First Setback

A view from the chemo suite

Yesterday didn’t go the way we expected.

My dad, his sister Mary, and I traveled to Iowa City ready for his first round of chemo and immunotherapy. It felt like a big step, one we had been preparing for mentally and emotionally.We checked in, got settled, and were just about to begin when his lab results came back.

That’s when everything shifted.

His lab work showed that his electrolytes were dangerously low, and instead of starting treatment, the care team made the decision to send him to the ER. From there, he was admitted to the ICU so they can safely monitor and correct his levels.

As of now, he’s still in the ICU in Iowa City and will remain there for a little while longer as they work to stabalize things.

This wasn’t the plan, and to be honest, we’re all feeling really disappointed and let down. We had built ourselves up for this moment, and it was hard to have things change so quickly. We went from gearing up to start the treatment to hitting pause in a matter of seconds.

Right now, the focus is on getting his body back to a stable place. His treatment plan may be adjusted depending on how things progress, but we don’t have many answers yet. We’re taking things one step at a time and trusting his care team to guide the next steps.

If anything, this has been a reminder that this journey may not be linear, and that sometimes the most important thing is making sure he’s strong enough for what comes next.

We’ll continue to share updates as we know more. Thank you for all of the support and messages. It truly means so much to our family.