A Second Post by My Brother Dirk

And I hope there will be no Report # 3.

So here is the scene. My brother Abe has leukemia, been thru 5 chemo doses, no more to be had.  Now Stem Cell transplant is the next treatment. I am the donor of my stem cells. I am in Houston Tx, where my brother lives, to have them harvested and passed on to him. A simple concept, a very involved, complicated procedure, hopefully and realistically life giving (and some risk of life .... ).

My brother is in M D Anderson Hospital most every day, for some procedure as innocuos as a video how a subclavean catheter; or as heavy duty as more tests looking for any other troubles (heaven forbid). He has a full schedule for the coming week.

To harvest my stem cells, I am injected with neupogen, to stimulate multiplication of cells; first time round got only .37, two days later got .48. They need 4mil and I am not even at 1 mil. so far.

Oops - my platelet count is low, very low, like half of normal. Stop all harvesting for 4 days, more neupogen on Sunday morning, blood test on Monday morning at 7:15 a.m. (They start early, work on weekends). Hopefully my platelets are up; if so an other shot of neupogen and later in day, on the machine to harvest more cells, DV.

DV is latin Deo Volente meaning the Lord Willing. I am confident that the Lord will's our goodness, yet the details may vary greatly. So  with each step we hope and pray for a good outcome. If  it is other wise, we work with that. This is the roller coaster of cancer in mini series. Abe and Lynne and family (esp Isaac), have been on that roller coaster for a full season, ending on May 22 when Joshua died of his cancer disease. And the aftermath of that coaster is just as devastating as the disease itself.

So what Elly and I are enduring is definitely miserable, loaded with uncertainties of when we will finish, will they get enuf cells. The answer is the same "We do not know, we'll after the blood test etc. So tomorrow I go for that early (7:15 a.m) bood test and wait for the results ... and then decisions for what is next. So we await a good outcome.

So this is report # 2; no one knows what report # 3 will bring. Till then thanks for your support, interest and yes continue to pray for my brother Abe and his wife Lynne, they are front and center in the roler coaster of cancer.

Love

Dirk