Hi everyone, got some great news to share with all of you. Got word a couple of days ago from the doc that my white blood cells counts have taken a huge U-turn and climbed from 0 which is where they have been since the first round of chemo, to 1,400 in 1 day. This is a huge jump and one they really can't even explain, but who the hell cares, I'll take it. It's the first bit of good news I've had in quite a while and it got better and better as the last few days went by. The next day my white cells nearly doubled to 2,500, and now they are up to 2,800 after a third day of growth.
The best part about all of this is there are absolutely no cancer cells in my blood, but this doesn't mean I am cancer free. To see exactly what is going on, on Tuesday I am having another bone marrow biopsy done to get the results of that 3rd round of chemo. If there is no cancer in my bone marrow it means I am finally in remission.
Regardless of whether or not I am in remission, with this jump in white cells, comes the opportunity for me to finally go home. As of now, it looks like I'll be getting discharged from the hospital on Wednesday the 3rd, returning back on the 19th or 20th for the transplant procedure. This means I get to sleep in a real bed, eat at restaurants, hang out with Floyd, go to the movies...all that good stuff that gets taken for granted everyday.
Well, that's my news. What do you think? Are you as excited as I am? If you're reading this blog, it probably means you have been there with me the whole way which means you are just as excited as me. This is certainly not the end of the road, but it is one hell of a bright spot along the way. No doubt there are many more battles to fight and win, but I know that having you guys right there with me means there is no way I won't prevail. Take care everyone and thanks for reading.
P.S. - Happy birthday Mom, Dad, Hans, Michael and Michael
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
Hi everyone,
not a whole lot to report on from my end but it hasn't been the smoothest week, that's for sure. These fevers I have been fighting for the past week or so don't seem to want to leave me alone. They are at least simmering down to the 102 level as opposed to 104+, and they are only hitting at night as opposed to both day and night, so those two things definitely make them more manageable....but they are still fevers none the less. Fevers here mean extra tests all day long, and sometimes all night long. If means extra blood cultures, Tylenol and whatever meds and antibiotics they feel fits the job. All in all it's not that bad, just annoying due to all of the extra hoops I have to jump through. I don't feel any worse though, just warmer.
I also have the pesky cold which has resulted in me going through 3 different sets of chest and head X-Rays, and 2 CT scans in the last 5 days. These guys don't mess around here. They see a sign of one potential issue, they throw everything they have at it. All tests have turned up negative which is news I can certainly live with.
As far as "The Plan" goes, I may finally have some hard dates set regarding treatment. I say "may" because this information came from someone who works with the person who is handling my transplant case, not the actual person. Until it comes from her mouth, it will always remain a "may" situation. Anyway, do you remember when I mentioned there would be an additional week of treatment before the transplant procedure? Well it looks like the fun begins on September 20th which coincidentally enough is the same day of the day of the charity walk. Nice huh? So the 20th and 21st will be filled with chemo treatments. The 22nd through the 24th will be my full body radiation days which leaves the target, go time, all cards on the table, TRANSPLANT day looking as of now like Friday, September 25th. I know there are a lot of questions about this and they will come out as we get closer to the date, but that how everything looks as of now. I must tell you, it feels pretty damn good to have date set, even if it's not set in stone just yet.
Wow, I guess I had more than just a quick update. Thanks for reading everyone and as you can see, much more information to follow as this whole thing unravels. I am feeling and doing great and as always we appreciate all of your unwavering support and love. Take care everyone, be well and we'll talk soon.
not a whole lot to report on from my end but it hasn't been the smoothest week, that's for sure. These fevers I have been fighting for the past week or so don't seem to want to leave me alone. They are at least simmering down to the 102 level as opposed to 104+, and they are only hitting at night as opposed to both day and night, so those two things definitely make them more manageable....but they are still fevers none the less. Fevers here mean extra tests all day long, and sometimes all night long. If means extra blood cultures, Tylenol and whatever meds and antibiotics they feel fits the job. All in all it's not that bad, just annoying due to all of the extra hoops I have to jump through. I don't feel any worse though, just warmer.
I also have the pesky cold which has resulted in me going through 3 different sets of chest and head X-Rays, and 2 CT scans in the last 5 days. These guys don't mess around here. They see a sign of one potential issue, they throw everything they have at it. All tests have turned up negative which is news I can certainly live with.
