Tomorrow is a very exciting day, as Ty, Erika, and Peter will board a plane at 1:30 Eastern and head back to Minnesota. What a month+ it’s been. On August 1st, they flew to NYC. On the 3rd, Peter had extensive (and successful) surgery to scrape away some cancerous cells in his abdomen. For days he was in recovery. Then on the 8th, what looked like “big pneumonia” was discovered. Hours later Peter’s lungs seized, he slipped into critical condition, and was put on the vent. It was determined he had ARDS days later (cause will never be known for certain). He remained on life support until the 22nd when he began breathing on his own again. During that time on the vent, the one year anniversary of Peter’s diagnosis passed while he was fighting against something OTHER than cancer. On the 30th, they were able to leave the hospital and now, on September 5th, they will be coming home and Ty can begin writing his book, “How to Live in New York for 35 Days (when you’ve packed 4 days of clothes)”.
I know that’s repeat information for you, but when I thought about all that’s happened since they left, I started shaking my head in disbelief. Bunching all those events into a single paragraph illustrates the severity of life, the disruption to a family (and their total love), a miracle in process, and more. We’ve all seen great comebacks in sports, but that’s just a game after all. We’re witnessing a comeback of an entirely different proportion.
That’s enough editorial. Here are the facts of the meeting today. The surgeon, Dr. LaQuaglia, is the doctor that said they could go home. They asked him why the MIBG scans were negative for so long, yet there was still disease in his abdomen. He said that it just wasn’t a huge clump of cells. The cancer was actually in three lymph nodes in the abdomen and the chemo may not have reached them, because the blood vessels that carry the chemo may have been killed by the chemo in the early rounds.
Dr. Kushner is very excited for Peter and family. He said that “Peter is made up of something very special.” He laid out a course of action in the near-term, including CT scans at the U of M next week. These scans are necessary because the disease was in lymph nodes, so spreading is a concern. On Monday, Peter will start taking pills of Accutane, a drug typically for acne that has some benefits for fighting cancer. He will take these “horse pills” each day for six months, two weeks on, two weeks off. There can be side effects of dryness, peeling skin, and irritability. They will head back to NY in a month for a full gamut of tests and they will determine the plan for radiation, continued antibody treatments, etc.
In the meantime, they need to be hyper-vigilant in observing any symptoms of a cold, flu, or… anything. The simplest little bug could be disastrous. So school is on hold while Peter gets stronger and continues the ultimate comeback.
What wonderful news!!!!
It must be fantastic for you to be home again with all 3 of the children. We are so happy ……..way to go Peter……..
Love to you all,
Uncle Ed and Aunt roz
Welcome back Eigners! Praying like a warrior for continued healing and rest for your family.
We are so excited to watch this miracle happen. Peter, Ty, Erika, you are all so amazing and inspiring. Welcome home!!!!!
Peter, you are so strong. God must have big plans for you. We can’t wait to watch you grow and experience all life has to offer.
Ty and Erika, you have exhibited the most awesome love, strength and courage to keep Peter going and winning against the cancer. His strenght comes in large part from having parents like you.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
The Enebaks
Hoping your travel home went well and you are continuing to recover and get stronger. Can’t wait to see Ty’s new book…
Praying we hear some good news from a GREAT TEAM!!
You are an amazing little man Peter and you have an amazing family! Hope all is well in MN!
The Callahan Family
Welcome back to the Land of Lakes Peter. Everyone is so happy you are home and sitll praying for your strong recovery. You are most definitely a special little person. We are constantly amazed and humbled by your strength and grace. Keep fighting!
With loads of prayers coming your way,
The Bastians
I just heard the amazing news. We couldn’t be more excited for you all to be back home. Minnesota will sound so quiet after being in NYC that long. 🙂 Enjoy your family! Keep us the fight Peter, you are an incredibly strong little boy.
Much love, The Linn’s
Dearest Peter and Family,
I cannot believe all you have endured these past many weeks. So many of us have hung on every word of every post and prayed you all the way out of ICU and into the RMD house and now home!!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!!
You are ALL so deserving a break from all this. I pray for relaxing days, and continued healing, and showers of love from all those who missed you SO MUCH!!!!!
Wish we could see your handsome face. Hope your visit to the U goes well on Thursday!
Love and continuous prayers from Erik and the Ludwinski Gang!
We are so glad your back home. Continuing to pray for your complete healing. Hopefully when your feeling better we can plan a play date in Hawaii, with both of our families. Swimming, surfing, canoe paddling, hiking and maybe even some baseball.
Lots of Aloha,
The Mersburgh’s
Hi to all of you! Hoping that all is going well! We “Peter’s Page Addicts” are patiently waiting to hear how your week back at home has gone! We hope you are enjoying the beautiful (and cool!) days!!
With love and thoughts of you~
Jen, Ryan, Emily, Lily & Parker