Off to the Emergency Room

Dear friends of Charley,

Charley is on the way to the ER right now. He has had a fever of 38.2, belly pain last night, and back pain this morning. Yesterday, Charley's LDH level was elevated.

Recently, Charley's nutritionist suggested that Charley's parents add fat to Charley's diet. It is possible that his pancreas cannot handle the newly added fats and this may be what is causing his symptoms.

In other news, Charley's liver enzyme function is decreasing. According to his doctor in Beijing, Charley's LDH and liver function increases when the leukemia takes over. So his lower liver function is actually a good sign.

Charley continues to show signs of improvement. Let's pray that this trip to the ER is just a bump in the road to Charley's recovery.

Deborah and Nehemiah have continued to get little sleep. This week, Charley's doctor made a deal with them. He said that one of Charley's parents should alternate sleeping in a separate room each night, leaving the other parent to sleep with Charley. Jokingly, he said that if they did this, Charley would get platelets on Wednesday. Last night was Deborah's turn to take the night off. She is not used to getting a full night sleep, so she woke up at 3am to research the effects of diet on the pancreas.

Prayer Requests:
* Charley's trip to the ER will lead to a simple solution for Charley's pain and fever.
* Charley's parents will be able to take advantage of Dr. Sallan's sleeping plan so that they can be more rested and better able to care for Charley.