Low blood counts

We were told in the beginning of Maintenance that Olivia will be monitored closely for the first three months of this phase because this is the time when blood counts usually drop. We have been going every other week for her blood tests.

About a month and a half into maintenance, Olivia's blood counts have started to plummet again. Her hemoglobin is good and has constantly been around 10 grams per deciliter (normal is 12-14). It's her ANC that dropped significantly. From being 2,200+ for the longest time, her ANC has dropped to 736 (normal is 1,500). In the earlier stages of Olivia's treatment, this level of ANC would have been a reason to delay chemo until her ANC goes back up. But now that we are in maintenance phase, the minimum ANC to continue chemo is 500. And so her oral chemo meds at home will still continue. Since her ANC is really low, we just have to watch out for fevers since she's more prone to infection right now.

Here are some of her pictures from today's hospital visit.

I can't believe how much she has grown!

Brave girl getting finger pricked for blood test

Here she is after blood counts, exploring the doctor's office and his microscopes!

First vacation

This weekend was the first night we spent away from home in a long time! We had an overnight vacation to relax and have fun with the family.  Olivia had  quick hospital visit in the morning for chemo. A few hours later,  the nurse called and told us Olivia's blood counts were good and that she's free to go anywhere she wants!  9 months ago, I didn't think that we'll be able to spend family vacations this soon!  God is good all the time.

Olivia had so much fun! There were times that she asks to go home but we just try entertain her. It's understandable that she just misses the comforts of her own home and also because she hasn't gone away from home in a long time other than the hospital. She had a lot of energy and we're just happy to see her happy.

                                 

These are Olivia's daily chemo meds that we have to bring with us on trips. We're 1 month into the maintenance phase and we have established a pretty good routine from timing the meds and the actual preparation of it. She is on dexamethasone again for the next 5 days and so we expect her to be always hungry and cranky. Patience and understanding is key.

IPad Pizza Party

Earlier this week, Olivia got invited to an iPad pizza party sponsored by the Children's Leukemia Foundation and UPS. It was a fun day and she even got dolled up for this event! It's so nice to see so many volunteers spending time with these kids, making them happy and feel special. Each one of them received a new ipad! Thank you to the CLF foundation, UPS and their supporters! We feel blessed. 

On a sad note,  we saw someone at the party who has a close connection to Olivia. We just found out from the family that their kid was recently diagnosed too. It brought back memories of our toughest times and it makes me feel sad hearing of another family experiencing this difficult trial. Statistics say that 1 in 300 kids will be diagnosed with leukemia. The good thing is that survival rates in this day and age has increased dramatically. We are one in this fight! To the family we met, we hope that you are finding strength, patience and courage to keep going. We will beat this.