March 5 - Feeling good

To my surprise, I've been feeling really good this last week. The infection on the legs have cleared on its own. I could feel the difference each day as the pain lessened each morning, and my mobility improved along with it. By the end of the week, I was walking and moving without any tenderness and pain, and by the middle of the week I was feeling strong enough to drive and be somewhat productive again. 

Unbeknownst to me, my cell counts were coming back online--praise God! Thursday we saw Dr. Leonard,  and it was there that we saw just how vastly improved my numbers were. Just a week prior, my immune system was just barely above being neutropenic, and my platelets were at 54, neither were close to being in the normal range, For example, normal platelets should be between 150-400 and I had been as low as 5 about a month ago in the hospital. But when Dr. Leonard showed us my numbers that day, we could hardly believe it...my platelets had jumped from 54 to 224 and my immune system is now pretty much back to normal...in ONE week! 

Because of that, this past week I've been able to drive, run errands, go to church, do some work and cheer Naomi on in her basketball game, Roy's parents have been staying with us and we were able to go out for a nice dinner as a family for my FIL's 80th birthday. I was once again able to participate and engage with life and others and it felt good. I am so grateful for this moment of health and productivity. 

At the beginning of the year, Roy and I planned to surprise Naomi by taking her to Disneyland--it would've been her first time. We obviously had to cancel the trip once we found out about the relapse. But on Thursday we got the green light  from the doctor to take that trip! Its still a surprise for Naomi, so if you see her, please don't say anything, but we will be flying to the Magic Kingdom this coming Tuesday. It will be precious times with my sweet girl. 

We have also been working on putting together material for a website and flyer on stem cell donors amongst Asian Americans. My best chances for survival will ultimately depend upon a stem cell transplant, and it may happen as soon as late this Spring or early Summer. Finding a match will not be an easy task as asians are lacking within the stem cell registry, but if you have connections or influence within the asian communities, and would like to help in this effort, please let me know and I can send information your way.

Its been a busy week here, but again, I am so thankful for every moment. I will be hospitalized again once we come back from Southern California where they'll start round 2 of chemo and Blinatumomab for 4-5 days, so yes, every moment counts. Thank you for praying!