As far as "The Plan" goes, I may finally have some hard dates set regarding treatment. I say "may" because this information came from someone who works with the person who is handling my transplant case, not the actual person. Until it comes from her mouth, it will always remain a "may" situation. Anyway, do you remember when I mentioned there would be an additional week of treatment before the transplant procedure? Well it looks like the fun begins on September 20th which coincidentally enough is the same day of the day of the charity walk. Nice huh? So the 20th and 21st will be filled with chemo treatments. The 22nd through the 24th will be my full body radiation days which leaves the target, go time, all cards on the table, TRANSPLANT day looking as of now like Friday, September 25th. I know there are a lot of questions about this and they will come out as we get closer to the date, but that how everything looks as of now. I must tell you, it feels pretty damn good to have date set, even if it's not set in stone just yet.
Wow, I guess I had more than just a quick update. Thanks for reading everyone and as you can see, much more information to follow as this whole thing unravels. I am feeling and doing great and as always we appreciate all of your unwavering support and love. Take care everyone, be well and we'll talk soon.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Friday, August 22nd, 2008
So I had a very eventful Friday night tonight. Who says I can't have some fun while I'm in here. Not only did I get to take a walk down the CT Scan (catscan) lab, but I got to do it unattached to my IV machine...and for those of you who have been down here to visit, you know how huge that is. Imagine being attached to 3 IV machines with no relief except for a few seconds to change a shirt for...2 straight months. Now you know how great of a walk that was. It was a great Friday night in the hospital.
Now to the stuff that sucks. I have been battling a fever for the past two nights that has just taken me down. The body temp isn't what bothers me, it's the medication they give me to fight it. These meds pretty much knock me out, so for the last 2 days I have been spending a lot of time in bed and awake or a lot of time in bed and asleep. That existance just sucks but my temp got as high as 104.5 so it isn't something you can just shrug off. I am hopefully at the tail end of the fever but these things come and go pretty quickly so you never know. I just had a reading done a few seconds ago which put at 101.2. Fingers are crossed it keeps going down, these ice packs are starting to get uncomfortable.
So as far as "The Plan" goes (seems like that's what we'll be calling it based on the blog postings), nothing has changed and we are on track. I know they are still trying to get the scheduling side of it nailed down with the donor, but the nuts and bolts remain the same.
Halos seem to be slipping a bit but nothing to worry about, the offense will turn on again. Let's just hope it doesn't turn off again. Cowboys looked really good tonight. First team offense looks solid, defense looks good but could be better and special teams needs some serious help. I'm just happy football is right around the corner. I'm excited about the other football as well. Bayern Munich is back with Klinsmann at the helm so I am hoping they repeat their championship ways and go back to back in the Bundesliga.
That's it guys. Been a rough couple of days but nothing to keep me from smiling once in a while. Take care and be well everyone.
Now to the stuff that sucks. I have been battling a fever for the past two nights that has just taken me down. The body temp isn't what bothers me, it's the medication they give me to fight it. These meds pretty much knock me out, so for the last 2 days I have been spending a lot of time in bed and awake or a lot of time in bed and asleep. That existance just sucks but my temp got as high as 104.5 so it isn't something you can just shrug off. I am hopefully at the tail end of the fever but these things come and go pretty quickly so you never know. I just had a reading done a few seconds ago which put at 101.2. Fingers are crossed it keeps going down, these ice packs are starting to get uncomfortable.
So as far as "The Plan" goes (seems like that's what we'll be calling it based on the blog postings), nothing has changed and we are on track. I know they are still trying to get the scheduling side of it nailed down with the donor, but the nuts and bolts remain the same.
Halos seem to be slipping a bit but nothing to worry about, the offense will turn on again. Let's just hope it doesn't turn off again. Cowboys looked really good tonight. First team offense looks solid, defense looks good but could be better and special teams needs some serious help. I'm just happy football is right around the corner. I'm excited about the other football as well. Bayern Munich is back with Klinsmann at the helm so I am hoping they repeat their championship ways and go back to back in the Bundesliga.
That's it guys. Been a rough couple of days but nothing to keep me from smiling once in a while. Take care and be well everyone.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Monday, August 18th, 2008
Happy Monday everyone, and I can guess you can already tell from the tone of those first few words that I have turned the corner on feeling the pains of chemo round 3. I am officially calling today the end of the misery. My appetite isn't fully back yet but today I was able to do some exercise, sit outside with Evey for a bit and watch a couple of movies in comfort. I won't make mention of the Angel game. All I can say is it's good to be back my friends.
