First Signs of Engraftment!!!
Dear Everyone,
As I was about to leave the hospital about 25 minutes ago to get ready
to attend Yom Kippur Eve services here in Milwaukee, I suddenly turned around
and wondered if there was any word yet on Travis' latest blood counts from
the test this afternoon. I raced down the hall, and just then Travis' nurse
poked her head out from an office door and was BEAMING with thumbs up ?
"Travis' counts are .1!"
This is the first sign we had been waiting for since his white blood
cells have been below "point one" (.1) from the chemo and radiation.
This means that the new marrow has begun creating white blood cells!
My mom and dad were in the room with Travis, so I ran back into the room
to share the good news. We were all quietly overwhelmed ? even Travis
realizes that this is an important next step. (Travis quietly smiled and
hugged me, and then returned to his computer game! Kids!)
I then race-walked back to the RM House to hug Joe and Spencer, after
calling them with the great news. (Joe had just returned from the grocery
store, and was brimming with his story of a mitzvah. The woman ahead of
him couldn't afford all the groceries she'd picked out, and while she was
packing her cart to leave, Joe told the cashier to pack up her returned
groceries and he paid for them for her. She and the cashier were speechless
at his good deed.) As we squeeze-hugged and cried over our good news, we
realize over and over again how lucky we really are.
(Interesting ? today was good deed day. My parents were driving to
a hospital and came upon a man flagging them down. His companion had had
a seizure on the sidewalk. My folks called 911 and waited till help arrived
and the man was ok!)
Spencer proudly told me he understood what the news meant ? that
Travis' body is now making healthy blood. I asked him if he wanted to sing
a prayer of thanks to God, and he said yes ? "I want to sing an
Indian prayer, Mom", which he did!!! He sang "Ayzha, ayzha, ayyyyyzha"
over and over to a beautiful melody and explained that he had learned that
song from Pocahontas II. It was so beautiful. I cried again.
So now we watch each day, and pray that this is the first step of many
more cells being created. Travis' doctor is extremely pleased and said "I'll
be even happier when it's .2 tomorrow!" This is what begins to buildback
Travis' destroyed immune system, and create cells with no leukemia, and
hopefully the ability to fight any remaining leukemia cells in his body.
We know this is going to be a LONG road (years, in fact) , but for the moment,
it feels like we have our footing again -- and not so steeply uphill. We
are overwhelmed, humbled and grateful.
So, I'm off to the Temple. I felt it in my gut (or just hoped really
strongly!) all day today ? Yom Kippur Eve ? that this would be the
day. Everything had been leading up to this.
Wishing you all the joy and peace that I feel.
Love,
Melanie and Joe Travis and Spencer |