The "celebration" began on Tuesday, with my 1-year work-up appointment at LDS Hospital. The appointment consisted of a clinic visit with a Zometa (bone strengthener) infusion, a GVH assessment, a bone marrow biopsy, a chest x-ray, a full body skeletal survey, a CT scan, and a pulmonary function test. Also, because I had tested positive the two Tuesdays before for Epstein-Barr virus, they wanted me to receive an infusion of Rituxin. With everything else going on, we never even got to the pulmonary test. I showed up at the hospital at 8:30 in the morning, and didn't leave until shortly after 10 o'clock at night. Of course, the purpose behind all of this was to assess how my body is doing, and whether or not I'm still cancer-free.
Well, the results are in, and I'm extremely happy to report that I am 100% cancer-free, and my marrow is 100% donor marrow. That last part is especially significant because as long as my marrow is my donor's marrow, it can't produce the cancer. My Plasma Cell Leukemia came about because my DNA "broke" and started telling my marrow to produce faulty, cancerous white blood cells. Well, gratefully, my donor's marrow is not controlled by my DNA. That's a good thing. My bones are still as porous as they have been since my diagnosis, and they will never regenerate the hard, outer bone tissue that has been destroyed by my multiple myeloma. My lymph nodes, heart, lungs, and other internal organs are all doing well. On June 10, Noelle and I will meet with Dr. Mitchell, and discuss all of the results and findings from all of the tests on Tuesday.
On Thursday, our family celebrated my transplantiversary with donuts and orange juice in the morning. I also went to lunch with the director of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk to discuss fund raising ideas and plans for my team for this October's walk. The LLS is the largest funding source for leukemia and lymphoma research and is partially responsible for the medical advances that have made such a difference in saving my life. They've also helped my family through a copay assistance program that has helped us aford all of my prescriptions. I just want to give back. I plan to raise over $3,000 for leukemia and lymphoma research and patient support in the months leading up to the walk. If anyone reading this wants to be a part of my team, helping me with the "FUN-raising" activities I'll be doing (like a dinner and dessert auction, BUNCO nights, an LLS Spirit Night at Chick-Fil-A, and more...), or walk with me and my family at the Light the Night Walk (Saturday, October 13), please let me know.
On Saturday, I held my annual Be The Match donor drive. It was a success, as the drive coordinator for the Western Region tells me that anything over 20 registrants is a success. We registered 21 people on Saturday, with several others committed to join in the coming days. They just couldn't make it to the drive itself. We also raised $635 with individual contributions ranging from spare change to $100. Every dollar counts, as it costs Be The Match $100 to process each registration. Fundraising continues on an ongoing basis. If anyone wants to make a contribution, the link to do so is: http://www.bethematchfoundation.org/goto/philpott.
My Graft vs. Host Disease (GVH or GVHD) continues on my skin. Interestingly enough, it's also causing my hair to fall out. I have a big bald spot in the middle of my chest, the hair all over my body is thinning, including my eyebrows and the hair on top of my head. It's funny. I never lost my eyebrows when the rest of the hair on my body was lost with chemo and transplants, and now, more than a year after my last chemo dose, I appear to be losing them. It'll be interesting to find out if I lose all the hair on my head, or if it just thins.
And finally, I didn't get the part-time job I interviewed for with the LLS. Oh well. If it was meant to be it would have happened.
More later...
John, I am so thrilled to hear your test results!! Praise God!!
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