Houston: Night 1
The last 24 hours have been intense, exhausting, and surreal—but we want to share what brought us here and where things stand now.
On Wednesday, January 14, Cassidy went in for his routine weekly labs. When the results came back, his sodium level was 121—which is dangerously low. In hindsight, it explained so much. Over the last few days, he had become extremely lethargic and mentally “not quite with us,” in a way that felt deeply concerning and impossible to ignore.
After consulting with his nephrologist, we were advised to go straight to the ER. The ER team rechecked his labs, and while his sodium had increased slightly, it was still nowhere near where it needed to be to be considered safe. Unfortunately, because we already had plans to travel to Houston for MD Anderson the following day, there was very little they could do beyond monitoring. We were essentially told: get him to Houston as soon as possible.
Once we got home, I talked through everything with Chelsea and Jenny. After sitting with how serious this felt, we made the decision to move our flight from 7:00 p.m. Thursday to 7:00 a.m. Thursday. The goal was simple—get Cassidy to Houston and directly into care at MD Anderson Cancer Center as quickly as possible.
One of the unexpected gifts in the middle of all of this was our dear friend Kim. Without hesitation, she bought a ticket to fly with us to Houston so we wouldn’t have to navigate the airport alone in case Cassidy’s physical or mental state worsened. Having her with us during that stretch—handling logistics, offering calm reassurance, and simply being there—meant more than I can properly put into words.
Once we landed in Houston, we hugged Kim goodbye and headed straight to MD Anderson’s Emergency Room. From the moment we arrived, we were met with kindness, urgency, and compassion. Over the course of about four hours, Cassidy underwent labs, scans, and evaluations from multiple doctors. Every single person we encountered took the situation seriously and treated Cassidy with care and respect.
After those initial evaluations, Cassidy was admitted to the ICU so they could safely administer hypertonic saline, which is necessary to raise and stabilize his sodium levels under close monitoring. Given how volatile his sodium has been and the neurological symptoms he’s experienced, this level of care is exactly where he needs to be.
Knowing that he is finally in the right place—with the right specialists and the ability to intervene quickly if needed—has brought a sense of relief I didn’t realize how badly I needed.
For the first time since December 18, I am not sleeping in a hospital room tonight. Cassidy is settled, monitored, and in excellent hands, and I’m taking this rare moment to go back to our hotel—just five minutes down the street—and try to get a full night of rest. It feels strange, emotional, and necessary all at once.
Today was heavy. It was scary. But it was also a step toward stability and answers.
Thank you to everyone who has checked in, worried with us, and carried us through this stretch. We’ll continue to share updates as we’re able. For now, we’re focusing on getting Cassidy’s sodium stabilized and trusting that we are exactly where we need to be.
