Pressing On

Surviving. That's how I'd describe the last couple of weeks. Picking up one foot and placing it in front of the other, not looking back, and not looking too far ahead either...that's been my survival tactic.

The prep for the actual bone marrow transplant is designed to be so rigorous and exhausting that I believe part of the mission is to push the families to the point where they say, "Enough already! Let's just get this thing started!" Of course, the other mission of all this testing is to check out every single aspect of the patient, big and small, so that there are absolutely no surprises when the transplant process begins. By next week, the transplant team will know absolutely everything medically possible that they could know about Avery Weston Hoskins!

There have been a few additions to the typical testing along the way. As is his style, Avery can't just do anything by the book; he has to be more complicated. So the first addition is a surgery this Thursday to remove his mediport and place a central line instead. For some reason, his port has migrated so that it is touching the side of his heart. The docs are concerned that it could cause an arrhythmia if not removed ASAP. The second addition is another surgery next week that the ENT felt was necessary considering Avery's swallowing issues. So, they're doing a triple scope (bronchoscopy, laryngoscopy, and endoscopy) and taking some biopsies, washings from the lungs, and placing some sort of probe. Both of these procedures will require staying overnight at the hospital and be somewhat painful. The donor has been activated, and if he/she is willing to donate, our doctor would like to admit Avery to the transplant unit the week of October 10th, and begin his preparative regimen of chemotherapy and immune suppressants.

I don't like living in survival mode. I feel like when I'm there, I don't take time to enjoy life. With the transplant looming ahead, we have been trying to break out of our routines to make some memories and have some quality time. Last weekend, we made a quick trip to Indiana, which may be the last of our family trips for a while. We've been trying to do some "ordinary" things that we've been too busy to work in recently, like going out for ice cream or a family trip to the park on a nice evening. We've been spending some extra time before bed with all five of us piled into our king size bed cuddling and talking.

We did take time to capture Emerson's first bath with her brothers. Avery loves his bath time, and he thinks the more the merrier!


Avery thinks his big brother hung the moon! Bryson says Avery is his best friend. A couple of mornings ago, he said, "I think Avery had a bad dream last night. He rolled on my side of the bed and laid on my belly, so I just let him sleep on my belly so he wouldn't be scared." Here they are wrestling, which of course, Avery thoroughly enjoyed.


It's easy to get discouraged and feel overwhelmed. But just when I think I've had all I can take, I remember how many people all over the country are sending up prayers for Avery. His name must be echoing in Heaven, and I know that God is mindful of us. I've had some sleepless nights lately that have driven me to my knees, which is probably where I need to be more often. In my times of prayer, God has been so close, and I get up feeling like maybe I CAN do this!



We went to church the other night, and Bro. Bennie preached a sermon about "One Thing" that matters. He talked about this race not being one of speed but of endurance. His main theme was about pressing our way to Heaven. It's not always easy, but when you get rid of all the distractions, it's all that really matters. I felt like that sermon was applicable to me in more than just one way. Pressing on and having patience and endurance is what is going to get me through this huge ordeal for our family and also get me through this life. I just have to keep my eyes fixed on the prize!

I don't want to fail to say THANK YOU to all of you who pray for our little Avery. We sincerely appreciate them!

Love to all,
Bethany