Out of the hospital!

So, the big news is that Jonah was released from the hospital yesterday evening. His doctor was not terribly concerned about his ANC so long as he stays away from public places and sick people for the time being. He has an appointment with his oncologist on Friday, so we will find out then if he is safe to go out a bit. We are enjoying Jonah's first day out of the hospital at a beautiful home on Lake Couer d'Alene owned by some friends from our church. What a huge blessing this place is. It will be hard to go home after being spoiled like this! The view and the house are both lovely. Jonah was nervous about leaving the reassuring safety of the hospital, but as soon as we arrived here he forgot all about his fears and started excitedly exploring every room.

Jonah was able to walk down to the dock this morning and dangle his feet in the lake. No swimming for him until his PICC line is replaced by a port at the end of the month, but the fresh air and the proximity to the water have had him smiling. And, as some wise man once said, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." From where I am sitting I can see the lights of Coeur d'Alene and the resort in the distance, and we are sharing the neighborhood with deer and and red winged blackbirds and blue herons. 

Jonah, who loves to spend time in the kitchen, got to help me make some beef stir fry for dinner tonight--another big boost to his spirits. While we are stuck so far from home, he might as well hone his culinary skills, right? By the end of this ordeal, I hope to have a fully fledged sous-chef around the house.

Next, we will need to bring our piano keyboard up here so that he can start practicing again, and I need to learn a thing or two about being a homeschool mom. In a place like this it will be all too easy to feel like we're on vacation and to forget that this boy has some work to do!

So far Jonah has felt fine today in spite of yesterday's dose of chemo. This is great news, since I have not had to give him any anti-nausea or pain medications at all since we left the hospital. I am more than happy to eliminate any unnecessary drugs from his medication-saturated body, so I would be grateful for your prayers that this will continue. And please keep praying for his ANC to recover. My dad is turning 60 next week, so, although some of our other kids have had colds,  we'd love to be able to have the whole family together to celebrate. We have much to celebrate already.

Some of you have asked how you can help from a distance. We have had countless immediate needs already met by many of you, so thank you. But if you are looking for addtional info, a friend of ours has created a web site for us that should have all the pertinent news about Jonah and links to additional ways to help: www.helpjonah.com. We are grateful for all your ongoing prayers and support.