We got the results from Jack's biopsy on Tuesday and...there were no cancer cells! He is officially in remission! This is such GREAT news that we were so happy to hear :)
This means that for the next couple of weeks, we are waiting for two things. 1- Jack to recover from his pneumonia and 2- for his blood counts to begin to come back. If those two things happen, there is a good chance that Jack will be able to come home before his transplant. We still don't know when the transplant will take place, but we are certainly hopeful that he will get to be home for a short time before it.
We will keep you posted!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Golf Tournament
Attention all you PGA hopefuls, recreational golfers, or anyone who likes to follow the beverage cart around the golf course!
Jack’s dad has been hard at work planning a Benefit Golf Tournament for Jack on Sunday, April 15th at 7:00 am, shotgun start at the Superstition Springs Golf Course in Mesa, AZ. The format will be a 4-Person Scramble, and there will also be a silent auction and raffle prizes. You may also purchase mulligans the day of the event.
At this point, we are looking for a couple things: As many participants and sponsors as possible.
As a participant, your $80 entry fee (cash or check) will get you:
> Green/Cart Fees
> GPS Fees
> Range Balls
> Fabulous Lunch in the Club House
If you have a 4-some you would like to enter, please notify Jack’s dad Craig via email at (capochardt@cox.net) and include the names of your team members. He needs to get a final number to Superstition Springs ASAP, so the deadline for signing up is April 2, 2012.
If you are willing to be a sponsor or provide items for prizes or silent auction items, please notify Craig of that as well.
Thank you all for your continued support!
Jack’s dad has been hard at work planning a Benefit Golf Tournament for Jack on Sunday, April 15th at 7:00 am, shotgun start at the Superstition Springs Golf Course in Mesa, AZ. The format will be a 4-Person Scramble, and there will also be a silent auction and raffle prizes. You may also purchase mulligans the day of the event.
At this point, we are looking for a couple things: As many participants and sponsors as possible.
As a participant, your $80 entry fee (cash or check) will get you:
> Green/Cart Fees
> GPS Fees
> Range Balls
> Fabulous Lunch in the Club House
If you have a 4-some you would like to enter, please notify Jack’s dad Craig via email at (capochardt@cox.net) and include the names of your team members. He needs to get a final number to Superstition Springs ASAP, so the deadline for signing up is April 2, 2012.
If you are willing to be a sponsor or provide items for prizes or silent auction items, please notify Craig of that as well.
Thank you all for your continued support!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
What's Happening...
Time for an update!
Last Saturday, Jack spiked a fever and since then has been battling pneumonia, strep throat, fevers and aches and pains. He has had multiple tests done including X-rays, CT scans, blood work and a bronchoscopy where the doctors inserted a tube into his lungs to get a sample of the liquid in there. They are going to split the sample into several different petri dishes, each with a different type of antibiotic, and see which antibiotic treats the infection the fastest.
Because Jack's white blood cell counts are so low, it will take him more time to get rid of this infection than normal, but he has been making steady progress each day, so that is a good sign. He is happy to be feeling better and glad that he can get up and move around again. He has started watching March Madness and gotten a new laptop from work so he can get much more accomplished. The pain medicine that he is on has been causing some hallucinations and strange dreams, so he has been able to keep us all laughing this week :)
Yesterday marked his one month anniversary of being at the Mayo Clinic. How long his stay will be depends largely on the bone marrow test results from the biopsy he will have on Tuesday. If all goes well there, we will need to see how his blood counts progress over the next couple of weeks. We will keep the news coming as we get it!
Last Saturday, Jack spiked a fever and since then has been battling pneumonia, strep throat, fevers and aches and pains. He has had multiple tests done including X-rays, CT scans, blood work and a bronchoscopy where the doctors inserted a tube into his lungs to get a sample of the liquid in there. They are going to split the sample into several different petri dishes, each with a different type of antibiotic, and see which antibiotic treats the infection the fastest.
 |
| Jack's Wall of Love |
Yesterday marked his one month anniversary of being at the Mayo Clinic. How long his stay will be depends largely on the bone marrow test results from the biopsy he will have on Tuesday. If all goes well there, we will need to see how his blood counts progress over the next couple of weeks. We will keep the news coming as we get it!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
This week...
Hi everyone! I wanted to give you an update- Jack has developed pneumonia and strep, so we ask that no one come to see him this week. He's been having a rough couple of days, and the doctors have ordered lots of tests to make sure he gets the perfect treatment. We will keep the updates coming as he progresses. Thank you!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Too Much Awesome
He finished his second round of chemo yesterday, and while that went well, he has now developed an infection. He is experiencing a high fever, body aches, nausea and exhaustion. The doctors and nurses are keeping a close eye on him, but say that this is pretty standard for chemotherapy patients since their white blood cell counts are so low. Hopefully his antibiotics kick in soon and he will be up and about again! This round of chemo should be the last one for a few weeks. We will know more once we get results from his next bone marrow biopsy on the 20th. 
We heard more good news about the stem cell transplant! 5 of the 6 people that were contacted as potential matches for Jack have either already gone in for additional testing or have appointments this week. Normally this step takes several weeks, so we were excited to learn this information! We will keep you updated as we hear more about that.For those of you who don't know, Jack and I closed on our new home the day before his diagnosis. Thanks to lots of help from family and friends, we are almost all moved in and Jack didn't have to lift a finger (well, except to sign the mortgage paperwork!) It will be a nice treat for him to come home to a brand new house that is painted, unpacked and ready to go! Thank you!
