Day 64: Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi all. Happy Thanksgiving! All three boys are here with us in Larkspur and we gathered with the Fillinger clan in Orinda to celebrate Thanksgiving and my 60th birthday. This was my first venture outside the house beyond daily walks and UCSF appointments and it was lots of fun.

My recovery continues ahead of the curve. Fatigue and nausea remain the main side effects but are manageable with medication and rest. My blood counts continue to creep up. The most promising news is that a blood test called a Chimerism shows that my blood is 98% of donor origin! The test’s name is derived from the Greek mythological creature Chimera, a mixture of goat, lion and serpent. The next important test is a bone marrow biopsy in early January to determine how much of my bone marrow is of donor origin and, we hope, to confirm that the cancer cells have disappeared. In the meantime, UCSF has removed my central venous line and reduced my appointments to once a week, signs of their confidence in my progress.

We are very grateful for all your positive messages of support and we want to express special gratitude to my colleagues in Asia who have organised blood drives and raised funding for local leukemia and lymphoma societies. Thank you so much to you all!

Our song for today:  I Won’t Back Down by Tom Petty.