Looking Ahead

Dear friends and family,

     This update is coming from Marcie this week as Don is a bit too fatigued to write.  With chemo twice this week and our all day visit to University Hospital on Tuesday he has had a rather full week.  

            We had a very good meeting at University Hospital on Tuesday, February 21st.  The oncology nurse and the social worker did a great job of explaining exactly what Don will be going through with the stem cell transplant and everything we can expect along the way.  Don’s sister and brother-in-law, Jacque and Bob, went with us, as they will be a very crucial part of caring for him.  It was very clearly explained what will be needed from us as Don's caregiver team, and we all agreed afterward that the doctors and nurses at UH definitely know what they are doing and have a plan for every eventuality. 

          We now know that Don will complete the current round of chemotherapy, both round 5 of the Velcade and 20 more days of the Revlimid.  After that, if his numbers show that the cancer has shrunk to below a certain level, he will have one month off.  Then he will go to UH for the collecting of his stem cells.  That will take 3 to 4 days as an outpatient.  We will probably stay at Hope House which is near the hospital while that is going on.  

          After the collection of his stem cells he will have another 2 weeks off after which they will admit him for the stem-cell transplant.  Counting out all of those days, we arrive at approximately mid-May for the actual transplant.  He will be in the hospital for 3 to 5 weeks, depending on how quickly his bone marrow re-creates itself.  After that, they are estimating he should be off work for 2 to 3 months of recovery at home.  They told us that they have never had a patient go back to work sooner than 2 months because fatigue is such a huge factor.  As you can see, there are several “ifs” involved in the timing, so we are just going to be as flexible as we can and take it as it comes. 

     We are also pleased at the coordination of care between our oncologist at Western Reserve Hospital and UH.  They are working together in Don's best interest.

Prayer Requests:

     - Pray for strength for Don as the cumulative effects of the chemo and other medicines are starting to be felt.  He is tired, is having some cramping in his legs and some swelling from the steroids.  He has a lot of neuropathy - numbness in left leg and foot, as well as continued pain in both hips.

     - Pray that he would not suffer any of the worse side effects as he gets through another 21 day cycle of Revlimid.

     - Pray that these last cycles of chemotherapy will work and the cancer will be brought down to where the numbers need to be for the collection of stem cells.

     - God has very generously met all of our needs thus far - please pray that He will continue to provide for us throughout the 2 to 3 months Don will be in recovery at home after the transplant.  

Praise and Thanksgiving:

     - Praise the Lord who shelters us under His wings and tenderly cares for us as our Heavenly Father. 

    - For the article in the Akron Beacon Journal in which we feel the Lord was glorified and others suffering from ill health may be encouraged. 

    - Last week, on Thursday, we received a bit of good news - for the first time the numbers that indicate that the cancer is shrinking were encouraging!

    - Our insurance company seems to be coordinating our benefits much more smoothly now. 

    - People continue to support and bless us in so many ways - we are so very thankful for God's people!

Our profound thanks to everyone for your loving concern and support.

Marcie and Don