Holding Steady

I talked with Rachel this afternoon. She says she and Kevin are both doing well but she doesn’t have enough energy to write a blog post herself – being that witty and amusing takes energy people.

So, you’ll have to make do with me for a bit longer – Here is the latest:
Kevin’s liver enzymes are normal. Let me say that again. His liver enzyme levels are NORMAL.  (Praise the LORD!) Also, it appears the ERCT (bile duct shunt insertion) worked! as his bilirubin levels have come down by half.  For now there is no further discussion regarding the removal of the second bile duct blockage as the doctors believe that his bilirubin levels should continue to fall on their own.  The doctors have taken Kevin off of one of the antibiotics but he remains on one other.  His fevers have improved and the doctors feel the infection was a result of the build up in his bile duct.  They also continue to give him Neupogen shots to help his immune system create white blood cells as the chemo suppressed his immune system. He is no longer neutropenic and the doctors plan to continue to monitor him for a few more days.

Rachel and Kevin had a consultation with a wound care specialist to assist them in caring for Kevin’s external tumors as they (hopefully) continue to shrink and break down.  Kevin’s external tumors DO appear to be softening and breaking down but that is subjective and not backed up by any test or scan. Also, because Kevin’s liver levels recovered so quickly, the doctors firmly believe the chemo has shrunken the tumors surrounding his liver.

Given how well Kevin is doing, Rachel hopes for a discharge date of Saturday.  Their apartment should be ready for them to move into by Monday or Tuesday at which point Rachel will be able to gather together all the donations/gifts that have been sent in, so she can determine what, if any, additional needs they will have. In addition, once they are settled into the apartment, some friends in LA will set up a meal calendar so that local friends and supporters can provide prepared dinners and those less local can pay for groceries or have food delivered by a third party provider (a list of suggested services will be provided).

Jude and Evie have begun to struggle a bit missing Mommy and Daddy so Rachel will travel to the valley tomorrow to spend Halloween with Jude and Evie and Grammy Lila and Grampa Paul. She will then bring Jude and Evie with her back to the UCLA area and stay with Cousin Claudia, who has a place nearby, until they can move into their apartment, hopefully at the beginning of next week.

So that’s it folks.  Y’all know what to do… please pray that the chemo keeps working to reduce his tumors, that his bilirubin levels continue to drop, and that his heart begins to heal so that he can be strong enough to start on a new trial, once he finishes chemo.  Let’s also spend time in thanksgiving for the miraculous turn around Kevin experienced. What a blessing to be able to watch God intervene and bring Kevin back from the ‘edge’ once again!

Thank you all so very much for lifting up Brother Kevin and the Hill Family! We are all so blessed by your continued love and support!

10 thoughts on “Holding Steady

  1. Praise the Lord! He is able to make the same miracles we read in the bible, today! All we have to do is ask. I will continue to ask so that His power will testify of His greatness to all who read this blog.

  2. Thank you for the updates. Kevin and Rachel are constantly in our thoughts and prayers. Looking forward to further miracles!

  3. Please let me know if I can help. I am a friend from the old days and just found out what is going on. I don’t do Facebook so I just found out. I live in the San Diego area and can come out. Kevin has been an inspiration throuout this blog. I am not religious anymore but I respect the family beliefs. I hope the best days are yet to come.

    • Wow, Erik long time! Thanks for reaching out. We don’t have any urgent needs at the moment, but keep checking, thank you for following us!

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