Cycle 7 Update

Caroline was discharged yesterday after being inpatient all week for Cycle 7.  Although she experienced all of the typical side effects, the cycle overall was "uneventful."  We're always grateful for the thoughts and prayers!

Home in time for Ravens' Kick-off!

Update: Fun week at Home!

Caroline spent some much-needed time at home in Franklin this week, and got to do MANY of the fun things she missed while away in Cincinnati.  She had a playdate and baking session with Miss Stacey and Shelby the dog; a cookout and sleepover at her favorite TN mountaintop; a Preds game (and win!) with the family; homebound kindergarten classes with Miss Elise; watched her brother play an EWA Cubs game; visits with friends Mr. Scott and Mr. Chris; and last but certainly not least...learned to ride her bike with no training wheels after only 4 attempts!!!  She is rocking and rolling right now - feeling well with plenty of energy.

Her counts at clinic this week were just "ok," so Caroline will need Neupogen shots for the next 3 days, and we will head back to clinic on Monday to check again and continue monitoring them closely.  Unfortunately, with cold and flu season almost here, it will (again) soon be time to start limiting Caroline's exposure to enclosed spaces and large groups of people, so we plan on continuing the outdoor fun this weekend.  Tonight we're heading to have firepit s'mores with friends that live on our alley, another EWA Cubs game Saturday afternoon, a fun neighborhood party tomorrow night, and then a Ravens vs. Titans game to cap it off on Sunday.  We are trying to LIVE and enjoy every day right now!

One of our amazingly talented friends, Anneliese, designed a "superhero" logo for Caroline (featured on the blog), and she put them on new t-shirts to support Caroline.  They are the first batch to feature that theme, they come in multiple color and style options, and include a front and back logo design.  You can check them out by clicking here.

Thank you for all the love and support!  We hope you're able to enjoy and live your days to the fullest this weekend!
Lantz Family
#carolinestrong
#ftgf

 Go Caroline!!!

Chemo Complete! (Hopefully FOREVER!)

Today was the last day of chemo for this round (and hopefully ever!)!!!

So far, Caroline has been in pretty good spirits...she is still eating and drinking a little bit, playing with slime, doing art, and even got out of bed to do some music therapy.  Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are currently her biggest side effects, so she is on a few medications to help with those.  We expect the next few days to get progressively worse, as her body continues to react to the high-dose chemo.  Although she is eating a little, the doctors have started Caroline on some nutritional supplements via an IV line and her NG tube.  The next big step is the stem cell transplant, which is scheduled for Monday, followed by approximately 3 weeks of inpatient recovery (again, due to the high-dose chemo side effects).

Andrew is currently enjoying 2 weeks of fun on vacation in Baltimore with family. Yesterday, thanks to a very generous friend, he got to attend Day 1 of Ravens Training Camp 2018.  He had a blast and got so many collectibles, which he said he wants to share with his little sister when he returns!

Mom and dad don't sleep very much these days...we're still struggling to deal with all of this mentally - the long and exhausting treatment protocol, what's still ahead, and being separated from each other constantly.  That being said, we cannot express enough how much we appreciate the visits, outreach, love and support from our friends and family.  We are very thankful we don't have to go through this alone...Caroline and her army of supporters are strong, so we must stay focused on that, even though it's easier said than done.

Team Lantz
#carolinestrong
#ftgf

Goofy time with music therapy.

 Training camp with Pop-Pop.

Cousin fun!

Thank you, MP, for always decorating Caroline's room every time we've been admitted...we love you!