So there isn't much news to report on, but I can give you all an idea of what's to come in the next month or so. As it went with the first two rounds of chemo treatment, my body is now in recovery mode. My white and red blood cell counts are at rock bottom, no surprise, and will be for a few weeks. There will not be a round 4 of treatment. The plan as of now is to go forward with the transplant roughly 4 weeks from now. This does not mean I will be chemo free though. About a week before the transplant, I will go through 3 days of intense radiation treatment and 2 days of chemotherapy. These 5 days, in addition to the treatment I just went through, will pretty much wipe my immune system clean of my body. At that point I'm ready for transplant and away we go. More details to come on all of that as we get closer to go time, but it feels good to know what the plan is and to know things are moving forward. I am very optimistic that my body will be in a perfect state of readiness when transplant time hits. It has been no small sacrifice, but well worth it none the less.
One small side note from the weekend and I'll get out of your hair. As bad as this whole situation has been, I have been able to pull some pretty cool things out for myself along the way, that would not have happened had I not gotten cancer. The most valuable one being able to see the love, strength and caring of my friends and family. You always know it's there but it is amazing to see it first hand. I have a cousin who lives in Northern California who I have not seen in nearly 6 years. No hard feelings between he and I, no drama or fighting that would keep us from being in contact, just two paths going different directions. My guess is you know where this is going, but within a few days of learning about my situation, my cousin Ryan was in his car and driving south to come and see me. I can't tell you how great of a feeling it is to see your family or friends, just drop everything and come see you when you need them most. Hopefully you will never be in a situation like I am in to experience it, but as I said, there are some real gems that shine in even the worst situations, and this was certainly one of them.
Thanks for reading everyone and have a great week. I have a good feeling I will.
So there isn't much news to report on, but I can give you all an idea of what's to come in the next month or so. As it went with the first two rounds of chemo treatment, my body is now in recovery mode. My white and red blood cell counts are at rock bottom, no surprise, and will be for a few weeks. There will not be a round 4 of treatment. The plan as of now is to go forward with the transplant roughly 4 weeks from now. This does not mean I will be chemo free though. About a week before the transplant, I will go through 3 days of intense radiation treatment and 2 days of chemotherapy. These 5 days, in addition to the treatment I just went through, will pretty much wipe my immune system clean of my body. At that point I'm ready for transplant and away we go. More details to come on all of that as we get closer to go time, but it feels good to know what the plan is and to know things are moving forward. I am very optimistic that my body will be in a perfect state of readiness when transplant time hits. It has been no small sacrifice, but well worth it none the less.
One small side note from the weekend and I'll get out of your hair. As bad as this whole situation has been, I have been able to pull some pretty cool things out for myself along the way, that would not have happened had I not gotten cancer. The most valuable one being able to see the love, strength and caring of my friends and family. You always know it's there but it is amazing to see it first hand. I have a cousin who lives in Northern California who I have not seen in nearly 6 years. No hard feelings between he and I, no drama or fighting that would keep us from being in contact, just two paths going different directions. My guess is you know where this is going, but within a few days of learning about my situation, my cousin Ryan was in his car and driving south to come and see me. I can't tell you how great of a feeling it is to see your family or friends, just drop everything and come see you when you need them most. Hopefully you will never be in a situation like I am in to experience it, but as I said, there are some real gems that shine in even the worst situations, and this was certainly one of them.
Thanks for reading everyone and have a great week. I have a good feeling I will.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Thursday, August14th, 2008
Hi everyone, I hope all is well. First off, I'd like to thank each and every one of you who wrote a message on the blog since my last post. As you could imagine, this third round of chemo has really taken a heavy toll on me given it's strength and potency, so it was great to plug in and ready your messages. Again, I can't tell you how much that does for me to see those messages.
So yes, this round of treatment has been tough on me. It has been my first real test which makes sense given the fact that the first two rounds were pretty ineffective. I have zero energy, my appetite is non-existent and my stomach is one big knot. That's the bad news. The good news is that as quickly as I started this round of chemo, it has already ended. It has already come and gone as will the side effects and discomfort that came along with it. Where that leaves me now is in another few weeks of recovery while waiting for my blood counts to climb back up.
