Sunday, July Twenty-Eighth, Two Thousand and Thirteen

Hello all,

I finished ten rounds of radiation this past Wednesday, July twenty-fourth.  The radiation itself was pretty easy and painless.  The only side effect I have experienced is fatigue.  Thankfully, radiation didn't affect my numbers or blood counts.  We drove up daily for treatment.  I will have a PET scan this Friday, August second.  The scan will show if the radiation worked and if there are any new spots...so please keep me in your prayers that the scan comes out clear!!

There are several pre-transplant tests that I must do to prepare for the Stem Cell Transplant.  I will go to Columbus tomorrow morning and stay until EOD Tuesday.  I will attend an information class and have several tests including an MRI of the brain, bone marrow biopsy, EKG of the heart, spinal tap, and blood work.

A stem cell donor has been contacted and has agreed to the transplant so that is great news! The donor is a 28 year old male.  I do not know where he lives or anything about him.  I will be able to write him a thank you card after the transplant...but other than that, I can contact him one year from transplant.  I hate that I have to wait so long but that is the rule in place.  My admission date is August fourteen.  There is a five or six day chemo involved prior to the transplant so I imagine the actual transplant will take place at the very end of the month.

I will update the blog once I get the results of the PET.  Thank you all for reading and keeping up with my journey.  It means a lot to know that I have such a large support team behind me :)


                                   Ringing the bell for my last radiation treatment

       Enjoying the summer fresh air with a Pina Colada (no alcohol but tastes the same!)

                                                     For a good laugh!

~ Every day, set your mind in the right direction.  Find something to be grateful for.

Monday, July Eighth, Two Thousand and Thirteen

I've been waiting to update the blog until I found out what my near future looked like, so here it is...

After meeting with my doctor last week I found out that I will not have another chemotherapy treatment (yippee!!).  My body has been through a lot and he doesn't think it could handle another treatment...as it took two weeks for my numbers to recover last time.  He scheduled a PET scan to see if the spot on my L5 vertebrae disappeared with this last chemotherapy.  Unfortunately, the spot was still present.  Therefore, I will have ten rounds (I think) of radiation on my lower back.  I return to Columbus tomorrow to have my back "marked" for the radiation and then I will start on Thursday.

As far as the Stem Cell Transplant goes, there is a good match for me on the donor registry.  The doctor tested Kristen's blood and we are indeed identical twins (we were never 100% sure).  He feels that if Kristen is the donor, her cells would not be strong enough to attack the bad cells present in my body.  It would be similar to getting my own immune system back.  Thankfully, I had multiple matches on the donor registry.  The transplant should take place soon after the radiation...possibly in 3 weeks.  Following the transplant, I will spend a month in the hospital and then move into an "isolation apartment" for the following month.  More info on that when I learn more!!


~Whatever you're facing today, keep going. keep moving. keep hoping. keep pressing on. There is victory on the other side!