Spring Update

 It's been a while since we posted anything.  That's the good news - there has been no real news.  Andrew is getting stronger and stronger, not just back into all the activities he missed so much last Fall but now biking and coaching and covering the tennis court pretty much at full speed.  Needless to say, he's thrilled about that, and oh so grateful for his new lease on life.  For those of you who haven't seen AJ recently, you'd be surprised at his new slightly wavy hairstyle that Christine is sure sports less gray hairs! Somewhat last minute, we seized an opportunity to take a fabulous trip to France over spring break, even enjoying some forest bathing in the mountains of Alsace Lorraine!

But there has been news this week.  We were disappointed to learn that AJ's latest blood tests show that his immune system
is not yet strong enough to process (into antibodies) the vaccines he needs to travel to the developing world, meaning further delays in work-related travel, including a tentatively planned trip to Morocco (that Christine was going to join him
for) in early July.  Even worse, we learned, due to the total body irradiation he received as part of the bone marrow transplant last September he may never be able to get the yellow fever vaccine, which he needs to visit Ghana and Nigeria, countries that host two of Discovery Global Education Partnership's largest programs.

In spite of these setbacks, at a more fundamental level, there is still much to celebrate.  With the all-clear scan at the six-month mark, tomorrow (4/21) Andrew gets his mediport removed.  This is the port under his skin that was used - as an entry point into his blood system - for much of his chemo therapy from late 2011 through 2012.  Removing it is a last step in putting chemo behind us!  We are so thankful for how God and so many people He has brought into our lives have seen us through the past 18 months and continue to give us energy and inspiration going forward.  We cherish your friendship and ongoing thoughts and prayers for full and lasting recovery.