Day + 56

Well, we are well over the half way mark now. Time is going by quickly. Bill is down to two days a week at the hospital. Today was one of them. He also meets with his doctor each Tuesday. Today Dr Champlin told him that he is very pleased with his progress. He has increased his oral magnesium with a view to decreasing the i.v form. This is on a trial basis for the next two days. It would be a big step forward not to have to administer the i.v. form.

We said goodbye to Maarten and Marije on Sunday. We had a lovely week with them. We went to Galveston one day and went out to lunch a few days. A couple of evenings we sat outdoors at the pool while Maarten fired up the BBQ. Of course they also managed to get a little shopping in!!!!We were sorry to see them leave.Thank you both so much for coming, it really gave Bill a lift.
Tess also came for the weekend and met them both. Thank you Tess for coming also, after your long and tiring trip to Tokyo.

Frank Sr. comes in a week for the weekend as does Frank Jr. Karen , Liam and Sophie. Tess also plans to come again that same weekend.

Bill is scheduled to have another spinal tap on 10th Aug. and will receive some more chemo into his spinal fluid at that time. He is also being scheduled for a MRI of his brain in the next week.
Please keep him in your prayers. We have come a very long way. However he needs to continue on this positive track for a long time to come. Please continue to pray that he will be completely cured and that the leukemia will not return. Thank you all so much for your prayers and good wishes. They mean so much to us. I will update the blog each time we have any test results . Otherwise I will update it weekly. Blessings to all of you.

Day+ 49

It seems impossible that it has been seven days since we last updated the blog. We are now at the half way mark. Tomorrow will be day 50. Bill continues to do very well. He now needs to go to the hospital only two days a week. The rest of the time we can administer his meds. at home. Today was one of his hospital days. We met with Dr. Champlin and he reiterated that he was very pleased with Bill's progress. He also had a permanent cap put on his tooth today. The temporary one had fallen out twice and we had to make emergency runs to the dentist. Hopefully this will be the end of the tooth saga.

Presently, Bill's good friends Maarten and Marije are visiting from Amsterdam. It is great seeing them and we are so grateful to them for making this long journey to visit Bill. Frank Jr. also visited yesterday on his way to San Diego. We had a lively evening yesterday evening with all of us together. Tomorrow Maarten and Marije are taking over in the kitchen, so I get a night to be a guest in my own home. We are looking forward to some good Dutch cooking.

This past weekend I went to Boston for the baptism of Sophia Deane . We all had a wonderful time. Katherine and Kaitlyn were also there as were cousins Susie and Orna. It may sound like a doting grandmother, but those children are absolutely gorgeous. We passed them from one to the next the whole weekend. Liam was the big brother protecting Sophia and Kaitlyn just loved watching him as he entertained all of us. It was a pleasure to see them all together. It was heart warming to meet so many people at the party afterwards who were praying for Bill. People told me that they checked the blog daily and prayed constantly for him to be cured. I know that such fervent prayers can not go unanswered. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. The doctors and nurses here at M.D. Anderson and also at Indiana University Hospital have been outstanding. Still, without your prayers, that lift Bill up daily, the equation would be incomplete. Our greatest strength is through your prayers. Together and in unison they have made all the difference. Please continue to pray each day that the leukemia will not return.

Day + 42

We received the official results of Bill's spinal tap today. Thank God , it confirms the initial results, that there is no evidence of leukemia. We are very happy to tell you that we also received the FISH analysis results. This is a test of 200 cells that examines the chromosomes. It is a more sensitive test of the bone marrow than the initial test. This too confirmed no leukemia present in any of the 200 cells tested. Needless to say we are so very thankful for such a good result. We can not express our joy and relief to get such good results. Next time the bone marrow will be tested is at day 90. We ask that you continue to pray for Bill. We ask that you pray, that the chemotherapy and radiation have killed the leukemia and what will grow back, will be leukemia free blood donated by Frank.

We had a quiet weekend. No visitors this past weekend. We did go out on Saturday night to a very nice Latin restaurant. We went early and left early, just as the pace was starting to pick up. It was wonderful to be able to get out and see people living their lives normally. We look forward to better days ahead.

Frank Sr. is coming down on Thursday for the weekend. I leave on Friday for Boston. Frank and Karen's daughter Sophie is being baptized. Katherine and Kaitlyn will also be there, as will Susie ...Katherine's cousin from Ireland and Orna....Katherine's cousin from Montreal. I return on Sunday,but the group of cousins are going to Cape Cod for a few days. Hope they have a wonderful time together. Frank and Karen have rented a house in Cape Cod for the week.
Bill's Dutch friends Maarten and Marije are arriving from Amsterdam on Sunday also. They will be here all next week. We look forward to seeing them very much. Bill will have crossed the half way line before they leave (day50). It will be all down hill from there on. God has been very good to our family. We thank you all for your prayers and for the part you all have played thus far in helping to bring Bill this far. We are indebted to you all.

