Main Page . John's Journal (2000-2003) . CLL Information . Contact John . Seattle Cancer Care Alliance . MD Anderson
May 5, 2007
"... I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20
"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination." Tommy Lasorda
Not too many months ago my life was in the balance and it was all I could do to spin on a stationary bike for ten minutes and lift a bar without weights over my head. A few months later and I am teaching spin classes at my local YMCA and lifting weights I haven't been able to lift for ten years. My strength is coming back and so is my overall health.
This past week I had my three year follow up appointment at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance LTFU (long term follow up) Clinic. I was scanned, poked, and tested from head to toe. The goal, to determine my overall health status and look for any signs of leukemia. It was great to see some of the old faces of the people involved in my 2004 transplant, but it was even better to get the test results back.
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and conveniences, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ---Martin Luther King, Jr.
My CAT scan came back clear, pulmonary function remains normal, bone scan indicates bone density increase of 7.7%, blood tests are normal except for a low-normal testosterone level which is caused by some of my meds, and preliminary bone marrow results indicate no abnormal (cancer) cells present. The results are amazing to me. I haven't heard news this good ever since I was diagnosed. I am very hopeful that the graft versus leukemia effect has eradicated the Leukemia cells. They will check me again in six months, but for the moment, I am clear of disease and my hope for a cure is real. More results from my bone marrow will come in the next couple of days, but nothing should effect the good results I have recieved so far. Words can't express the joy and relief I am feeling right now. I feel as though I have a new start on life. I will certainly continue to live each moment I am given to the fullest. I know life is a precious gift.
In addition to the good test results, I feel so good. I feel healthier and stronger than I have felt since diagnosis. It is an amazing feeling. I still have issues with graft versus host disease which may continue for a while. As long as I battle GVH I will have to take medications that are pretty hard on my body. Medications such as FK-506 and Prednisone. The doctors at SCCA, however, want to taper me off Prednisone quickly and get me off of it altogether. They commented that I am too young to have long term damage caused by the drugs I am taking so they want me to try and wean off of them. Praying I can stay off of them and the GVH stays under control. It is a double edged sword. I need GVH to help kill any leukemia cells in my body, but keeping it under control requires meds that are very hard on the system. Delicate balancing act.
It has been such a long battle. There have been times my faith and strength have been tested to the limit and I have felt like giving up. However, I look at all I have gained through my challenges and am thankful. I must also thank him for giving me and my family the perseverence to not give up and to keep trusting in Him. I am most grateful at this moment for the hope of a future. A future to spend with my family and friends and to make a difference in the lives of others.
"The highest reward for a man's toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it." -- John Ruskin
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
-2 Corinthians 12:9-10"
Prayer Requests:
•Continued renewal of my health and strength and for the Leukemia cells to be completely gone for good.
•My son CJ. Continue to heal the knee he had recent surgery on. Also, he had an incident at school a couple days ago where he almost passed out and felt very light headed. His heart rate fluctuated up and down dramatically. Paramedics came to the school and his class was cleared out. He has gone to see a cardiac specialist and has had numerous tests in the last couple days. Everything is coming out normal. Hopefully it is just a strange infection, dehydration, or something else that will run it's course. It has been a little scarey the last couple days.
•Pray for all people battling cancer and specifically some of my friends that face the disease: Karen K., Karen G., and Mary F.
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