without the mercy of your eyes your voice your ways(o very most my shinning love) how more than dark i am, no song(no thing)no silence ever told;it has no name– e.e. cummings There is a nurse at CHLA who has known Jordan for several years now. Her name is Barbara, and she is one of those beautiful souls who give and give and give to their patients, to the point that you wonder when/if they have a life of their own.

Jordan did not have surgery this morning. After consulting with the neurosurgical team, we agreed to wait for more conclusive signs that the shunt was malfunctioning. She’s still unconscious, but resting comfortably. The good news is that her scans are stable – there’s even signs that some of the tumor thickness is reduced. But we don’t know why she’s out or what triggered this latest round of symptoms.

An update: neurosurgery attempted to “tap” Jordan’s shunt today, in order to rule out a blockage. To tap it means to try and draw spinal fluid from a needle inserted into a well at the base of the shunt in her head (it sounds more painful than it is). The neurosurgeon was unable to draw any fluid, so the new theory is that her shunt is malfunctioning and requires a “revision” – surgery to repair or replace it.

As we walked the corridors of CHLA, we were greeted by a couple of nurses and technicians. Jeanette and I said hello and stepped into the elevator on our way to the cafeteria while Jordan underwent an MRI. “It’s really sad that we recognize all these people,” I said. “No. It’s sad that they recognize us,” Jeanette replied.She is right. We are back at CHLA and it’s all become too familiar.

Jordan spent the night at CHLA. She may be there longer. Several tests are being run today. Her condition has deteriorated. She moves in and out of consciousness and she’s started vomiting. The physician team started rounds about an hour ago. They will give us an update soon.