Right now we are on our way home from Florida, which has been a welcome hiatus. Good lord is it ever hot here in August. We did some fishing yesterday, and I managed to catch a couple small sharks and a grouper.
Unfortunately, I got some bad news right before we left. They found cancerous cells within my cerebrospinal fluid from when they did the lumbar puncture last week. Since a needle is the only way to get chemo into the CSF, I will need to get lumbar punctures twice a week until two in a row show no leukemia. Although this is unexpected and unfortunate, in the realm of potential bad news I could received this is not the worst. They are going to give me methotrexate and cytarabine via LP but because this is a smaller, more isolated area the concentration of the drugs will be higher than when I was given these drugs via IV.
In addition, I will start my second cycle of nelarabine starting next Monday. After my second cycle they will check my bone marrow to see if I am in remission.
Still fighting,
Ethan Wissell
Ethan's Cancer Fight 
Ethan, I am glad you had a good time in Florida. And yes, it is hot in this corner of the world in summer. It is the price we pay for no snow in winter. I’m sorry about your bad news. We will be praying the treatment works well and you will be in remission soon. Love as always from Texas, Sharon and Randy.
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Hi Ethan!
We saw the photo of you on the boat with one of the small sharks that you caught.
Everyone look so bundled up, that on a very quick glance we might have thought you were freezing.
I am just reading about your latest challenge and how matter-of-factly you are putting everything into perspective.
I am going to share one of my favourite sayings.
It goes like this…
God doesn’t give us what we can handle;
God helps us handle what we are given.
We now rely on your very well-respected Doctor, working alongside others to provide you with the powerful chemo drugs that will lead you into remission.
You are in our daily thoughts and prayers.
Love
Uncle Brian and Debbie and MAX!
#OnwardWarrior
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