Brayden's Good News

Today is a celebratory day! I don't know where to begin as the days have really run together and seems like it's been weeks that we're here. First, my sweet Circle of Friends have convinced me to do a blog and help keep all those who are lifting up Brayden in prayer informed of his status. I've been taking pictures today to help document his journey and this experience and can hopefully share those here soon. So I hope this blog is a testimony of the miracle we are already seeing in Brayden's journey through this disease. I hope it's a reminder of God's love and faithfulness. I hope it will show our sweet boy how many people care about him and are praying for him. I hope it encourages others and this situation can be used for good in someone else's life to remind them God is always there.

So where to begin? I'll start with thank you. Thank you, Lord for all of your comfort and peace to Brayden during these very tough 3 days. Thank you for literally carrying Bryan and I through this because we know it isn't for any other reason that we're able to walk and speak and love and praise through this than for Your Hands holding us and shouldering the burden for us. Thank you to our family for literally dropping it all and running to be by our side. Watching you suffer for us was so tough sometimes!! Thank you to all our friends for being there and encouraging us and reminding us what friendship means and for forcing us to accept help! Thank you to all those we work with now or have in the past for your support in many ways. We've been blessed to work with and for some great people. Thank you to ACA. What a feeling for a mom to be comforted in knowing THIS is why we love this school and are so happy Brayden has been there since Kindergarten. Teaching him about the love of Jesus and how to pray and to be those Christ-like examples for him in all the awesome staff there. So that in this difficult time, he is girded with truth and knows God has His hand on him. And wow, his teachers and fellow students and faculty are praying for him!! And thank you to each and every one of you that we don't even know and haven't yet met who are sending words of love and encouragement our way, prayers our way, and lifting up Brayden. Wow...we are literally overwhelmed.
It will take me days to get trough the thank you's, especially after today. I'm going to do a separate entry for how we got here. For now, I'll give a recap of today's good news.

The success rate of his treatment regimen is 75%. We won't have surgeries specifically for the tumor(s; the chemo will attack and break them up. In Brayden's translation, blast them like the Death Star. (To say he's a Star Wars fan is an understatement!) So chemo began Wednesday, April 22nd at 3:00. Today, by noon, we heard from his wonderful Dr. that the tumor in his chest wall had shrunk by 50% and decreased 15% in mass. His white blood cell count dropped in half. Just yesterday, both the size of the tumor and white blood cell count had doubled in size in on day. To have them cut back so quick is AWESOME!! His chest tube drainage has decreased drastically and the fluid drainage from it off his lungs is back to normal. SO! He might get to have the chest tube out tomorrow and get to upgrade from the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) to the clinic area with the other kiddos fighting cancer. Hearing his Dr. say he couldn't have done any bettr and that he's gone from being the sickest kiddo here to the healthiest in the PICU was both exciting and alarming. Bryan and I really had no idea how bad it truly was. We are so thankful for these answers to prayer! We know there is still a long road ahead and are so knowing how miraculous these first few victories are.
They are still testing his blood every 6hrs and watching every vital and stat closely. His kidneys and liver are doing great which is critical since the chemo and breakdown of the tumor can sometimes attack them and cause secondary issues to treat.

Gotta get some rest. I will work to post more of the back-story of how we got here and more of sweet Brayden's awesome spirit and energy. Quote of the day: "YUM!" With eyes closed and great savoring over eating his first solid food since lunch on Monday - scrambled eggs, which are his favorite. Mom didn't bother to ask if the hospital's eggs are better than mine at home!