Again, I want to thank you all for your support whether it comes though cards, donations, messages, whatever...they all get heard and they all go as far, if not further than you intended. This is a tough spot but all is well and I will come out through the other side of this in no time. How could I not considering everything going on in the world of sports. Angels are ruling everyone and the Cowboys OWNED the Chargers on the one and only drive they had their starters in. Going to be a good season.
Take care everyone and thanks again for the support! Will check back with you soon.
So yes, this round of treatment has been tough on me. It has been my first real test which makes sense given the fact that the first two rounds were pretty ineffective. I have zero energy, my appetite is non-existent and my stomach is one big knot. That's the bad news. The good news is that as quickly as I started this round of chemo, it has already ended. It has already come and gone as will the side effects and discomfort that came along with it. Where that leaves me now is in another few weeks of recovery while waiting for my blood counts to climb back up.
Again, I want to thank you all for your support whether it comes though cards, donations, messages, whatever...they all get heard and they all go as far, if not further than you intended. This is a tough spot but all is well and I will come out through the other side of this in no time. How could I not considering everything going on in the world of sports. Angels are ruling everyone and the Cowboys OWNED the Chargers on the one and only drive they had their starters in. Going to be a good season.
Take care everyone and thanks again for the support! Will check back with you soon.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Sunday, August 10th, 2008
Hi everyone, and let me apologize for such a long lag between the last post and this one. A lot has been going on and I have a lot to report on so sorry for the long one this time. So the last time I left you I think it was the day before they were going to perform the always barbaric bone marrow biopsy, which did not disappoint again this time. I'll spare you the details.
Hopes were high on round 2, results came and everything came crashing down. The news was pretty harsh saying that 50% of the cells left in the marrow were still cancer cells. This was quite a blow. What it basically means is that the chemo treatments I have been going through for the past 6 weeks are just not strong enough for the cancer I am fighting. This is a much more aggressive and progressive form of cancer the doctors anticipated, so I have been under gunned this whole time. As you could imagine, when I got the news on Friday night I was pretty devastated, especially with the visions of grandeur that I may have been able to get out of here for a week or so and get my head right. Options completely changed at that point which really only left 1.
Option 1 was to wait for my white cells to come up which could take a couple of weeks, get out of here for a week and come back for round 3 of chemo which could take 3-4 weeks in its entirety,
Option 2 was to get started on round 3 of chemo right away and not waste any time. I absolutely took option 2. I will have plenty of time to get home when all this is done. Wasting three weeks didn't seem like a viable possibility, so as I type this message, I am currently undergoing round 3 of chemotherapy treatment. This treatment is called "FLAG-IDA" chemo which lasts 5 days using three different kinds of chemo medicines and a daily shot in the stomach.
This round of chemo is a whole new ball game. It is 20 times more potent than the first two rounds so it should hopefully wreck havoc on the cancer cells left over. In addition, it requires that I get nightly shots in my stomach which accelerates bone marrow activity. The idea there is to stimulate and grow the cancer cells so they come out of all corners of the marrow, then send in the gnarly "20 times more powerful" chemo to clean everything out and kill it once and for all. Even with all that said, there is a possibility that with this type of aggressive cancer, it still may not push me into remission. More options to come at that point, but chances are good this will do the trick.
I can tell you that the most frustrating part of all of this is being engaged in a fight that you have absolutely no control over. I have the type of personality that I always need to be in control of things, especially if the situation is threatening me in any way, much like this. In this situation, I have to sit back and trust that the medication inside of me is doing its job, fighting the cancer. What I cannot do is lose faith in that, but it's hard not to after two rounds of chemo have come back negative. This is my battle. Continuing to trust the unknown and uncontrollable, sitting back and hoping the chemo is working, when the past two times haven’t. This third round seems to be a better fit for the kind of cancer I have so I need to do my absolute best to KNOW it is going to work.
The good news of this whole ordeal is that my girlfriend Evey took it upon herself to have a pow wow with the doctors and told them that that I need to be able to get out of here for a limited time at some point, risk or not. Given that I have been locked up for close to 7 weeks, they seemed good with it, and today, after being forced to stay in for close to two months, I spent 2 hours outside in the fresh air and sun soaking it up. It was like magic and I can't begin to tell you how badly it was needed.
