The Final Phase

Jack officially entered the fourth and final phase of his chemotherapy regimen today, called Maintenance. Each Maintenance cycle lasts 12 weeks (84 days) and is repeated until 3 years from the start of Interim Maintenance, which means Jack is scheduled to complete chemotherapy in April 2012. Over the next 978 days, Jack receives chemo on a strict schedule, taking Mercaptopurine every day by mouth, Methotrexate by mouth once a week, Methotrexate once every 12 weeks intravenously, Dexamethasone twice a day for 5 days each month, and Vincristine once every 4 weeks. In addition, Jack will have regular lab work to check his blood counts, bone marrow aspirations to see if the leukemia continues to respond to treatment, and spinal taps to check for leukemia cells in the spinal fluid.
We celebrated Jack's completion of Delayed Intensification and entry into Maintenance with a champagne toast this afternoon (the kids raised their juice boxes), and every declared "Cheers!" It's hard to believe how far he still has to go, but truly amazing how far he has come. Here's to you, Jack!