With family here, the weeks are flying by. It’s definitely a nice distraction from purely focusing on my health situation.  We’ve packed in a lot of fun as our time together is now starting to wind down.  It’s funny how we’ve probably had more concentrated family time here in Houston than we’ve ever had back home.  Not only do we have my parents and our kids here, but we also had lunch last week with Jonathan’s aunt and uncle from NC, and my sister took an impromptu flight from Atlanta to come stay with us until mid-week. Our apartment is busting at the seams, but we are managing fine and having fun at that.

Let me see if I can quickly update the happenings here. For family fun last week, we went to the

Houston Zoo, the Natural Science Museum and we took the kids to the movies to see “How to Train Your Dragon 2.” In medical happenings, I had 5 more radiation treatments, and some tests in preparation for the stem cell transplant – chest  xray, EKG, labs, etc.

I will have my last radiation treatment tomorrow morning at 7:45 am, then I will move directly on to the stem cell department (literally, I go there at 8 am). There will be no lapse of time between the two treatments. As of now, we are proceeding with an autologous transplant (using my own stem cells).  We do not have a donor lined up,

and even after finding a match, it could take many weeks before we could harvest their stem cells and give them to me.

So, the plan, as I understand it, is to do an autologous transplant and then follow-up in 2-3 months with an allogeneic (donor) transplant. Or watch me like a hawk after the autologous transplant, and at the first sign or recurrence, do an allogeneic (donor) transplant.  Have I confused you enough? It’s a lot to understand and we will just have to take it step by step.

Tomorrow I’ll have more lab work, sign my informed consent for treatment and a few other necessary hurdles. On Tuesday, I will get the dreaded catheter inserted into my chest that’ll stay there for a few months for infusions and blood draws. (I got over the tungsten eye shield insertion, so I imagine I’ll be fine with this as well – so much of it is getting past the idea of it.)  On Thursday, I’ll have a light outpatient dose of chemotherapy – that helps get the stem cells “mobilized”. The next 2 weeks include daily shots to help my bone marrow bring an abundance of stem cells into my bloodstream for later harvest (collection and refrigeration).

Please pray: that I’m in remission as I finish radiation & that my (harshly) treated skin will begin to heal, for wisdom for my doctors as each step of the stem cell transplant is executed, for the well-being of our family and continued growth of our faith and trust in God.

Praise: I thank God for the immensely talented, brilliant and loving radiation team that has surrounded me. It is surprisingly hard for me to leave them as I must move on to the next medical team, but as I leave,  I’m confident that I’ve seen God work through their personalized and skillful care.

Happy Father’s Day! It is great to have our children and my dad and mom here on this special day. Jonathan and my dad are wonderful examples of Godly men, and I’m blessed to have them on this journey.

It has been a wonderful and busy week doing fun activities, and it has also been physically and emotionally taxing  in regards to my treatment.

We are making the most of our time with our family being reunited. This week we’ve been to the aquarium, the Space Center, the fine arts museum (including a round-trip ride on the Metro Rail), the apartment swimming pool, individual and group visits to the hospital and family worship at church.

Jonathan and I also threw in a quick trip to Austin to attend a taping of Austin City Limits.  Jonathan and I entered a drawing for tickets a week ago, and I received an email saying out of 7,000 entries, my name had been drawn. (If you need help with low odds, I’m your girl). We had a nice escape to see Ed Sheeran.

I’ve had radiation every day. I’m responding very well to it, but my skin is suffering.  I’m very red, I’ve lost eyelashes on one eye and most of both eyebrows, I’m also treating broken skin and a mild infection around my eye. (I go everywhere with sunglasses and a head covering now – indoors and outdoors.)

My dad, Jonathan and I had a sobering doctor’s appointment with my stem cell doctor. He was much less encouraging this visit. He said that 50 medical personnel discussed my case for 30 minutes, and there continues to be a debate on the best type of stem cell transplant. The argument continues to be around the super-aggressive nature of my lymphoma, the resistance to chemotherapy and the effectiveness of the two types of stem cell transplants (weighing risks and benefits). We may have the decision decided for us based on MD Anderson’s discovery that a search for my stem cell match wasn’t initiated for me back home. They are now urgently moving on the process. Anyway, it is all overwhelming and I need your prayers on this.

Jonathan and I spent an hour with my radiation oncologist and her resident physician on Friday. She helped us filter some of the information from the stem cell appointment, encouraged us with the progress we have made using radiation, and ultimately she and her colleague have decided to take my treatment to the maximum dose (at the expense of my skin). This will be in effect for 6 more treatments. Since radiation is the definitive treatment, it is imperative that no microscopic, undetectable disease is left.

It has been a wonderful and exhausting week. We thank God for our family and my physicians, and pray for healing with our Heavenly Father receiving the glory.

Please pray for: our family time, my physicians’ discernment and wisdom, physical healing and emotional stamina.

I’m amazed that every few days there’s a lot to share. First of all, I finally received my results from my cardiac work-up. Everything is normal! My regular echocardiogram, my stress echocardiogram (a very strange feeling to have your heart rate increased to 152 while lying still) and many blood tests were all healthy and normal. I also had a lung function test yesterday in prep for the stem cell transplant. It was normal too! The therapist even rechecked my age, height, weight, & asked if I lived at altitude (does approx. 800 feet elevation count?) because my lungs were so strong. Thank you God for my strong, healthy body – now, let’s kick out these rogue replicating cells for good!

