For those of you who might be interested (not just for Laura, but for whoever), here's the link to the National Bone Marrow Registry. (I'm still hoping to be the winner of the Laura Hall Kitchens Bone Marrow Donation Contest.)

http://www.marrow.org/

In other news, Lisa left this morning to head back to New York. Emily will be in Georgia until December 5th.

Laura and Emily are hanging out in Atlanta, eating chili cheese fries (blech!) and enjoying their time together. (By the way, Laura's the chili cheese fry girl, not Em.)

They'll head back to Leesburg tomorrow and Laura will receive the first of 10 rounds of chemo -- or until a bone marrow match is found - on an out-patient basis. As soon as they have a donor, the next phase will begin.

I just want to say that I love my family. So thankful for all the blessings in spite of a few difficulties.

Have a happy Saturday.

Ain't Nuthin' Simple!

Laura had an appointment at Emory this morning. They received TONS of information.

Here's what I know:

• She will start a totally different kind of chemo on Monday in Albany. That chemo will be for 10 days, once a month until they find a bone marrow donor. I'm not sure if it will be in-patient or out-patient.
• She will need to be in the best possible physical and emotional condition in order to receive the bone marrow. Same is true of the donor.
• This bone marrow transplant is the only way to get rid of the leukemia.
• The donor will need to be at Emory for the transplant and the transplant will take place right after the donation has been made.
• The doctor is very optimistic that they will find a donor.
• A week before the transplant, Laura will receive an intense round of chemo -- which will kill all of her immune system. She will remain in the hospital for 2-3 weeks after the transplant has taken place so that they can monitor her closely.
• Evidently, the period after the transplant can be very unpleasant as the bone marrows get used to each other. The donor marrow is the trouble-maker. (If I'm lucky enough to be the donor, I'm gonna have a "good talkin' to" to my marrow so that it will behave!)
• After the transplant and the 2-3 week period in the hospital, she will probably stay in Atlanta at our house for the month or so afterwards.
• She will be closely monitored for 2-3 years, but that doesn't mean she can't start livin' her regular life!
• Here's something interesting! The (doctor) son of Laura's friend, Ann Pritchard, will be sitting in with her doctor (Dr. Amelia Langston)... just kind of keeping in touch with what's goin' on with her.
• Dr. Langston compared this huge undertaking to mountain climbing... When you start out on your journey, the mountain looks so monstrous and it may seem impossible. But, the way you climb a mountain is one step at a time. And, that's how we're all gonna get through this journey, too.

This afternoon, Laura and the girls are going to go to the mountains with Mrs. Cannon for a few days. See some leaves. Eat some apples. Rest. ♥

Thanks for your continued prayers.

For those of you who might be having trouble posting a comment, please see October 13th entry for help.

An update from Lisa...

(Buford Cheering Station during the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure)

The good news is that all her counts are great! Her WBC is 3.3 and her temp is normal. This is a good indication that her body is tough and knows how to handle chemo. :)

The bad news is that the first round of chemo (Induction) didn't get all the leukemic cells which means she did not go into remission like they hoped. Because the Induction did not work, instead of Consolidation (which they were going to do--that was going to be the five rounds of chemo over the next 18 weeks), they are now going to do a Bone Marrow Transplant.

She has an appointment with Emory tomorrow to discuss the process, meet with her insurance agency, talk with a social worker, and meet the doctor. Tomorrow we will also learn what kind of new chemo they will use before the transplant. The likely scenario is that sometime next week she will start her second round of chemo (which will be a different kind of chemo than the first) and once they find her bone marrow match they will immediatley start the transplant. However, she will have a second round of chemo regardless of how quickly they find her match.

Right now we need to pray for a match and for as little discomfort as possible.

Below are two articles I've found helpful to understanding the process. The first is an article from the NY Times from 2008. I've found it to be pretty informative without going into so much detail that I can't understand a thing. The second is very informative and includes a lot of details.

http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/surgery/bone-marrow-transplant/overview.html

http://cumc.columbia.edu/dept/medicine/bonemarrow/bmtinfo.html

While I still have access to a computer...

...here's the latest:

• Laura gets to go home for the weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (but she'll need to go back on Monday) The rules are that she must wear her mask and a hat and she can't have visitors.
• She'll have five more rounds of chemo (which I think is called the consolidation phase) and each time she receives the chemo, she'll have to be in the hospital. As long as things go well, she can go home in between rounds.

