More news on Jonah: 8/27/12

Today was the first day of school for Jude and Paul, so Jayson and I were grateful for the opportunity to be home for the big day. Asaph will start pre-school tomorrow, so we plan to be here for his first morning as well, but we will head back to Spokane to spend Tuesday with Jonah at the hospital, as it is likely to be a rough day for him.

Jonah's fever subsided on Saturday afternoon, and he seemed to have improved on Sunday and was able to eat a little and to rest. He continued to be tired and dizzy throughout the day, however. Jayson's mom and brother went to stay with him last night so that we could come home. This morning Jonah was able to get out of bed and walk around for the first time in three days, but after a short stroll around the floor he was exhausted, and his nausea and vomiting returned for a while this afternoon.

Tomorrow around noon, Jonah is scheduled for another round of chemo and another lumbar puncture and spinal tap requiring him to go under anesthesia. We are also likely to find out the results of his bone marrow analysis tomorrow or Wednesday.

In addition, we are in the process of registering a second car (an extraordinary gift from our church family) so that we will have transportation both here and in Spokane. We will also be getting another cell phone soon—another thing we had never really needed living in our little town. We are also still hoping to find a housing arrangement for the next few months that will allow Jonah to live near the hospital and where the whole family can be together on weekends.

Thank you again for everything you have blessed us with—the meals, the rides, the housework, the cards, the gifts, and everything else that has helped carry us through this most difficult week of our lives. And thank you, always and especially, for your prayers.

Here are the specific prayer requests we have right now; please pray for

• Skill and wisdom for the doctors and nurses entrusted with Jonah's care.
• Relief from Jonah's nausea, discomfort, and fatigue.
• Quick and thorough effectiveness from the chemo and other treatments.
• Favorable results from his bone marrow sample and other tests.
• Jonah to be spared from any infections or complications.
• Good health for the rest of our family, especially while Jonah's immune system is wiped out.
• Safe travels as we go back and forth between home and Spokane.
• Patience, peace, and joy throughout this trial.
• A place to stay in Spokane that would meet the various needs of our family over the next few months.
• Wisdom for the numerous decisions we must make.
• Complete healing so that Jonah has a long, fruitful, and healthy life. 
• Jonah's faith to remain steadfast. 

And, just for fun, here's a video of Jonah at age four, pretending to be Pastor Dale (our pastor in Texas), complete with "robe". A few days before Jonah's diagnosis, we watched this together and had a good laugh. Watching it again today made me smile.