My radiation oncologist shared with me that there is still a healthy debate going on in team meetings whether I should have the autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplant (my stem cells vs. donor cells). I thought that was a done deal. She said the doctors “love” me, and there are strong opinions on the next best step. I’m very thankful that these physicians genuinely care. Some say we have one shot to get this right with donor stem cells (even with heavy risk) and others say the studies don’t back up that the riskier is better and we can do the riskier type later if needed. One of my doctors is so emphatic that when he had to leave the meeting, he called someone else to come in and continue his argument. wow! I’ve texted my Vanderbilt lymphoma expert to get her insight, and I’m trying to get in with the stem cell doctor next week to talk about my options more thoroughly. This disease has forced me to learn assertiveness! I know I have to defer to the experts, but I ultimately have to consent to the process.

My lymphoma radiation oncologist delivered a blow to me yesterday. I have been holding my breath for months on getting back to looking like my normal self. The chemotherapy took out my hair. After many weeks, I finally have a good amount of stubble on my head, but with radiation, I’ve noticed a lack of regrowth of the majority of my eyebrows and my right eyelashes –  I also have an area at my hairline that looks like it’s receding. I’ve been very hopeful that after it all falls out again (with the chemotherapy that’s associated with the stem cell transplant) that it will grow back.

Well, I hadn’t cried in weeks – I have been feeling really strong and optimistic. But, when my doctor answered my question regarding when my hair will grow back, the tears flowed. She said the area exposed to radiation probably won’t grow back – ever. She apologized, but explained that in order to treat my disease, they had to use a higher dose of radiation and cover a large area, which unfortunately includes my hairline and greater than 50% of my eyebrows & eyelashes. She was extremely sympathetic, and even offered some cosmetic advice and gave me a nice warm hug. I told her this is going to take me a period of mourning – I imagine most women can understand the gravity of this news.

Well, to end on a light note, the kids are on the way! My parents are making the 2-day trip with the kids and we will all be reunited tomorrow! We are planning some fun activities and all of us are looking forward to being together.

Despite the good, bad and ugly news, I’m thankful for the top-notch healthcare (with a surprising amount of genuine caring and love), my friends, family & neighbors who have supported me (and my entire family) and the ever-present, indescribable God who envelops me in love, strength and compassion at all times.

Well, I received good news and not-so-good news this week.  I met with the stem cell doctor on Thursday. Prior to my appointment, he had just attended a team meeting where my case was presented by my lymphoma radiation oncologist. Immediately after he walked into the exam room I was in, he said the team had agreed on a plan for me. (Love the team consults and communication!) The great news that he told me is that I can do an autologous stem cell transplant. (Interpretation: I can use my own stem cells, so I don’t need a donor!) That’s not only convenient time wise, but it also greatly reduces the chance of complications & chance of rejection that can put me at risk throughout my lifetime. Wonderful, wonderful news! The doctor said there are many studies to back up the effectiveness of an autologous transplant versus the donor type. There is also a study that MD Anderson is currently doing that is evaluating a promising next generation immunotherapy drug that may be a good choice for me to participate in.

The not-great news is that the stem cell process is a long one and I must stay in Houston for at least 12 weeks once radiation ends. In order to get the very best medical care and increase my chances for a cure, my physicians (and my family) believe the wisest decision is for me to stay put. The extremely hard part is being separated from our children for an even longer period of time. We are all ready to be reunited, and instead we are looking at possibly being apart 3-4 times the amount we’ve already experienced.

Thankfully, we have a great support system.  Jonathan’s parents recently took the children to Ohio for a visit and did some fun activities there, and currently my parents are planning to bring them to Texas very soon for a visit. Each one of us is going to need some extra patience during the next several weeks, especially the children because it is hard for them to understand the timeline and why this is taking so long.

A few interesting highlights from my conversation with the stem cell doctor: 1) He will continue looking for a donor, so that we have that in our back pocket if needed – the match can take a long time. 2) I will need two cycles of chemotherapy. The second cycle will be so strong that they will remove the stem cells from my blood stream, refrigerate/freeze the stem cells (that would otherwise be killed off by the chemo) and return them to me via IV after the harsh chemo kills off any last lingering cancer cells, then we will wait for my stem cells to rebuild my immunity while I’m in isolation. 3) I found out that I will have to repeat all of my childhood immunizations because my malfunctioning immune system will be wiped clean. I guess our 3-year-old and I can get our vaccines together. 🙂  4) Knowing that the donor-type stem cell transplant carries a high risk, I wanted the stem cell doctor’s outlook on using my own stem cells instead. I asked if I have a good chance of living a normal life after having the stem cell transplant that he’s coordinating and he said, “Absolutely!” That was wonderful to hear!

I’m so past anxious to get this behind me, but at least I’m seeing visible sustained progress from the radiation treatment, AND we have a plan for the stem cell transplant which is looking optimistic for curing my lymphoma. So I’m seeing a small light at the end of the tunnel!

For now, I have 12 radiation treatments left, and the stem cell transplant coordinator is seeking urgent approval from my insurance to begin my transplant at MD Anderson. They will immediately begin the process following radiation – because of the “super-aggressive” nature of my lymphoma they do not want to wait one single day for it to get a foothold after radiation ends. So, it looks like I’ll be living the Texas life a little longer without a reprieve to Tennessee.

Please pray for: our family as the kids continue to be separated from us and the grandparents care for them, the radiation to put my cancer into COMPLETE remission, the stem cell process to go smoothly & that it is the last stop on this unbelievable journey. Thank you!