Calling all Prayer Warriors

Friday, September 9, North Park, Colorado

Hello Friends.....apparently between work and recreation travel over the past two months, I've overdone it - or maybe it's just a random weakness in my immune system - but I have contracted pneumonia and I am in Rex hospital.  The short story is that I was feeling feverish and having some discomfort with deep breaths before I left for a long-anticipated fishing trip over Labor Day weekend.  After consulting with my medical team in both Houston and Raleigh, I was given the green light to go on the fishing trip after receiving a Neulasta shot on Sunday night, Sept 4.  The trip went well (see above!) and I felt good....however after returning home, seeing my doctor on Monday, and getting a chest x-ray, I began to feel badly Monday evening - and worse Tuesday morning.  The x-ray revealed an infection in my lung and Dr. Kritz checked me into the hospital Tuesday afternoon at about 5 pm.  I'm getting powerful IV antibiotics now that will hopefully knock out the infection.  There is another concern that was revealed by a CT scan that I received here at the hospital - a smaller, tighter concentration of opacity (spot) that is near my upper bronchial tube - this could anything from a related but different infection, to a tumor....I had a bronchoscopy yesterday and we are awaiting the results sometime in the next 24 hours. 

I am feeling better than I did Tuesday morning so we are thankful that the antibiotics appear to be working and we're praying that they will not only knock out the general infection but (please God) the spot near my bronchus.  If you would please pray that this entire event would be dealt with by these antibiotics, Renee and I and my entire family will be very grateful.  I had a beloved friend visit me just a while ago and during the course of our conversation he mentioned the story of Jesus and His disciples walking by a man blind from birth - the disciples asked Jesus, "tell us Master, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?  Neither this man nor his parents sinned, said Jesus, but that this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."  This verse and many others have shaped my thinking and renewed my mind and allowed me to see this trial for what it really is - a mission, an assignment.  Whatever comes, I know the Lord will give me the strength and grace to overcome.  Thanks for all your care and concern.  Dan

Renee's Birthday and Visit with Dr. Keating

Hello friends and family, it has been an extremely busy time these last 3 weeks or so.  I've been on a business trip to New York, threw a surprise party for Renee (August 13th), spent a week in Europe and the UK, and this past week spent 2 days in Houston.  Tomorrow I leave on a week-long fishing trip with my Dad, father-in-law, brother-in-law Scott McElrath, and his brother Keith.  Today I want to show you some pictures and a video from Renee's 50th birthday party - it was a very special evening - we had about 40 guests, some of whom traveled from Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and New York to celebrate with Renee.  Here's the key video clip and a few pics:

Renee and college BFF Heather Holley

Renee's sister Karen with husband Scott, and Keith McElrath with the Birthday Girl

With sis Karen and childhood BFF Cindy

Renee with Sandra, high school BFF and dear friend of the family

 It was a really wonderful evening - Renee said she was taken completely by surprise, which I think the video bears out.  It was also an occasion worth celebrating - Renee has been a blessing to many, most of all me, for many years - as I said in my toast, she is by far the greatest blessing in my life :-)


So, the news from Houston and Doc Keating was that I had a partial response to the FCR, so I am in a partial remission - meaning that I have some residual cancer in my bone marrow.  This is actually the result that we were expecting based on the results that we had at the midway point.  So there's good news and not as good news in there.  The upshot of that is that Dr. Keating wants me back in Houston in January, at which time we will make a decision on the next course of action.  There are several possibilities, some that are standard treatments, some that are in clinical trials, and of course the stem cell transplant is also an option.  Dr. Keating and Dr. Hosing - the transplant specialist - say that I am an excellent candidate for a transplant given my minimal evidence of disease, age, overall health, and having a related matching donor (sister Laure).  Based on my conversation with Dr. Keating, he expects that we will need to take further action early next year, though it is hard to know what the residual cancer will do and when.  Based on my cancer type, I don't think they are inclined to wait around to see what it will do, but rather, treat it aggressively.

As ever, my faith is in the God of heaven and earth, and in His Son Jesus Christ, who loves me more than I can ever understand.  I trust him with every hour of my life, and with my eternal future.  He has asked many of us to trust Him through unimaginable difficulty, and it gives me great comfort to know that He is able to redeem  all our suffering for our good and His glory.  I fully believe the truth of Romans 8:28, even in difficult circumstances - "And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose".

If anyone you know is struggling with illness or other difficulty, and you think I might be able to encourage them, please have them reach out - or reach out yourself.  It is a great blessing to me when I can encourage a fellow traveler to find hope in the Lord.

I'll leave you with this - the last thing Dr. Keating said to me was "come on back in January and we'll decide how we're going to cure you.  He's optimistic, so I am optimistic :-)

Much love - Dan and Family

FCR in the Rearview Mirror!

