Hello you all. I write to you from JFK airport with some pretty stinking uplifting news….

462. 462! As of Monday, Nicks AFP is down to FOUR HUNDRED SIXTY TWO-the lowest its been! This is absolutely incredible. Nicks afp jumped up to 1600 the day before his last treatment a couple weeks ago…so to see it down to 462 after just two weeks post treatment is very very positive news. Now, we just hope and pray that it stays stable, or even decreases further.

We saw both his interventional radiologist and transplant surgeon today. While we all know that this number means nothing unless we get listed and transplanted…this is an insanely hopeful step down the right path and we are all celebrating this major win. So here’s the lowdown…

As of now, they are planning to have Nick listed for a transplant on Monday the 27th. Their selection meetings are on Mondays and unfortunately they don’t meet next Monday because of MLK day..so we have to wait until the following Monday for him to be approved. A few things need to happen in order for him to be listed that day :

-he needs to have a clean CT scan which he had this morning and passed

-he needs to have a clean bone scan which he will have back home next week

-his next bloodwork (on 1.24) needs to show his afp has remained stable/under 500

If all of this checks out in our favor he will be listed and things will start moving very quickly. There is so much involved in this that I’m not going to go into crazy amount of detail but basically they will start working up the incredibly selfless living donor candidates that came forward-a living donor transplant is his surgeons first choice if we find the right donor-and while that is all happening his surgeon will do everything in his power to find a deceased donor that may work. The problem with a deceased donor is that Nick will not likely get offered a healthy deceased liver for many reasons…so we have to play the game and when the opportunity comes to make a decision, we make the best one. Yes a living donor transplant could be risky for nicks aneurysm-but he feels he can fix it after the transplant-he just feels a very large sense of urgency to get this liver out of Nick before the tumors grow back-it’s a risk vs benefit deal.

We will also evaluate a need for another treatment once we get Nicks bloodwork back in two weeks. The good news is that his IR feels confident on where this afp is being released…so he knows right where he’d go if another treatment is needed.

This is only the potential beginning of a very long, intense road. But it’s a beginning and we are beyond grateful for that. Our heads are spinning with excitement, fear, caution, logistics and so many question marks..but we are blessed to be in a place where we know we can make this work because of all of the support we have. We have made it so far already and we will continue to do whatever we have to do to get to the finish line. Nick is so strong and capable.

And, because I so desperately want you all to join us in prayer and gratitude for Nicks care team, I truly just need to somehow try to help you understand these human beings. Nick and I sit here and try to grasp this piece of it all and it’s just so intense and overwhelmingly emotional to think about. While being told “I’m sorry we can’t help you” by two institutions 9 months ago seemed like the most heartbreaking, devastating, gut wrenching thing in the world…we are now so incredibly clear as to why that happened. We were led to this team at NY Presbyterian/Weill Cornell so intently, for so many reasons. Because they are exceptional at their craft. Because they are well studied and experienced. Because they are risk takers and feel Nicks strength and capability within themselves. Because they can empathize with Nick. But because of the way they’ve stood by us and seen the hope…that’s the piece I will never be able to loose sight of. From accepting Nick as a patient when they knew he was incredibly high risk…to continuing to treat him when it may have felt precarious…to refusing to accept no for an answer when it came to listing Nick. These doctors and their entire teams have felt the worry and celebrated the wins along side us in a way I didn’t know was possible in healthcare. And while I know we have an incredibly long road ahead of us and that we have nothing guaranteed, the safety we feel about what’s ahead is the most comforting thing in the world. And that safety is because we know Nick is in the care of the very best hands and hearts. I just simply want you all to know them so badly….the real estate in my heart for them is indescribably big. So if you would be so kind, your prayers for them would mean so much. Prayers that they continue to see potential in Nick. That they continue to have clarity and precision in their work. And that they know and feel the utter gratitude that we have for them.

So that’s all I have for now. We are feeling pretty high today and that feels amazing. Nick has a little cold, but beyond that he has completely rebounded from his last treatment and is feeling really good. He physically looks so healthy too…what a beautiful sight. We will continue to keep you posted if anything comes up and I will absolutely let you know once we get bloodwork back in a couple weeks or so. In the meantime, please keep your beautiful prayers and light coming….man are we feeling it all 🧡 So much love to you xo