June 22, 2004

Main Page • John's Journal (2000-2003) • CLL Information • Contact John • Seattle Cancer Care Alliance • MD Anderson

"Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." Psalm 91:14-16

God's constant love, care and protection over me and my family during this transplant have been so apparent for which I continue to be thankful. Once again, God has shown that his constant protection and grace are watching over my family. The night before last (Sunday Night) there was a fire ten floors above me. The fire occurred in the middle of the night. The fire started as lights ignited drapery. The fire burned the drapes and began burning the walls. Fortunately, the sprinkler system was effective and extinguished most of the fire. Fire crews arrived and extinguished the rest of the fire. The fire and water damage will require the apartment to be completely redone. The residents of the apartment were not home and nobody in the building was hurt during the fire. However, almost every apartment below the apartment on 14th floor experienced extensive water damage to floors and walls as water from the sprinkler system flowed down the walls to the lower level apartments. Even the apartment right below mine suffered extensive water damage. The miracle? My apartment was not touched. There was absolutely no water damage. Not a single sign. I slept through the night, with Tanner (my youngest son) by my side, with no idea there was a fire going on. I didn't find out about the fire until the next morning. . As far as I know, my apartment was the only apartment below the one that burned, not affected by water damage. Clearly, God placed his protective arms around my apartment and kept us safe and kept the apartment free from damage. God definitely reinforced the message to be at peace, for He is obviously present and watching over my family and me every single moment. (A little side note, Michelle had brought all of our family pictures to the apartment so she could organize them in her scrapbooks. Potentially, water damage could have destroyed them as they were in boxes on the floor next to the wall.)


The support my family and I have received continues to overwhelm and humble me. This past Saturday, Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, the church Michelle and I grew up in and were married in held a fundraiser auction to help our family. Many people generously donated their time, talents, and gifts to the auction. Michelle and I wish to express our gratitude to everyone involved in the auction. We thank the Lord for you and for what you have done for our family. Your efforts have truly blessed us.


This past Father's Day was very special as I was able to go home and be with my family. It was so wonderful to be able to go home for the afternoon. I was able to sit in the corner of a gym and watch my middle son play a basketball game, enjoyed watching the other two boys have a cool off swim at the neighbors, and just enjoyed the time with my family. I am so fortunate to be close enough to my home and feel good enough to take trips home on occasion. It makes the whole process so much easier.


Another benefit to being close to home is friends can visit. I have had several enjoyable visits over the past few days. Thanks for helping my days up here to go by a little faster.

My mom, who has been up here for the past couple weeks as my caregiver, went back to Arizona last Saturday to spend a week catching up on things at home. It has been great having her here. She has done a great job taking care of me and we've had some quality time together to get to know each other again. She will be coming back in a week of so and will stay through July. Thank you for all your help Mom. I love and appreciate everything you've been doing for me.

As I mentioned earlier, my youngest son spent Sunday Night and all day Monday with me. It was great to spend time together. We were able to get some free tickets to the zoo from the clinic, worked on a model, and just had fun as father and son. It was a special day. It was a great way to follow up Father's Day. Now that summer vacation is here I will be able to have the boys up more, which will be so nice.


In closing, I continue to thank everyone for the continued prayers. I have another specific request I would like to lift up: The six-week Prednisone Taper (gradually decreasing dosage until I'm completely off the drug) has been getting a bit tougher lately. Before the tapering started I was taking 210mg of Prednisone a day. I am now down to 85mg. Today I just didn't feel too well. I was very fatigued, have had a lot of tremoring in the hands, and spiked a mild fever (99). It's just been a tough day physically. I need prayers for the taper to go a little easier and for the GVHD to stay under control as I come off the Prednisone. Thank you for lifting these prayers up with me.

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