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Here’s the latest update from Tim…

Jordan is in remission.  It’s such good news.  For a couple of reasons.  Firstly, it means he can come off of the steroids.  Which is REALLY, REALLY good news.  The steroids have apparently been giving Jordan more trouble than the chemo lately.  They’ve been making him feel hungry, even when he’s overfull, so he’s been eating and eating and his tummy has been distended.  The steroids make his bones hurt, especially his legs, so he fusses with pain, and can’t walk or move around much.  And they mess with his personality, making him agitated and short-tempered.  So coming off the steroids means Jordan gets to become himself again.  Secondly, the remission means that Jordan also gets a few days off from the chemo.  The break will give his body a chance to recuperate a bit, get his blood counts back up, and recover some immunity…before it gets knocked out again.  More on that in a bit…

Jordan came through his bone marrow extraction procedure really well, and as usual, is generally just being a trooper.  In order to be considered “in remission,” Jordan’s blast cell percentage needed to be 5% or less.  The initial tests on his blood and bone marrow showed that his blast percentage was 0%.  That doesn’t mean that there are no blast cells at all – it just means that less than 1% of his white blood cells are blast cells.  That’s really great.

More tests on his bone marrow are being done this week – some of them take a little more time.  The tests that are being done will reveal whether Jordan is a “Category 1.”  If he is, it will be even better news, as it will mean that Jordan really is fighting the cancer well, and that the chances of the cancer coming back are minimal.  If he is a Category 2 or higher, it’s still not bad news.  But each number up means a slightly higher risk of the cancer returning.  It has already been shown that Jordan has a genetic advantage in fighting the cancer – genetically speaking, his body is adept at responding to the chemo treatments and beating the cancer back.  I’ll let you know as soon as I hear the results of this latest test.

Regarding Jordan’s immunity…
In a week or so, Jordan’s next round of chemo will start.  It’s apparently the toughest round of chemo he will face.  Now that he’s in remission, they need to keep him that way.  So, the next round is extremely aggressive to make sure the cancer doesn’t have even the remotest chance of getting a foothold again (even if he is a Category 1).  This means that his immunity will be completely knocked out.  This is usually the phase where kids end up back in the hospital.  They scrape a knee, and it just won’t heal, or they catch the tiniest bug, and it becomes a life-threatening infection…because the chemo doesn’t just kill the bad cells.  I’m told that the worst of it – due to Jordan’s chemo schedule – may happen around Christmas-time.

So – prayers:

• Pray that Jordan really is a Category 1 – the ideal genetic makeup and body type to tolerate the chemo and keep the cancer at bay.
• Pray that the next few days, as Jordan is freed from the steroids and gets a break from the chemo, that his body will recuperate quickly and fully and be heartily strengthened.
• Pray that the next round of chemo will go easy on him, that the side effects will be minimized, that his immunity will miraculously remain strong, and that he will continue to be protected from accidents, illnesses, and infections throughout his treatment.
• Pray that Jordan’s suffering will not peak or increase around Christmas, and that Christmas will be a time of rest and joy for the Shahbaz family.
• Pray that the doctors will continue to have wisdom in treating Jordan.
• Pray for Phil and Amy, for ongoing strength and peace.  Pray for perfect health for both of them.  Pray that their finances would continue to be supernaturally sound.
• Pray for Jonah, Jeremiah, and Cedar, that they will continue to find gentleness, patience, affection, and love for Jordan, that they will help him play and feel normal, and that they will feel loved and cared for and never envious of the attention Jordan receives.
• Pray for all the friends and family surrounding the Shahbaz family, those that are in and around Phil, Amy, and the kids, and those that, due to the quarantine, can’t be there in person, but are delivering food and other support and encouragement, that they will continue to have wisdom to know how to help, and strength to keep helping.
• Pray that we will all continue to know how to pray to uphold this precious boy and this beautiful family.

Much love and big hugs to you all.

Don’t have all the details yet – I’ll share them as I get them. I do know that Jordan’s tests today showed that his cancer is in remission.

So, you know. Prayer works. Hallelujah.

But he’s not out of the woods yet. He has to stay in remission, and continue doing chemo, for 3 more years. And we all need to keep praying him through it.

Stay tuned. I’m getting a full update tomorrow, and will share as soon as I can.