Urgent Prayer Request for DS

[sbgrace]

Will continue to pray. Thank you for sharing, it's an encouragement and testimony. :grouphug:

[Heatherwith4]

Thanks so much for the update. I will continue to pray. :grouphug:

[Sharpie]

Thank you for sharing.  Wow!  I read a miracle happening before my eyes.  Praise God!!  I'll keep praying!!

[Twigs]

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

Thanks for the update.

[Stacia]

Wow! :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

[Guest]

Your son and family are in my thoughts. <3

[mama mills]

Thank you for the update I will continue to pray for your son.

[mumto2]

Thank you so much for the update.  We will continue to pray for him and your family.

[emzhengjiu]

Continuing to pray for your son and your family. :grouphug:

[creekland]

Thank you so much for the update.  It was very uplifting to read.  We'll definitely continue to keep your son and your family in our prayers.   :grouphug:

[Miss Innocent]

Praise God! What wonderful news! Continuing to pray.

 

Emma xxx

[Chris in VA]

<3

 

TBtG!

[Runningmom80]

Praying for your boy.

[Patches]

Wow! Grateful for all the Lord has done. 

May you all know His peace. 

Praying. 

[Kareni]

Thank you for the update, eaglei.  I continue to send positive thoughts to your son and to your family.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[prairiewindmomma]

Thanks for updating!

[Angel]

Continuing in prayer here!  :grouphug:

[J-rap]

Your son and ALL of you are in my prayers. 

[LMV]

Continuing to pray for your son and your family. 

[Entropymama]

That is such wonderful news! Thanks for the update; keep us posted!

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:

[Jaxmum]

Thank you so much for the detailed update, continuing in prayer, I praise the Lord for all he has done. I feel led to pray for a new computer dropping from the sky somehow, I don't think He will mind!

[Jean in Newcastle]

Thank you for the update.  Continuing to pray.

[Carol in Cal.]

Remarkable!  Praise to God!

[Lilaclady]

Praying for you all

[MBM]

Praying for your son, eaglei. 

[LisaKinVA]

Thank you for the update.  I will be praying!

[bnbacademy]

Blessed be the name of the Lord! What an amazing story of God's keeping power. I'm praying too!

[Tiramisu]

Blessed be the name of the Lord! What an amazing story of God's keeping power. I'm praying too!

 

Thanks be to God! Amen! Amen!

[eaglei]

May 15, 2014   

Just a quick update (sent from borrowed computer time) to give more glory to God and to thank you for your continued prayers!   

Since ds’ release from the hospital in April, he has been cutting grass, doing other manual outdoor labor, walking, and eating voraciously - all things he should not be able to do.   

His May 12 follow-up appointment netted good news. The doctor said the bone marrow aspiration came back clean (in other words, in remission, as they expected); and, that the spinal tap showed no leukemia cells. All of his CBC’s were either normal or on the low-end of normal.   Because he is doing so well, the doctor said he had no qualms in letting ds stay home for another week or so. (He was supposed to be readmitted for round two within a week to ten days of the release date). He asked ds whether he had a date in mind, to which ds promptly replied, “May 21.†The doctor said that sounded good to him.   

Additionally, he was supposed to be hospitalized for a few weeks; however, the doctor said he will be in-patient for three-to-five days (again, because he is doing so well). They will do three days chemo instead of five, and two days observation, then release him (all things, of course, going well). Since he is in remission, this chemo will be killing healthy cells (the intent is to keep him in remission pending the transplant, for which they have yet to locate a donor) so there is no likelihood of his gall bladder being inundated with toxic shock. Of course, if he were to spike a fever or any other certain symptoms, he would have to be hospitalized immediately. He will have weekly follow-up exams.   

As you can see, ds’ May 12 birthday held mostly good news, with the dubious distinction of also officially marking more than half his life in this battle against cancer - a battle he has thankfully not fought alone - God has been most graciously and powerfully with him - and your prayers have supported him and have reached God’s ear on his behalf. We cannot thank you enough, and we cannot praise God enough . . .   

We greatly desire your continued prayers, good thoughts, etc., for ds and for dh and me.   

We continue to hold on to the One Who has all power.   

Blessed be the name of the Lord.   

