September 5: Update on Jonatán

The next several weeks look grueling! Please pray earnestly for Jonatán – and for his family! Here are the details as adapted from an update written by his missionary grandparents in Uruguay:

A little before 11:00 last night, we talked with Esther about Jonatán. She said he's feeling pretty good. He's eating well but did lose weight when he had his first chemotherapy. She said he looks weak – but ran two miles in his PE class last Tuesday! Even the medical people were amazed that he did that and wrote it in his chart.

He has blood work done every week. So far the levels have stayed where the doctors want them to be. Please pray that this continues. He was able to go to school most of this week and has even been able to make up some missed work.

When the family saw the surgeon on Wednesday, he said he was not concerned about the spot on the left lung and that the spot on the right lung is very small. Jona will have another CT scan on Thursday morning to determine if he needs the laparoscopy to check out the spot on the right lung. If he does, the surgeon hopes to "wedge it out" – it's that small. If they take it out, they will do a pathological test to see what it is. Please continue to pray that it isn't the osteosarcoma, the same type of cancer as the tumor in his arm.

Please pray especially for Jona on Thursday. Starting at 8:30 a.m. (EDT), he'll have the CT scan, blood work, and then, if needed, the laparoscopy. Following all this, if the blood levels are still where they want them to be, he'll be admitted to the hospital for his next round of chemo. This will again be for three continuous days (week 4 of 12). This particular chemo drug can cause blisters (like cold sores) around and in the mouth and elsewhere, so they are already giving him medicine to counteract this possible side effect.

After this round of chemo, he'll have a few days of rest and then have more blood work done. If the levels are still up, he'll have another three days of chemo (week 5 of 12). This will be the same chemo drug as week 4. After another few days of rest, if he's still feeling strong enough and the blood levels are up, he'll have three more days of chemo (week 6 of 12). This will be the original two medications and could again cause nausea and loss of appetite.

Please pray specifically for the following:

• Continued strength and energy for Jonatán
• Success for the chemo drugs in attacking the tumor
• Continued wisdom for the doctors to know the best timing in all these details

Also pray for endurance! The insurance company seems to be dragging its feet as things are being done so quickly. Thankfully, everything so far has been approved – just no money paid to the doctors or hospital yet.

We are all very thankful for the many, many people praying for Jonatán – and for all of us. We are thankful for the way the Lord is answering prayer, and we continue to trust Him for what He knows is best and will glorify Him.