I don’t remember Kerrie and I having too many of those deep, sisterly conversations before she was admitted into the hospital.. I think our last really meaningful conversation, prior to this summer, was in March of 2004. We were in California and planning to drive from L.A. to San Francisco along Highway 1. Although we were a little nervous about driving along the coast, on those sharp turns, and with such a big drop to the Pacific Ocean we still couldn’t wait to do it. Somewhere along the stretch were Highway 1 and 110 run together I took a wrong turn and we got lost. We should have been driving…

Yesterday and today have been better days. Although the doctors say the chemo is still in her system, and there may be more bad days ahead, we are hoping the worst is behind her and she won’t have any more days like Sunday. Her blood counts keep dropping, which is what we want right now, but they should start coming back up soon. Unfortunately, her rash is coming back and is causing lots of discomfort. The doctors had The ID Deparmtment ( Infectious Disease Department) come look at at it today and they are suggesting the dermotology department do another biopsy, as she seems to have a different type of…

We’ve had some good days for a while,but it looks like the bad days may be here. Kerrie has been finished with her chemo treatment for the last 4 days, and she’s feeling pretty cruddy. Spiking fevers, chills, hot flashes, dizziness and the return of that itchy rash filled most of her day today. We’re hoping this is the worst of it, and she will begin to feel better after this, but she could have a few more days of being sick before we see any improvement. She had a big suprise yesterday when Michelle Burgette and Mark Hanlon, two old friends who worked with her at Cedar Point, walked…

A few days ago I learned of a nation wide event, sponsored by the Luekemia and Lymphoma Society, to help raise money for curing blood cancers. Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s nationwide evening Walk to build awareness of blood cancers and raise funds for cures. Walkers carry illuminated balloons-white for survivors and red for supporters-to celebrate and commemorate lives touched by cancer.  Funds raised by participants support the Society’s mission: cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.  Anyone can take part-children, adults and seniors are all welcome.  This is a casual Walk with no…

We’re now on day four of this new chemo and Kerrie has developed some unusual side effects ( Don’t worry Mom… all info mentioned here has been authorized by Kerrie). She’s still having more good days than bad days, but the bad days are.. well.. really bad. They’ve got her on all kinds of medicine, to help ease her nausea and pain, so she’s pretty drugged up most of the time. It’s almost kind of funny, when you are sitting with her and the some of the drugs start to kick in. She’ll be talking to you, fighting desperately to keep her eyes open, and fall asleep sitting up and…

Day Two of the second round of chemo is now over… this one looks like it is definately going to hit Kerrie harder than the first one did. By the end of her first day she was beginning to feel the effects.. generally not feeling well and being very tired. Mom said that it was hitting her harder today.. not sure how much detail I should give about the side effects she is having, but suffice it to say she is pretty miserable. I hear they’re are giving her lots of medication, to ease her way through it, so hopefully they are giving her some “really good stuff”. Most of…

Hi Everyone, Well, I am sending a quick bit of news (in hopes there are no changes by tomorrow). We are getting a bit hesitant to say much as it seems as soon as we do the informtion changes. If you feel a little confused by all this, believe me, we are as well. As I informed you a few days ago, the doctor stated on Monday that she no longer believes Kerrie is in remission. She based it on those darn BLAST (phooey, yuk, hate ’em ) cells. On Tuesday they took out Kerrie’s central line (IV in her neck). On Wednesday she had another one put in as…

FOR GOOD I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason Bringing something we must learn And we are led to those who help us grow the most, if we let them, and we help them in return Well, I don’t know if I believe that’s true but I know I’m who I am today because I know you… Like a commet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But because I know you I have been changed for good It may well be…

Hello Everyone, Well, I wish I wasn’t writing this update, it has been a disappointing week so far. After several days of planning and anticipating Kerrie’s chance to come home before the transplant, the doctor informed her yesterday that she is not in remission, as previously thought, as the blast cells (the bad white cells ) are on the rise. Although Kerrie and I had both seen this on her lab reports, and it was a concern, we had hoped that if was not significant. Needless to say, yesterday was not a very good day for us..but we will use all your caring, support and energy to cope. Everthing has…

Kerrie’s Transplant Surgeon came to see Kerrie today and we were hoping she would be able to give us a firm date to start procedures for the transplant. Instead she gave us, in her words, “some bad news”. Although everything had been going very well last week, all tests showed she was going into remission and the doctor was planning on going ahead with the bone marrow transplant, her recent tests indicate she is not in remission. Her Luekemia blast cells have come back very quickly and we will need to begin Chemo-Therapy again. Kerrie will undergo a few more tests tomorrow, have her catheter removed ( and replaced with…