Hi.

I'm not sure where to begin so I will try to be as succinct as I can. Dad is still in the hospital. His blood counts have been going up slowly and we are hopeful that they will continue to increase. A new concern is that Dad has pneumonia. The doctors did a biopsy on the day I flew in to Delaware and have found that it is a virulent strain in his lungs. I have been very impressed by the steps the doctors are taking to solve each challenge. The new medication is a 4+ hour IV drug that Dad seems to be tolerating well (it surprised his doctors). We are all very hopeful that the drugs will clear up his lungs but we've been told that it is a serious battle.

Dad looks great and takes walks around his floor during the day. The drugs make him tired and he needs lots of sleep to recover. If you would like to send something - cards, letters, or postcards would be great. He is on a restricted diet (no fresh fruits or vegetables, no peppercorns) and can not be near flowers or plants (more on food below pictures).

The most important thing for all of us to do is to stay positive - and Dad needs to be the most positive.

Thank you so much for your support.
Because of the pneumonia, it would be best for Dad not to receive phone calls (his doctors want him to take pain killers for his cough).

Thank you again.
Love,
Dina

ps I've switched the date in the subject line because it was confusing to some. Dad was diagnosed with AML and started his first round of chemotherapy on Oct. 11, 2002.

Benjamin and his lacrosse stick (after playing in the water with Stephen).

Benjamin in the big (rope) spider web at the SF Zoo.

More about food -
If you do send food (more for people in the area), we can not take food from Dad's room out to the microwave or refrigerator so it would be easiest if it was in small containers. And, of course, please be super-careful about preparing the food (wash hands, don't cook if you're sick or anyone else in the house is sick, please don't taste the food and put the spoon back in, etc.).

Hi.

It's been a strange few weeks for all. Dad is back in the hospital and has been there for about a week. Dad has had two common manifestations of the GvH (graft-vs-host), the first is a rash and the second is uncharacteristic liver enzymes. It appears that both are currently under control, which is really good news. The main item that is being attended to is that Dad's blood counts are still low.

As I mentioned in Update 31, GvH can take a long time to battle (6-12 months). I guess the strange part for all of us is how quickly these challenges appear. Dad sounded great the day he entered the hospital. The fever was a little annoying but it was down by the time he was checked into a room. It was unclear at that time how long he would need to stay and now it appears that it is going to be for a while.

Mom is bringing Dad his mail to the hospital and I will continue to forward email messages.
We thank you all for your continuing support and best wishes.
Thank you.
Love,
Dina

Benjamin (left) was a lacrosse player at a Halloween party the weekend of Oct 24th but he dropped his lacrosse stick, ball, and hat 5 minutes into the party. My plan was for him to be a frog (see below) but it was almost 100 degree F. Here he plays in the jumpolene with his friend Trey (there was also a big bouncy house that he enjoyed).

Benjamin's frog costume from Halloween. I can't remember what he was saying but it was funny. I also forgot to bring my camera to Trey's house on Halloween but Ben was an adorable and energetic frog (Trey was a horse).