Happy Valentine's with Heartfelt Thanks

Time Flies !

A month has already passed since our last update . (I type really slowly.)

It has been a busy month with a host of friends shuttling Sara back and forth between home and the hospital.

Preparation for the Stem Cell Transplant entails a battery of tests and consultations with a host of specialists, from ophthalmologists, to psychologists to dentists.

Sara wound up spending a little more time in hospital in early January dealing with

complications of the last round of chemotherapy than we had all hoped.

Fortunately, in the past couple of weeks, she has recovered to the point that she has been able to attend some of the girls ringette games and even return to a few more active endeavours - like a family badminton tournament. (This was a full body contact event complete with penalties for slashing , charging and unsportswoman like conduct.)

February 2nd Sara returns to hospital to commence a week of chemotherapy to prepare her for her transplant. February 8th, she will be subject to total body radiation therapy in an attempt to eliminate any remnants of her own immune system. An IV bag of donor stem cells will arrive from an undisclosed location on February 9th. (we are given no information about the donor or their country of origin other than the doctor's indication that the donor is a good match and is donating the stem cells at a facility that the Foothills Hospital has a good working relationship with)

The Stem Cells will be transfused into Sara over a period of 20 to 30 minutes. During that time there will be a team of doctors on hand to manage any immediate reaction to the transplanted cells. Sara will be receiving an extensive protocol of medications to help control the side effects of her body's attempts to reject the new Stem Cells. Over the following couple of weeks those Stem Cells will be establishing a new immune system in Sara's body. They will attack and destroy any remaining cancer cells and the components of the bone marrow that were producing the leukemic cells.

Unfortunately, they will also attack other organs that they consider foreign.

The goal of treatment is to minimize the damage to Sara's system until the new immune system has established itself and no longer considers her organs to be foreign.

Ok - enough of my lame attempts to explain this process. If theTransplant Doctors get a hold of this they will likely have me charged with gross incompetence in my description

of their work.

I will sign off on this update now (as I am still reeling from the comments made by an unnamed web mistress who suggested that she needed a snack and a nap to get through my

last blog entry!)

We haven't come up with a better way to express our gratitude than we have at the end of every other blog entry but it is the continued support from so many people, in so many ways

that have helped us stay positive throughout the course of the past four months.

Our sincerest, and most heartfelt thanks go out to all of those of you who we haven't been able to adequately thank on an individual basis.

Take care

Kevin (for Sara, Erin, Ali and Grandma Mona)

Season's Greetings!

Belated Christmas Update

(This is the blog entry that we planned to post a week ago but never quite got around to sending)

The past couple of weeks I have enjoyed some 'days off' from chemotherapy and the hospital routine. My blood counts recovered well after the last round, restoring my immunity and enabling me to 'live like normal'. I have been able to attend a couple of ringette games, walk around the neighbourhood and resume selected domestic activities. (I enjoy baking but I am sure cleaning up the mess, vacuuming or doing windows would be bad for my bone marrow!)

My Doctors decided to start me on another round of chemo just before Christmas. If I was partial to conspiracy theories I might suspect Kevin and the girls of persuading the Docs to order another round of chemo before Christmas so that I wouldn't feel like eating as many of the terrific Christmas goodies that we've been receiving - leaving more for them.

This year in an effort to save Kevin "mall shopping trauma" and because I already have enough ladders, vacuums, strainers, laundry baskets, and shovels, I suggested he leave the responsibility for coming up with a Christmas gift for me to the girls. (I do have to admit , however , that the ladder I received for Christmas a few years ago came in handy this year. As I couldn't have a 'real' tree, because of my compromised immunity, the girls elected to decorate the ladder instead of getting an artificial tree).

Kevin did brave the dollar store and presented everyone in the family with "Wild Kingdom Headgear" - very practical accessories that can brighten up any ensemble and ensure that you are not wearing the same thing as anyone else at your next party.

Erin and Ali treated me to some lovely gifts but the nicest 'surprise' under our ladder was news that a stem cell transplant donor had been located and confirmed. If my recovery from this latest round of chemo continues as anticipated, the transplant will be scheduled for early February. I will return to the hospital the week prior to the transplant for seven days of intensive chemo and a course of full body irradiation. The intent is to completely eradicate any remnants of my own immune system to minimize rejection of the donor's stem cells. The donor's stem cells will be harvested in a clinic in their home country (we aren't told where that is) and flown to Calgary in an IV bag. When I have completed my pre - transplant chemo and radiation the cells will be transfused into my IV. The two weeks following the transplant are spent in hospital managing all of the side effects arising from the transplant. We are given no information about the donor except that the transplant team has indicated that they are a good match for my immune system profile.

While the prospect of what lies ahead in the short term is a little daunting, the philosophy of "taking it a day at a time" has brought us 3 months down this road with good progress and positive results from the therapy undertaken so far. Having found a donor opens the way for the next step in the journey to recovery. (and having to do windows again!)

Happy New Year

We will endeavour to post this New Year's Update sometime before Valentine' s Day!

We have enjoyed a relaxed holiday at home between Christmas and NewYear. I have had to return to the hospital every couple of days to follow my blood counts and receive transfusions but have been able to spend evenings at home.

It has proven impossible to adequately recognize and "Thank" all of those who have supported us over the past few months. The cards and e-mails of encouragement, prayers and positive thoughts have truly been uplifting and inspiring. All kinds of people have come forward to chauffeur, feed, decorate, donate, co-ordinate and just generally look after us.

We feel blessed and genuinely grateful for all efforts, large and small, that have been made on our behalf.

We look forward to 2010 and wish everyone who is helping and us along this path - good health , time with family and safe adventures in the year to come.

Sara, Kevin, Erin, Ali and Mona

Keep smiling!