28 days with a pump

Its been a while since an update. Though we've been quiet we've been busy. We had a great family visit over the July long weekend before Eli started his next round of treatment. There hasn't been much to report since then as this round is a 28 day continuous infusion. What does that mean you ask? Basically Eli has a pump that is loaded with this round's drug which is administered continuously for 28 days. He has a pump that’s hooked up to his port and he carries it around in a backpack. 

This treatment is called Blinatumomab, aka "Blina" (Recent article from the US National Cancer Institute or Wikipedia) and is what is called an Immunotherapy. In short, chemotherapy is basically a carefully administered poison that has a lot of collateral damage. Immunotherapy gives the immune system carefully crafted instructions that direct it to attack the the cancerous cells. This kind of treatment is one of the most exciting developments in cancer research because it is a very targeted treatment with far few side-effects. Eli was taken into a study in order to get this treatment. It has been around for a number of years but has only been used in cases of relapse where it has proven to be very successful. Given its success and its lessened impact on the body as a whole, they are wanting to move it into the regular course of treatment. If you didn't check out the articles above, just know this treatment is "take equity out of your house" kind of costly, which makes us INCREDIBLELY grateful for our Canadian Healthcare system. Our system is not perfect but not having to chose between having a home or having our son takes a significant stressor out of the equation.  This treatment should also lesson the long term impacts of treatment, particularly with regards to organ damage.

He has to go back in every 3 days to have the pump refilled but beyond that he's doing pretty well and he & Dana are able to have a little more freedom. This has allowed for some day trips and even a couple overnight trips to mama & papa's house. The great thing about this as well as there isn't recovery time needed after it like there is for chemo. He is scheduled to be finished the Blina next Friday after which he has a full week off!

At the moment, the plan is for them to return home for the week. This will be the first time home in 5 months. Praying for the treatment to end when scheduled (there the possibility of the end of treatment being delayed if there had been any interruptions over the 28 days) and clear travel through one of the worst wildfire seasons our province has seen. 

We also have an idea of what the next few months look like. The next round will begin the second week of August and will be 8 weeks of treatment in 2 week segments. This means 2 weeks of chemo, and then recovery before the next 2 weeks. This will involve minimum 4 day hospital stays every 2 weeks. With recovery delays, the 8 weeks will likely be more than just 8 weeks. After that round will be another 28 day course of Blina after which we have another one week window for a visit home before more chemo. 

Overall we're all getting tired. We knew this would be a marathon, and that is certainly true. We are very much looking forward to the next few weeks when we have the opportunity to be together when things are going relatively well. A home visit will be good for everyone but also comes with a decent level of stress with regards to travel. Day to day and overall we're getting by. We have been overwhelmed at times by the love and support and are most grateful. Thank you for every prayer, thought and act of kindness shown to us.