Hi Everyone,

In our previous update I gave several hours when Dad could take phone calls. It turns out that he will be getting blood tomorrow morning so it would be better to call in the afternoon. If you receive this in time, you can also call tonight, Thursday from 7-9pm EST.

The times are now Thursday 7-9pm, Friday afternoon, and Sunday 1-2pm.

Thanks!!
Dina

ps Dad is doing really well at home.

Hi Everyone,

Dad is doing really well at home and we've had a great visit. He will be available to talk on the phone on Friday from 9am to 12pm and on Sunday from 1pm to 2pm, for those of you who have asked about calling. He still needs a lot of rest and can't be around people who have colds (or more than a visitor or two each day) but his recovery has been amazing. At his appointment today his white blood cell count was at 5,200 (that's 5000 more than at Day 36, Update 9)!

Thank you again for everything and have a great Thanksgiving (for everyone who celebrates it)!

Much love,
Dina

ps I haven't had a chance to read most of the messages from Update 10 but I hope to get to them this week. I apologize if you have made any requests that I haven't been able to read yet.

Dad and Ben watch a football game together.

It's been a very difficult and joyous couple of days. After my previous
email, Dad's white blood cell count continued to climb. First back to
300, then 500, 600, 700, 1400, and this morning 1700. You can imagine
the joy as Dad continues to feel better.

Mom, Dad, and I were watching a video tape of Benjamin yesterday morning
when the doctor came in to let us know that Dad should have his physical
therapy rescheduled so we could all talk. I'm not sure that any of us
knew what to expect but I can tell you that we didn't expect the good
news part, which was quite good (the bad news part is difficult but we
are being positive about it). The good news is that Dad is going to be
released to come home on Thursday (today). The more difficult news is
that he will be returning to the hospital around December 1st for
another round of chemotherapy. Yes, you did just read correctly, Dad is
coming home. Many people have used a rollercoaster as an analogy for the
recovery process and said that we're in a good part right now (for those
of you who, like me, have difficulty imagining a good part of an
amusement park ride, the park's closed for the week). Dad's amazing.

The plan is for Dad to come home and get as strong as he can before the
next round of chemotherapy. We will have nurses coming to the house to
help out and he will be going back to the hospital every other day for
transfusions. It is incredibly important that Dad continues to rest and
we are working to get the house ready. Although he now has more white
blood cells, if he gets sick he has to go back to the hospital. As I'm
sure you can imagine, he really wants to be home for the full 10 days.

While at home you can expect Dad to be eating, resting, and taking short
walks. He is not supposed to go out so don't expect to see him at the
office, even though he really wants to be there, or at a restaurant,
grocery store, party, etc. We still have to be careful about the foods
he eats and any contact he has with people - no more than two visitors
to the house a day and no one who has any cold symptoms (runny nose,
sore throat, etc.). Benjamin and Stephen are flying in tomorrow and I
have a feeling that Dad is looking forward to spending some time with
his grandson.

Thank you again for all the wonderful support you have provided. I know
that Dad wants to talk with everyone but he really needs to rest. I will
try to set up a few times for Dad to take calls next week and will let
you know about it soon. I apologize for not sharing this news
immediately. Last night, when I wrote most of this email, I was torn
between cleaning (scrubbing), writing, and sleeping.

Lots of love and thank you VERY much,
Dina

Additional information: Dad's bone marrow tests show about 20% cancerous
cells, less than 5% is called remission, anything above that is
dangerous. So we look forward to several wonderful days at home before
Dad returns to boot camp. We are all hoping that hell week(s) won't be
as bad this time.

I was really hoping not to have to write this message but something told me that Monday's news was premature. Today we found out that there are cancerous cells left in Dad's bone marrow. I know that you are all as unhappy and as confused as I am (I've learned that there is nothing to gain from being mad). My understanding was that the tests were done. I even held off on writing until after the doctor spoke with Mom and Dad on Wednesday but I now understand that a more detailed test just came back this morning.

The plan is to do another bone marrow test on Monday to see if there is any change. There is also talk of doing a colonoscopy on Monday to try to determine what is causing the bleeding. Dad's white blood cell count is still not coming up and we really need it to. One of the reasons may be an antibiotic that was being used to suppress the fevers.

