Luca's New Birthday
Today was the big day! After months of planning and anticipation, and an 8-day cycle of chemotherapy, Luca received his cord blood transplant.
The actual infusion was relatively calm. Luca played with his books while his doctors and nurses hung the bags of stem cells to be infused through his IV. The entire procedure lasted only a couple hours. But the weight of the event was very much a tangible force in the room. As we watched the bags of pale red cord blood slowly drip down, we knew that the new cells entering Luca's body were going to save his life.
Our next step is to wait out the 2-4 week period of neutropenia caused by the chemotherapy, a tense waiting game that we've grown familiar with. The past couple days have seen the crippling effects of intense chemo slowly tighten their grip, and unfortunately the symptoms will likely get worse before they get better. But we know what it looks like at the other side of this tunnel, and we'll focus on that as Luca fights his daily battles.
Congratulations Luca! We're proud of you little guy.
Luca: We have two little Xmas trees in our house this year. One of them we call "Luca's Xmas tree" It shines as bright as your smile. We heard that you are making progress every day and soon you will be feeling so much better. Until then, we will keep on praying for your full recovery. We love and miss you and your parents very much.
Love:
Papa & Nana V
Posted by: Papa V | December 03, 2008 at 10:29 AM
Hi Luca!
Thinking about you!! We love you and know that you are in our prayers. Hugs and Kisses to you and your Mommy & Daddy
XOXOXOXO
Holly, Andy & the boys
Posted by: Holly, Andy, Tommy & Matthew Kane | December 02, 2008 at 11:08 PM
Manal & Greg,
May God continue to give you strength and patience.
Luca, keep fighting...Love those cheeks!!!
Posted by: Rania & Chris | December 02, 2008 at 10:00 PM
Good job Luca! We are so proud of you too!! We love you and are in awe of your strength. Hugs and kisses to you and your mom and dad!
xo, Marisa, Pete, and Otis
Posted by: Marisa Brown | December 01, 2008 at 10:54 PM
Thinking of you guys today and always- sending you loves, hugs and prayers for a speedy recovery!!
Love,
John, Kelli, Johnny, Jake and Jordan
Posted by: Kelli and John and boys | December 01, 2008 at 08:53 AM
Thinking of you today and always....Lots of love and good vibes coming your way from brooklyn
Posted by: Patty & Joe | December 01, 2008 at 08:44 AM
Love you little LUCA!
xoxo
Auntie Sal
Posted by: Sally | November 26, 2008 at 01:24 PM
Awesome! We love you guys and think about you all the time. Can't wait to see you again. Stay strong Luca!
Posted by: Kevin & Emily | November 24, 2008 at 03:39 PM
Wonderful news that the stem cell transplant went through! Hang in there, baby Luca- hoping this round of chemo will be over so fast for you.
Posted by: Lisa and Faris Sousou | November 23, 2008 at 08:48 PM
We are so proud of you Luca!! You are so inspirational and such a strong fighter!! We love and miss you soooooooo much!! You are always in our thoughts and prayers. Keep fighting!
Love you!!!!
Nabil, Irene, Rina and Tanya
Posted by: Nabil, Irene, Rina and Tanya | November 23, 2008 at 07:35 PM
Dear Luca,
the bravest little baby ever, with the most beautiful eyes and those kissable cheeks!
You are in our thoughts and prayers every day as you take this important step in your recovery! We cant wait to meet you when you are feeling better! You are a strong little fighter, we know that you are going to beat this! Hugs and kisses to Mommy and Daddy, they are pretty brave and strong too!:)
Thinking of you all,
Much love,
Sue and Michael
Posted by: Sue Dufton | November 23, 2008 at 10:07 AM
Luca,
We are so proud of you little man!
Keep up the fight. You are truly amazing and our hero. We cant wait to meet you and kiss those luscious cheeks. Love you all very much, praying and wishing and staying positive Every Day!