May 27, 2014   

Just a quick addition here –   

The three days chemo turned into four days, but ds was good with that.  He was released on the fourth day and is home now.  He has to take a very potent antibiotic for two weeks until his blood counts begin to normalize again.    

Some very uncomfortable side effects include skin irritations, and of course, extreme fatigue.  He is also enduring some pain, but he thinks that’s because of the MANY laps he walked DAILY while at the hospital.   

Again, THANK YOU for your prayers, support, etc.  We need it!  And we appreciate it. 
 

[idnib]

Your update gave me chills (in a good way)!

 

:grouphug:

[bzymom]

Continued prayers and hugs for you and your courageous son.  I know many adults (myself included) who would not likely be able to keep marching forward with the strength and faith he has displayed.

[Rebel Yell]

:grouphug: :party:

[Ali in OR]

All good--praise God! Praying for a match.

 

For my sister, they tested my 2 brothers and myself. Even having this small group to test it took awhile to determine if any of us was a match. Like a month or more. One brother and I were both matches and they brought both of us in to test us further (lung x-rays, blood tests, checking for certain viruses like CMV, etc). All other things equal, they went with my brother because it's better for my sister if her donor hasn't had babies! Something about being pregnant changes the immune system--having a foreign body in you. She would be more likely to have graft vs. host issues--my immune system would be attacking her cells. Very fascinating field when you can put the emotional part aside for awhile. If none of us had been matches, they thought the chances for a match with the registry would be very good for her.

[East Coast Sue]

Thank you for sharing your update of how the Lord is providing for your son and answering prayers!  

 

I'll pray for protection of his health, continued remission, and for a donor to be found quickly. 

 

 

 

[Robin M]

:grouphug: and love!  So happy to hear the good news. Continue to hold your son and family in my prayers and thoughts.

[Catwoman]

Still praying for your son and for your whole family. :grouphug:

[Heatherwith4]

Awesome update! Still praying.

[fraidycat]

Thanks for the update. I hope a donor match can be found quickly.

[mumto2]

Thank you for the wonderful update.  I will keep praying!  :grouphug:

[rmtzc2009]

Wonderful update! Glory to God & continued prayers!!

[Kareni]

Thank you for the update.  Continuing to send positive thoughts for your son and your family.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[creekland]

Thanks for the update - may things continue to go well.  You're all still in our prayers, of course!  :grouphug:

[Cindy in FL.]

I read the updates on your son first thing this morning. What an uplifting way to start the day! I am praying for your son's continued fight!

[Stacia]

Sending continued hugs & good wishes for all of you. :-)

[Melissa in Australia]

:grouphug:  :grouphug:

[Tammyla]

Thanks for the updates.

 

(((Prayers)))

[eaglei]

July 1, 2014

Another quick update on borrowed computer time to thank you for your continued prayers and for the messages you've sent.  We appreciate both so very much - and need your prayer support and encouragement.

In the time since my last update, ds had the second round of chemo. Because he was doing so well, he had four days of chemo and was released! As expected, his CBC’s fell quite low and about a week or so 
later, he had to have a transfusion of two units of blood and one of platelets. It left him feeling quite ill for quite awhile - possibly a reaction to the transfusion, or possibly a virus. The fatigue that also dogged him is finally beginning to dissipate. He has spent the time working outdoors as much as possible (probably moreso).

Last month we heard from the transplant hospital that they had located stem cells, which necessitated another trip for another mandated consultation. In brief, the doctor told us that there are over twenty 
million people registered in the donor register. The very easiest person to match is a white male. They were totally unable to match ds. In the doctor’s words, he has “very unique DNAâ€. Therefore, they had 
to search for an umbilical cord stem cell match. Cord cell matches do not require that as many markers be the same as the donor match requires. Cord cells require locating four matches as two comprise one 
set for using, and the other set for back-up. The cells they plan to use are from the United States and Italy; the reserve set is from Spain and Australia.

There are pros and cons, but overall, umbilical cord stem cells are considered much better, as they are unimprinted cells. With a donor match, the likelihood of host versus graft disease is much higher, 
while infection is a bit lower. With cord cells, the possibility of host versus graft disease decreases substantially, while the likelihood of infection rises. To that end, the patient is kept on anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal medications for at least six months, maybe longer. With either type of donor, there are many restrictions for a year. This of course can vary either way, patient-to-patient.