So as you can see we have had a lot going on over the past 4 days or so. A lot of disappointment, let downs and readjusting of expectations, but also hardening of spirits and understanding that this is going to be a longer, harder road than we originally thought, but one that we know we will get through and one that we know we will look back on one day as a bump in the road.
Thanks for reading everyone and we'll keep you updated as things progress. Take care and be well.
Hopes were high on round 2, results came and everything came crashing down. The news was pretty harsh saying that 50% of the cells left in the marrow were still cancer cells. This was quite a blow. What it basically means is that the chemo treatments I have been going through for the past 6 weeks are just not strong enough for the cancer I am fighting. This is a much more aggressive and progressive form of cancer the doctors anticipated, so I have been under gunned this whole time. As you could imagine, when I got the news on Friday night I was pretty devastated, especially with the visions of grandeur that I may have been able to get out of here for a week or so and get my head right. Options completely changed at that point which really only left 1.
Option 1 was to wait for my white cells to come up which could take a couple of weeks, get out of here for a week and come back for round 3 of chemo which could take 3-4 weeks in its entirety,
Option 2 was to get started on round 3 of chemo right away and not waste any time. I absolutely took option 2. I will have plenty of time to get home when all this is done. Wasting three weeks didn't seem like a viable possibility, so as I type this message, I am currently undergoing round 3 of chemotherapy treatment. This treatment is called "FLAG-IDA" chemo which lasts 5 days using three different kinds of chemo medicines and a daily shot in the stomach.
This round of chemo is a whole new ball game. It is 20 times more potent than the first two rounds so it should hopefully wreck havoc on the cancer cells left over. In addition, it requires that I get nightly shots in my stomach which accelerates bone marrow activity. The idea there is to stimulate and grow the cancer cells so they come out of all corners of the marrow, then send in the gnarly "20 times more powerful" chemo to clean everything out and kill it once and for all. Even with all that said, there is a possibility that with this type of aggressive cancer, it still may not push me into remission. More options to come at that point, but chances are good this will do the trick.
I can tell you that the most frustrating part of all of this is being engaged in a fight that you have absolutely no control over. I have the type of personality that I always need to be in control of things, especially if the situation is threatening me in any way, much like this. In this situation, I have to sit back and trust that the medication inside of me is doing its job, fighting the cancer. What I cannot do is lose faith in that, but it's hard not to after two rounds of chemo have come back negative. This is my battle. Continuing to trust the unknown and uncontrollable, sitting back and hoping the chemo is working, when the past two times haven’t. This third round seems to be a better fit for the kind of cancer I have so I need to do my absolute best to KNOW it is going to work.
The good news of this whole ordeal is that my girlfriend Evey took it upon herself to have a pow wow with the doctors and told them that that I need to be able to get out of here for a limited time at some point, risk or not. Given that I have been locked up for close to 7 weeks, they seemed good with it, and today, after being forced to stay in for close to two months, I spent 2 hours outside in the fresh air and sun soaking it up. It was like magic and I can't begin to tell you how badly it was needed.
So as you can see we have had a lot going on over the past 4 days or so. A lot of disappointment, let downs and readjusting of expectations, but also hardening of spirits and understanding that this is going to be a longer, harder road than we originally thought, but one that we know we will get through and one that we know we will look back on one day as a bump in the road.
Thanks for reading everyone and we'll keep you updated as things progress. Take care and be well.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
The news remains the same today. Platelets continue to rise up while white blood cells stay in the basement. My doctor says there is nothing to worry about so i'm not worrying, but I'd really like to see them start to make a move. The encouraging thing again has been the steady growth in platelets. This in now 6 days in a row that they have grown on their own. That means the bone marrow is working and doing what it is supposed to do, just no movement yet on the whites. Tomorrow brings a new day with hopefully new results. We're all anxiously waiting to see the first sign of growth from the whites so hopefully tomorrow is the day.
I did get some good news about tomorrow though. My doctor has decided to move forward with the bone marrow extraction which will test the round 2 chemotherpy treatment. As much as I enjoy having them dig into my bones to scrape out marrow for more testing, we are very anxious to find out if I am in remission or not so the sooner the better. This test will do that and should hopefully have results ready by Monday...good stuff.
