Reminiscing

Brian and Dani in Paris!


Amy and Dani in Paris! (We received these photos right after I posted this, so I'm adding them after the fact because they are just too good of all three of them. Love it.)




The Mill Road Ward held their Primary Program today. It's an annual Sunday church meeting where the children present the entire thing, singing things they have learned, and addressing a theme they have studied throughout the year. They were great. There were lots of them, and they sang well. Kyle, of course, the biggest kid there, couldn't hold still. He even tried to scrunch down a few times as he is now as tall as I am, and towered over all of the other kids. The kids did a great job, and there were some wonderful talks about experiences kids had in their own families, that were touching. They concerned faith and healing, both physical and spiritual. The theme was families.

I thought of our wonderful ward family in Ascutney, Vermont, and missed the kids who sang as loud as they could, just for the joy of it, who were so out of tune (Adam, Parley, etc.). We LOVED that. I missed Sarah, Rachael, Melissa, and the rest. Then they said or sang something about seeing family members who had passed away again, and it was hard not to cry. I was thinking about, and missing, Rainee. If I feel that way, I have to wonder how Brian, Erin, Patrick and Sam are doing. I haven't talked to any of them, really. Partly because we have cell phones, which are at times crazy, we're busy, etc, but I want them to know that we miss them, miss Rainee, and we are a little tender right now missing home and everyone there, including Jarah, our very lovely Golden Retriever. So, we are fine here, but at times, a wave of missing everyone and everything so dear to us there hits. As someone says, the rug has been pulled right out from under us. My reply was, yes, but there is a new rug here, and loving hands have caught us, we just need some time to adjust.

Blaine was able to attend all three meetings at church today, and has been able to stay up much more. Energy is slowly returning, and he has been using exercise equipment at his sister's house like he's been told. :) He's also been eating pretty well. Yesterday, his head was down on his arms on the table, and I thought he didn't feel good. I was watching him to see if he was OK, when he suddenly raised his head and said, "I DEMAND ICE CREAM!!!" The kids scrambled to grab money and race away in the van with Josh driving. They came home with a whole tub, and big grins. A good time was had by all.

Summing up, we're grateful for home; both of them. We miss everyone back east, and want you to know. We are grateful for these good people here, who it will take time to get to know. Thanks for all your love, and for all the good things in our lives.

Remember Me?

Remember me? It's been a while since I've written on the blog, I blame the chemo and the transplant. As far as excuses go... these are pretty good one's, I suppose. It has been 20 or so days since my transplant, and it has been a bit of a roller coaster; some really bad days where it seemed impossible to function in any capacity and some pretty good days (like today) where I feel somewhat normal. I still have issues with neuropathy, my legs are still numb and it can be difficult to move around. But it is slowly improving. My neuro-surgeon in NH said it could take up to 18 months, so I need to show patience. It made Marleigh's day when Dr. Tricot told us that my job until the next transplant was to exercise, she's been tying to get me to exercise more for years. Curse Dr. Tricot :)

I am enjoying Utah, it is good to be home. Last week we took a drive down to Wayne county to see my Mom's headstone. After the cemetery we drove up to the east end of the Boulder mountain. I can't tell you much I enjoy being down there.
I still miss all the good people in NH & VT, thank goodness for blogs, email and cell phones so we can stay in touch.

So for now, things are good. Obviously, I have mixed feelings about the upcoming transplant; not looking forward to the killer chemo that'll wipe me out and the period of time until I engraft, but am looking forward to putting my cancer into remission. I've said it before and I'll say it again... I feel like we are in exactly the right place at the right time. We have a lot of confidence in the folks here at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital. Dr. Trico is the best at what he does and we feel like the treatment I am receiving is just what I need.

Take care and we'll keep everyone posted.

Blaine

Round 2

Holy fast, Batman. We spoke with Dr. Tricot yesterday, and apparently things will, again, move very quickly. Blaine will start the necessary restaging workup on November 2nd (the beloved Bone Marrow Biopsy, MRI and pet scan routine), will begin high-dose chemo on the 6th, receive his 2nd dose on the 9th, and his stem-cells on the 10th. Chemo will be a little worse this time around if you can believe it, but it's what does the job. They say he will be even MORE wiped out, though he can hardly believe that. But off we go. His job for the next two weeks is to eat and work out, building up as much strength as possible.

We spoke to a 10 year survivor yesterday who had had an initial single transplant, relapsed 7 years later, and then had a tandem transplant with Dr. Trico. He was in the clinic for his 6 month work-up. He looked great, and spent plenty of time talking to us. Very nice man, and helped us see what positive things can happen. Good luck to Stefan.

Hope all is well with you and yours. Enjoy life!

Marleigh

Happy Hikers

The Andersons are in Salt Lake visiting family, and invited Alexis to climb Mount Olympus with them. The photos were uploaded, but are showing last to first. Click on any photo to see large. Here goes!



Tired at the bottom, ten hours after they began


Mary Alice does a monkey impersonation






Climbing down the rocks they earlier scrambled up





Conquering the Summit!


What a view from the top




At the trail head in the morning

Oh Give me a Home...

