We are home! We are home!

Hi all!

GREAT NEWS! Jack is home (which  means we get Mary back too!)!

Monday afternoon, after lots of paper work, and packing up the hospital room, Jack and Mary made the drive home and were welcomed with AWESOME signs and a house beautifully decorated for Christmas. (Thanks to our fam for the signs, and great job on decorating Dad and Charlie!!)

We are so excited to have them back, and the fam all in one place together, and are now just trying to adjust to life without nurses, both their sweet personalities and genuine care for us (we miss them all already!).  Jack has been feeling ok, but still hasn't gotten back to where he was prior to getting sick as far as his mobility and speech.  We have some initial evaluations with out-patient therapists over the next week, and will determine a schedule for Jack that makes the most sense.

As far as next steps on other treatments, we will be getting another MRI just after the new year, which will help Dr. Claire and the team at CHOA determine what's next.   From our conversations with her, we are expecting that there will most likely be some kind of chemotherapy in the plan - eventually. However, we won't know until they evaluate the success of the radiation since we've been done, by comparing this MRI to those in the past.

We did learn that when she mentioned a few weeks ago to us about the 'surgery', she was not referring to a biopsy, but rather actually trying to remove a majority of the tumor.  It sounds like surgery would only be an option if the tumor was having a major negative affect on Jack's day to day life, and other medicines weren't reacting quickly enough.  At that time, Dr. Boydston, our surgeon would take a look at the MRI with Dr. Claire & other doctors and they would make a decision weighing in all the risks and benefits to every option.

We trust our team so much, and feel so blessed to have them looking out for us always.

We are so excited to spend time with friends and family this Christmas season, and to celebrate God's greatest gift to us all.

Thanks to all for continued prayers and support and love!

Be full of JOY,
April