Day 5 at Cook Children’s

Today is our fifth day at Cook Children’s Hospital. Strother has completed four days of chemotherapy. He is still struggling to breathe without laboring, so he remains on oxygen. The good news is that he has maintained his weight since we arrived, which is incredibly helpful.

He has one more day of chemo tomorrow, and depending on how his breathing progresses, we could be discharged as early as Monday. After that, he’ll have sixteen days to let the chemotherapy do its work before returning for round two (of four total).

As we continue to learn more about this process, we understand that next week will be difficult. His immune system will be at its lowest, as chemotherapy doesn’t distinguish well between healthy and unhealthy cells. Fatigue is expected while his body works to repair itself.

When he’s awake, Strother is sweet, charming, and determined to do the work it takes to get better—but he is exhausted. His body is doing its best to rest in between the constant flow of incredible professionals coming in and out day and night to care for him. As the tumor shrinks, we’re hopeful he’ll be able to rest more comfortably and continue healing.

This has been a learning process for all of us, and I truly appreciate the calls, texts, and messages of support. When he’s awake, he stays in touch with friends, family, and his new TCU crew—thank you for being there for him.

Life sometimes pivots in directions we never imagined. But we’ve got this.

With love,

Blythe