I'm going in just a little while to Emory to have my blood drawn to see if I'm a bone marrow match. Mary has already done that and Robert will do it also. We're hoping that she won't have to have a transplant, but we're also hoping that if she does, one of us will be a match for her.

And, then later today, Clif and I will head to Lake Lanier so I can practice carrying the "My Sister" flag for the 3-Day. After that, hopefully a good night's sleep and then it's a whole lotta walkin' for us over the next few days!!

Thankful for the many blessings of this day. GoFightWin!!!

Trying to update on my phone so I don't know how it'll look...

Laura's WBC was 1.3(!) this morning. She also had a bone marrow biopsy...

Looks like she'll have 6 more treatments over the next 18 weeks. Not sure exactly how that looks re: time in the hospital, but all treatments will be in-patient.

I'm waiting for my plane to leave Seattle. Am hoping I'm ready to walk on Friday.

Love y'all!

Very quick update:

Laura was hoping that her WBC would be a 1 today, but it was 1.2!!

Other good news:

Emily has arrived and the three of them are having fun hangin' out. And, even more good news: Clif arrives tomorrow for a quick trip before he goes to Atlanta to walk with me in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. If you're in Atlanta, we would love to see you along the route if you're able to make it out.

Here are the cheering stations....

Friday, October 22
8:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
89 Main St.
Buford, GA 30518

12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Suwanee Station
Station Center Blvd.
Suwanee, GA 30024

Saturday, October 23
9:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Oreck Vacuums Store and Plaza
5005 Peachtree Pkwy.
Norcross, GA 30092

11:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Duluth Monarch School
3057 Main St.
Duluth, GA 30096

Sunday, October 24
7:45 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Lowes
4950 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Chamblee, GA 30341

10:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Atlantic Station - along 17th St.
171 17th St.
Atlanta, GA 30363

And closing ceremonies will be at Turner Field at 5:30 p.m.

I hop on a plane way before the crack of dawn and head to Atlanta tomorrow. It will be difficult for me to post much while I'm away from my computer, but tune in next week for updates.

Love you all!!

GoFightWin!, WBC!!

Tobi being a spokesmodel for that lovely DVD player

Yesterday, Tobi surprised Laura and Lisa with a DVD player! "Dallas" looks and sounds better on a real tv. ☺ What a nice thing for Tobi to do!

Laura and Lisa are pretty much just sitting around talking, watching old episodes of Dallas, and reading. Laura continues to walk laps around the floor twice daily-in the morning after breakfast and then after supper.

Emily arrives today so there will be even MORE fun for the three of them!

Medically speaking: Her WBC (white blood count) is still low but she's hopeful that things are looking up. Day before yesterday her count was .6. Yesterday and today it's been .8. Although it seems she's a long way from the desired goal of 3, she's been told that once the cells start rebuilding, they multiply fast. GoFightWin!, white blood cells!!

We all continue to be touched by the support and prayers of so many. Thank you all.

For those of you who might be having trouble posting a comment, please see October 13th entry for help.

This morning Laura looked out her window and she saw her friend, Beth, and Beth's staff holding up a sign for her. ♥

She has received more platelets today -- which we are very grateful for!! A relative of a friend of hers was unable to have open heart surgery this morning due to a lack of donated blood. We're not sure if it's a regional, state or national problem, but we are so thankful that she has received what she has needed. If you're able to give -- blood and/or platelets -- please consider it. It's needed for more people than just Laura.

Lisa has gone to Atlanta for an audition. (Break a leg, little Lisa!) Emily arrives on Sunday. (Woo hoo!)

Keep the prayers comin'! She's made it through 3 weeks at the hospital... Just 3 more to go before she breaks outta there! GoFightWin!

For those of you who might be having trouble posting a comment, please see October 13th entry for help.

Just thought I'd repost these lyrics... Love you, Laura!

♪ ♫ Who can turn the world on with her smile? ♪ ♫
♪ ♫ Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile? ♪ ♫
♪ ♫ Well it's you girl, and you should know it ♪ ♫
♪ ♫ With each glance and every little movement you show it ♪ ♫
♪ ♫ Love is all around, no need to waste it ♪ ♫
♪ ♫ You can have a town, why don't you take it ♪ ♫
♪ ♫ You're gonna make it after all ♪ ♫
♪ ♫ You're gonna make it after all ♪ ♫

In case you're having trouble...

...here are some simple instructions to leave a comment for Laura...

1. After reading the blog entry, click on "Comments" at the bottom of the blog post.


2. Enter your comment in the "Leave Your Comment" box.


3. Verify the funny looking word in the box below it. (That is there so we won't get lots of spam from computerized programs.)


