Knox Knocks Cancer

Knox Update - We had a great weekend...Jessi and the kiddos were able to come visit and left earlier today...it wasn't normal, but it was good as we celebrated Knox's 10th birthday on Friday and Jadon's 18th birthday on Sunday...We miss them already!! Looking ahead, we have about 2 weeks left...tomorrow is the next follow up with bloodwork/labs and we expect that will continue to show good results as it has so far...next week, however, is the first big test of how these T Cells are doing...Knox will have a bone marrow aspiration to see if there's any Leukemia (expecting that be negative since it has been for a while now), but we will also find out if there are any B cells present which is an indicator of how the T cells are working...other than this, life here is pretty uneventful as we wait, work, get started with some school work, and enjoy being with each other... Praise the LORD for continuing to meet our every need and so much more...for our family being together ...

Happy Birthday Knox!! So glad the family could make it to celebrate Knox's turning 10!! This has definitely been his biggest birthday wish! Thank you to everyone who has flooded our mailbox with birthday cards and gifts...he is loved for sure!! He got to see his class today over Zoom and they sang to him as well as Mrs. Haley's K class! The cards, the giftcards, the legos, the messages...it's all so sweet!! Knox and Dad had a J-day as we ran errands to prep for the fam to come (basically that means, get a lot of food!)...then he's enjoyed time at the pool and playing with his brothers and sisters...we praise the Lord for His goodness

Knox Update - I'm thankful to report that Knox is enjoying his family (minus one) this weekend...they have visited for a few days and Knox was both excited for them to get here and has been clearly enjoying their presence...Knox started to get over his fevers on Tuesday and was allowed to leave the hospital late Wednesday afternoon...we got back to the apartment and enjoyed the comfort of being out of the hospital room...we made a clinic visit on Friday for blood work and we are thankful his counts are looking pretty good for now...the hospital staff was so noticeably sweet and kind...we were blessed to have the same nurse for three days in a row, which certainly makes a difference...it's amazing how quickly a face becomes familiar and how nice that is...it seems that Knox is on the other side of having side effects that would require hospitalization...we will have clinic visits ahead, but for now we are just in the time where the T cells are growing, dividing, and attacking......

**Monday Update** - Knox is in a room and will likely be here for a few days...there's nothing out of the ordinary for what happens after receiving T-cells...he's still running a fever (again, not really an issue other than the way he feels) and is mostly sleeping (probably hasn't been up 30 min total yet today)...thanks for praying and we look forward to getting through this part of it!!

Quick update - Knox has been feeling fine and normal until today...he started with mild headaches this morning and those have continued...tonight he spiked a fever so we are now at the hospital getting checked out and started on the protocol for this situation...he’ll be admitted and likely here for a couple of days...while this is part of the process and to be expected, it’s still unnerving...we are thankful to be here and to have him taken care of...pray we trust the LORD and Knox will be settled and comforted

Knox Update (T Cell Day!!) - about 45 min ago, Knox received his T cells...first, we commit them to the LORD and pray he will direct each one to find and destroy every Leukemia cell...as far as the administration of the treatment, it was pretty uneventful, but definitely the climax of our Philadelphia journey...keep praying for Knox and for these T cells to multiply and work effectively...now we look for acute side effects (mainly fevers) and alert the team if that happens...these side effects are common and normal, so we'd expect to have some...Knox really hasn't been up or down...I can tell he's excited, but he mostly sticks to his typically neutral demeanor when it comes to being in clinics and receiving treatment...lots of Fortnite Like Comment Share

Knox Update (CHOP day 7) - After a week of being here, we are a bit settled in some ways, but some of the "unrest" remains. Knox does not like being in the city and does not care for the sirens outside the window that seem to pass somewhat regularly. He does not like having to drive through the city as we go back and forth to the clinic/hospital. I remind him that we are in a decent part of the city and we are okay. I'm not sure he's convinced yet. We will actually be moving later this week to a new location. This week is the week we've been waiting for. Tuesday is infusion day when Knox will get his own T cells that were collected back in May. They have been engineered to recognize a protein on the surface of his leukemia cells and will soon be circulating in his body to start hunting them down. Please be praying that they will be able to locate and destroy every last leukemia cell left. I've attached a guide of sorts in case you want to save, print...