Adjusting to our new normal

It's been 10 days since Jordan was discharged from the hospital after his first round of chemo. We were all tested with the unknown of the how his body was going to respond to the treatment.

He was exhausted. Physically could not lift his head off the pillow for a few days following his return home. His nausea was present and mainly prevented him from eating. As the days progressed, he would start having some random cravings, like Cocoa Crisps cereal which is not a regular item in our pantry (but is now!). One night he just ate peppers for dinner (picture attached). We were just grateful he was eating! He is now eating a lot, back to his normal diet. The doctors call this time the 'bulking period' as he increases his caloric intake before his next round of chemo starts (on 9/30). A special thank you to all of our friends contributing to the meal train and for dropping off special snacks and adult beverages. We could not get through all of this without you!

Jordan is also back to school and is feeling pretty caught up. His teachers and the entire faculty at Golden High School have been amazing and extremely supportive. Jordan has always been a solid student. When his middle school teachers learned of his diagnosis they came by the house with a care package that was over the top (picture included below of the poster with his past teacher's notes). Dan and I have always been proud of Jordan, but this was beyond anything we imagined. He has truly made quite an impact to the people he has touched in his life.

We need to keep Jordan healthy and his blood counts strong during this period between treatments. We visit Children's Hospital 2x per week for blood work and so far his levels are good, slightly declining but not low enough for a blood transfusion. We are on him for staying out of the sun as his skin is more sensitive than normal (picture of him and his buddy Sam under umbrellas watching their sister's soccer game).

And finally, he is transitioning from playing soccer everyday to finding new things to do that give him a sense of purpose. Just yesterday he was the assistant coach for Sami's soccer team (picture attached) and hopes to keep that going through the season when he is feeling well enough.

Thanks for reading. We hope our next post is just as positive. We love you all.