DAY T-10

Dear family and friends, 
    We give praise to God that my blood count numbers are starting to rise which gives every indication so far that the transplant has been a total success. Before I can be released my white blood cells and platelets need to reach a certain number.  So it looks as though the next several days will be spent managing the nausea, etc. and resting while the stem cells do their job.  I will probably be in the hospital for at least another week, then move to a near-bye facility as an out-patient for one to two weeks more.  We will share with you the hurdles we face as they come, but I would encourage you to join me in praising the Lord. We have so much to be thankful for! I truly believe that God has answered all of our prayers.
     I want to thank all of you for the increase in the number of cards and notes I have been receiving while in the hospital and also for the giant posters full of get well wishes from Emerge, CVCA and CHCS.  What a blessing to read the words of encouragement and verses of Scripture!  

A HAPPY TIME WITH GRANDKIDS IN ANNAPOLIS A MONTH AGO

Prayer Requests:
     Pray for Don that he would not get an infection, accidentally cut himself or have a fall.  Pray that the nausea would be gone for good!  He says it feels like he started his day in one of those tilt-a-whirl rides at Cedar Point and his head is spinning for the rest of the day! And of course, pray that the counts will continue to rise to the point where he can be released from the hospital.
   
Praises:
     For the entire stem cell transplant proceeding as expected and for the doctor's report that, as far as they can measure, there is no cancer left! 
     For traveling mercies for the many miles Marcie has traveled thus far between home and Cleveland.
     
     
    

COME, YE THANKFUL PEOPLE, COME!

DON ENJOYING THE SUNSHINE IN FRONT OF SEIDMAN

       The days are passing slowly but surely as we move from Day 0 (the day of the transplant) toward day T+10 - the day when we might expect Don's immune system to start coming back and for him to begin to feel better. Between now and then his counts still have to dip down to pretty much 0.  He may still experience some of the side effects from chemo blast last Thursday.  
     We thank God that the nausea is pretty much under control.  The nurses are very good about keeping it at bay.  Don is walking around the 3rd floor of the hospital 2 or 3 times a day, so he is doing great about following the doctor's orders.  Yesterday it was so nice here in Cleveland with the sun shining, we asked permission for Don to go outside for a few minutes.  So they unhooked him from the IV and we got to go outside and sit in the sun for about 20 minutes.  It felt so good to both of us and it was such a blessing to get outside in the fresh air!
     Thanks for all your positive comments and prayers on the blog - we look for them every time we post something!
     Have a blessed Thanksgiving everyone! As you gather with your loved ones this Thanksgiving Day give everyone extra hugs and tell them how much you love them!  Don't let any more time pass without showing them how much they mean to you and the love you have for them.  Finally, we encourage you to let your thankfulness flow heavenward to Him who has given us so many reasons to be! 

TRANSPLANT COMPLETE!

     Yesterday was a good day!  Don's stem cells were infused over about a 45 minute period from 3 large "turkey baster" type of injections.  It went very well and Don had no problems.  In fact, he slept off and on throughout the infusion and the rest of the day because of all the pre-infusion medications they had to give him.  The nurse who performed the infusion wished Don "Happy Birthday!" and said, "This is the first day of the rest of your life!" All praise and glory and honor be to God our dear Father, who gives us every good and perfect gift - including the miracle of stem cells and the ability to transplant them! We prayed before, during and after the transplant that these cells would begin to do their miraculous work as quickly and perfectly as possible. 
     Don has been a little nauseous this morning so he is being given medication to keep that under control and he is sleeping a lot.  Your continued prayers for the next 10 days will be very important as his counts continue to drop from the chemo blast last Thursday.  The doctors assure us that after about 10 days he will feel better as his immune system recovers.  It is also very important that Don get up and walk around this floor of the hospital - please pray that he will be able to do   this even when he doesn't feel like it. 
     With thankful hearts,  Don and Marcie
   

STEM CELLS BEING INFUSED

JOANN, THE INFUSION NURSE WHO HAS
 BEEN DOING THIS FOR 35 YEARS!

    

CHEMO BLAST...AT LAST!

Dear family and friends, 

     We are blogging from the hospital where Don has just been given the major chemo blast that we have been waiting for for nearly a year. Please pray that this chemo will be effective in killing any cancer that remains in him. Tomorrow morning he will receive his stem cell transplant.  Pray specifically that the stem cells would do their work which is to rebuild Don's bone marrow which in turn will rebuild the immune system.    

     The downward cycle of Don's immune system should last about 10 days. During that time possible side effects include fever, diarrhea and nausea. We would really appreciate your prayers for him, that he would suffer minimal side effects and that he would not get an infection or pneumonia.  Once his immune system begins to recover he will start to feel better.  

     Our new doctor has just recently come to UH from MD Anderson in Texas. He will be working with Dr. Lazarus on my case. Everyone at UH has been very professional and kind to us. 

     Please feel free to send text messages, emails or cards to Don, but because he is so exhausted and vulnerable to infection he is not able to have visitors at this time.  It is best to send cards to the house.

     With love and gratitude,

     Don and Marcie

     

  

GOOD NEWS!

Hi everyone:
Just found out this morning that Don's number is at .9!  We are so thankful and so excited!  Praise the Lord!  We meet with the transplant doctor this Wednesday, so a more detailed update will be posted later this week.
Thank you for the many, many prayers that have gone heavenward on our behalf these last several months!
Don and Marcie