The View From the Bay

The segment is now online: CLICK HERE.

Tune into ABC channel 7 this Wednesday, April 2, at 3:00 p.m. to see me plug the bone marrow registry! I'll be a guest on "The View From the Bay", a San Francisco Bay Area daily program which features various personal/human interest stories. I'll be on with Yul Kwon, my cousin's best friend, the winner of "Survivor Cook Islands", and a tireless activist who tries to leverage his Survivelebrity to get people, particularly of Asian and mixed descent, on the National Bone Marrow Registry. If you don't live in the Bay Area, you can watch the show at 3:00 Pacific Standard Time HERE; just click on "WATCH LIVE ONLINE".

Upcoming Bone Marrow Drives- Check left column for details

Let me know if you are organizing something or hear of any other efforts!

Thank you to the committee at Fletcher who are organizing the one there and thank you to Judy Murray, Lillian Sing (my Mom and Aunt) and the AADP who organized the ones at the SF Courthouse and Hall of Justice.

Disappointment

Bad news: You're about to hear me sing. Imagine cats in heat, nails on a chalkboard, a screeching baby on a transoceanic flight... you get the idea.

Worse news: My donor fell through.

Video II- "If I Had a Real Good Donor": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYUFB542Iak

Knock on Wood

Thank you for all of your joyful comments. Having a donor, even a mismatched one, is indeed great news. Still, I have to admit I'm personally not celebrating just yet. What if my donor changes her mind? What if something happens to her? What if my next bone marrow biopsy reveals an unexpected twist in this narrative? etc. etc. etc.

So... I knock on wood every time I share the good news.

And, I am now out of the hospital- about six days ahead of schedule. Despite everything they forewarned me about, I tolerated the chemotherapy better than average and so they let me go home early. No major illnesses attacked my paltry immune system; only small infections afflicted my body; only one fever over the course of the induction.

Knock on wood.

At home now at my Mom's apartment, we are hosting many good friends who, thinking I would still be in the hospital, scheduled themselves to come visit this weekend. Of course, I am thrilled to be out of Room F038, but mostly we are just taking it easy anyway- hanging out, unpacking my things from Boston (all the boxes- plus all of the adorable and creative cards from Fletcher folk that Samina brought), and eating home cooking. If all continues to go well (AKA, my counts continue their upward trajectory and no funky fevers or anything) I am on track to begin "conditioning" for the transplant on the 14th.

For now, here's hoping for smooth sailing!
Fingers crossed, salt over the left shoulder, and lots of knock, knock, knocking.

Video Blog 1: Nothing's Perfect

The Dog Days of Chemo

It’s been a week since Erica last blogged and not a whole lot has changed. She still eats, sleeps, and Wii’s in her room here at the Stanford Medical Center. Each new day brings with it a new visitor and a new chemo-induced quirk about her body. As a result of the 5 days of chemo that she received when she first arrived at the hospital, her white blood cell count is very low, meaning that her body’s ability to fight off infection is at its lowest (but this is a good thing, it means the chemo is doing its job). On Sunday she woke up with some pain in her arm and started running a fever. The doctors have been expecting this to happen and are treating everything accordingly.

Yesterday Erica underwent another bone marrow biopsy. This time, the doctors were able to pre-medicate her and make the experience much less painful than the last. She made it through the procedure with her friend Josh stroking her hair, her Mom rubbing her feet, me (Jamie) holding her hand, and 50 grams of fentanyl/ativan making the triple derrick-rigging of her hip bone like a psychedelic night at Studio 54 (Erica’s words).

Right now it is looking like she has at least two more weeks here. The doctors need to monitor her very closely and watch for any sign of infection. She will only be released from the hospital when her doctors feel confident that her counts have risen enough to fight off infection. Best-case scenario is that she will be able to avoid infection over these next couple of weeks, but it will be no surprise to anyone if she does get sick as her ability to ward off bugs is non-existent.

Overall she is still feeling pretty good and enjoys visitors (especially those who bring good, hot home-cooked meals-- look at the crap they feed her!). She is incredibly grateful to everyone for their cards, e-mails, and gifts. Please keep the positive thoughts coming.