Chemo - Day 6

OK - Doc said to get rid of the last strands of hair. It will grow in looking better that way. I am officially through with chemo (at least for a while). I am in remission; but with mantle cell, they expect a relapse. The UCLA doctor (Paquette) wants me to come in for a month so he can harvest good bone marrow cells from my blood. Then he would give me a severe dose of chemotherapy and reinsert my own cells to help my body deal with that. It's referred to as autologous bone marrow transfusion and should postpone any future relapse. If my insurance approves, we will give it a go. We are just waiting for a time line on that. Again your prayers are very much appreciated.

Chemo - Day 5

Today was my 5th day of Chemo - everything went smoothly. You may be able to tell that nearly all my hair is gone, but otherwise I feel great. Last Thursday I had a bone marrow biopsy and today Dr. Lindgren had the results. According to the report: "no evidence of of involvement by mantle cell lymphoma." This was indeed good news and we are thrilled. In spite of this, I am scheduled this Friday for a consultation with a UCLA Doctor who specializes in bone marrow transplants. I will be taking all my reports to see if this might be a worthwhile option for me. Please continue to pray - I definitely feel God's hand on this process.

Powers Lake

I just returned from a trip of 3300 miles to ND and back. I was privileged to have grown up in the great little town of Powers Lake - Boy Scouts, band, athletics, great education, and people with a good work ethic and character everyone wants for their neighbors. Homes and cars are left unlocked with no one worried about theft or vandalism. It still feels like the 50s to go back and visit. I greatly enjoyed visiting with over half of my class (1964) and many others.