Thanks for reading everyone and take care. More updates to follow.
I did get some good news about tomorrow though. My doctor has decided to move forward with the bone marrow extraction which will test the round 2 chemotherpy treatment. As much as I enjoy having them dig into my bones to scrape out marrow for more testing, we are very anxious to find out if I am in remission or not so the sooner the better. This test will do that and should hopefully have results ready by Monday...good stuff.
Thanks for reading everyone and take care. More updates to follow.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
Hi everyone, just a quick update on where I am at with my counts, and then I want to ask for your help on an exciting event coming up.
My white cell counts are still in the basement at the unreadable levels, but the good news is my platelets continue to rise. They have gone up every day for the past 6 days which is very promising. Again, this means my bone marrow is working, just hasn't started with the white cells yet. Hopefully any day now we'll see some movement there.
So here is where I could use your help. There is a very cool Leukemia charity walk coming up at Angel Stadium called The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Light The Night Walk. Here is some info about the walk:
The Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's nationwide evening fundraising walk to celebrate and commemorate lives touched by cancer. Funds raised support blood cancer research and patient services. Cancer survivors light the way with illuminated white balloons, supporters carry red balloons and teams walking in memory of a loved one carry a single gold balloon. Dedication banners designed to honor cancer survivors and the memory of those who lost their battles give participants a chance to personalize their efforts and pay tribute to a friend or loved one. Light The Night 2008 promises to be the biggest, brightest and best our counties have ever seen.
When: Saturday, September 20 2008
Where: Angel Stadium – Anaheim, CA
The name of my team is "Team Chrome Dome"...come on, you gotta love that. I think we're up to 15 people who have shaved their heads so it was only fitting. There are two ways to participate, walk or donate:
1. If you walk, click on or cut and paste the following link http://teams.lightthenight.org/ChromeDome, and follow the instructions to become a participant by joining the team. If you become a participant, there is no donation requirement, but they ask that you bring in somewhere in the neighborhood of $200. Now this isn't your own $200.00. This money should come from donations from your family and friends in your name which would fall under team Chrome Dome. This is if you have signed up correctly. If you have people donate money in your name, they would follow the next set of instructions in number 2.
2. To donate to an existing team member or walker, click on or cut and paste the following link: http://www.active.com/donate/ltnSanta , and follow the instructions. You should be able to choose the team member you want and donate from there. Again, the goal is to have every team member bring in $200.00, so any help would be great. Any size donation toward their name will help and the website makes it really easy. If everyone just jumps on the website and donates 5-10 bucks or more, we should have no problem getting there. This is for a great cause and the fact that it is affiliated with the Angels makes it even better.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Van Skogkund at 714-553-0661 or email him at Van_Skoglund@Kingston.com He can walk you through the process which is very easy.
Thanks in advance everyone. I can tell from the outpouring of emotion and support over the past 6 weeks that this group should have no problem stepping up and making this a success. It will be a really fun and rewarding event so if you can make it for the walk, even better. I will be there condition permitting for sure. More updates on my blood levels to follow as I get them.
My white cell counts are still in the basement at the unreadable levels, but the good news is my platelets continue to rise. They have gone up every day for the past 6 days which is very promising. Again, this means my bone marrow is working, just hasn't started with the white cells yet. Hopefully any day now we'll see some movement there.
So here is where I could use your help. There is a very cool Leukemia charity walk coming up at Angel Stadium called The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Light The Night Walk. Here is some info about the walk:
The Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's nationwide evening fundraising walk to celebrate and commemorate lives touched by cancer. Funds raised support blood cancer research and patient services. Cancer survivors light the way with illuminated white balloons, supporters carry red balloons and teams walking in memory of a loved one carry a single gold balloon. Dedication banners designed to honor cancer survivors and the memory of those who lost their battles give participants a chance to personalize their efforts and pay tribute to a friend or loved one. Light The Night 2008 promises to be the biggest, brightest and best our counties have ever seen.
When: Saturday, September 20 2008
Where: Angel Stadium – Anaheim, CA
The name of my team is "Team Chrome Dome"...come on, you gotta love that. I think we're up to 15 people who have shaved their heads so it was only fitting. There are two ways to participate, walk or donate:
1. If you walk, click on or cut and paste the following link http://teams.lightthenight.org/ChromeDome, and follow the instructions to become a participant by joining the team. If you become a participant, there is no donation requirement, but they ask that you bring in somewhere in the neighborhood of $200. Now this isn't your own $200.00. This money should come from donations from your family and friends in your name which would fall under team Chrome Dome. This is if you have signed up correctly. If you have people donate money in your name, they would follow the next set of instructions in number 2.
