Transplant Day # 14

Hello everyone,
The pictures below were from day 9 and 10 when dad was still feeling pretty good. No, it was not my dads actual birthday. When a transplant patient finished their chemo and has their stem cell infusion, the nurses call it their new birthday! Technically they are completely wiped out and made new! (What a parallel to what God does in us!!)

If you read my last post, I told you all that the doctors were preparing us for a tougher week. That was an understatement. When I saw him yesterday, he was very weak and nauseous. Last night things went haywire and his heart rate went very high. Hes having rapid heart beat, and so he was put a heart monitor and was given an oxygen mask. He is at his worst point with his white blood count at zero a fever of 102. The doctors assume it will be about 2 or 3 more days like this and have asked that he has no visitors for the next few days.

Our hearts are heavy and we are a bit overwhelmed. We need your prayers!

  

Transplant Day #8

Hello everyone!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful day! We are finished with week one! Dad did great this first week, he's even been exercising more then when he was at home! He walked over one mile ever day ( 27 laps up and down the units hallway is a mile and he walks 30!). Yesterday was an exciting day as dad finished his last chemo ever!! Some might say its ambitious to say "ever" but I am so secure in knowing that God has healed him! Yesterdays chemo was real intense; it was only 45 min long and he had to be eating ice the whole time to protect his mouth. And Dad was so happy to have Omar Giritli come visit and spend some time with him! Since Thursday night dad started feeling crappy and its slowing progressing. The doctors have warned us that week #2 is supposed to be a nasty one, so please be praying for this week in particular, for lots of physical and emotional strength! Today is the actual "Transplant." The nurses have been going through a process all day of slowly unfreezing his stem cells and then administering them through a transfusion. So happy to say that we are slowly but surely on our way to recover! God is so good and he has held our hands through out this entire process! LOTS OF PRAYERS!!

 
 

Bone Marro Transplant Day 4

Hey Everyone!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Fathers Day, we sure did! Well all except for the Heat loosing!
We are now on day four and dad has been doing great. We have three days left of chemo and then on to our rough yet exciting recovery!! My dad is a man that never quits! He is the strongest man i know! As you can see in one of the pictures below, he has even set up his office in his room! lol Dad has been doing all his exercises with out a problem, and is ready to kick some butt!! Because this is going to be a long process I will be updating the blog every few days instead of daily. Feel free to send my dad some love directly to his cell! =)
I have always been a believer in praying specifically. So I ask that you all please be praying that this Chemo destroys every single cancerous cell in my dads body, while protecting the rest of his body. Pray for guidance for all of the doctors and nurses working with my dad. pray for healing. pray for physical and emotional strength. And pray that my dad can be a light in that hospital and to others going through a hard time! =)
God Bless!!

 

 

 

Dad started his bone marrow transplant

Hello everyone!
     I want to thank everyone for there continuous payers and love towards my dad and our family. Its been a while since my last post because they've had dad waiting to build up his strength and then waiting for bed availability at the transplant unit. We finally received word that there was a bed open earlier this week and dad went in this morning to begin his bone marrow transplant. The entire process will take 3-4 weeks. The first 7 days dad will be receiving intense doses of chemo, and is expected to feel a bit tyred. Then on day 8 dad will receive his stem cell infusion (Friday June 21). This process should take a few hours. The infusion marks the beginning of week #2 which is where they  expect the side effects of the chemo to kick in and dad feel his worst.This is the time we are asking most prayer for. Dad will then be on to recovery and hopefully start to feel better throughout week #3. This Chemo they will be giving my dad is extremely strong and will be on a mission to destroy, the doctors are setting him up with lots of pre meds to protects his organs and all the important stuff. They even have him doing breathing exercises daily to protect his lungs. For any visitors, they even have a washing station before you come in.
     Many Christians use the term "born again" to describe the spiritual process that takes place when we come to know God. God cleanses us of all the bad and makes us a new and pure creation. This is a perfect way to describe what God is doing for my dad physically through this bone marrow transplant. All of the bad will be wiped out of his body and he will be like a new creation, physically "born again"!
    Although we know dad is in remisson and the storm will soon be over, we are about to embark on the darkest part of this storm. Please be in prayer for my dads physical and mental strength! God Bless!
    

