Libby Update July 17th

Here is the update from Nijay on Libby from earlier today, keep praying...

Quick Update: We had a long meeting with the oncologists and it was mostly encouraging news.
1. She has Pre-B ALL, which has a high rate of success for chemotherapy and full recovery.
2. She is at a very good age for recovery. 
3. She has had no fever for a couple of days, which is surprisingly rare and very positive
4. She responded well to the first dose of chemo that went into her spinal fluid
5. She is walking, talking, smiling, laughing, and playing almost normally (a bit grumpy, but she is always hooked up to an IV with a rolling pole)
6. This hospital (CHOP) is ranked #1 for pediatric cancer in the entire nation (Seattle Children's is #7) - God brought us from Seattle to Philly to save Libby's life (?)

The only tricky part is that they are not absolutely sure there is no leukemia around her brain. The test today showed a small amount of leukemia in the sample of spinal fluid they took. However, they also found red blood cells in the sample, which came from tissue. The leukemia found in the sample may have come exclusively from the red cells from the tissue and not the spinal fluid. It is simply not determinable.

They will do another spinal fluid test soon which (hopefully) will tell us definitively. Our attending oncologist, based on the test today, thinks that the next test will not show any leukemia near the brain. We are hopeful, but we just have to wait. This is a MAJOR concern for prayer because if there is NO leukemia near her brain, they will almost certainly avoid radiation therapy.

God has been good to us. We want to thank the scores of you who have reached out to us. We feel loved and blessed in this tough time.