Dominic Update 4.0 – Brown Eyed Baker

Hello all people! I can’t believe that that we are on the cusp of Labor Day and summer months coming to a near. The final five to six months have been a complete blur and this summer, in specific, has flown by. There is been hospitals (chemo, stem mobile harvest, surgical procedures), clinic appointments, and driving back and forth to New York.

But, 1 foot in entrance of the other and just one working day at a time, we are grateful to be heading into a new period with a strong boy and hearts complete of hope.

Dominic experienced a chaotic initial several months of August…

🔍 Very first, he experienced a new set of scans (MRI + MIBG) as well as an additional bone marrow biopsy. The scans still exhibit illness during his bones but most of the spots are “dimmer” than right before, and the bone marrow involvement diminished by over 50%.

So, there is still operate to do, but there is an advancement. And! Dominic did equally of the scans without having anesthesia (he has been sedated earlier mainly because you have to lay fully nevertheless and the MIBG is more than 2 hrs). He’s a rock star.

🏥 Next, he had his initially round of immunotherapy. The antibody he’s given targets the protein of neuroblastoma cells and considering that they generally sit on nerve cells, there is significant nerve discomfort accompanying the treatment method. The infusion is quick (45 minutes) but intense.

There is a whole lot of pre-medicine and ache administration during and just after, and he would generally sleep the entire rest of the working day afterward. But, the treatment options are outpatient so no medical center stays, and they never affect counts like chemotherapy, so no neutropenia or blood or platelet transfusions.

🦸‍♂️ Then, he crossed off a different large hurdle… radiation. He did this awake with no anesthesia as well… 2 times a working day for five times, he was strapped down working with a unique mask that was molded to his head and higher body to maintain his head and neck in the exact similar place every single time (his clavicle was radiated owing to the cluster of diseased lymph nodes that were there, as properly as the tumor bed in his stomach). An amazing female who is effective there has the little ones pick what they want their masks to be and then custom made paints them… Dominic chose Iron Man. There are some amazingly unique folks in this entire world.

He could also decide on what ever audio he wanted to be piped in each time and selected Xmas audio every day 💕🌲 He completely rocked it and the persons functioning there were being certainly phenomenal.

➡️ Next… we get to be residence for a couple of months, then it’s back to NY for an additional round of immunotherapy, a new established of scans, and an additional bone marrow biopsy. 

📘 In the meantime, he begun kindergarten this week! He’ll be becoming a member of class pretty much right until his oncologist offers him the go-forward to attend in individual, which we’re hoping will be late September.

💈 His eyebrows, eyelashes, AND hair have all began rising back again! He’s had a ton of strength, has received back all of the fat he dropped after surgery and that past spherical of chemo and is or else accomplishing truly, really well.

❤️ Thank you all for your ongoing prayers, it implies so considerably to our spouse and children.