Statistics put survival following a donor transplant at 40-50%, and with use of cord cells at 30-40%. However, these statistics include everyone - including those who enter transplant with other concurrent medical issues. For a young, otherwise healthy man who has remained in remission for lengthy times, the survival rate increases.

We were all a bit discouraged following that meeting, but have since learned that the particular doctor we saw tends to give the worst case scenarios (and frankly doesn’t have a very good bedside manner). Ds 
was back in the throes of wondering whether he wanted to proceed. Having spoken with a friend recently whose husband underwent transplant at the same facility, and learning some specifics from her, we all feel a bit relieved.

Next up are two days of testing this month, a week apart. At some point following, ds will be admitted to begin the process.

I have omitted most of the detail - it is too overwhelming. We would appreciate if you would remember us all, and especially ds, in your prayers. This is very difficult in many ways for all of us. However, we continue to hold on to the only One Who has all power.

- - - - - - -

I wasn’t going to add any more to this update, but since this is basically an anonymous listing, I thought I’d go ahead and ask for your prayers for us financially. We are no longer about to drown - we ARE drowned.

Dh lost one of his jobs when the health care bill went into affect, and he lost half of his other job for the same reason. Right now he is not working at all. When he is working, he gets nine months of work with 
six or eight pay checks that come in a weird fashion. For example, he works two months before he gets any pay; then he gets paid a total of four times over three months - which means we go for several months each year with no pay from that particular job. The pay isn’t any better than what I make (and the two of us together didn’t earn enough to meet all the need since we are still paying on the first two times of cancer), so there isn’t any extra to put aside. The job he lost entirely was year-round and paid twice a month but at least we could eke by with the necessities. He has been unable to locate any other work so far. (We have no savings left, nor any retirement, nor any thing else we can use. Medical bills really do eat it all up very fast).

Additionally, when the transplant begins, he will have to stay with ds 24/7. It’s the rule. No 24/7 caregiver, no transplant. I only work parttime, but I get paid every two weeks. I have been unable to locate 
further work, but have been praying up a storm, not just over this, but also that my current employer would put me on full time. (It’s a budget issue and health care issue with them also). My boss gives me 
extra hours when he can and has said he would like to put me on full time if not for the budget/health plan issues. Since my paydays come regularly, it is dh who will have to go with ds, which means he will 
have no employment until either January or August (with the current employer and because of the way the contracts run). His last check came at May’s end and with work, his next wouldn’t come till the end of October, so it is imperative that I keep working and that he go with ds. (We also feel he is the better one to simply be there for several reasons I’m too tired to type out).

I am leaving out a lot of detail - I’m just too weary to write it all, and I am scared, too, as we are currently two months behind on the bills and I am frantic with trying to figure SOMETHING out that will help us. So I would really appreciate if you would pray not just for ds’ health and the success of this transplant (which is the MOST important), but also for us financially. I know God is able to meet this huge need (to Him it isn’t huge at all but to us it is enormous), but His timing sure isn’t ours - if it were, we wouldn’t be behind on the bills. Frankly, even though I see His hand in ds’ health situation, I am struggling with my faith in the financial arena. I would really appreciate your prayers. THANK YOU.

I am still without a computer so I may not answer any comments or questions you may pose in a timely fashion. I am posting this from work after hours (with my boss’ permission).

 

I will delete this last part when I next come into work, so please don't quote it . . . thank you!

[Pippen]

Glad you updated us on what's going on. I have an adult child who is several months post-transplant so I understand much of the stress that you're dealing with. The 24/7 caregiver is absolutely necessary, especially during those first three weeks, and then again after discharge to home or a nearby place to stay. Even now there are still caregiving needs, although not 24/7.

 

Hopefully you've met with a hospital social worker and they've addressed financial concerns. The hospital we dealt with is very good about writing off what insurance doesn't pay for transplant patients.

[Heatherwith4]

Thank you so much for updating us. I will continue to pray for your son's health and the financial needs.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Praying for all of your needs.   :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug: