Thirty Days and Waiting

Today has been a nice day for all family members.  Lulu was able to get out on a playdate for the day, while Tess was able to go to the lake with good friends.  Otto was able to get outside and hit some golfballs and was loving the fresh air.  He even lost a baby tooth that has still been around.  Thankful for platelets, for there was no major blood issues with that one.  :) We continue to be so grateful for all the generous donations that have been coming our way.  We are so incredibly thankful for family, dear friends and an amazing community that stretches even beyond Southbury.  So many people care, and all that love and support are constantly being felt by this family! We are still thinking we will be back at Clinic on Tuesday for a check on counts and a possible hemoglobin transfusion.  Otto seems to be in good shape, but any signs of fatigue or headache would suggest a boost in that area. We have been really enjoying our time at home....

What a fantastic day today!  Our niece turned 7 today and we were all able to Skype with her (minus one).  We were able to chat for a little while and then we did so again to sing her Happy Birthday.  We always try to be there for her birthday, but this year we can't.  Otto had a super fun time with friends for Sports Night.  He was quite tired after playing a few games Minute to Win It style.  There were a lot of laughs, medals that were won, and amazing food.  We were surrounded by a lot of love and all was appreciated.  Two more days until we check in for our regular blood counts check.  We keep praying for good information.  So much love to all of you!  Keep those prayers and positive thoughts coming!! Mark, Leigh, Otto, Tess and Lulu

Good morning from sunny (and humid -😖) New Haven!   We are hanging out at the Clinic at Yale today with our team of Hem/Onc nurses.  Otto's numbers continue to trend down and he is in need of platelets.  We couldn't believe that his platelets dropped as much as they did.  It totally explained the amount of petechia we saw over the last two days.  For now, we are sitting here for the next two hours as Otto gets his transfusion.    Otto's ANC is currently at zero, which means we are now waiting for it to rise.  We believe that when it reaches 500 again, we will be sent back to inpatient for Round 3.  We are saying our prayers that this transition happens sooner than later, however, we also know that when his body is ready, it will be ready no matter how many days go by.    We would like to send out a HUGE thank you to all those who have donated to the Go Fund Me page in Otto's honor.  It means the world to us....

We are hoping that you all are doing well.  Otto continues to have good days.  He has a few more patches of petechia coming out, so we are waiting to hear from the oncologist whether we should come in today or keep our appointment for tomorrow.  The kids were able to get outside for a bit yesterday besides the heat.  The girls were swimming in the pool, and Otto was able to get out and play catch with a great friend.  We were encouraged at our last appointment to get outside and enjoy life like we once did.  Great advice, but as parents, we are constantly following our guy making sure that nothing too crazy happens.  We are trying not to be hover-parents, but we have to do what we have to do.  :) Now we are prepping for Sports Night.  Otto and crew have been planning out decos and such for tomorrow's festivities.  It's amazing what one can do with old jerseys - lol! Wishing you all a wonderful day! Thanks for keeping our spirits ...

Otto had a decent appointment yesterday at Clinic.  His numbers continue to trend downwards as we expect.  He has started to develop petechia.  This is when your capillaries start to burst open leaving small red dots.  This is also a sign that your platelets are low.  Want to know how he got some?  From lightly swinging the golf club while chipping only a few times.  Otto's next visit is this coming Friday.  His counts will be checked again and we will see if anything is needed. Thank you to everyone for all the support! Mark, Leigh, Otto, Tess and Lulu

What an amazing day yesterday!  We cannot believe how many people were able to attend the Otto Strong Strike Out Leukemia event. So many thanks to every person who came together to make this event happen. We are also incredibly thankful for our community who came out to support us.  A special thank you to the DeRidder team who ran the Bone Marrow Cheek Swab booth. Although so many of you were there for us, more than 25 of you took time to become a registered donor. We may not need to take that route, but what a gift for someone else who may be in need! We would have loved to have been there, but Otto cannot be around that many people at once. His counts should be trending down and his immune system is low. Yesterday we were there in spirit, but also had a chance to be together as a family, something we haven’t been able to do at home in some time. It was great to be home, doing small household chores. It was like life was normal. It’s silly how those small nuisances can be v...

We are home and Otto has complete Round 2 of chemo!  He is feeling good and looking great!  We are so happy to be back home.  We have a few days to rest and relax before heading back to Clinic to get numbers checked.  These visits to Clinic will be occurring twice a week while we wait for numbers to deplete and raise again. We continue to be incredibly thankful for all the doctors, nurses, and primary care people at Yale.  All of them have helped us to be more comfortable during our stay.  We are ever so lucky to have those people in our lives! Speaking of being thankful...  Our baseball family and extended Newtown family are putting on an event in honor of Otto.  If you haven't seen the flyer, please check it out below.  We are hoping for a great turn out for these individuals have put their heart and soul into making it a great time for all!      Lastly, we wanted you to know that we set up a Go Fund Me page.  M...