Since our last update so much has happened!

In November of 2023 we took a long weekend off thanks to the Believe in Tomorrow Foundation and stayed at a nice house outside of Asheville. We were able to visit the Biltmore as a family-all decorated for Christmas! The kids really enjoyed it. Thanks to my new job I was able to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family  (I have often worked on this day in the past) which was a nice change for everyone. 

In December we observed the 3 year mark of Orion’s diagnosis. While this is always a sobering day for everyone, it was a good time to reflect on how far we have come. 

December also brought several performances for Elliana: one at her preschool and the other with her first on-stage Dance performance! I was very proud of her and her entire class.  It was also nice to have some extra time off around Christmas to spend time with family this year as well.

We also adopted a new kitty (given the loss of our other 2 kitties) named Gemini. She has proved to be a spunky and energetic addition to our family and gets along well with our other cat Fluffy.

In January my Mom finished her chemotherapy treatments and then shortly thereafter began her radiation treatments. She has since finished and rung the bell! We are so thankful for this positive outcome.

In February we celebrate Elliana’s 5th birthday with a Hello Kitty themed small party!

March 4th was a big day for Orion and marked his “Final Spinal” or final lumbar puncture with chemotherapy.

Over Spring Break, thanks to the Believe in Tomorrow Foundation, we had respite housing in Ocean City Maryland for a long weekend. It was very chilly! But we still had fun seeing the ocean, playing indoor mini golf, visiting the arcade and just having a small getaway. We stopped by Jamestown on our way home-I had never been! We plan to return when we have more time to take it all in.

April 1st marked Orion’s last IV chemotherapy day!

April 5th was his last steroid pill day and April 9th his last oral chemo pill (methotrexate)!

We had an extra special day on April 13th-Orion’s official end of treatment day! We had a fun day out on the town visiting the Roanoke Starcade (video game museum), Carvin’s Cove, and several restaurants-all chosen by Orion! This was also his last day to take his Mercaptopurine pill!

For the next 6 months Orion will continue to take Bactrim pills (as a prophylactic) on the weekends to help prevent a type of pneumonia that is deadly to children with Leukemia. But other than that, we are done with the daily pills! Such a relief-this was a huge source of stress-always keeping up with every pill-not missing dosages etc.

Orion’s port removal surgery has been scheduled for Friday May 3rd! We are praying for a smooth procedure and quick healing 🙏🏼

We are planning on ringing the bell on May 9th! So stay tuned for that event!

After his port heals up, he will be able to return to all normal physical activities: swimming in pools, playing in creeks and rivers, swimming in lakes. And we will no longer have to go to the ER if he spikes a fever.

He will continue to visit the clinic once a month for the next year to have blood drawn and labs completed to monitor his progress. The protocol for post treatment extends 5 years out. After 5 years with no issues, he will be deemed Cancer free!

We are so thankful for all the help and support we have received during this brutal journey.

We couldn’t have done it without you!

We are slowly beginning to approach a time in which I am hopeful some processing and healing can occur.

Thanks to everyone!

Many blessings,

Vanessa, Bobby, Orion and Elliana