Day + 38

We received the preliminary results of Bill's spinal tap today . There are no malignant cells in his spinal fluid. This is such a relief. We are so thankful to God for each good result. The final results of the four cultures that they tested will not be back until next week. Thankfully we had the preliminary results before the weekend. We had expected him to have headaches due to spinal tap and chemo. However he had just a slight headache yesterday and none today. He does not have to go to the hospital again until Tuesday, so we will have a very restful weekend.

Tonight we had a false fire alarm in the building. Since we are on the 23rd floor, and Bill would be unable to go down the 23 flights of stairs. We did what one is cautioned never to do in case of fire. We grabbed our passports and headed straight for the elevator. We spent about a half an hour in the lobby and watched fire trucks and firemen with hoses file into the building. Later we found out it was somebody cooking that set it off. No real fire at all. Liam would have loved it!!!

We wish all of you a wonderful weekend. We are indebted to you all, for your prayers. Please keep them coming. It is making all the difference.

Day + 37

Today was a long day at the hospital. Bill had the usual blood work done and then went to ATC for his usual I.V.and magnesium. His blood results also indicated that he was deficient in Vitamin D. Ironically, when he had a physical examination way back in Dec. 08,he was also found to be deficient in vitamin D. I read somewhere in the Internet that there may be a link between leukemia and vitamin D.deficiency, I have to wonder if it is not so. This is just my own theory and has not been substantiated.....I have been told more than once, to pull the plug on the Internet. However, it is a wonderful tool. I sometimes wonder what we did without it.

Bill also had a spinal tap done today. This is to check to see if his spinal fluid is still free of leukemia. Leukemia was never found in his spinal fluid, but since it showed up in theM.R.I of his brain prior to his transplant, it needs to be rechecked. He also had some chemotherapy administered intrathecally (into the fluid filled spaces next to the spinal cord). This is a precautionary measure just in case some leukemia still remains in the brain. He will have this procedure done every month, alternating Cytarabine and Methotrexate. We are not sure how long they plan to continue to do this. It will most likely be until he leaves M.D.Anderson.

Honestly, I don't know how Bill can be so brave. On two occasions during his spinal tap I had to remove myself from the area, as I felt faint. Bill never flinches. He has such strength and endurance. These procedures are not for the faint of heart. My admiration for him is limitless.
I'm sure all your prayers have contributed to his strength. Thank you so much. Please keep them up. It is heart breaking, to see so many people each day at the hospital, stopped dead in their tracks, by this horrible disease.

On the positive side. Katherine's cousin Susie arrived in Indianapolis for a few weeks to help her with Kaitlyn. She will travel to Boston with her for Sophie's christening(Katherine is the Godmother) and also help out with Liam and Sophie for a week during the week of Karen's brother's wedding. Thank you Susie you are a little gem.

Once more we thank you for your prayers and messages and cards. We really appreciate them and know that they are contributing to Bill's recovery.

Day + 35

The results of the % donor blood v Bill's own came back today. He has 97% donor. This is considered to be a very good result according to Dr. Champlin. I did not stay at the hospital today as Katherine and Kaitlyn were leaving for Indianapolis. Consequently I did not get to speak to the doctor. Bill however was assured by Dr. Champlin that he was very pleased with the result. He also had a temporary filling replaced as it had become loose due to all the chemo. He will have a permanent cap put on when his platelets are a little higher.

He continues to be in good spirits and getting stronger by the day. We are still awaiting the FISH results. We will let you know as soon as we receive them. In the meantime ,please keep Bill in your prayers. Each test result is so important. We await them anxiously. Please pray that the leukemia will not return, that he will have a complete cure. Thank you all so very much.

Day + 34

Not a whole lot new to report tonight. The good news is that Bill still continues to regain strength daily. Tomorrow he returns to the hospital, so we may have some more results. We will keep you posted.

Katherine and Kaitlyn leave tomorrow. We will miss them very much. We have enjoyed our time together a lot and look forward to seeing them soon again. Ryan's Dad came to visit us this evening, as he was in Houston on business, so that was a nice change.

Since there is not much change in Bill's condition on a daily basis, we will not be updating the blog each evening from now on. However we will update it regularly and especially if there is any news to report. We are very aware of how important the daily reports on Bill are to you all. Rest assured that as soon as we have anything new to report we will do so immediately.

In the meantime, please continue to pray for Bill's full recovery and total cure. Each good result is wonderful, but we need your prayers to insure the good results continue for at least two years.
Please keep him in your prayers. Below are some pictures of our family.

Liam and Sophie on 4th of July

Frank and Liam after Frank ran a 5 mile race!

