Here we are one more day closer to being able to get our lives back. We got up at 5 AM to go in for lab draws and blood work and then were back in the Apheresis clinic at 8 AM. Ann's results from yesterday were in, and turned out to be a slightly disappointing 0.49 Million. I say slightly disappointing because our total collected so far is 2.97 M. That leaves us 2 Million short of the 5 Million total CD34+ cell goal.However, this may not be a problem. I have been assured that other institutions have performed transplants with only 3 Million cells, so maybe the other 2 M are "just in case". Then again I'm hoping that we won't need these cells anyway. After all they or ones closely related to them were the reason Ann got leukemia in the first place. Statistics show that Autologous transplants are roughly three times more likely to relapse than patients treated with from an Allogeneic source. Which is exactly what the cord blood units are.
We nearly got thrown out of the apheresis clinic today for laughing and cutting up. Ann had started surfing the net on her laptop and ended up on a couple of very non-PC websites. The subject matter was for the most part unintentionally hysterical, and we both laughed so hard it left us gasping for air and wiping tears from our eyes. I can't remember the last time we laughed like that, and it felt really good just for that moment to forget about transplants, cancer, and all the other worries that we are carrying around these days. You have to fight really hard to maintain your love and connection to each other, or the treatment will grind it to dust. I had assumed our sense of humor had been demolished already. What a wonderful surprise it was to find out today, that its just been hiding and is otherwise unharmed.
After this round of apheresis I should be able to take Ann home to rest, and I will be able to attack the mound of laundry that has been building up since our schedule got so busy.
Last but not least Happy Birthday Tina! I hope you get more Cowbell!
4 comments:
Ann & Chris,
I've been reading your blog since February and I am so excited for y'all! Ann, your beauty just radiates! Your smile is amazing. Chris, as a newlywed, I am encouraged by your love and devotion to your wife. You both are truly living your vows each and every day. Y'all keep up the good fight! Thinking of you both as y'all prepare for Ann's transplant.
more cowbell!!!
-paige
Ann has a sense of humor? I want snotballs.
Thanks!!! it had lots of cowbell!
Post a Comment