2. To donate to an existing team member or walker, click on or cut and paste the following link: http://www.active.com/donate/ltnSanta , and follow the instructions. You should be able to choose the team member you want and donate from there. Again, the goal is to have every team member bring in $200.00, so any help would be great. Any size donation toward their name will help and the website makes it really easy. If everyone just jumps on the website and donates 5-10 bucks or more, we should have no problem getting there. This is for a great cause and the fact that it is affiliated with the Angels makes it even better.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Van Skogkund at 714-553-0661 or email him at Van_Skoglund@Kingston.com He can walk you through the process which is very easy.
Thanks in advance everyone. I can tell from the outpouring of emotion and support over the past 6 weeks that this group should have no problem stepping up and making this a success. It will be a really fun and rewarding event so if you can make it for the walk, even better. I will be there condition permitting for sure. More updates on my blood levels to follow as I get them.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Sunday, August 3rd, 2008
Hi everyone, happy Sunday night. I hope you all had a great weekend. Evey and I had a pretty relaxing weekend, visiting with friends and family and watching movies. Just another fun filled weekend here at the hospital. If you can sense the sarcasm in the sentence, you're pretty much right on. Starting to get really antsy in this place. Just gotta remember this is out of my hands and being here is part of the deal. I can usually snap myself out of those moments pretty quickly, but those periods of time seem to be taking longer. Other than the cabin fever, I am feeling really good and healthy so I don't have a whole lot to complain about in the grand scheme of things.
White blood cell counts are still "in the basement", as my doctor would say, but my platelet count is steadily rising which continues to be encouraging. They almost doubled overnight so if I can get that kind of action going on the white cell side of things, I'll be looking good. Tomorrow we will know if there has been any movement, but bottom line is they are still way too low to do anything.
Got some good news today. As far as testing my bone marrow goes, there may be a chance that I could go through another extraction this week. If my white cell count is still rock bottom by the end of the week, they may just go ahead and test for results on round two of the chemo treatment I finished up a few weeks ago. On the other hand, if my white cells show movement and start to go up this week, then they will wait until they start to mature, and then test. Regardless, a test is right around the corner. The best part of this story is they may send me home for five days or so to help me with the cabin fever, whether or not I hit remission from round 2. This will give me some time to get some fresh air, see the light of day, spend time with Floyd and sleep in my own bed. As great as that was to hear, I need to keep from getting too excited because things change around here on a dime. Getting home for a few days would really be great but the prize as of now is to get into remission. That is what I continue to focus on and strive for. We shall see.
That's it for today. Sorry for the long blog but as you can see we have a lot to be excited about. Fingers are crossed that white counts are up tomorrow. If not, we'll just push for the next day. Thanks for reading and I'll update you as things progress.
White blood cell counts are still "in the basement", as my doctor would say, but my platelet count is steadily rising which continues to be encouraging. They almost doubled overnight so if I can get that kind of action going on the white cell side of things, I'll be looking good. Tomorrow we will know if there has been any movement, but bottom line is they are still way too low to do anything.
Got some good news today. As far as testing my bone marrow goes, there may be a chance that I could go through another extraction this week. If my white cell count is still rock bottom by the end of the week, they may just go ahead and test for results on round two of the chemo treatment I finished up a few weeks ago. On the other hand, if my white cells show movement and start to go up this week, then they will wait until they start to mature, and then test. Regardless, a test is right around the corner. The best part of this story is they may send me home for five days or so to help me with the cabin fever, whether or not I hit remission from round 2. This will give me some time to get some fresh air, see the light of day, spend time with Floyd and sleep in my own bed. As great as that was to hear, I need to keep from getting too excited because things change around here on a dime. Getting home for a few days would really be great but the prize as of now is to get into remission. That is what I continue to focus on and strive for. We shall see.
That's it for today. Sorry for the long blog but as you can see we have a lot to be excited about. Fingers are crossed that white counts are up tomorrow. If not, we'll just push for the next day. Thanks for reading and I'll update you as things progress.
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