Hi everyone, 

First off, sorry its been so long since our last update and thank you to all of you who have been praying for Garrett.

Since Garrett's last update we have had many ups and downs. Garrett has been fighting so very hard with this transplant, in all aspects.   As you read about his journey below,  you will feel Garrett's fighting spirit.

This transplant has been very difficult on Garrett's body and mind. His body has had trouble making his own cells due to infections and sometimes the graphs, themselves,  just struggle to produce new blood cells. Because of this, he has needed many transfusion of red blood cells and platelets. One thing I know about Garrett, is he would want me to ask all of you reading this to donate blood, if you can. 

He has also been fighting against a poor functioning liver and kidney. His bilirubin has been high for most of his transplant. This was caused by inflammation in the liver which wouldn't allow it to filter correctly.  

He has Graph Vs. Host Disease (GVHD). GVHD causes his old immune system to attack the new cells. The GVHD resulted in inflammation in his colon causing Garrett's body to become acidotic because of  the loss of too much PH. When this happened, Garrett  was moved to the ICU on January 4.  He needed to be intubated because his body was trying to get rid of the acid through his breathing which can cause damage to his lungs.  During this time, he was also put on continuous dialysis because his kidneys were not functioning properly and they need to help him get waste and fluid out of his body.  When he was taken off of intubation he had delirium, which means he was very confused about the date, where he was, and so on.  He always knew who I was and who the girls were. Delirium is common to happen after a long ICU stay and intubation. 

Garrett also contracted a very bad HSV (common cold sore virus) that ran rampant because of the high dose steroids he needed to be put on while he was in the ICU. The steroids treat GVHD.  Steroids suppress our immune system which caused the virus to take over. It spread to his nose, around his mouth and other parts of his face. 

He was moved back down to the Bone Marrow Transplant floor after he was stable and things started working better. He was working with OT and PT everyday to regain strength. He still had confusion, but that was also getting better everyday. We got Glen approved to come in on the weekends, so that I could take a break and be with the girls. It also gave Garrett a chance to have another familiar face there.  

Because so many things were going in the wrong direction, his doctors wanted to do a bone marrow biopsy and a PET scan. The results showed he was cancer free. We all cried happy tears.  GOOD!

Last Saturday, January 30, Garrett had a great day! He was up with Glen for about 4 hours talking and doing therapy.  This was a GOOD moment. 

When I came back on Monday, I could tell he was getting "foggy" again. This week his mind gradually seemed more confused and he began to get agitated.  His kidney function began to decline and he liver function hadn't improved. They believed that the agitation and fogginess in his mind was due to his poor kidney function and not being able to get the waste out. He continued to decline all week and finally on Thursday,  they decided to move him back to ICU to start him on dialysis again. He slept for most of the time we were  there and had small moments of awake time where I could say hi, give him a hug, and remind him what was happening. 

Friday morning while he was awake he was able to say hi to his mom, dad, and his sister Kasey. I felt like he was slowly getting better. The dialysis continued, but they started hitting snags with his heart rhythm and not being able to pull fluids from his body. His breathing was still okay, so they did not intubate on Friday.  Later that evening, I called the night nurse to check in and she said he was able to "give a thumbs up, wiggle his toes, and squeeze her hands", which was something he wasn't doing previously. So that gave me hope that his mind was clearing and we were getting the junk out of his body. 

Terri and Glen arrived Friday night.  Glen went in on Saturday morning. He called us almost as soon as he got there and told us they were going to intubate Garrett.  The doctors were going to wait to let us see him before they intubated. We were able to make it in time and both Terri and I could give him a hug, kiss and say everything was going to be okay. The doctors are very concerned about his condition and about how his organs are functioning. Yesterday was a very long, scary day of waiting and worrying. 

He was stable overnight and into today. They lowered his sedation today to wake him up a little. He opened his eyes, held onto Glen's hands and was able to follow some commands from the doctors. They are going to keep him on light sedation and on the ventilator until they can get him to the point of being stable on his own. 

Please continue to say prayers.