Last chemo treatment

Hello dear friends! I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to update you all in regards to Elliot's last chemo treatment. As many of you know, I started writing this blog first and foremost as a form of therapy for myself, and secondly as a way to keep everyone informed, and thirdly as a means of documentation for Elliot when he gets older. Well, lets just say this...the "therapy" part has become less necessary, so my writing has become less frequent. To that, I say THANK GOD!!!!!!! That's a good thing! :) Nonetheless, I haven't forgotten about all of you who care about us so deeply and want to keep updated on Elliot's current health. SO, lets get to it!

On April 7th, Elliot received his last treatment! He, of course, didn't understand the concept of it being his last one, but daddy and mommy sure did. I'm pretty sure we walked around with a smile painted on our faces ALL DAY!

Everything went as expected, and there weren't any surprises, which is always a plus! Instead of writing a ton about the day, I will take you for a "picture-walk", one that shows you a very typical chemo day for Elliot. Enjoy! :)

Some pictures are sad, but I will still share them anyway as I want Elliot to know all the details of what he conquered.

Another early chemo morning

Waiting...always lots of waiting

 Julia, the mother hen, trying to get Elliot to smile and stand still. :)

Accessing the port and blood work :(  Always the toughest part.

Check weight, height and blood pressure (Thankfully the only times he lost weight throughout this entire process was when he was hospitalized and couldn't eat due to surgery prep. Such a huge relief that he never had to have a feeding tube.)

Entertaining themselves as we wait to see the doctor

Elliot's favorite doctor, Dr. Warad

Receiving chemo

After deactivation of his port, which is another very sad moment, we hit the road smiling!

 AND...some ice cream to celebrate!

We scheduled Elliot's follow-up CT scan and blood work for April 29th, but unfortunately we had to reschedule the appointments due to our household being hit by the flu this past week. YUCK! We are now scheduled to do these appointments next Friday, May 8th. At that point, if everything looks good, we will schedule surgery to remove Elliot's port (AKA: tubey) and will return every three months for scans and blood work!

Needless to say, the Sundblad household is one of great joy these days! I have said it before, and I'll say it again, I have NEVER believed in the power of prayer as much as I do right now. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS! We will never know just how many of you have prayed for us throughout this journey, but please know that we felt them each and every day. Please continue to pray that his health will continue to improve and that his immune system will be back to full strength even sooner than expected (one year). 

I will leave you with a facebook post that I put on my page earlier this month. It is an example of the love we have felt from the community that surrounds us and the immeasurable support that has kept us moving forward with gratitude! 

"Ball for Blad"...that was the title of the event. It was a fundraiser put on for Elliot and our family by some amazing Cedar Falls students and teachers. I have no words besides THANK YOU! So many colleagues and students gave up their Saturday night to support our family. Please know that we are grateful!