Dear Family and Friends,

Time for an update. Amelia came home from the hospital yesterday after the start of round 5 of chemo. Just three rounds of chemo to go (plus a lot of additional treatment)! Since 20 March when first admitted to Johns Hopkins, Amelia and her mother have spent 80 days there, 70 as an inpatient. That equates to about 70% of the time.

As the chemo progresses, it is taking longer each time for Amelia to bounce back and start producing new blood cells. This is expected, and she seems to be holding her own. Test results so far are encouraging. Amelia has regained some weight, celebrated the 4th of July by walking for the first time, and when not held back by an IV line has been on the go ever since.

Amelia's Aunt Lisa and cousin Melissa had a terrific visit and are now back in Alaska. Sister Kathryn and brother Benjamin are still down in Jacksonville with the Bowes family. We'll probably retrieve them around the end of this month.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.