On the Road to Recovery - Good News!

Hello All! It's been a while since we've updated - thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers. Overall, he is doing great! He and my mom are based at home now and travel back to City of Hope two to three times a week to have blood draws, review blood and enzyme levels, discuss next steps, and check in with their Doctor.  My dad is slowly gaining more and more energy daily - he tires easily but he is able to drive himself around, runs small errands, and has been coming to see his granddaughters play soccer and do every day "life" activities that you and I are blessed to be able to do every day without thinking twice about it. What a blessing!!!

Here is a picture of him at Aubree's third birthday party on Saturday.  I can't tell you how special it was for him to be there.

Guys, we wanted to celebrate my Dad's recent triumph and raise money in his honor for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society via the Light the Night event once again this year.  My sister and I have plans in the works to do some sort of service project related to cancer patients every year, and this year we are raising funds for #Team Bill that will benefit LLS.  We would greatly appreciate your support and every dollar counts.  Every cent is important.  Please contact me if you would like flyers to take to work.  If you work for a large corporation that may be interested in a corporate sponsorship, contact me! Please consider donating. This is such a wonderful, deserving charity - all in the name of celebrating my dad's turbulent year.  The best part about the Light the Night event this year is that my Dad has been selected as this year's survivor honoree.  We will be speaking during the main program that evening and sharing his story while also sharing on the mission of LLS.  We'd LOVE for you to be there if you can.  CSUB Amphitheatre, Nov. 7th, 6 pm.  Save the evening for Dad! :)

It is a blessing he is here with us and has reached remission once again.

My link is below.  LOVE TO ALL!

http://pages.lightthenight.org/cca/Bakersfd15/jnightenga

Surprise.

Hope you've all had a terrific Tuesday!!
*I started this post last Thursday and sadly I am just getting to finishing it...the ending has changed a bit, so here goes nothin'.

Mom and Dad have a pretty good week thus far! And they had an especially visitor-filled weekend (and how fun that visitors got to hang in the motor-home instead of hospital room!)
Friday night his cousin Karen and her husband Mario surprised with a visit. Saturday evening my cousin Cary and his wife Noreen came down to visit and Sunday a fellow Acute Myeloid Leukemia transplant survivor, Sheryl, and her husband went down to visit and fellowship.  AWESOME!!!!

Cary and his wife Noreen visiting Dad this past weekend! Love.

They had a checkup at the hospital last Thursday and all numbers looked good.  No blood products were needed, no potassium or magnesium needed and still no sign of host vs. graft disease and no fevers, which signal infections.  Praise the Lord!!
This weekend, after a bone marrow biopsy on Friday to ensure that all leukemia is clear in his new bone marrow cells he received from his sister, they may be allowed to come home for a few days...! Fingers crossed.  They will have to still be seen 2-3 times a week at City of Hope, but even a few days home each week would be AMAZING.  They've been away from home, their dogs, 'normal' life, us girls, their granddaughters, family, etc. for 30+ days now.  I know they are more than ready to come home.

Mom just told me they ventured out to Santa Anita Park today and enjoyed an afternoon of horse racing.  Dad even made a small wager on a horse and won! Pretty sweet.

Thank you all again for being constant prayer warriors.  It's working!!!
Continued prayers for my dad would be that he'd have an appetite, a calm tummy whilst taking SO many medications, and no infections or host vs. graft disease.
And for my mom....I think we should take donations to purchase her some diamond encrusted angel wings.  She's earned them! What do you think?

Here's to a great rest of the week!
Nicole

PS- **HUGE update...they are HOME!! They drove home after the bone marrow biopsy on Friday and enjoyed a quiet weekend home.  They will be headed to City of Hope tomorrow and Friday for regular check ups, to get preliminary results on the bone marrow biopsy, and to check overall progress.  Halleluah!!

PPS- Thanks to those that are still sending cards.  It's amazing! and my parents LOVE them.
Thank you.

Discharged!

Hi Everyone! We are happy to report that Dad has been discharged from the hospital and is now able to stay in his motor home which is parked on hospital grounds!! Yahoo!!! They are beyond thrilled to be out of the confinements of the hospital, despite being far from through with this entire process.

Typically when a bone marrow transplant patient is discharged at this point in their journey, and don't live in close proximity (many patients travel from all over the world to be treated at City of Hope) they go to stay at an onsite 'village', which is like an apartment.  Patients are still fragile at this point and need to be as close to the main hospital as possible for quite some time after transplant to continue to be closely monitored in case a fever arises, any other signs of complications or host vs. graft disease.  Instead of staying in the village, they are camping in their RV, and for the next couple weeks they will travel to the hospital at least two times a week to have blood work done and check in with the team of doctors.  My parents are blessed that they have a little piece of home there with them and are now in their own space, even though they aren't officially home yet.

These photos are from discharge day - excited to be OUT!

Additionally, in the last post we put out a call to action with regards to a card drive.  We wanted to express our sincerest thanks to everyone who took the time to get a card and mail it to my parents.  My mom would send us a text daily saying, "look what we got today!!" It is a tangible reminder of how many people are thinking and praying for him.  We are so incredibly thankful!! Family, friends of Nicole, friends of mine, and friends of theirs all participated.  Thanks a million you guys! It's not too late...if you'd still like to send a card (and make their day!), here is the address:

City of Hope-Helford Bldg.

C/O William Ray
1500 East Duarte Road

Duarte, CA 91010

Dad is taking life one day at a time and is making progress every day.  Most of the important numbers they are watching are back in normal range, and dad is working very hard to gain strength back.  The recovery will be a long process but he is more than up for the challenge and we know he will continue to persevere. 

Love to you all,

Jen and Nicole