Round 16/Round 1

Shake Shack smiles. *Not sponsored.

Our new plan is in place and in action. Charlotte started a different course of chemotherapy on Tuesday - ifosfamide & etoposide. There were other options available, but this combination is the standard second-line therapy and what Dr. Brittany recommended for Charlotte. It would require a longer stay at Hotel SCH, as it involved five doses total, administered every 20 hours.

Quick rooftop visit for the views & gazebo Christmas lights.

We were happy (and surprised) to see things start relatively soon after our arrival on Tuesday. While they started Charlotte with hydration, as they always have, it was for a shorter period of time than we had seen before. There also weren't any requirements for urine output, so once the hydration was finished, chemo could get underway. After her pre-medications, she was given a one-hour infusion of etoposide, a fifteen-minute infusion of Mesna (a bladder protectant), followed by a one-hour infusion of ifosfamide. The final piece was more Mesna, which ran over the course of sixteen hours. Charlotte did this song & dance a total of five times. In the past, the most she had received was two doses of chemo during an admission. We were keeping our fingers crossed that our usual anti-nausea regimen would keep her comfortable.

All things considered, she seemed to tolerate this cocktail well. No major nausea or discomfort, but she was visibly exhausted. Not a lot of conversation happened in our room, unless it was Connor or I cracking jokes to our nurses. Despite her fatigue, it didn't stop Charlotte from participating in events around the hospital. She went to school each day, sketched with the art therapist, built Lego, made slime, visited with Scarlett the dog, met dancers from PNB's "The Nutcracker," joined a Zoom call for a tour of WildLanterns at Woodland Park Zoo, and even had a movie night with her friend.

Even with a generally mild reaction, Charlotte was ready to head home immediately. And who can blame her? One nice thing about this combination is we didn't have to wait for any chemo to clear from her system. The Mesna ended this morning and wheels were immediately in motion for discharge.

The next step will be our second attempt at a radiation simulation, taking place Monday. Radiation is set to begin the following week on Dec. 16th. Connor and I remain hopeful. Success rates for radiation on spots as small as Charlotte's seem high and we are willing this chemo to do its job. It goes without saying, but your positive messages and prayers are doing everything to keep us afloat right now.