So... We all need to stay extremely positive. Mom and Dad really appreciate all the letters, cards, pictures, etc so please keep sending them. I know that it's really hard not to call but at this point it's just so important that Dad rests that I have to ask for no phone calls. The best means of communication is mail to the house in Delaware, followed by email to me. I will be flying back out soon and I will continue to send as much information as I can.

Thank you again for your best wishes.
Lots of love,
Dina

Here's Ben thinking positive thoughts for everyone.

Mom just heard from a nurse that there was no sign of the cancer in Dad's bone marrow test!

We are allowing ourselves to celebrate for the day. The doctor will be in tomorrow to talk with Mom and Dad about it. I hope to have more news in a couple of days. My understanding is that Dad is now able to have some thicker liquids. He was eating more before the latest series of fevers and has since been on some clear liquids during the day and an IV at night. On Sunday Dad's white blood cell count went up from 200 to 300. This morning there was no improvement so they went ahead with the bone marrow test. I heard that Dad didn't flinch and Mom watched the whole thing. They are both incredibly strong.

I can imagine that our reactions are all similar in that we want to call Mom and Dad to say congratulations. Please continue to hold off on doing so - cards and letters are still the best form of communication. Dad really appreciates them. I know that it's hard because it's really hard for me too. I really want to talk with my Dad but I know that he loves us very much and that he knows we want to talk with him. The most important thing for Dad to do is to rest and try to regain his strength.

Thank you SO much for all your good wishes and positive thoughts. I believe that my Dad's positive thoughts in combination with your help brought us this amazing news this morning.

Here's to a very happy day.
Love,
Dina

Hi Everyone,
I've received news today that warranted another update. It's been several weeks since Dad started chemotherapy and we are at the point where Dad's white blood cells should be coming back if everything was effective. From what I understand, Dad's bone marrow will be tested again on Monday if his white blood cell count hasn't increased.

So we are asking you to think really happy and positive thoughts about Dad creating white blood cells. We found out this week that all of the fevers were preventing the generation of new white blood cells so we are very happy that Dad has been fever-free for a few days.

I also had the chance to hear a little more about all the cards, letters, pictures, and fun gifts Dad's been receiving. They are VERY appreciated and VERY helpful. Mom and Dad spend time every day going through the mail. They bring great joy and we can't thank you enough.

Here's to lots of new white bloods cells.
Thank you.
Dina

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to let you know that Mom won her election! Dad still has good days and more difficult days but he has a great attitude. Not much has changed since I last wrote. We are hoping that the new antibiotics keep Dad's fevers down so he can continue to recuperate. Rest remains a primary focus but I've heard that he's also been working a bit.

As always, we appreciate your good wishes, cards, letters, pictures, etc.
Thank you again.
Love,
Dina

Ben reaches for an unsuspecting cat. He usually doesn't wear two different shades of blue... and, in case the scale is surprising, the cat is actually quite large.

Hi Everyone,
Dad is fighting another series of fevers but is in good spirits and working on healing. We are all very positive about his progress and realize that the road to recovery will have lots of ups and downs.

Here are a few of the ups and downs since I last wrote. On Wednesday night the doctors had reason to believe that Dad had some internal bleeding. He was also starting to retain fluid again so he received platelets and more of the medicines to help flush his system. On Friday he was able to continue with physical therapy. At some point in the past few days, Dad was able to get out of bed and walk around a bit. Today, however, he is fighting another fever and trying to rest.

Resting continues to be one of the most important things Dad needs to do. We continue to request that you do not call the hospital and instead send cards, letters, or pictures. I am not sure what Dad's schedule is for checking email but I'm pretty sure that he doesn't log in when he has a fever.

Thank you again for your positive thoughts and best wishes.
Love,
Dina

FYI: Dad was dressed as a hospital patient for Halloween (I'm not sure he's going to want to repeat this outfit in the future). Mom and Dad handed out candy to two kids visiting their families - an adorable little girl was dressed as a cow.

ps We are also sending our best wishes to Mom who is running for re-election on Tuesday.

pps I've hidden everyone's name on the email list. Please let me know if you no longer want to receive the updates, if want to add someone to the list, or if you want to check if someone is receiving these emails.

Ben lets the fish know he's in charge (2 Nov 02).