Quoted:
7/23 - first, my families deepest thanks to the many here that are rooting for and praying for Cooper.  We've learned through his bone marrow biopsy that the leukemia has returned.  If it develops as quickly as before, we won't have long with Cooper.  Curative measures are no longer an option.  Our focus now is Cooper's comfort and his remaining time with us and his two sisters, 10 & 6.  We know this summer will be his last.  Cooper has spent 5 years on this earth (twice as long as the "numbers" gave him) with us, and our new focus is maximizing what's left.  Not sure how we achieve this yet as we need to discuss options.  For now, it's spending time as a family doing the things Cooper loves.  Maybe try to find a lake cottage for a week or something.  I don't know, today is a blur and my eyeballs burn.  Today begins a day at a time I suppose.

Quoted:


Honestly, I'm more of a reader than a poster on here, but I'm in the dumps and I need the collective spirit of ARFCOM to pull me out of the gutter.  I'll go right to the tldr version (hence posting infrequency).  



My 5yo son Cooper was born with a rare disease, Fanconi Anemia.  He's rare.  Like spotted unicorn rare.  He's beat everything thrown at him from birth, defying expectations of many.  His predisposition to childhood leukemia became reality last October while on his Make-A-Wish trip.  We noticed aggressively growing swollen lymph nodes.  Treated for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia for 60 days.  Beat it.  Flew within 48hrs to Univ of MN Children's Hospital (we live in MI and UofMN is arguably the best in the world at transplanting FA kids).  Underwent bone marrow transplant.  140 days later, beat it.  100% donor engrafted, no trace of leukemia.  



3 days before his 6mo post BMT checkup, my wife discovers a mass similar to before.  We're in MN now, long day of check ups and testing.  We've learned it's not a blood clot, but will need to biopsy the node.  It's likely either viral or the leukemia has retuned (we knew this was a 50% chance).



Cooper has been doing so well that this has just taken the wind out of my sails.  He deserves many more years of life after what he's been through.  This is the most scared I've ever been of losing him, through the months-probably close to a years time-worth hospital stays, hundreds of appointments and millions of dollars of health care he's received.  He'll fight, his spirit is amazing.  Just not sure I could handle putting him through everything again.



Just need some prayers guys.  That's all really.  



ETA



7/22 - Coop pics



7/23 - first, my families deepest thanks to the many here that are rooting for and praying for Cooper.  We've learned through his bone marrow biopsy that the leukemia has returned.  If it develops as quickly as before, we won't have long with Cooper.  Curative measures are no longer an option.  Our focus now is Cooper's comfort and his remaining time with us and his two sisters, 10 & 6.  We know this summer will be his last.  Cooper has spent 5 years on this earth (twice as long as the "numbers" gave him) with us, and our new focus is maximizing what's left.  Not sure how we achieve this yet as we need to discuss options.  For now, it's spending time as a family doing the things Cooper loves.  Maybe try to find a lake cottage for a week or something.  I don't know, today is a blur and my eyeballs burn.  Today begins a day at a time I suppose.



Chemo treatment for leukemia

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i16/darreld/EA2F0552-3567-4958-A5F4-56B51EA7768F_zpso2xavilk.jpg



Bone marrow transplant

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i16/darreld/BE85B778-DAB7-4E68-B3A3-5C0FA7ECC656_zpsfnoyugfj.jpg



3 days ago

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i16/darreld/2E9A733C-B5C1-48CD-BA19-42E804176F74_zps5m5jy8jz.jpg