Updates on Others

We were quite saddened to see that a fellow transplant patient that we followed via his mother's blog just passed away from complications with his transplant. It really brings home to me how different our experience could have been. Nick was in the hospital for about 60 days with significant breathing difficulties and signs of leukemia in his spinal fluid. We are praying for comfort for his loved ones as they grieve for him.

While our road to the transplant was incredibly painful and tested our strength significantly, the post transplant challenges have been mild in comparison. I was incredibly nervous that no search was made to find a perfect match for Tyler, but they kept insisting that his protocol (the specific transplant instructions) wouldn't need a perfect match. It appears our doctors were right!

In addition, I wonder if they have found a transplant method that might work well for others with fewer post transplant complications. I would be interested to find out the results of the study and whether or not the other patients had similar results. We did see one lady on the same protocol while in UW Hospital before Christmas, but I don't really know much else about her progress. Also, we don't really know anything about the long term results of this transplant. Relapse is a risk for all transplant patients, but they were specifically testing whether or not the radiolabeled antibody injected before the transplant would decrease the risk of relapse.

Our friend, Hans, is doing well on Sprycel. All of his blood stats seem to be lower on Sprycel (as compared to Gleevec), but I actually wonder if this might be a good thing. If the Sprycel was having an effect on his blood making ability, wouldn't it make sense that all of his blood making abilities would be affected? If you wouldn't mind saying a prayer or two for him, we would appreciate it. We are hoping that he will achieve remission on this drug and be able to stay in maintenance mode for many years.