DAILY NANCY UPDATE #102

Greetings. 

This is the one hundred and second in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture and follow the prompts!

FRIDAY NIGHT - BREAKING NEWS

Crazy day. 

Nancy woke up very alert. Then, after a morning visit from her doctor, she had another round of physical therapy. They sat her up again, she kept her own balance, kicked her feet a little on request, and spoke a bit, as well. 

Next, she was paid a visit by a speech pathologist, who performed a "swallowing consult" to determine whether Nancy was able to safely swallow any food or drink (something she was still unable to do as of just yesterday). And after several spoonfuls of water and applesauce-- the answer was an enthusiastic YES.

Once all that activity ended, she was tired and sporting a mild headache, so we let her rest...

Until Dr. Forman showed up again, with a lumbar puncture kit in hand. That's right. The poor girl was subjected to yet another spinal tap (I think we're up to 11 or 12 now since this whole odyssey began). But it was very necessary, to see if her cerebral-spinal fluid is as clean and free of the HHV6 virus as her blood currently is, after ten days on a powerful anti-viral drug.

And for the first time, I wasn't allowed in the room. I tried-- but without her brain fully online at this point, the doctor suspected Nancy might get agitated and need to be restrained by the nurses-- neither of which he wanted me to be subjected to. So I stepped out of her room. But I might as well have stayed in it.

Because the Sunshiny Superwarrior Goddess basically let him have it. 

I could literally hear her yelling at him through the glass. And let's just say she made it clear she wasn't pleased. But a few minutes later, it was finally over. He got what he needed and she got to lay back and give him seriously dirty looks. Which is actually kinda funny, if you knew what a genuinely nice guy he is. But she wasn't having any of it.

I quickly came back into the room, grabbing Nancy's hand. And after the doctor and nurses exited, I told her I was sorry she had to go through that again. Then I told her how strong and brave she was. And still is. And the whole thing started to make me incredibly emotional...

And that's when Nancy Neufeld Callaway, the woman who had just endured a lumbar puncture (not to mention the last seven months of hell), sweetly looked up at me and said...

"Don't cry... I'm gonna be okay..."

Which of course, really made me lose it. After all she's been through, she's trying to make me feel better? 

She's quite honestly, the most powerfully loving person I've ever known.

And right now, as of this writing-- she's being moved out of the ICU and back upstairs to the Hematology ward. Forman believes strongly the transplant nurses have plenty of experience with the virally induced issues she's slowly but surely recovering from. What's more, he also thinks that getting her out of the cold environment of Intensive Care and returning her to a warmly decorated room with twinkling lights, prayer flags, and the dozens of cards and trinkets we've collected from all of you will only help with the reorientation rehab she needs now. 

So please take note of the new room number in her address below, if you'd like to drop her a line. And thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your incredible support over these past 11 extremely difficult days.

WE LOVE NANCY, and... 

ALL IS WELL!

If you'd like to send Nancy a little love (please no flowers, balloons, or food), you can reach her for the next few weeks at:

Nancy Neufeld Callaway

City of Hope Hospital

1500 E. Duarte Rd.

Helford Bldg. Rm. 6127

Duarte, CA 91010

Meal Train For The Callaways

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #101

Greetings. 

This is the one hundred and first in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture and follow the prompts!

THURSDAY NIGHT - BREAKING NEWS

Well, today started slow-- but ended with a huge finish.

Because Nancy had received Ativan the night before to help her sleep-- she began the day feeling very sluggish. And to be honest, I felt a little like we had just gone two steps forward and three steps back. She wasn't very responsive through midday, and seemed like she just wanted to sleep.

She also had multiple visits-- not only from her doctor, but also an occupational therapist, a swallowing expert, her neurologist, and three of our friends-- Ceci, Jay, and Kathleen.

But then this afternoon-- Nancy had two more visitors-- her new physical therapists, Joyce and Jose.

And guess what they got her to do for the first time in 10 days?

That's right... 

SHE SAT UP!

But that's not all. She also managed to keep her own balance.