4. Click either "Google acct. ID" or "open ID" (I THINK there are options to create a Google acct. if you don't already have one. *****Remember to save your Google ID and password so you'll have it everytime you need it.)*****


5. Click "Publish Your Comment."

Ta-daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

(Laura and her CNA, Cerissa...oh! and Mr. Pumpkin, too! ☺)

Today, Laura was hooked up to the IV all day with 3 different antibiotics and 2 units of blood.

She says the best part of her day was when Lisa went to get the clippers and Cerissa, her CNA, cut off her hair.

She's been having headaches and Lisa asked Dr. Tongol about it. He ordered a CT scan right about dinner time and thankfully, it came back negative. He wanted to make sure she wasn't having bleeding on the brain.

Other good news: Dr. Tongol now says she can walk around 2 times a day... Yea!

"I continue to be thankful for my family, friends, and the strangers that give blood and platelets everyday for people like me," says Laura.

She's also thankful that Lisa is there. "Lisa is great!"

♥

Photos from this past weekend.

Yesterday on Dr. Tongol's morning visit, he told Laura that she couldn't leave her room. That didn't sit too well with her. It was rough on her all day long. In fact, she thought she might 'lose it.'

And, on top of that, she had some mouth sores. One was caused by the chemo and the other was caused by her biting her cheek in her sleep. (ow!)

It was a difficult day to stay positive and pleasant.

And, then! Dr. Tongol came back to visit in the afternoon. She told him just how crazy she was going without being able to leave her room. He said, "I know. Well, just go out once a day instead."

Whew! That was a big help -- mentally and physically.

Please pray for her mouth to heal and for her to have a good day today -- all the way around.

Mary made lots of posters to decorate Laura's room. This is one of them... Pretty cute, huh?

All of last week Laura felt pretty good -- mostly stir-crazy and a little bit tired. Today, however, I think she's been more tired and it turns out she has a fever of 101.5 -- which is higher than it should be. (One of the goals for her is to not have a fever above 101 degrees). I was told yesterday that the effects of chemo don't kick in until about the 10th day -- which is what we're approaching.

Please pray that she'll do well this week and not feel too bad from the effects.

Thankfully, the family has been able to be there and overlap a little. Robert and Mary came on Friday and we were all able to be together for Friday night. Lisa will be with her until the 30th and Emily will be with her until December. And, I'm so thankful that I was able to be there for a little while. All of the love that Laura and our family is receiving is so appreciated. I'm not sure we can ever let y'all know how much it means to us.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

Just in case you thought Laura wasn't a fighter.

Lisa's here!

(The PATIENT is the one kneeling on the floor!)

Lisa arrived yesterday afternoon and it's been great having her here... It's fun to add another person to the mix.

Mostly, we've just been hangin' out. Last night we watched the very first episode of "Dallas" -- which hooked Lisa. ☺ Today, we had to watch another episode right SMACK kadab (!) in the middle of the day! We're just livin' it up!

Tonight Mrs. Cannon is fixin' dinner for all of us -- Laura's is being delivered to her room and Lisa and I will eat at Mrs. Cannon's. (Thanks, Mrs. Cannnon!)

Laura continues to look good and feel preeeetttty good. Today she had a chest x-ray and a sinus x-ray because she's been coughing. Praying that it's nothing big.

Still can't get over how good she looks and acts.

Please pray for the other families on the cancer floor. There are many people there who are going through all kinds of stuff... Hoping they feel loved and that they'll be healed.

Thank you for your prayers and support for Laura and all of her family.

We love you all.

Dr. Jani came by...

Dr. Jani came by this morning to see Laura.

He had just come from a meeting with Dr. Tongol (and other doctors, I'm sure) and he wanted to let Laura know how glad he was with the final results of the bone marrow biopsy.

While he was there, he explained some of the science of cancer. He also talked about how much he likes Laura.

He said that she is the "kindest, ....(insert other adjectives that I can't remember), most positive patient I have. I wish all of my patients were like Laura. I mean that. I'm not just saying that because she's sitting right here."

Ms. Dye came over later and I was telling her about Dr. Jani's comment and she said "She lives that way. It wasn't something she had to learn."

(I like both of those people!)

In other news, Dr. Tongol told Laura that she has bottomed out...which I think means her counts are as low as they get. Now, I'm no doctor, but if this is "bottomed out" then I'm feeling pretty good about how she's handling all of this.

In my opinion, she looks great. She's been feeling a little lethargic, but her spirits are good and she's still walking around a few times a day and eating.

