Genetics Results & 3 Month Follow-up

March has gone super fast. Jeff went back to work at the beginning of March at full time but fewer cases and clinic patients.  He's worked his way up to more each week and doing well with it. The kids and I have readjusted, finished up great seasons of hockey, and now have been enjoying some fun company of family and friends from up north who came to enjoy some warmth and sunshine!

We also received our results of the genetic testing. We decided to do the most extensive one we could do for the sake of our kids, especially given we already had the situation with Ezra as well. We were warned that many of the things tested have not yet had much research done so don't be alarmed if they come back off but we don't have enough information on them to do anything more with it but wait for more research to be done. We were totally okay with that because if it ever came to pertaining to the kids after the research was done they would call us which is what we wanted. However, out of a huge panel of tests NONE of them came back abnormal. Once again we are so thankful and on our knees giving thanks for this. We know better then to think anything is 100% though so we had an appointment with the pediatrician who was completely on board with us getting a referral for a pediatric nephrologist (children's kidney doctor) which will happen in July to determine what would be best for next steps as far as if and when we should get any imaging (ultrasound, CT, etc) done for the kids to confirm they don't have any abnormalities in their kidneys. They for sure will get a full work up in their late 20s but we want to make a plan for the more seeable future. For now though we are grateful there wasn't anything immediately alarming. I didn't know how hard it was for me to breath with that next step weighing over top of me until after receiving that call that all was clear. An immediate weight lifted off knowing nothing in the imminent future needed to be taken action on for their sake as of now. Quite honestly I wasn't sure how much more my mama's heart could burden with that thought either. But again we continue to move forward with gratefulness and open palms, even when it comes to our sweet kiddos. 

Now for the 3 month check-up... Jeff had labs done, his CT scan, and chest x-ray. That 3 months came up extremely fast! We are very happy to report that all things came back clear of cancer. The plan is to do it all again in another 3 months. In the meanwhile we are learning how to move forward ourselves with the new reality and perspective on life. 

These last few months have truly been a roller coaster of emotions that have involved joy, guilt, happiness, pain, and gratitude. I could go on and on naming the emotions but the truth of the matter is there is no growth in life without sorting through the emotions that come with it. I am ridden with extreme joy of the miracle to be where we are with no cancer or treatments showing up or needed right now. With that comes guilt knowing that not everyone's path is the same way and we have a complete and real understanding with how close we were to this looking so different right now. We've been on the side where prayers have been answered but not by how we asked specifically so I think the awareness of that and the pain that can come with that is very raw inside of us. I often feel like we are building and climbing up stairs one at a time. First comes the building of the stairstep which requires increasing our faith as we build. As that gets done we take that step of faith to the top of it and find gratitude that we got there but not without simultaneously preparing and building the next stair of faith causing all the emotions that comes with faith building and gratitude having to go simultaneously together. We are eternally grateful for our community of family, friends, and strangers near and afar to build and climb up the staircase together. 

Jeff was asked to do what our church calls a God Story a couple of weeks ago.  It was shown in church last week so I posted the link below if anyone is interested...you'll see his handsome face around the 1 hour mark. :) I have always been incredibly proud to call Jeff my husband and the father of our kids but with each trial in life that feeling goes deeper and deeper. There is nothing that compares to or is harder than going through the ups and downs together in the trenches and on the mountain tops with whatever number of days we are fortunate enough to have together here on Earth.  

https://vimeo.com/697956483?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=9623205

We continue to be humbled and thankful for the amount of support and prayers from all of you.  We wish all of you a very Happy Easter as we go celebrate with hope and thankfulness that there is so much more beyond where we are today.