I know there are a lot of curious minds out there wondering what's doing with Jalon. I always like to err on the side of, "no news is good news", but I also want to know all the things, so I get it!
Jalon has "graduated" (not the best term here but technically it's true...he has moved on to the next step) from 3 month scans to 6 month scans because he is over TWO YEARS IN REMISSION!  His latest scans were earlier this week in Sioux Falls. This is always a blast because who doesn't love wrangling a teenager for a road trip to needles and scans before noon on a Sunday? Me. I don't love it. 

At this point Jalon basically runs the whole day by himself, aside from the super fun insurance questions (let's talk later about health insurance) or parent signatures.  The IV is a breeze and the scans are second nature by now; he's been known to sleep through an MRI..  I know none of it is fun for him and he'd rather be anywhere else, but he bucks up without complaint, and for that I am grateful.  

There's a woman named Carmen who works at the nuc med desk who Jalon met another lifetime ago (that's what I refer to 2020/21 as...it was another lifetime, one nobody wishes to speak of or relive). She didn't recognize him right away because he's gigantic (5'10" 😳), but when she did she came over to say hi. He loves checking in with Carmen and I love listening to their conversations. We were a little early so she told some stories and gave a very informative Spanish lesson (informative for him, I had no idea what they were saying) before he went in for injection. She dug around in her drawer and found the tiniest little duck figurine named Destiny (I can't make any of this up, I swear) and gave it to Jalon for good luck. ♡♡ While he was out she teared up a bit as she talked to me about her early memories of Jalon. She said she was so scared for him and she would pray for him everyday. She said she has some nun friends who would spend 12 hours at a time praying in the church and Jalon was on their list. She said they ask about him all the time and she's so happy to report that he's healthy. This lady is a true gem and a bright spot in the day for sure. I also think she's magical in some way so I hope she never quits working at the nuc med desk!

All scans were clear except the bonescan, which lit up around his left big toe knuckle (that feels gross to type, but you can picture it, right?!).  The area was consistent with a fracture but Jalon doesn't have any pain in that foot. Obviously the oncologist was confused, and since the MRI did not go far enough down his left side, there was no other picture to compare it to. 

For some reason the bonescan technician had not made Jalon take his shoe off, so there is a possibility that the shoe caused the light up. Dr. Murphy ended up sending him down for an xray just to double check. The xray showed nothing, so it remains a mystery (no thank you). We were just told to let them know if any pain occurs. This is the only thing I don't like about scans spread out to 6 months..waiting is for the birds.

In other news, Jalon started high school this year and is doing really great in all his classes. He's about to get his driver's license. 😬 He's gigantic, as I said before, so he's in the process of getting a new leg. He is a good big brother to Charlie (she loves her Jayin 💗). He sleeps a lot and eats a lot of candy, so pretty much your typical 14 year old kid. 

Nothing much else to report, which is good I guess!

I know you're all still out there with your thoughts and prayers and I thank you!