Induction Complete – Week 4 of 4 & Further Testing

The final week of re-induction was very low key and that is exactly what you want when you are in the hospital. “Boring is Good” is a quote one of the attending oncologists says and it is very true. Brax had her last chemo of this block and all went well.

Brax & Bry – Sister Time in Hospital

They continued to keep her on IV antibiotics to help keep her from developing an infection with her blood counts being so low. She felt pretty good for the most part and was able to get in several walks around Unit 5 and a couple sessions of PT. Trimester #2 started at school and Brax started up a few of her classes after taking the first few weeks of treatment off to focus on her health.  After the 4 week treatment plan for Block 1 was complete it was time for her big day of testing. All went well with her bone marrow biopsy and diagnostic lumbar puncture. The team in the hospital and her personal team both thought it was safe for her to go home and wait for results. After 30 days of being inpatient Brax was so excited to go home and sleep in her own bed and see her puppies.

The Boys! Ranger on left, Riggins on right.

She enjoyed a few days at home before going into clinic on Friday for labs/exam. The results from her tests on Tuesday were all negative for leukemia, but with having so few white blood cells present our team decided they wanted to repeat the bone marrow biopsy on 12/23 so she would have more cells available to give the most accurate results. We also learned that Brax’s leukemia may have a genetic factor that could change the course of her treatment. The bone marrow with cancer that was originally collected on November 9th was sent away for special testing. Once the genetic results and the results from the upcoming biopsy are back our team will create a treatment plan for Brax. We are hopeful to have results back around the end of the month and move forward with a plan in early January. We had a very nice Christmas and we’re all very thankful that we could be home and together.  The day after Christmas we received the great news that the second bone marrow biopsy confirmed that Brax was negative for leukemia. We are still waiting on the genetic results since they will play a major role in her treatment plan moving forward, but to have her in remission after the first month is a big WIN. We will be going inpatient once again on 12/30 and continuing moving through Block 2 of the chemo path for now. We will continue to wait patiently while Brax’s team gathers all the information they can before deciding on the best plan to cure her for good. Hoping everyone had a Merry Christmas wishing everyone a Happy New Year! We are happy (and Thankful) to be moving into 2023 cancer free, albeit the treatment path uncertain, we have the best team around.

Brax & TB Bear on the way out!

Induction – Week 3 of 4

Week #3 began with starting a 5 day steroid pulse and IV chemo. She had a great session of PT before her treatment and she said it felt good to get in a workout even though it was challenging.

Wednesday was the last day for TB1F’s month long “Give to the Brax” campaign. With Carousel Motor Group matching funds up to $25,000 she was able to raise $43, 527! Thanks to everyone who made donations, big or small, during the month of November – every dollar counts! A HUGE thank you to CMG for their generous support!

Thursday she had her second IV chemo of the week and one of her least favorites overall. She did well, but was extremely tired for the remainder of the day.

Friday she still wasn’t feeling very good but agreed to do a quick interview with Fox 9 news on “My Cause My Cleats”. Minnesota native and former Gopher Blake Cashman decided to rep Brax & TB1Fund this year. Brax was so honored and excited about being a part of this big week of giving back in the NFL. “My Cause My Cleats” is a way for NFL players to pick a cause that is important to them and represent the organization on custom designed cleats. Thanks so much Blake for choosing Brax & TB1F! Check out the segment on FOX 9 below.

Saturday she was still tired but it was her last day of steroids for block 1 of treatment. She forced herself to get a session of PT in and of course felt better afterwards. Grandma Judy took over so we could go watch Brylee’s first gymnastics meet of the season – Peppermint Twist proudly hosted by TCT. Brax enjoyed looking up scores and receiving videos of different routines. Bry did great for her first full Level 7 meet with bars being her favorite event of the meet and her team took home 1st place! Brax was so proud of her sister and all of her teammates for doing so well.

Sunday was a pretty low key day of watching football and the “My Cause My Cleats” campaign.

Monday was the last day of week 3 and her hair is finally starting to fall out, but she still has a majority of it. It is hard to believe that we have been here for 3 weeks – it seems longer & shorter at the same time. Her final week of treatment in block 1 has only 1 chemo and then we wait for December 13th. She will resume school this week and try to get in a few more sessions of PT. We are hopeful that we will be home for Christmas, but also know that you never know what will happen in the world of cancer treatment.

Thanks for everyone’s continued prayers and support! We have a long road ahead of us again, but we are confident that 2X will be the last X.

If you have time, check out some of the well wishes from NCAA Gymnastics programs around the country on our Fun Stuff page – thank you everyone!!