PRAISE GOD!!

Hello everyone!
   Yesterday was my dad's PET scan, this is a scan that can check the whole body for cancer and determines whether or not the treatment is working. Today mom and dad went in for the results and where informed that the scans are looking awesome!! they even declared dad to be in REMISSION again! All that is left is the transfusion to make sure this does not come back again, in other words its like our insurance.  We are so overwhelmed with Joy! God is so good! While there, they checked his blood work and saw a lot wrong, nothing severe but he is extremely weak and fatigue. Because of this they are giving him a blood transfusion today and another tomorrow, and they are postponing the Bone Marrow Transplant until he is stronger again. The toughest part (physically) is yet to come, but God has just given us a glimpse of the beautiful rainbow that is waiting for us at the end of this storm! God Bless you all and thank you for all your prayers! Keep them coming!!!!

Chemo #4

Hello everyone!!
I'm sorry for the delay! Apparently when you think life is at its craziest, things can continue to get crazier! Lets update a little. Last week when dad went in for his Stem cell collection, things took a little longer than expected. Instead of one collection, Dad had to do three eight hour collections (one a day). This pretty much drained him out! This past Tuesday Dad went in for his additional Chemo #4, which has gone pretty smooth despite his weakness from the transfusions. The doctors where able to give him some medications to pump him up and even ended up getting shushed by the nurses for being too loud during last nights Heat game! lol Lets just say that by the end of the game he was pumping up all the nurses in the hall way! Dad will be coming home tomorrow night, recover for a week, and then another PET scan on May 29 to see if hes responding to all these treatments. Once that's done he will be going in for the Bone Marrow transplant.

Prayer Request:

• May 29! PET Scan! That God would show us His healing power!
• for my dad's body! That God would protect my dads body while allowing the chemo to destroy the cancer.
• Our hearts! Pray that God would bring us a Peace that transcends all understanding! Pray that in the midst of all the stress God would hold us together.
• Abuela: my grandmother is always such a great help when we need a little extra. Last week she broke her foot and cant drive for 4-6 weeks which has left us with her daily routine of picking up our cousins. Pray for her speedy recover and all the craziness! lol

Dads Stem cell collection: This bag is going to save his life!

 

Dads in for his transfusion!

Hello Everyone!
     As stated in previous posts, May 6th (yesterday), was my dads first check up to see if his body was ready for the transfusion. He has been injecting himself daily with a medication that would create more white blood cells. Once the doctors saw he had a sufficient amount it would be time for his transfusion and the stem cells will be frozen until its time for the bone marrow transplant. At first the doctors assumed it would take a few days, but sure enough he was ready during this mornings check up! His body has been responding very well to this process. Today's process will take from 6 to 8 hours and if they don't retrieve enough stem cells they'll go for a second round tomorrow. Once this process is complete, dad will be going in for his fourth (extra) chemo  next week for four days, then have a week or two off, and then in for the Bone Marrow transplant.
     Thank you all for your continuous prayers, keep them coming!!! God has been so faithful through out this entire process and I am certain your prayers have played a huge role in that. We also ask that every please please please be cautious of my dads health. I know you all want to just love on him when you see him, and that is so beautiful, but the chemo makes him very susceptible to germs bacteria and viruses that may or may not be showing on you. So lots of fist pumps and blowing kisses! =)
Please be in prayer for all that is to come and the rigorous physical side effect that will come with the process. Above all please be praying for our hearts, this has been a long an exhausting process and there is more to come. please pray that God would bring us patience and peace!

Blessing of the week: Joey graduated college!!