Unwelclome Visitor - part 2

Dr. Smith told me about a shot, Nulasta, which would keep my
white counts normal for 4 weeks. I received the first Nulasta
shot in Central Florida, and for the first time I thought, maybe
the chemotherapy won't kill me now. I was overjoyed.

Later on that month Dr. Smith ordered a PET scan and it
highlighted new tumors in my lungs. He had to bring out
the big guns now. He put me in the hospital once again
on a Friday afternoon, intending to get a double port
implanted. Here I don't want to get hung up on the comedy
of errors. Just know that every time a port is replaced
the patient must be put to sleep for the surgery.

I had 3 double ports, which leaked, imbedded in my
body and finally one port on either side of my upper
chest. We had to wait Saturday and Sunday because
the surgeons did not work on Saturday, and finally
about Tuesday I finally had two single IV ports which
worked properly.

Then I had extensive chemotherap every day for 4 days.
After many days of chemo and the introduction of
Ritalin, Dr. Smith ordered another scan. I don't remember
whether it was cat or Pet, but the test showed no change
in the tumors. My doctor said if what we did at the
hospital had no effect on my tumors, then I was up a
creek without a paddle.

In the meantime he called in two specialists,
one for bacterial diseases and one for transplants.
I went home and on the internet we found that the
Lymphoma-Leukemia transplant center in Durham,
North Carolina might be a better place for a transplant.

Of course, there was no guarantee the treatment would
affect my disease, but my family wanted me to try.
So my husband, Dan, and I made that long trek to
Duke. I did not want a transplant surgeon who did
a few transplants a year; I wanted doctors who did
thousands of transplants a year.

I made this trip because my family wanted me to. At
that time I was just too young to give up. I had too
many unborn grandchildren to love. I would fight with
all the power I could muster.

By now it was spring 2002. It seemed as if I had lived
years in those months. Many days in the hospital; many
days; many days just existing at home. I don't think I
fixed many meals in that time and did none of the house
work. When I was able to be up, I would sit in my chair
work puzzle books. It was difficult to read books at that
time. I would begin them but I finished very few.

Without the support of a loving husband , family and
friends, I could never have survived the ordeal. I had
friends who would come by weekly and take me out.
My niece Elizabeth came a week and took care of me.
The day after she left, I was admitted to the hospital
with a staff based pneumonia.

I'm trying to shorten this and not go into too much detail.
The second time I went to Duke they took 27 different
vials of blood for various tests. Then they sent me home
with a list of tests they wanted done before I came back up
for the stem cell transplant. Dr. Smith's office arranged
the tests.

When the results came back, I was in the hospital again, and
he came in with the results. "I'm so sorry! I put you through
much pain and suffering and I didn't have to. The biopsy
of the tumors showed no cancer. You have something called
sarcoidosis!"

Let me digress and talk about that week. It was May and
Mother's Day. My daughter came in and told me she had
bought a little dog for herself (and Sam). Later on that day
Jeanine, my son's girlfriend called me and told me about the
ring and the proposal. I told her that she had not had a chance
because I prayed her up. I had , too. I had prayed daily for
the past two years that God would send him a good person
who truly loved him for a wife. I don't think she knew
just how to take that, but she finally realized it was a
meant as a compliment. Now I have 2 year old Chelsea to
love. She is a wonderful gift!

They say good things happen in threes and the third
bit of news was that my daughter Vicki and Don,
her husband, were going to adopt a little girl. That
little girl, Marla, is now five and a half.

I began taking Rituxin treatments. It is a biotherapy
which attacks only cancer cells. It took about two
years for it eradicate all the cancer cells in my body,
after 4 1/2 years I was cancer free. I have been that
way now for 3 1/2 years.

Now I finally get to the real purpose of the story.
During the first 4 1/2 years I had prayers from
churches and individuals all over this country.
Prayer does work! Sometimes it takes a while.
I have been so blessed. There is asmall
Baptist church in Meridian, Mississippi, where
every Wednesday night at prayer meeting they
would pray and send me notes written by every
person there. Those were so appreciated.

A Methodist church in Meridian, Ms and one
in Cleburne, Texas, also sent messages to
me and prayed for me weekly for those 4+
years. There were many others, most of whom
would send messages. I felt so blessed that
so many would take the time to pray for me.

I could bore my readers with many more
lists than they would enjoy reading. My
own special prayer group in my own church
was faithful to pray for me all those months..

I thank God for every day and count it as a
blessing. I thought the telling of my story
might benefit someone out there.