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

WE ARE ENCOURAGED!

Dear family and friends,
     As summer turns into fall, we are reflecting on the fact that it has been almost a year since our unexpected journey began.  It was just about a year ago exactly that Don began to experience back pain, while training for his 12th marathon.  A marathon he still intends to run by the way!  For the last couple of weeks he has been running 3/4 to 1-1/4 miles on the bike trail once a week with the help of his walker, a couple of friends and a number of "rest" breaks .  It has been such an encouragement for him to be able to do that!  He was also able to do some swimming and found that to be the most pain-free form of exercise he can do.  He also set up his new bicycle  (the one he got for his birthday but isn't allowed to ride outside) on a stand and has been riding it as a stationary bike.  He is up to 8 minutes on the bike and so glad that he can do these forms of exercise to get strong again!
     We were also encouraged by our visit to the oncologist on Monday.  The cancer has crept down to a 1.2, after remaining at a 1.4 for 2 months!  Although not a huge drop it is still movement in the right direction and we'll take it!   We are getting closer to the number needed for the stem cell transplant.  Don has begun another round of outpatient chemo which will take him through to almost the end of September.  We praise God that this chemo has not caused him to suffer strong side effects and he is able to continue working. 
     Marcie is back to school and getting back into the routine of early mornings, teaching, lesson plans, grading papers, etc.  She and Don are especially thankful for friends and family who help with transporting Don back and forth to work and doctor's appointments.   Also for those who keep us supplied with delicious meals several times a week.  And we thank God for meeting all of our financial needs through many generous friends.  We are truly blessed by all of you!
     You know how a song gets stuck in your head sometimes?  Well, here is the one that has been stuck in mine for quite awhile now.  It comes to me often first thing in the morning and again while I am driving.  "The steadfast love of the Lord never faileth.  His mercies never come to an end!  They are new every morning, new every morning;  great is thy faithfulness oh, Lord, great is thy faithfulness!"  We pray that you are experiencing His mercies anew every morning and His great faithfulness every day!

Prayer Requests:

• That the cancer would continue to drop and - this is the important part - stay in remission until the   stem cell transplant.

• That Don would be protected from any infections since cold and flu season is just ahead.

• That the Lord would go ahead of us in preparing all the details and timing of the hospital stay for the stem cell transplant. 

With much love and grateful hearts,
Don and Marcie

The Numbers

Dear Family and Friends,
     Just a quick update to let you know where we are.  We did not get the update on the cancer number until this afternoon.  It is still at 1.4, so it has not changed in a month.  A bit discouraging?  Yes...
But we just keep reminding ourselves this is just one of many battles, it is certainly not the end of the war.  We will keep on fighting. 
     Our oncologist plans to continue with the same chemo regimen through September.  If there is no change after that, she will make a decision about changing the chemo drugs.  We maintain our confidence in her; she is one of the foremost experts in Multiple Myeloma in the United States.
     Don has been working steadily through the month of August about 25 hours a week.  He is very thankful to be able to continue to work.  The pain has been manageable for the last couple of weeks, so we are especially grateful for that.  He is working on a blog post that he will publish shortly.
     Thank you for your continued prayers and expressions of love and concern.
Don and Marcie 

Lazy, Hazy Crazy Days of Summer...Not Exactly a Day at the Beach

Dear family and friends,

Don and our son, Adam

     July has been a challenging month in our journey.  Don was released from the hospital after another 96 hour chemo infusion on July 7th.  On the following Monday night he became violently ill, got dehydrated and had to be sent by ambulance back to Seidman Cancer Center.  They kept him for 5 days to control the nausea and get him re-hydrated.  He was released on the 14th of July, which allowed us to enjoy a couple of hours at the Lichi Family Reunion.  Since then he has had at least 2 doctor visits per week as we try to move from in-patient infusion back to an outpatient chemo regimen. 
     Our oncologist has decided not to risk another round of the toxic 96 hour in-patient chemo regimen - it was simply too hard on Don.  She has decided that we will continue chemotherapy with one or two rounds of out-patient infusion utilizing the chemotherapy that he had from January through April.  What this means is infusions and blood work on Mondays and Thursdays plus 14 days of the powerful chemo drug Revlimid (see previous blog posts).  This coming week will be the second week of the regimen and then Don will have a week off.  At the end of August the oncologist will reassess the cancer counts and we will know where we stand.  The doctor has used the term "refractory" in describing Don's cancer, meaning it has been very stubborn in responding to treatment.  The cancer went into remission temporarily in April and May, but then started to increase again which necesitated the 2 rounds of 96 hour in-patient chemo.  Since the Spring,  the cancer numbers had gone from below a 1 back up to 1.9.  After the 2 rounds in June and July of very toxic chemo it has crept back down with agonizing slowness to a 1.4.  You will recall that it has to be below a 1 in order for the stem cell transplant to take place.   
     On a happier note, we were able to spend time with all 5 of our grandchildren in July, which was an incredible lift to our spirits.  Also, some friends loaned us their lake cottage for a weekend at the end of July which allowed for some much needed "down" time.  We continue to receive cards and emails almost daily that remind us that we are part of the wonderful body of Christ.  Your prayers and expressions of loving concern assure us that we are continually lifted before our Heavenly Father.  
     If you are reading this and have not yet placed your total confidence in Christ, there is nothing more important to get settled in your heart.
     I (Don) want to give special thanks for Marcie and her tireless care of me.  I can't even imagine what life would be like without this God-given helpmate.  
     We love you and will give you more details as we have them.
Don and Marcie