Crazy Rachel gets air on Rice Lake :-)

Nephew Joseph DiCicco shows off a Northern Pike :-)

Hello friends, today is Sunday August 7th - let me catch you up on the last 3 weeks or so.  As you know I started my last of 6 treatments on July 11, so I recovered while watching the British Open - the third time during my treatments that I recovered while watching a major golf championship.  I'm hugely grateful to have the FCR treatment behind me, but it is another test of my faith because while it was uncomfortable and somewhat disruptive, it was a sort of security blanket because it was keeping my disease in check.  In a sense now I'm on my own, at least for a while.  I need to respond by remembering that I am NEVER alone, and that "He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world" (in this case, my cancer).  And, that my fate is not in the hands of chance, or modern medicine, but in the Lord's.  This gives me great comfort.

Sister Jill giving a touching tribute to her husband Mark on his 50th Birthday

A day trip to the Porcupine Mountains on the shore of Lake Superior - behind us is Lake of the Clouds

Coming up we have a very busy schedule - I will be on a business trip to New York this coming week;  Renee's birthday (a big one) is this coming weekend; then after a normal week, I'm off to Europe and the UK for the week of the 22nd;  then I head to Houston to see Doc Keating on the 30th and 31st. There I will get a 'final score' for the FCR treatment, i.e., how much of the leukemia - if any - is left in my bone marrow.  From there it's to Atlanta for a day (business - though I plan to have dinner with a dear pal I haven't seen in more than 10 years) - and then after a couple of days' rest, off to Colorado for a week of fly fishing with my Dad, father-in-law, and brothers in law.

Sunset on Rice Lake

The family is well, and we've had a blessed summer.  Two weeks ago we were in northern Wisconsin for a week with my parents, sisters, and their families - I hope you enjoy the pics.......

until next time....Dan and fam

July 13 Update

The Moore-Russell Beach Trip 2011

Greetings Friends and family - it has been an eventful month, with business trips, weekend fishing (in California), our bi-annual beach trip with Renee's family and thankfully no medical issues.  This will be a short post, just to update you on my treatments...just today, I just finished my last dose of chemo for a while - the 6th treatment came right on schedule - no delay due to low neutrophil count this time.  Here's a neat little blessing - 3 of my 6 treatments have fallen during the weeks of this year's 3 major golf tournaments - the Masters in April, the US Open a month ago, and now the British Open this week - this is a wonderful little blessing because it gives me something to do, that is really never possible otherwise - lay on the couch for 4 days and watch every minute of the tournament and not feel a bit guilty  :-)....We have another family reunion coming up next week with my family in northern Wisconsin, so I will post after that.  Medically my counts look great, and I will be going to Houston at the end of August to get another bone marrow biopsy, analysis and consultation with Dr. Keating on next steps.  Thanks as always for your prayers and support.  Everyone here is doing well......let us know how you are doing and how we might pray for you.......Dan and Fam

No News is Good News

Kenyon "the Graduate", with proud Mom and Dad - last night

Hello friends, I'm back on the air after almost 2 months away.  The good news is that there has not been very much to report in terms of my CLL.  The first half of the treatment had more twists, turns, unknowns, and really, more suspense than this second half....we learned in the first 3 treatments that my disease was responding, at least in terms of my white cell count, and at the mid-point - in Houston 2 months ago - we learned that my bone marrow showed some improvement.  As we go through these last few treatments, my expectations are that we will not learn much of importance until I go back to MD Anderson 6 to 8 weeks after the 6th and final treatment to learn the "final score" of this first battle in the war.  That next trip to MD Anderson will likely be towards the end of September.  Meanwhile, my counts bump up and down based on the timing of my treatments and my neutrophil booster shots.  My lymphocytes fluctuate from around 1,000 to maybe 5,000, and my neutrophils from as low as 300 (2 weeks ago) up to 3500 (a week after my monthly shot).

Treatment #4 was May 2-4, and I was going to start #5 on May 31, but my neutrophils were down at 300 - this doesn't surprise me or Renee anymore, nor does it concern us.  I'll be back in the clinic tomorrow to try again to start #5.  My general health remains excellent, despite a slight increase in the post-chemo side effects. 


The big change in my life is that I went back to work at IBM on May 13th.  I am working 'full time', however I am being careful not to overdo things, especially while I am still under treatment.  This time of year is a good time for me to be getting back into the routines of work, as there area lot of people flexing in and out for long weekends and also taking their summer holidays.  Renee and I have two major family reunions to look forward to in July - one with my in-laws at North Topsail Beach over the July 4th week and one in Northern Wisconsin at a lake with my family.  Golf balls will be struck, fish will be caught, and family bonds will be strengthened........much to look forward to, and I promise to post pics.