Kaitlyn and her bunny

Katherine and Kaitlyn

Frank and Kaitlyn

Karen and Liam

Ryan and Katherine

Day + 33

The apartment feels very empty tonight. Everyone except Katherine and Kaitlyn have left. Katherine and I went for a nice walk this evening with Bill and Kaitlyn. It is so nice to see Bill making more progress every evening. Tomorrow we do not have to go to the hospital, so we can sleep in a little. Tuesday it is business as usual.

Bill's good friends Maarten and Marije, are coming from Holland to visit Bill here in Houston in mid July. Bill and Maarten worked together in Amsterdam with Price Waterhouse Cooper and they also shared an apartment together. They have spent many Thanksgivings with us over the years when they lived in N.Y. They almost feel like one of the family. We look forward to seeing them both.

This week we should get the results of Bill's blood work that measures the % of donor blood. We are hoping for 100%. The FISH results may also be available..... that is a test that measures the residual disease and is a more accurate account of the bone marrow biopsy than the previous one, since a greater amount of cells are tested. We are hoping both results will be good news.

Thank you all again for your continued prayers. We have come a long way but the journey is not over yet....though on the right track. We are indebted to you all for your support and prayers.

Day +32

Happy 4th of July to all of you. There is a great display of fire to be seen from our balcony. Frank and Karen, Liam and Sophie celebrated in Boston and were kind enough to forward us the video of Liam waving the flag as the parade went by. Such cute little kids!

We had a wonderful evening out with Micky and LeeAnn Quinlan. It was Bill's first evening out in almost two months, hopefully there will be more of them. He continues to feel well and is gaining strength daily. Frank Sr. and Tess and Ryan leave tomorrow. Katherine and Kaitlyn are here until Tuesday. Then it is back to Bill and myself again. We will miss them all, but are happy for the time they were able to be here.

I guess no news, is always good news. Please continue to keep Bill in your prayers. We still have a long journey ahead. Thank you all so much for all your prayers thus far, they have really made the difference.

Day +31

If it were not for the fact that we are in Houston Texas, in an apartment on the 23rd floor of a building, in 100+ degree weather and had spent most of the afternoon at M.D. Anderson Hospital, it would seem like a normal Friday evening!! We just completed dinner and Katherine is presently preparing dessert....ice cream and Butler chocolates that Dorry brought from Ireland. If we just close our eyes...... we could be back home in a moment.

Bill continues to get stronger daily. He does not have to go back to the hospital until Tuesday. He says he will venture out to a restaurant tomorrow evening. Tess arrived this morning and Ryan arrives tomorrow morning. We plan to meet Micky and Lee Ann Quinlan for dinner tomorrow evening. We are looking forward to it very much.

It is getting a little harder to make the blog interesting as thankfully we are in a period of "non events". I will continue to update it as best I can ,though sometimes there will not be a lot to report. Please continue to keep Bill in your prayers. Like I said yesterday. Leukemia is a tricky business with lots of twists and turns. Each good result builds upon itself. This is a long road ,we have just passed the first milestone. There are many more to go. Thank you all for joining us in this difficult journey.

Day+30

Today we received the official results of Bill's bone marrow biopsy. It confirms the preliminary results that there is no leukemia present. We are all very happy with these results. There will be more additional results from blood and FISH results next week. He continues to be in wonderful form, eating and walking and generally building up his strength.

We are enjoying having Katherine and Kaitlyn here and look forward to Tess and Ryan for the weekend. The weather continues to be in the 100+, so we can only go out in the late evening.

It would appear that Bill is at a stable place at the moment. We pray, and ask for your prayers that it shall remain that way. There is not a whole lot new to report each day of late. We hope it will remain this way and at day 100 we will be giving you this same good news. Leukemia is a disease that can take many twists and turns. We put our trust in God and ask for your continued prayers that Bill will stay the course and that each bone biopsy in the future will yield equally good results.

Day+30

Day+30

Day +29

Katherine and Kaitlyn arrived this afternoon. She is an absolute doll. Bill did not have to the hospital today, so we all had a lovely afternoon together. Bill and Frank Sr. went for a little walk this afternoon, and Katherine, Kaitlyn and did a tour of the building. We sat downstairs in the lobby and drank Starbucks coffee and generally made up for lost time. Kaitlyn enjoyed her first airplane flight and is getting acclimatized to Houston weather.

Tomorrow Frank Sr. and Bill go to the hospital for the usual blood work and I.V. fluids and magnesium. Katherine and Kaitlyn and I get the day off to hang out together. This is truly getting to be like a vacation!

Bill is really in great form . His appetite has completely returned, his nausea is minimum and his strength is improving daily. We are now 29 days post transplant and Thank God all is well so far.
This is in no small part due to all your prayers and good wishes. Bill's whole attitude has been upbeat all the way.Thank you for the important part you played in this.