Friday, November 23, 2012

Giving Thanks

Getting a boost of anti-EBV t-cells at the Baylor College of Medicine
Hello friends and family....it's been an up-and-down week.  I've been fighting a fever and sinus infection since Sunday morning, and a couple of times, my fever got high enough that we were getting ready to go the hospital. - but each time it backed off a bit, and we kept a bag packed.  I've been without the fever  now for 36 hours or so, so we're hopeful that the latest antibiotic is doing the job.  On the big plus side, I heard Wednesday that the bone marrow biopsy was found to be normal, which is great news :-) !!

My parents have been here since Monday...unfortunately it's been kinda like a sick ward, as my son Kenyon has also been suffering with fevers and bronchitis.  Nonetheless, we had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner yesterday and enjoyed a beautiful fall day here.  The football was plentiful and exciting, too.
Who I'm most thankful for 
Well, that's about it...we hope you had a great thanksgiving, if you celebrate it, and if you don't celebrate it, you should start - everyone has something to be thankful for.  A year ago, Renee and I were making preparations to go to Houston for my transplant.  What has transpired in the past year - valleys, hilltops, being uplifted by so many friends, family members, strangers....is nothing short of a miracle.  I am so thankful for what the Lord has shown me and how He carried me through these troubled waters.  I owe everything to Him.  May He be with you this Christmas season.

Shiloh getting a bird's eye view

Thursday, November 15, 2012

With Alice and Coy at Dr. Keating's office yesterday





Hello friends and family and followers....a quick update from Houston - by the smiles in the photo above, you can tell that the news was good - great actually!  The PET and CT scans were negative, and we are thanking the Lord for these wonderful results.  We were also blessed yesterday by the reaction of my entire medical team - including Erin and Dr. Hosing over in transplant - to how well I am doing, just 11 months after transplant - they were amazed at how healthy I look - of course I don't see myself that way, but it's a real blessing to have them fuss over it,a nd it makes me realize more and more how blessed I am. 

So we are THANKFUL, THANKFUL, THANKFUL to the Lord and King Jesus, without whom nothing is possible.  I have to run now to get an infusion of T-cells - originally from Laure, but they have been put through a rigorous training program and will do a search-and-destroy mission on any lymphoma cells that dare try to mount a threat to me.  Love to all - Dan

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

What's New......


Just about to cross the starting line, center, waving :-)


Greetings - are you still with me?  I'm still with you!  I hope my infrequent updates and all-around normalcy haven't dampened your interest...but I would understand.  I've had several check-ups in a row now where there have been no anomalies in my blood counts - which is fantastic news.  Also, since my last post, I've been taken off of the protective anti-biotics, anti-virals, and anti-fungals that have been helping to keep infections away.  The reason for this is that my t-cells - key components of my fledgling immune system - have surpassed a key milestone.  That means that I am drug-free, except for the neurontin that helps manage my neuropathy symptoms (tingling feet).  Hard to believe - my "original equipment" immune system is long gone, and my transplanted immune system from Laure's bone marrow is doing everything my old one was - except produce cancer cells!  A true medical miracle - but above that, a miracle of God, because the docs don't know why one transplant works and another doesn't.

At the finish with my cheering squad


As I announced in my last post, I joined the Team in Training with the intent of running in the City of Oaks 10K race in order to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - that race was 2 days ago and I completed it without walking - which was a big surprise - I never ran more than 4 miles in practice - but the excitement of being among 5,000 racers must have gotten me past the pain.  More importantly, I raised $12,500 for L&LS, thanks to many of your generous donations.  I plan to participate in more events in the future.  A very special thanks to my good friend Eddy Tsang from Hong Kong, who made a particularly lavish donation, which was the major contributor to my being the top fund-raiser out of 75 TNT participants.

Work is going well and it looks like I will be installed in a "real" job with an organization and everything very soon.  I am a little anxious but also very excited about it.  I end my post today with a request for prayer.  Next week, Renee and I will be going to Houston for my 90 day re-check - so I will get the battery of cancer screens.  Your prayers will see me through.  Trusting in Him and praising Him for all he has done - Dan and Renee