First post:
Mar 20, 2018 Latest post:
Aug 31, 2019
February 18, 2018 Kirk went to the emergency room after dealing with severe left leg pain for a few days. Girls and I dropped him off thinking we would pick him up after a quick diagnosis and fix to his leg. As most of you know, this was only the beginning. Blood clots in the left leg, right shoulder and small ones in his lungs was the first diagnosis. Second diagnosis, within two hours, was that he has leukemia. On February 24, 2018 he was admitted to ICU because he woke up from a nap "not feeling right". He lost feeling in the entire left side of his body and his speech was slurred. He had a stroke. Turns out he has a blood clot in his brain, which leads (I believe) to swelling in the brain. He is immediately put on a 3% Saline drip to help decrease the swelling. On February 26th he got to move back to oncology. While back in oncology he has done a lot of physical therapy to strengthen his left side. He is making great progress in this area. Nurses have all been absolutely amazing, especially the oncology nurses. Kirk has made some new friends (: On March 6, he moved back to ICU for more swelling in his brain. This is a scary time. After 5 days he moved back to oncology. He is very relieved to be back. He already feels better! March 11 was haircut day. March 14 his oncologist let him know that he would have to stay for about 3 1/2 more weeks so that they can get his levels stable, and he can rebuild his strength. He was hoping to come home the weekend of the 17th so this was a disappointment, but he knows it's for the best. His immune system is next to nothing right now, so it's important that he stay in an environment that will keep him from getting sick. On March 15, Kirk received the best news he's heard in 3 weeks...The biopsy came back clear. This does not mean that he is cured, but it does mean he's headed in the right direction. Our understanding is these results will put him in remission, during which time, we will start exploring the stem cell transplant, as this sounds like the only way to officially cure leukemia. This will happen months down the road. Kirk has had great days since this news, his spirits are up, and his attitude is positive. Kate and Quinn visit just about everyday. Kate has fun playing with his therapy tools, and I chase Quinn around keeping her from pulling cords and tubes. We cannot thank all of you enough for your support, your visits (these really make his days not seem so long), your texts, your words of encouragement, and simply being there for us. We love you all and are so grateful to have such wonderful friends and family. Thank You.
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