May 7th Update!

WOW! We can't tell you what a relief it is to get good news 3 weeks in a row!  Although, Colton's white blood cells are still low, his red blood cells and platelets are both maintaining themselves at normal levels. This is huge since he has never maintained his counts for this long and it gives us hope that his body has, and is, recovering on its own. As is always the case with white blood cells being low, we still need to be cautious of germs and will need to go to the hospital for any fevers. With that being said, we have decided to slowly start exposing him to a normal life again  -- taking him out to spend time with his cousins, friends, grandparents, etc.  He has been loving life lately, he has been able to get out and play,  and truthfully,  loves not being stuck in the house with us 24/7!  Colton actually doesn't have to go to the hospital to have his blood taken for 2 months...unless of course we notice any changes . We have been to Primary's at least every other week for the past 8 months, it will feel weird not driving up there for that amount of time!  He also doesn't have to go back into clinic for 3 months! We are so thrilled and hope his recovery continues!  We have to remember this could change at any time, but for now we are celebrating the wonderful news and looking forward to getting back to a "normal" life.

Stats From Today's Visit

• White Blood Count (WBC) - 3.9 (normal range is 6.0 to 17.0)
• Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) - .2 (normal range is above 1.5)
• Platelets - 324 (normal range is 150 to 400)
• Hemoglobin (HGB) - 11.9 (normal range is 11.5 to 13.5)
• Hematocrit (HCT) - 34.3 (normal range is 34.0 to 40.0)
• Red Blood Count (RBC) - 4.63 (normal range is 3.9 to 5.3)

Although Ryan is the   best Phlebotomist, we are so happy we don't have to see him for 2 months!

Showing off his poke

This is Dr. Staddon - he has been with us since the beginning and is an amazing hematology/oncology doctor!  Unfortunately, this was our last visit with him, as his fellowship has ended and he will now be an attending physician in Michigan. We are so grateful for all time and research he has put into Colton.