It has been nine months since I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and seven months since I received a stem cell transplant. Yesterday brought great news. The results of my latest bone marrow biopsy and aspiration show the following:
Molecular Diagnostics — No FLT3 Mutation Detected; No DNMT3A Mutation Detected.
Pathology Report — Blasts 2% (normal range).
Cytogenetics Report — Chromosome Analysis shows normal male karyotype.
Flow Cytometry — No minimal residual acute myeloid leukemia identified.
It appears that the transplantation of my brother’s stem cells and the post-transplant Azacitidine chemotherapy have kept my leukemia from relapsing. Relapse is a very common event for the type of leukemia I have. Patients who suffer a relapse usually die very quickly unless they receive a second stem cell transplant.
The other good news is that the GvHD that flared up in the past month is subsiding thanks to the re-introduction of the anti-rejection drug Tacrolimus. My liver enzymes are heading back to the normal range, my itchy rashes have nearly disappeared , and my fingernails seem to be less brittle and are not splitting as often. I continue to have a severe cough likely caused by the stem cells attacking my lungs. I also still have dry eyes , blurry vision, short-term memory problems, and severe dry mouth. All of these symptoms may be from the GvHD or they may be caused by the medications. Only time will tell.
I am in my nadir from the latest round of chemotherapy so I have to avoid being in crowded places. That means I will not be able to attend the Christmas/Holiday parties a number of my friends in the legal community throw every year. In the meantime, I am doing my best to eat healthy meals and to walk three to four miles per day to keep up my strength. I am also working at regaining some of the thirty-two pounds I lost in the past 9 months. Mary Pat is back to painting which has been one of my goals for some time. Everything is looking uncharacteristically rosy for the close of 2016 which will go down in our household as the worst year ever!
I am so thrilled with this wonderful news! I’m going to text Robert right away to let him know!
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😂😂😂😂😂 Thank you Lord!! Yipee!! If I could jump up and down for you I would….we can all celebrate the holidays with emoji’s…not as fun..but safer!!Lol!! Big Hugs as always to you and Mary Pat! 😀😀😀🙏🙏🙏🙏👼👼👼👼👊👊👊👊🎅🎄🎁🎆🎅🎄🎁🎆🎅🎄🎁🎆
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Wonderful news, full of hope for the future. Been reading some of your posts, now that the clouds sits on top of our household… have so much to learn. Be well 🙂
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Thanks for your inspirational posts. You and my wife are experiencing many of the same fears and hopes. The year 2016 has been awful for us but we are hoping 2017 will be much better. I hope the same holds true for you and Joe.
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Thank you very much! 🙂
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Storms give way to sunshine! For a morbid jaunt through history, here is a list of a few other gems of years that were especially awful… if you take the poll at the bottom, it looks like 2016 literally tied with the catastrophe of 72,000 BC, now THAT’s bad! http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2016/07/is_2016_the_worst_year_in_history.html
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Great news Mr. LaGarde!!! Hang in there!!
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I am a friend of Mark and Denise’s and I so enjoy reading your posts and am so happy for you that all the news is good! Celebrating for you and your family for this good news. I’ve been down a cancer road and this stuff is hard – putting life on hold and being patient during treatment and recovery is difficult and take the special kind of strength that you both seem to have. Great that you are exercising – it’s a sanity saver! Here’s to hoping for a better year in 2017 and the start down the road back.
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Thanks Donna. I too hope that 2017 will be a great year for all of us.
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Richard, I know you’ve been through hell, but you are looking great. Prayers for continued healing, a Merry Christmas, and a much better 2017. Hugs and best wishes.
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Thanks Price and Vicki. Merry Christmas to you both. I hope to see you both in 2017.
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