Always in our thoughts and prayers,
The Aitchison's
Posted by: Andrew, Sally, Christian, & Cameron Aitchison | November 22, 2008 at 09:37 PM
Dear Luca,
We are super proud of you and we hope and pray for that quick celebratory recovery!! You are ALWAYS in our thoughts and prayers.
We LOVE you so much!!
Jenny, Aunti Sophie, Jeff, Julie, Kurt, and the girls
Posted by: Jenny, Aunti Sophie, Jeff, Julie, and Kurt | November 22, 2008 at 08:18 PM
We are so happy to hear this major step has been taken. If there is any baby boy who could pull through this it is Luca- you are all an inspiration and have amazing strength that enables you to remain so positive and focused on the future. You are all ALWAYS in our thoughts and prayers.
Lots of love,
John, Kelli, Johnny, Jake and Jordan
Posted by: Kelli and John and boys | November 22, 2008 at 04:18 PM
Greg: Thanks so much for the update. The video is great, too. To Luca: much love and positive thoughts come your way, little warrior of our family. Keep your dukes up and stay strong. If there was ever one amazingly strong baby boy who can do it, it is YOU! You, Mommy and Daddy make our hearts swell with hope eternal that you will be well soon and you will get on with being a carefree little boy. Huge
hugs to all three of you.
Love,
Aunt Sari
Posted by: Sari Remon | November 22, 2008 at 12:04 PM
We are so glad to hear that everything went well. We pray for you each day. I am sure Uncle Mike is looking down from heaven at you. He alwyas loved to look at the picture Aunt Virginia had on the end table of you.
You are always in our thoughts.
Lots of Love,
Lauri, Kara and Mikey
Posted by: Lauri, Kara and Michael | November 22, 2008 at 09:00 AM
Yeah Luca! Eli sends big kisses through the screen.
We love you!
Posted by: Eli, Matt and Beth | November 22, 2008 at 06:39 AM
We are so happy to hear the wonderful news! Luca is always in our thoughts and prayers, he is definitely a strong little boy who inspires us all!
Love...Nageeb, Shaden and Natalie
Posted by: Nageeb, Shaden and Natalie | November 21, 2008 at 07:12 PM
Luca,
I carry your heart in my heart.
Love,
Aunty Leigh
Posted by: Leigh | November 21, 2008 at 01:25 PM
We are so proud of you Luca. Love your picture!! Thinking of you daily and praying for a speedy recovery. We love you and miss you.
Love,
The Lampman Family
Posted by: Abeir, Dave, Briana & Nick | November 21, 2008 at 01:18 PM
Luca you look like a little tough guy in this picture!
You are such a strong baby boy, really the most inspirational person ever. I'm always praying for you and can't wait until we can play peek-a-boo and bang on drums together!
Love you so much.
Auntie Didi
Posted by: Diana Zraik | November 21, 2008 at 12:41 PM
Beautiful Baby Boy! You melt my heart. You have the world fighting with you and there is nothing you can't do. I am so so so proud to be your Untie, what a privilege.
Mouah! (this is me getting to kiss the heck out of those luscious cheeks!! I cant wait for that day!)
love you boo boos
Untie Su
Posted by: Untie Su | November 21, 2008 at 11:48 AM
We're so happy to hear the good news about Luca! We're so proud of all of you! We love and miss you very much. We pray for you everyday!
Love,
Tony, Kristyn, and the kids
Posted by: Tony, Kristyn, Madalyne & Anthony Sousou | November 21, 2008 at 10:49 AM
We can't say enough about you Luca! You are a true inspiration and our hero! You are in our thoughts and prayers every day and we love you so much.
Stay strong and keep fighting!
Love,
Joanne, Brian, Alex & Alaina
Posted by: Joanne, Brian, Alexander & Alaina Craig | November 21, 2008 at 07:32 AM
There is a light at the end of the tunnel and Luca is running for it, he is an amazing little boy (and so CUTE!!!) with remarkable parents. Know that we are all thinking and praying for you guys every day. Big hugs to everyone. Hang in there!
Posted by: Karen and Mark Henry | November 21, 2008 at 07:27 AM