This week has been a rollercoaster. Gavin had an amazing time with family and swimming in his “pool”. Tuesday night was awful and seeing the symptoms progress is a nightmare. This whole situation is a nightmare. On Wednesday Gavin had a very hard time and was barely able to make it through radiation. He was nauseous and scared he was going to vomit and was just not feeling well. Ironically enough with a little peppermint oil on his upper lip and a 2x2 gauze taped to his mask he made it it through is treatment. He says the smell of radiation is starting to make him gag, so peppermint oil is now his new go to for keeping the smell at bay and tolerable. Thursday was our appt at make a wish. Gavin was very emotional at this appt as he has watched other kids on YouTube who made wishes and he thinks it’s for kids who are going to die soon. We tried to explain that it’s for a lot of kids with illnesses or to help kids find joy that are not feeling well. He is a smart kid so I know that he was probably fighting some of his own personal thoughts. Tim, Jeanette, and I as well as the make a wish granter were having a hard time keeping it together especially when Gavin wished to be a “make-a-wish worker to talk to kids and grant their wishes”. The tears began from the moment we walked in the door and Gavin says “I’m going to work here when I grow up”. That whole experience was beautiful but heartbreaking as I never imagined I would ever be in that facility or witnessing my child making a wish. As my tears are streaming I am having a hard time reliving this moment as I write this. Gavin’s breathing is doing a little better though he is still having a difficult time swallowing, chewing and his facial paralysis still remains. We also had a scare because the tissue that was taken for his biopsy was never sent to UCSF for the 500 study (molecular testing) to see if he is a candidate for the vaccine study. So after speaking the Nero surgeon he think that the tissue is still viable and being held at the hospital where his biopsy was performed. UCSF actually asked us to perform the biopsy again so that was another road block we have also been fighting this week. I want to thank all of you for all of your prayers and donations for him through his go fund me, the dinners, the visits and everything you all are doing for our family. I wanted to share with you all that I just found out yesterday that I qualify for short term disability through my job and this is a new policy as of January 2018. So I will be able to be at home with Gavin at least until September. You can’t tell me this isn’t the work of god. Though I pray and beg for him to heal Gavin I also see so many blessings and his hand in all of this. I am fighting to keep my faith in him and trust him with the most precious possession that I have. My love for my children is unexplainable. The depths that I have taken to protect them from this cruel world has now been taken out of my hands and I have no choice but to fall to my knees and surrender. So as I have said and will say a million times, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONSTANT PRAYERS AND THE BLESSINGS YOU HAVE GIVEN TO OUR FAMILY. I wish I could give back 10 times to each of you to show how much I appreciate it all. None of you will ever really know how grateful we are for your kindness, love, and prayers for our family. I truly love each of you and am so thankful you all are in our lives. #Gavinstrong