Round Two

     Last week, Sawyer finished round two of his IV therapy at CHKD to help fight his newest challenger,  the BK Virus.  Each therapy session lasts about 7 hours, but Sawyer tolerated it much better this time.

     The good news is that the first round of therapy landed a few punches on the virus.  The levels of the virus in his system are reducing.  It's not a knock out, but we are in this fight!

     The not-so-good news is that the virus has made its way into Sawyer's blood.  Although we were hoping it would not, our doctor was not surprised given the high level of the virus in his urine.

     Thanks for the continued prayer!   This puts you ringside for the knock out of BK in the near future.

    Round One

 

Sawyer's Wish

     A couple of months ago,  two volunteers from  the Make A Wish Foundation of VA, came by to interview Sawyer.  After asking him many questions about his favorite things, they ended their interview by asking him for his wish.  Sawyer responded,

"I want to have pizza with Mickey at Donald's house."

     Sawyer is getting his wish!  Make A Wish is sending Sawyer to Florida to have pizza with Mickey! They are also allowing the WHOLE family to tag along and spend a week at Make A Wish Village with passes to all of the Disney Parks, Sea World, and Universal Orlando Resort Park!!   This is an ALL expense paid trip by Make A Wish!!!

     Sawyer was giddy when he found out that his wish would be granted.  The two volunteers who interviewed him, David and Katie, recently came by to celebrate Sawyer and his wish.  They brought his favorite cake and snacks (Doritos and chocolate milk… of course!).

     It was the coolest party.  David and Katie shared all of the details regarding the upcoming trip, especially the reservation for a meal with Mickey. They also brought many gifts for Sawyer including toys and games for the plane trip and a Make A Wish t-shirt.  Sawyer slept in the t-shirt that night and it's been one of his favorites since that day. 

     We have been blown away by the thought of this incredible blessing.  It's such a big deal for our family that  I don’t think we will believe it is really happening until we get there.  Wow!

http://www.wish.org/

http://www.va.wish.org/

Round One

  
     Sawyer completed his first round of IV therapy today to knock down his newest challenger, the BK virus.  It was a long six (plus) hours, but he was able to sleep through a good portion because of a dose of Benadryl.  The Benadryl was a proactive measure to help prevent an allergic reaction to the Cidofovir and IVIG pumped into him.

Sawyer loves to save the orange fingers for last.

     Sawyer's doctor had some very encouraging news for us.  The virus has not yet entered into his blood.  They caught this virus so early that it is only in his urine and we pray it goes no further. 

     Also, his doctor was very reassuring regarding this treatment protocol.  Her protocol is much more aggressive in the treatment of BK virus than other nephrologists and she has experienced remarkable results.

        Sawyer's doctor believes this treatment will knock this virus down long enough for his immune system to take over in the coming months and keep it at bay.  Again, there is no cure, but his own body should be able to manage the virus on its own in the near future.

     Thanks for all the prayers today!  Keep'em coming!

This Has Nothing To Do With Burger King

     We found out today, through a routine urine test, that Sawyer has the BK virus. We have a lot to learn about this virus, as we just found out hours ago, but we know it can be very harmful to Sawyer's  new kidney if not treated quickly.  It appears we caught it early because they screen frequently for this virus and it was just discovered today.

     Sawyer will go through 6 hours of IV therapy in the hospital this week and again in the next two weeks. There is no cure, but the hope is to knock this virus down to the point it will not jeopardize  Sawyer's kidney.

     We appreciate your prayers regarding this virus.  Also, please pray concerning Sawyer's growth.  Sawyer should be growing with the new kidney, even a little "make up" growth.  However, this is not happening for him.  He is  below the 10th percentile in height. The doctor recently adjusted Sawyer's  steroid dosage and other tests will be performed soon. 

     Sawyer is bothered by his height especially as he sees all of his friends growing taller.   The other night he asked Karen if eating grapes would make him grow.  We hope so!