Friday, September 11, 2009

Update

Well, some tough decisions had to be made this week by Mom. Wednesday she had an appointment with the stemcell transplant doctors. She had to decide if she was going to do the transplant or continue with the chemo treatments. She has decided to go with the transplant because she had not one but two matches and she knows that God gave her the answer she needed to make. David and Diane are both matches. Which ever one is chosen to be the donor, will spend about a week in the hospital to harvest the stemcells. Mom will be in the hospital in isolation for 30-31 days and will have to be in Houston, no further than 20 minutes away from the hospital for at least two months.

Mom spoke with the preacher from the Franklin Church of Christ about the transplant because he has been through it. He did not sugarcoat the information he gave her. She will have a rough time of it during the days that she is in the hospital. Once released she will have to go to the hospital everyday and after a time it will be every other day. During the 30 days, she will have another round of chemo that will wipe out everything that may be hiding and then she will be given the transplant and they will watch everything from there. If the transplant is a success, it is better than the chemo treatments which are hard on the body. As with every thing there are some risks, one of them being a mortality rate of 20-30 percent and rejection of the stemcells.

So scared does not even begin to describe what I and I think the rest of the family if feeling.
We know that we have to put this in God's hands so we are once again going to rely on our friends for their prayers. Please pray that the transplant is successful, that there are no complications and that when this is all over, Mom will be 100%. Please pray for Dad as this is very hard on him. Please pray for us to be there for what ever Mom and Dad need from us.

I will go ahead and apologize if this is difficult to understand. My mind is still trying to get a grasp on what the next 3-4 months is going to be like. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section and I will try my best to get an answer for you.

Thank you for being around for us.

6 comments:

Mrs. H. said...

Even though it was very hard to read because of the content, you wrote it out very well and your words were very understandable. Nothing I could type write now would be an adequate response, but I do want you, and your family, to know that I read the update and I will be praying you all through this. What a brave, admirable, faithful and precious mother you have. She is so loved. But you already knew that. :-)

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Anonymous said...

Tammy...although my dad did not have the same options as your mother, as far as his cancer was concerned, I vividly remember agonizing over the options that were given to him by his doctor. Thank goodness my wonderful sister was going through the entire process with me. It seems to me that you have a phenomenal support system with your family and friends. Keep them close by your side! I will ask for blessings for you and your family! Nancy

Beth Boone said...

We are praying for your mom and all of you.

b

Amy Martin Lockhart said...

Tammy,
I just wanted you to know that your mom and family will be in my prayers. Keep us updated!

Jennifer said...

Knowing that God gave her the answer to go ahead with the transplant with be the greatest peace...especially during the difficult days ahead. I'm glad she was able to talk with someone who has actually experienced it all...and she can be best prepared. I pray she is also comforted and encouraged knowing many are praying for her!

When will she begin??

Unknown said...

I know this has been a tough decision. John McKemie is a friend of mine who went through this with leukemia and he is cancer free. Sometimes it feels like God puts the decision right in front of us. Barbara and family are in my prayers.