Journal entry by Christie Poats —
We found out on September 7th, 2023 that Tripp’s leukemia has relapsed. We are devastated to be re-starting this journey and at the age of seven, Tripp is much more aware of all that he is missing out on this time around. Tripp will receive treatment for another 2.5 years and started his new round of chemotherapy on September 18th. Unfortunately, this led to severe complications that landed Tripp in the hospital and PICU in Roanoke. Tripp’s been in the hospital since October 3rd. He developed severe mucositis that made it unbearable to eat, he became infected with MRSA at his port site which landed him in septic shock, his port had to be removed due to the infection and he developed a blood clot among many other obstacles. We made the decision to transfer Tripp to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital on October 28th to recover from these complications and re-start chemotherapy. Wyatt is staying with Tripp in Cincinnati while Christie is in Roanoke with Henley and Maxine.
Tripp has already made good progress in Cincinnati and is looking and feeling stronger. He’s had a couple of passes to leave the hospital for the afternoon and he and Wyatt were able to do some sightseeing and visit the zoo. His care team is currently working to clear some excess fluid and buildup on his lung before re-starting his chemotherapy.
Once again, we are so thankful for our family, friends and community for surrounding us with love and support.