Whether you’re into football or maybe you’re just a fan of cinema and you’ve seen the movie by the same name – you likely know something about the concept of the “blind side”.  Using the football analogy, the quarterback is pretty much running the show but has a blind side that needs protecting so the game can proceed as planned with a favorable outcome – you don’t want to get blindsided.

Life is kind of like the role of QB – you do the work, you prep, you plan, you run different plays and when done properly you can have a winning season.  But even with the offensive tackle protecting the QB and even with the best laid plans, you can get blindsided and it hurts bad.

This afternoon we received the genetic test results from Will’s bone marrow and learned that he does, indeed, need a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT).  Due to the genetic abnormalities present a BMT is simply the best and only route to cure Will’s AML and prevent a relapse in the future.  It was the toughest conversation we’ve ever had in our lives and, although I wouldn’t say we were blindsided, it shook us to our core.  I think we all instinctively knew this would be the case but hearing it out loud was like getting gut-punched when you’re already down.  We are going to get up, it just might take a minute….

Will has been feeling pretty well these past few days and has started to get a bit of an appetite which is so encouraging as he’s down about 14 pounds from when we arrived only a few short weeks ago.  Now if you know me, you know I’m basically chasing my boys around with green smoothies and stalks of organic broccoli but I’m now on Team Krispy Kreme, BBQ Ribs and anything else the kid will eat as each bite feels like a small victory.  And, although there was a little pit in my stomach knowing that the full results of his biopsy would eventually make their way back up to the 7th floor, I allowed myself to believe that maybe our offense was SO strong we could somehow avoid this full-body-tackle crash back into reality.

Once again, Will is displaying a quiet strength beyond his years and because of that I am able to find the hope and determination to get back onto the field and do this with him.  Step by step until we make it to the end zone.

The game plan, in broad strokes, is to bust out of here once Will’s counts recover and enjoy about a week at home until we come back and do it again and then one more time for good measure (all in all, three cycles of chemotherapy – the next two cycles will include additional bone marrow draws and spinal taps to detect any lingering signs of leukemia).  Once the docs are satisfied Will’s cancer is in remission (so to speak) he undergoes BMT.  The Transplant team will run point on the BMT side of things so I don’t as yet have much to report on the finer details such as finding a donor, etc.

In the meantime, we move through our days celebrating the games of “Sequence”, the bites of food, the opportunity for conversations that we might not otherwise have had and it’s, simply, enough.  I’m leaving the big things to the specialists here at Children’s and I will just protect the “plan” and as best I can. I continue to remind myself, my family and Will that a fumble isn’t cause for concern – it’s what happens in the last two minutes that matters and if we stay strong and focused we will come out with a “W”.

We are sending so much love your way and we thank you for continuing to keep us in your prayers and your hearts.  Be kind to one another and be tender with those who especially need it….this is the ultimate in a life lesson so please take what you need from our story because this is happening for a reason and we all need to find the grace and beauty in it.  xoxo