelet transfusions.

🦸‍♂️ Then, he crossed off yet another huge hurdle… radiation. He did this awake with no anesthesia as well… twice a working day for 5 times, he was strapped down making use of a particular mask that was molded to his head and higher body to preserve his head and neck in the specific identical posture every time (his clavicle was radiated owing to the cluster of diseased lymph nodes that had been there, as nicely as the tumor bed in his abdomen). An amazing woman who operates there has the young ones pick what they want their masks to be and then custom paints them… Dominic selected Iron Man. There are some amazingly distinctive individuals in this earth.

He could also pick what ever music he desired to be piped in just about every time and selected Xmas music every single working day 💕🌲 He totally rocked it and the individuals performing there had been absolutely phenomenal.

➡️ Next… we get to be property for a pair of weeks, then it’s back again to NY for an additional round of immunotherapy, a new established of scans, and a further bone marrow biopsy. 

📘 In the meantime, he started out kindergarten this 7 days! He’ll be joining class virtually right up until his oncologist provides him the go-ahead to show up at in person, which we’re hoping will be late September.

💈 His eyebrows, eyelashes, AND hair have all started rising back again! He’s had a ton of power, has acquired again all of the excess weight he shed following surgery and that last spherical of chemo and is or else executing genuinely, actually well.

❤️ Thank you all for your ongoing prayers, it implies so significantly to our loved ones.