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Wednesday and Thursday, September 19th and 20th

Hi everyone.

  Yesterday went well, all considering.  Otto was able to get out in the morning for one last round of golf before heading in for his usual bone marrow biopsy and lumbar puncture.  He had a great time with everyone.

  His procedures that afternoon went well.  There were no major hiccups and we are now awaiting the results which should come to us Friday afternoon.  If the bone marrow is disease free, then we are here for the chemo days.  If there is disease present in the marrow, then we will be in the hospital until his counts recover (anywhere between 25 to 30 plus days).  We are praying hard for no disease, but since the leukemia cutis is present, you never know.

  Today starts Round 4 of chemo commencing this afternoon.  We are lucky in the sense that one treatment will happen during the daytime and the remaining treatments will occur when he is sleeping.  We think this is better from a mental standpoint.  We also met with the Bone Marrow team.  We talked about the process of going transplant as well as the risks involved.  They are now looking into the registry to see if they can find people who are possible donors.  Please note - even if these donors are found, further testing needs to be completed to determine if they are an exact match to Otto's DNA, are they healthy, and are they willing to donate at this time.  We are hoping that through prayer, God is going to lead us to the person who will save our guys life.  We are keeping our heads high and our positivity beaming.

  All in all, this process could potentially start in December.  He will need to spend a week or so receiving chemo to wipe his bone marrow clean.  Then, on Transplant Day, the calendar starts from Day 0.  Otto will be in the hospital for 4 - 6 weeks as his body takes in cells to develop this new organ, bringing an entire new immune system to life.  Complications can arise, and if so, will prolong our stay.  Afterwards, he will be home recovering the rest of the 100 day time period.  Visitors can come, however, limited in numbers and must be healthy.  He may have a new immune system, however, we are to view it as one of a baby.  His cells may be there, but they may not be mature enough to handle viruses and infections.

  Hoping this is all making sense.  More information to come as we get and digest it.

  Thanks for all the continued love and prayers!

Mark, Leigh, Otto, Tess and Lulu

Comments

  1. Leigh, we continue to pray for you all as you enter this next round of the battle. For anyone willing to donate and wants to be tested, where should we contact?

    ReplyDelete

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