The Charge Begins Anew...

After what Mom describes as the "longest month of their lives," great news came in on our Hero's most recent tests. His ANC went up to 1344, Hematocrit to 31.6 and his platelets were up to 244! With the docs go ahead Joe had a treatment done on Wednesday and now just medication (lots of pills) for the next two months. After which JoJo will be going in to see the doc for a blood test and then two weeks later in for some treatment with sedation. Keep the thoughts and vibes coming!!! Stay tuned...

The Climb begins again!

As was noted in the update to the last post, our Hero's ANC numbers jumped up to 270 which was fantastic news. Joe's hematocrit was up again (32.6) and his platelets were up to a healthy 291. Although his WBC remains low at 1.5, the hope and expectation is that as this is determined by a formula which includes the ANC, this will improve exponentially with the improvement of his ANC. Mom very appropriately describes the improvement as a definining moment as it marks the beginning of the 'Interim Maintenance' phase which is a real sign of progress that has felt a long time in the coming. Additionally, when JoJo's numbers reach the appropriate levels it will be time to bid adieu to the "study" as the next courses of treatments will be the standard courses. Let's keep those great vibes and prayers coming to get all the numbers up into not only acceptable but very healthy ranges!!! Stay tuned...

**UPDATE** Joe's numbers went up a bit more in his last lab work. His ANC now up to 348, which isn't where it needs to be to start the next cycle of treatments. But it was up enough for Mom to 'lift the bubble' a bit and let our Hero get some good quality play time in with his cousins and big brother Paul over the weekend. Stay tuned...

The Dog Days of Winter

We all got a little spoiled. Everything had been going so swimmingly that we expected to have nothing but glowingly positive results and reports. But if Leukemia was all peaches and creme, our Hero wouldn't be going through all the stuff he's been going through for the last five or six months. So it is with that that Team Taylor has encountered a slight slowing to the momentum that has been gaining so much speed. JoJo's numbers have been yo-yo-ing a little bit over that last couple of days. Specifically we can see the ANC go from 75 to 138 to the 99 he's remained steady at for the last two labs. (Keep in mind 200 is the magic number to remain a bit more solid for fighting up bugs, bacteria and the like.) The medical staff component of Team Taylor is not concerned about it as they report that this is common to see this after an intense chemo session followed by a bad flu bug.

That being said, the family component of Team Taylor would do virtually ANYTHING to see those numbers go up. First and foremost, we want them up so we can all be a bit less concerned about Joe being susceptible to any bugs or viruses (not to mention to stop the stress of going in for labs every two days.) Joseph is no dummy, getting poked with needles isn't fun and since he is feeling fine he doesn't understand the necessity for all this nasty business. Additionally all the people working in the toy factories all over the world would like to see JoJo's numbers go up so they can stop working double shifts that are required to keep the toys coming to reward our Hero for his bravery. (Mom is not a big fan of using the toys as behavior modification tool but every hero has one soft spot and with as angry and upset as Joe has been with this stuff, sometimes it's all that works.)

So with that, for the sake of our Hero, his family, his friends, yourself and the frantic toy workers all over the world, please roll up your prayer and positive vibe sleeves for our Hero, let's get those numbers back up so he can get a bit of a break from the hospital trips and everyone else can rest a bit easier knowing he's a bit more resistent to the bugs that having been hammering everyone else. The next trip to check the numbers happens on Tuesday so stay tuned!

**QUICK UPDATE** - The numbers are in and our Hero has gone from an ANC of 99 to an ANC of 278. Way to go JoJo!

Slowly but surely...

The focus for our Hero and Team Taylor remains the lab numbers. On Saturday Joe's numbers went down a little to 30ANC and .8 WBC. But never one to remain complacent JoJo's numbers seem to be making the climb upward now with the next set of labs happening tomorrow (Wednesday the 6th). Everyone keep your fingers crossed that the ANC climbs into that safer 200 range so that Mom can stop holding her breath.

Another thing everyone would like to see go up a bit is Joe's weight. What sounds like a luxury to the rest of us has gotten to be a bit of a concern for Team Taylor. Although he would look great in all the most recent fashions on the runway, everyone would much rather see him get back up to his "healthy, climbing trees, wrestling Paul and rolling in the mud" weight. Mom says if Legos were edible, this wouldn't even be a concern. But since they aren't, the focus is on getting JoJo feeling healthier (i.e. no flu) so his famous appetite returns.

Well it appears as if Mom and Dad's concern about getting our Hero to take his antibiotics was warranted. Whether it's his declarations of that he feels better and doesn't need it or his assertion that he does not care too much for his physician, the administration of the meds has been a challenge to say the least. So, who do you turn to when Joe refuses? Well, big brother Paul of course! Paul has begun to lead by example by taking placebos of water with cherry juice with JoJo. As the song says, 'he ain't heavy, he's my brother.' It's a good thing pride is not an exhaustable resource because if it was Mom and Dad would be all out of it because both of these boys are worthy of tons of it.

Just a reminder, lots of prayers and positive vibes that our Hero's numbers continue to climb along with his weight. As always, stay tuned...

Casa de Taylor > Hospital

On Thursday our Hero returned home from his little 'vacation' at the hospital for his flu bug. The docs said that it is actually safer for him at home than it would be to stay at the hospital. Confirming something JoJo already knew, home is better than the hospital. A feeling he made very visible by spreadng his arms and happily declaring to his brother, "I'm home Paul!" Although happy to be home, Team Taylor was not relishing the task of getting Joe to take is three antibiotics twice a day.

As if Mom didn't feel anxious enough when Joseph got the flu and had the low numbers (38 ANC and .9 WBC) from the treatment, word came down that cousin Brock had gotten one chicken pock (if that is indeed the singular form of chicken pox) from the vaccination he received. A flurry of phone calls ensued to first determine who had 'touched Brock' (Blanca, Nonnie and Dad were guilty) and then a flurry of phone calls to the docs to determine the risk to Joe. The medical team doesn't seem too terribly concerned and didn't think there was a significant chance of contagion or transmission. But just in case, keep that in mind when saying your prayers for our Hero.

JoJo and Team Taylor will be heading into get labs done ever couple of days until his ANC and WBC return to acceptable levels so, as always, stay tuned...