Today I realized that we are truly in the west. As Josh and his cousin came home with two 17 inch cut-throat trout they had just caught, they were stalled. The road they were coming down was filled with a herd of cattle, being moved by a man with a cowboy hat, on a horse. They had to wait until the cattle were herded down the road and into the corral they were headed to before coming home to show off their catch. It brought back memories. Their Grandpa, Kent, had been on plenty of cattle drives in his day in more rugged territory than this. He also used to ride the bulls in rodeos. He was a real cowboy.

Over 20 years ago I was riding in a pick-up in central Utah, on a road with no houses, and no traffic - except for the herd of sheep (must have been over a thousand). They were in no hurry. We had to go extremely slowly through the herd, as they were not going to run just for a truck. Sheep and cattle herds roam free during certain times of the year on range land, and are herded back to their winter grounds in the fall. Yep, real cattle drives. Just after Blaine and I were married, we were in his Dad's Dodge Ram up on the Parker Mountain in southern Utah. We saw a cloud of dust moving toward us, and kept going. The closer it got, the more excited we got. It was a herd of hundreds of antelope (well, at least 50) and they were headed right for us. We sped up and they kept coming. They weren't veering off, and instead seemed bent on hitting us. When they got really close, as we were still going plenty fast, they simply turned as one and ran next to us. It was sooooo COOL! I opened my window, as they matched our speed. I could see and hear their breathing, the straining of thier muscles and the thunder of their hooves. I could have easily reached out and touched them. It was amazing that they didn't hit the truck. Eventually they went in another direction, and we slowed, in awe of what had just happened. It was so exciting.

Just as the sun goes down, and just before it comes up, is prime wildlife viewing. Yesterday evening, Blaine and I took a ride not more than two miles away where there are fields near some foothills. There were hundreds and hundreds of deer feeding on the green grass. We have seen a few turkeys, though nothing like the number we see in the east. When driving on the Alpine Loop on Mt. Timpanogas a week ago, we saw a HUGE bull elk with a rack of antlers that would make the most avid hunter drool. He was magnificent, and the views were some of the most stunning I have seen. That's saying something here in the Rockies. While I miss the foliage, this corner of the west is still just a little wild.

Good News!

So Blaine's white counts went from .02 (with normal being from 3.0-11.0)three days ago, to .07 two days ago, to .23 yesterday, to 1.7 today! That means that the stem-cells have engrafted, officially, and are producing white blood cells. It means that he once again has an immune system, though a very young one, and one that is about one third of normal strength. He must still be careful, but we can lift some dietary restrictions at home. The docs say to wait a few weeks for crowds, like stores or church, and wear a mask if there is any doubt, but he is on the road to being able to be reintroduced into society. They say it will take a few weeks for him to start feeling better, and 6-8 weeks before he gets to do it all again.

The second transplant will be worse than the first, but they say he sailed through the first one. He looked incredulous at that news, and said HE didn't think it was a breeze. That's ok, one down, one to go. The myeloma response in the next 6-8 weeks will be critical. His markers all look good right now, and I will feel better when he is producing red blood cells and platelets again. He will be getting both tomorrow. So, we are very happy that the stem-cells took, and everyone at Huntsman was smiling at the news. We will watch carefully for the next while, and hopefully get through Thanksgiving before starting again!

Speaking of Thanks, we continue to be very grateful for the love and support sent our way, and all of your thoughts and prayers. They mean so very much. We don't mean to be incommunicado, we are just very focused on things right in front of us. Thanks for your understanding. Brian, you are still in our prayers as well.


Cancer is so limited. (or other physical illnesses)
It cannot cripple love
It cannot shatter hope
It cannot corrode faith
It cannot eat away peace
It cannot destroy confidence
It cannot kill friendship
It cannot shut out memories
It cannot silence courage
It cannot invade the soul
It cannot quench the spirit
It cannot steal eternal life

(Poem seen at Huntsman)

Our real enemy is not cancer, but despair. Don't let that in, and you don't let the others in either. Keep the faith, and remember, God is real, he loves his children, and you are one. Miracles happen. Just open your eyes.

Love, Marleigh

Day +6

Blaine's white counts are shot. That's what supposed to happen. He's extremely tired and has to lay very low. If he stands too long, and believe me that's not long, his blood pressure drops. So he stays down. We are trying to keep him full of fluids. No fevers or signs of infection, and that's the biggest concern. Lots of hand washing and hand sanitizer for me and anyone who comes into contact with him, though his contact with people is very limited. He has required blood twice, and will again. His platelets are now plummeting, so by day 8 they say he will need those as well. He's been nauseaous, but meds are keeping it in check. Mostly, he sleeps. It's all part of the program.

The kids are with family in Heber right now, but Kyle of course is having a tough time. Grandpa is there and Aunt Shauna, who love him, and his siblings and cousins, but they each are having a moment when it's difficult. I'm content to lay low with Blaine, not doing much, just keeping him as safe as I can. It's very hard for him right now. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel is rough. I know now why they call them cancer warriors. Here's to my brave, valiant warrior.