Road to Recovery
It looks like I’m on the road to recovery once again. My platelets have climbed to 81k. Dr. C has given me the okay to drive to travel to our home in Naples, Florida. I am still on steroids so my...
View ArticleSometimes the Odds Rule
Well hell. I thought I could beat the odds again. With the flu running rampant this season and with my suppressed immune system, I actually thought I could beat the odds and avoid the flu. No such...
View ArticleProgress
I underwent a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy today. It’s never a pleasant or pain-free test, especially when performed without sedation. It also gets harder as time goes by because scar tissue...
View ArticleHappy Cinco de Mayo
Happy Cinco de Mayo to all my friends and relatives. Today also happens to be my second birthday. Or to be more accurate, it’s the second anniversary of my stem cell transplant. I have a lot of...
View ArticleOne Day at a Time
May 5th was a big day for me. It was the second anniversary of my stem cell transplant. I underwent a bone marrow biopsy at MD Anderson and got the results this week. No MRD. That means there is...
View ArticleThere is a Fungus Among Us
Stem cell transplant (SCT) patients like me have a host of things to worry about. First, we worry about relapse. We have a constant concern that our original leukemia, multiple myeloma, or lymphoma...
View ArticleHappy New Year
Happy New Year to my loved ones, friends, and fellow Survivors. I recently got back from a quick trip to M.D. Anderson in Houston for my bi-annual bone marrow aspiration and biopsy. The good news is...
View ArticleChemical Plant Fire in Houston and the Risk of Leukemia
I am concerned for my friends and loved ones in Houston. The recent chemical plant fire in Deer Park has released a plume of smoke over the City of Houston for the past several days. That smoke...
View ArticleHere’s to Sibling Donors
On this National Siblings Day, I want to thank those like my brother Mark who donated stem cells to help their siblings fight leukemia. Without you, we wouldn’t be alive today. My health continues to...
View ArticleContinuing Good News
I celebrated my third birthday (post stem cell transplant) last week. On top of that, I got great news this week. My latest bone marrow biopsy results came in and they are NEGATIVE for minimal...
View ArticleMedical Update
I recently underwent my regular bi-annual bone marrow biopsy. I got the results this week. “No MRD. Diploid cytogenetics. 100% donor.” In layman’s terms, that’s good news. The “No MRD” means no...
View ArticleCoronavirus and “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe
I’ll be damned if I’m going to let a bug take me out after I survived AML leukemia and a stem cell transplant. For that reason, my wife and I are in self-imposed isolation in our home. I am sure many...
View ArticlePremature Celebration.
I celebrated last week. The preliminary results from my recent bone marrow biopsy came back negative. After more than four years of remission, it is still cause for celebration when your bone marrow...
View ArticleToo Soon to Celebrate? Covid-19 Vaccinations and Immunosuppressed Patients
I celebrated my recent Covid-19 vaccination by tearing up the “Do Not Enter – Immunosuppressed Person Inside” sign on our front door. I assumed that I had 90% immunity now that I had my second dose of...
View ArticleTaking Off the Training Wheels Seven Years After My Transplant
It’s been a while since I’ve posted. As they say, no news is good news. I’ve been taking the immunosuppressing drug Tacrolimus (“Tacro”) for the past seven years. Tacro is often given to stem cell...
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