This next week should be pretty uneventful. He will be resting and recovering from chemo, and awaiting his next biopsy. Although today has been his toughest yet, he is still cracking jokes and doing what he needs to do to stay healthy. His wall of love is growing thanks to all of your cards, letters, balloons and love. The support we all feel in this room and in our lives is truly amazing. Thank you all- we appreciate you!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Round 2
Jack's second bone marrow results came back, and there were still some cancer cells in his bone marrow. The doctors have decided to do an additional round of chemo, this time only lasting five days for four hours each day. He will be getting a couple of new types of chemotherapy and will have another bone marrow biopsy in two weeks to determine how many cancer cells are left after the second round of chemo.
Jack also started to lose his hair, so he decided to shave his head. I'll upload pictures on the next blog post, but for now you'll have to take my word that he looks handsome as ever! One of his nurses even asked if he always wears his hair that short because it looks so good on him.
We heard some good news on the stem cell transplant front. The hospital's transplant coordinator searched through the national donor registry and her search returned a page and a half of potential matches for Jack. She picked the top six, and each of those six have a 99% chance of being a 10 out of 10 match. They're all in their 20's too so they've only been on the registry for a short period of time (you must be 18 to register at bethematch.org). This means they probably haven't had time to move or have any life events occur that would cause them to be unable/unwilling to donate. We were extremely excited to hear this news! We still plan to host a bone marrow/stem cell donor registration drive in AZ though.
We will keep you updated as we learn more. Thanks again for all the warm wishes and words of encouragement!
Jack also started to lose his hair, so he decided to shave his head. I'll upload pictures on the next blog post, but for now you'll have to take my word that he looks handsome as ever! One of his nurses even asked if he always wears his hair that short because it looks so good on him.
We heard some good news on the stem cell transplant front. The hospital's transplant coordinator searched through the national donor registry and her search returned a page and a half of potential matches for Jack. She picked the top six, and each of those six have a 99% chance of being a 10 out of 10 match. They're all in their 20's too so they've only been on the registry for a short period of time (you must be 18 to register at bethematch.org). This means they probably haven't had time to move or have any life events occur that would cause them to be unable/unwilling to donate. We were extremely excited to hear this news! We still plan to host a bone marrow/stem cell donor registration drive in AZ though.
We will keep you updated as we learn more. Thanks again for all the warm wishes and words of encouragement!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
What's Next...
It's been a few days and we have learned some new info about Jack's treatment, so we thought it was time for a blog update!
Dr. Sproat met with us this week with the rest of the results from Jack's first bone marrow biopsy. She informed us that because of the genetic code that was uncovered, Jack will need to have a stem cell transplant to give him the best chance at curing his leukemia. The doctors knew this may be a possibility back when he was first diagnosed, so they had his sister Traci tested to see if she is a match. Her test results have come back and she is not a match. However, with Jack's heritage, the doctors are not concerned with finding a match for him on the national donor registry.
The time line for Jack's treatment is up in the air as we are waiting to find a stem cell match. What we do know is that until the transplant, he will need to continue chemo periodically to keep his stem cells dormant. We also know that Jack needs to be in remission before the transplant, and he had a bone marrow biopsy on Friday to determine whether he is or not. We should get those results early next week.
Many people have been asking what they can do to help, if they can be tested to see if they are a match, etc. Dr. Sproat advised us of a couple of things that people can do.
1- Donate blood (there is a national shortage). Jack has received about 10 bags of blood and 12 bags of platelets since this process began, and will likely need many more bags throughout the course of his treatment.
2- If you are comfortable with it, register to donate bone marrow and stem cells at bethematch.org. From that site you can order a kit that includes everything you need to complete initial testing where you will swab the inside of your cheek. That is all it takes to be added to the registry, but if you could be a potential match for someone, you will be contacted for further testing through your blood.
We know that both of these options may not directly affect Jack's treatment, but could mean the difference for someone in a similar situation. A few of our friends in AZ are in the process of organizing a bone marrow/stem cell registration drive. More details on that to follow!
In the meantime, Jack's outlook is the same. He is still staying active, keeping up with work, and hosting golf tournaments in his room. He really appreciates all of the cards, letters, snacks, books, support and love he is getting from all of you! Thank you!
Dr. Sproat met with us this week with the rest of the results from Jack's first bone marrow biopsy. She informed us that because of the genetic code that was uncovered, Jack will need to have a stem cell transplant to give him the best chance at curing his leukemia. The doctors knew this may be a possibility back when he was first diagnosed, so they had his sister Traci tested to see if she is a match. Her test results have come back and she is not a match. However, with Jack's heritage, the doctors are not concerned with finding a match for him on the national donor registry.
The time line for Jack's treatment is up in the air as we are waiting to find a stem cell match. What we do know is that until the transplant, he will need to continue chemo periodically to keep his stem cells dormant. We also know that Jack needs to be in remission before the transplant, and he had a bone marrow biopsy on Friday to determine whether he is or not. We should get those results early next week.
Many people have been asking what they can do to help, if they can be tested to see if they are a match, etc. Dr. Sproat advised us of a couple of things that people can do.
1- Donate blood (there is a national shortage). Jack has received about 10 bags of blood and 12 bags of platelets since this process began, and will likely need many more bags throughout the course of his treatment.
2- If you are comfortable with it, register to donate bone marrow and stem cells at bethematch.org. From that site you can order a kit that includes everything you need to complete initial testing where you will swab the inside of your cheek. That is all it takes to be added to the registry, but if you could be a potential match for someone, you will be contacted for further testing through your blood.
We know that both of these options may not directly affect Jack's treatment, but could mean the difference for someone in a similar situation. A few of our friends in AZ are in the process of organizing a bone marrow/stem cell registration drive. More details on that to follow!
In the meantime, Jack's outlook is the same. He is still staying active, keeping up with work, and hosting golf tournaments in his room. He really appreciates all of the cards, letters, snacks, books, support and love he is getting from all of you! Thank you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)