As you can see from the photo, our son Kenyon has just graduated from high school - another big news item is that he was hired for his first job a couple of months ago at Arby's, which is going very well.  We are very proud of him.  Rachel is home for the summer and we are really enjoying having her around - she is making jewelry and would love to take your order at

http://www.etsy.com/shop/rachellorraine?ref=pr_shop


I remain confident about my future, not because of modern medicine, but because of my faith in Christ.  The Lord has all things under His control, and as I have said before, I see having an illness as a calling or a mission that I have been given, in the same way that raising a child is a mission.  I'm always thinking of movie or musical references (this is involuntary now), and I just thought of one - in "The Blues Brothers Movie", as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues are putting the band back together, they keep saying "we're on a mission from God".  And so am I.  I pray that you would be encouraged in your mission.  Thanks for your care, concern and prayers.

A short video clip of Kenyon receiving his diploma:

Treatment Update

Hi friends...it's a busy Saturday here in Raleigh and we're expecting some strong storms this afternoon.  I know many of you have been praying for my visit to MD Anderson to go well so thanks(!) for your support.  I traveled to Houston on Wednesday and spent most of Thursday in the clinic - about half my time focused on my current treatment and the other half focused on getting preparatory tests done for the stem cell transplant (which remains a "back-up" plan in case it is needed). 

The news on my treatment was good.  While my marrow still contains leukemic cells, comparing to the original bone marrow biopsy I had a year ago, something like 40% of the cancerous cells are gone, and something like 60% remain.  So the good news there is that the treatment is having an effect on the cancer in my bone marrow, as well as on my overall blood counts, which remain at near normal levels.  We would have liked to have seen a bigger impact, but we did not expect (speaking purely medically) that the cancer would be gone in 3 treatments - the nominal duration of the treatments is 6 cycles.  So, I will continue being treated and Dr. Keating wants me to go through the next 3 cycles and then have another marrow biopsy.  The definition of remission is that all cancerous cells in the marrow have to be gone, so that's what we will be praying for.  I will start cycle 4 on Monday, assuming my counts are OK that day.

Regardless of how much of the cancer the treatment eliminates, Dr. Keating continues to develop new treatments, and in fact has several 17p patients with stubborn disease that he has stabilized with a new family of oral drugs that are called "T-cell inhibitors".  He's very excited about these developments.

The GREAT news that I got on Thursday is that my sister Laure is a PERFECT stem cell donor match for me.  There are 14 "tests" for matching and we matched on all 14 points - so this is a GREAT answer to prayer and we are all just thrilled about it.  If I ever need a transplant, this puts me in the best possible position.  Woo Hoo!  Praise God!!

Your support, prayers, notes, and cards are deeply appreciated.  Love - Dan and Fam  

Masters Week Update

On the Veranda at Two Meeting Street Inn

Greetings friends, I see that it has been 2 weeks since my last update....my medical news is very good.  After the 3rd cycle of chemo which was March 14-16, I had a checkup on March 28, and Dr. Kritz, my local oncologist, pronounced my overall response to the treatments to be "great".  My team in Houston is also very pleased.  My counts are normal again, and I feel great most of the time - although yesterday, I came down with a fever.  Standard protocol for chemo patients who get a fever over 100 is to go get their counts checked to see if they are neutropenic, i.e., a very low neutrophil count.....unfortunately the only place I could get a blood count after  hours yesterday was an emergency room.  We were in at 7:15 pm and out at 10:30 pm....my neutrophils were strong, so my body will fight off whatever infection I have.  My fever is down today so we're expecting this to run its course in a day or two.

Renee and I spent 3 wonderful days in Charleston, SC for our 25th anniversary - the weather was not great, but we didn't let that stop us from walking around the old neighborhoods, taking some historic home tours, a carriage ride through the town, and eating some great local seafood.  We stayed at the historic and gorgeous 2 Meeting Street Inn, right down on the battery.  I am blessed in many ways, but after my relationship with the Lord, my marriage to Renee is the greatest blessing in my life.  We are so thankful for God's plan for marriage and family.  Here are some pics from the trip (you will see that I "snuck" out early for a little redfish action):

Renee on the Front Steps

10 lb Anniversary Redfish!!

  As indicated above, it is Masters week, and the Masters is probably my favorite sporting event of the year, so I will be in front of the tube for that - I will also be a guest at my niece-in-law's 4th grade class on Friday - Amanda Palmer Moore, Renee's brother's daughter, asked me to come to her class to talk about the solar system, so I have been working on that little project.  I may post pics!  The 'next big thing' is my trip to Houston next week for my mid-treatment progress check, complete with bone marrow aspiration and full analysis of what my marrow is doing/producing at a molecular/genetic level....It's a one day visit to the clinic, so Renee is not going to come with me (she would have if I had asked, of course), as we don't think this visit has much risk and stress in it, compared to my other 2 trips to Houston.  I leave on Wednesday the 13th and my appointments are on the 14th.  Of course we are praying for a great report there and I will keep you posted.  I hope all is well with you, and please let Renee and I know how we can pray for you - many of you are already on our prayer list, and we would love to add anyone who needs prayer support.  Dan and Renee