We are happy to report that Davis has been doing great since finishing up his treatment on August 13th.  On August 21st, he had a final bone marrow biopsy which came back clear of any leukemia cells.  And, on Monday, August 26th his blood tests showed that his platelets were finally high enough for him to fly on Wednesday, Aug 30th, to go back east to school.  Whew!  

Jeff, Davis and I flew out to Philadelphia, and over the next few days had dinner with the extended Warren family, moved him into his Peddie School dorm, met his new doctor and care team at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and attended some of the Peddie orientation sessions for parents.  It was a whirlwind.  Of course, you can imagine how hard it was to have to give him a hug, say goodbye and walk away.  Many of you with kids in college have done this, so you know how hard it is.  

We will miss him dearly, but we are so incredibly happy for him to be done with treatment and moving on to a new chapter.  And, we had to temper our fears of having him so far away and needing to go in for monthly check-ups with his CHOP care team.

Classes started on September 2nd and he has acclimated well.  He seems to be enjoying his coursework and the Peddie social scene, while working hard to regain his strength and conditioning.  To Davis’ credit, his hospital “workout” routine of twice daily walks, daily stationary bike rides, and some basic core work, provided a good base.  Since being out of the hospital, he has remained committed to putting in the work to get back in shape with a goal of playing this season.  Peddie's pediatrician, athletic trainer, strength and conditioning team and football staff have been invaluable in leading him safely through his reconditioning.

On September 20, Jeff was back in Philadelphia to take Davis to his second follow-up with Dr. Aplenc and a full cardio assessment by a pediatric cardiologist at CHOP.  Thankfully, his white and red blood cells were at normal levels and his platelets were close to normal.  And, his cardiac function was excellent.  So, they cleared him for all activity!  Great news, except now he was itching to play football.  Yikes!  

We’ve spent the last few weeks getting comfortable with this and he has been spending more time working out with the strength staff and football team.  After much discussion with some outside experts here in LA who have reviewed his progress, we are comfortable that he is strong enough and ready to play.  He will play in Peddie’s game tomorrow vs The Hill School and is very excited.  We will be glued to the live feed, watching and cheering him on.  

As I am writing this, Kelsey just called after meeting up with Davis for lunch while he was in Philadelphia on a school field trip.  She met some of his school friends and said he is in a great space...happy and excited about the upcoming game.  He said classes are hard, but he is getting better at navigating all of it.  He told her he has to pinch himself sometimes because he just can’t believe how blessed he is.  It warms our hearts to see them getting even closer, now that they are on the same coast, 3,000 miles from home.  

Davis has been through so much since March 22. We are so proud of him to have reached his goal to play again, eternally grateful for all of the support for our family and feeling truly blessed.

💗💗Team Warren