08/21/2026
💚💛A very long overdue update from Team Jackson. 💛
First, we owe everyone an apology for being so quiet. The last few weeks have been a lot, and honestly, I’ve been feeling pretty numb and avoidant. Sometimes when everything feels like too much, you just have to put your phone down and focus on getting through the day. So we’re going to catch everyone up a little at a time. ❤️
The good news is that Jackson’s counts finally recovered enough for him to move forward with his high-dose methotrexate! He was admitted Monday and received his 24-hour methotrexate infusion, and he handled it phenomenally. He needed some extra nausea medication and plenty of red light therapy to help prevent the mucositis that can come with this phase, but overall he did incredibly well.
The methotrexate took a little longer than expected to clear from his system, so instead of leaving Tuesday evening, we ended up staying an extra three days. But that’s okay—we got through it, and now we’re finally headed HOME! 🏡💛
Jackson is starting to experience some of the expected side effects from this phase, including more nausea, fatigue, muscle weakness, and possibly the beginning of some mucositis. His appetite had actually started improving during his recovery window, but this round of chemo knocked it back a little, so we’re working on getting him eating again.
And he is SO excited to go home. He can’t wait to see his dogs, cats, chickens, and the rest of his family. 🥹❤️
Our treatment plan did change a little along the way. We originally thought we would be able to complete the rest of his high-dose methotrexate treatments at our St. Jude affiliate in Shreveport, but we’ve learned that they aren’t able to administer this particular treatment there.
So for the next several weeks, we’ll be traveling back and forth between Shreveport and Memphis. We’ll be home for about a week and a half before heading back to Memphis for treatment #2, and we’ll continue this pattern for the next six weeks or so. He’ll have labs in Shreveport before each treatment, then we’ll return to Memphis for the high-dose methotrexate.
It’s a little bittersweet.
We are so incredibly excited to be going home, but leaving St. Jude is harder than we ever expected it to be. Over the last four months, the people there have become our family. We’ve made friendships with nurses, doctors, staff, and other families that we’ll carry with us long after treatment is over. And there are so many sweet kids who we’ve watched fight alongside Jackson who aren’t getting to go home yet.
We were lucky enough to have Daddy and baby sister come back to Memphis to be with Jackson during his treatment, which brought both of us so much joy. And in one of the sweetest moments yet, Jackson got to have a cuddle puddle with TWO St. Jude service dogs at the same time. 🥹🐶🐶 Definitely a first!
As we head home, we’d love your prayers for Jackson—that he continues to tolerate treatment well, that his counts continue to recover, that he stays healthy and free from infections, and that he adjusts well to his new care team in Shreveport.
💛And please, PLEASE keep praying for all of the babies and families still at St. Jude. We may be leaving for now, but our hearts are still very much there with them. 💛
And if you have a little extra prayer to spare, we’d love some for Jackson’s mama and daddy, too. We’re trying to figure out how to feel normal again, how to settle back into life at home, and how to finally begin processing the last four months.
It’s been a long road.
We’re grateful.
We’re tired.
We’re hopeful.
And we’re going home. 🏡💛