And Dr. Jani's words were "she looks very good."

So there, you stinky cancer cells!! Laura's gonna win! Nana nana boo boo!

Good news!

Late this afternoon, as Laura and I were doing laps around the floor, we noticed Dr. Tongol entering Laura's room. When we got down there, he had wide eyes and an excited air about him. He ushered us into her room to share the report he had in his hands: the bone marrow biopsy results.

Originally, there was some suspicion that the leukemia she has now was caused from the chemotherapy she received as part of her breast cancer treatment. Today, Dr. Tongol told us it was NOT caused by the chemo... Which, though it doesn't sound so great, is good news afterall.

Turns out, that Laura has Acute Myeloid Leukemia with T(8;21) which "is usually associated with a good response to chemotherapy and a high complete remission rate." And, THAT is good news!!

As I understand it, this particular type of leukemia is easier to keep in remission. (That's what I'M talkin' 'bout!)

And, so, we thank Dr. Jani for finding the leukemia so fast. And, we thank Dr. Tongol for all he's doing to make this disease go away. And, we thank the nurses and all of the hospital staff for taking such good care of her.

And, we thank God for the good news of today.

Amen.

(Nurse Carolyn, Dr. Tongol, and Miss GFW, herself!)

Check this card out...

This morning, Laura was sitting in the chair reading her book when the on-call doctor came in to check on her. He asked, "Where's the patient?" Laura said, "You're lookin' at the patient." "I thought you were a family member," he replied "and that you'd be bald." Laura said, "Well, in a few weeks, I'll look just like you."

We took that as a good sign. ☺ I've been thinkin' she looks pretty good and to hear the doctor say that he thought that, too, was encouraging.

Mostly, we've been just sittin' around, but I'm so glad I am able to be here. (Thanks, family and friends, for makin' it possible.)

She's had a few visitors today and a few phone calls. It means so much to her that people show their love in such thoughtful ways.

(Hey Sandra! ☺ )

No photos today...

Laura and I just hung out today. I read to her from Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris. We took a short nap. We ate lunch together and watched cooking shows. Mrs. Cannon came by and visited. Laura did laps around the floor. I brought in a pizza for dinner and then we watched another episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

But the big news is that today was the last day of this round of chemo!! Woooooooooooooooo hooooooooooooooo!

I think Laura has been amazing in her attitude. She's not having much fun, though, just sittin' around. That's not her style.

Anybody have any suggestions for fun things to do while you sit around in the hospital? Jokes? Games? Exercise suggestions?

Please pray for her as she faces next week which might not be so great. They say that the effects of the chemo will kick in then. I'm hoping it won't be too bad.

Thanks for all you've done.

Sleep tight everyone.

This afternoon Laura's preacher, Mike Lyons, and Mrs. Cannon came to visit Laura. They brought a fun little (really, big) surprise.

Last Sunday at church, Mike had everyone turn around to the balcony and they all had their picture made to let Laura know that they love her.

Look at me and Julie showing you just how huge this poster is...

In other news, she received the last bag of chemo for this week. Wooo hooo!!

By tomorrow night, she will have perservered through seven straight days of that. The doctor's words to her today were "You're a tough lady!" (We already knew that...She continues to show us all.) She'll have three more weeks in the hospital and then will receive another round of chemo just like this one. And, then... they'll check her bone marrow to see how things are going. (Pray that she won't have to receive more chemo.)

I can't get over how good she looks and how cheerful she is. Don't get me wrong. If she had her way, she'd be ridin' her bike and goin' out to eat with me and her friends. (I'd like that, too.)

But, she's a good patient. So, instead of that, we decided to have a "party." (A "party" is what we had on Friday nights as children. Our mother would make onion dip and we'd eat Fritos and dip and drink Coke while we watched tv.) I brought my computer (thanks, to Judy's brother and his employees my computer was fixed today, too!) and we watched two episodes of the Mary Tyler Moore Show while eating Fritos and dip and drinking Coke. We had a good time.

♪ ♫ Who can turn the world on with her smile? ♪ ♫

♪ ♫ Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile? ♪ ♫

♪ ♫ Well it's you girl, and you should know it ♪ ♫

♪ ♫ With each glance and every little movement you show it ♪ ♫

♪ ♫ Love is all around, no need to waste it ♪ ♫

♪ ♫ You can have a town, why don't you take it ♪ ♫

♪ ♫ You're gonna make it after all ♪ ♫

♪ ♫ You're gonna make it after all ♪ ♫