And you wanna know the best part?

THE SUNSHINY SUPERWARRIOR GODDESS BEGAN TO SPEAK!

I smiled at her and said: "Look at you! You're sitting up!"

And she happily responded: "Apparently!"

Then she spotted Jay in the corner, and immediately arched a brow: "Jay?! What are you doing here?"

And a bit later, when the nurse asked her name-- our amazing girl looked at her incredulously and said: "Nancy!"

Honestly, I can't tell you how great it was to see and hear such an amazing sight-- especially after I had foolishly begun to let my own frustration and doubt darken the day. 

I am so inspired by-- and proud of-- her truly unstoppable strength.

WE LOVE NANCY, and... 

ALL IS WELL!

If you'd like to send Nancy a little love (please no flowers, balloons, or food), you can reach her for the next few weeks at:

Nancy Neufeld Callaway

City of Hope Hospital

1500 E. Duarte Rd.

Helford Bldg. Rm. 3215 East

Duarte, CA 91010

Meal Train For The Callaways

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #100

Greetings. 

This is the one hundredth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture and follow the prompts!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT - BREAKING NEWS

Today brought us a couple more pieces of good news. First, Dr. Forman came to visit Nancy and was encouraged by her more alert state. She wasn't able to talk to him directly (although she's able to speak normally when she's irritated by something a nurse is doing-- or on occasion, when she tells me she loves me), but her growing abilities to sit upright, move her arms and legs, and respond to questions with appropriate "uh-huh/huh-uh" answers and facial expressions left him completely confident she's still on the mend.

He was also excited to share the news that according to Nancy's latest lab cultures-- there is no visible HHV6 virus in her blood. Of course, that doesn't mean it isn't still in her spine and/or affecting her brain-- but she's still being treated with a powerful antiviral for another week to hopefully destroy the virus altogether. 

What's more, Dr. Forman ordered a rigorous course of physical and occupational therapy treatments to begin tomorrow. So the Sunshiny Superwarrior Goddess has got a challenging Thursday ahead of her. But it's all in the name of making sure her body regains its strength after eight days in bed with no food beyond IV nutrition, so when her brain is fully back online-- we can finally get our girl home.

In other words, she's not out of the woods yet-- but we have a compass and a map and we're headed in the right direction. 

So on this, the one hundredth blogpost-- I need to thank everyone in Nancy's sacred inner circle for all your help during this particularly challenging setback. And heartfelt gratitude as well to all our friends and family, near and far, for your continuing kind thoughts, good vibes, and heartfelt prayers for fully restored health after her viral seizure and complete remission from leukemia.

WE LOVE NANCY, and... 

ALL IS WELL!

If you'd like to send Nancy a little love (please no flowers, balloons, or food), you can reach her for the next few weeks at:

Nancy Neufeld Callaway

City of Hope Hospital

1500 E. Duarte Rd.

Helford Bldg. Rm. 3215 East

Duarte, CA 91010

Meal Train For The Callaways

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #99

Greetings. 

This is the ninety-ninth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture and follow the prompts!

TUESDAY EVENING - BREAKING NEWS

Almost as soon as I arrived at City of Hope-- very early on the morning of July 4th-- I was greeted by a very alert Nancy. Her eyes were wide open as the nurses repositioned her bed-weakened body and she smiled as I walked into her room. "I love you," I said. And without hesitation, she clearly replied, "I love you, too."

So that pretty much made me immediately forget all about the party we usually throw every year.

But the truth is, the Sunshiny Superwarrior Goddess kinda wound up having her own party as the day unfolded. I taped an American flag onto her IV stand and played a few patriotic tunes on the laptop. I also may or may not have gone for the cheap, easy laugh of periodically wearing a big, red clown nose. 

Our sweet friends John, Dave, and Kathleen also showed up at various times and took turns trying to make her feel better with foot rubs and jokes. And her dear old Dad even showed up to tickle her nose in an attempt to keep her awake (which we're trying to do as much as possible during the day so she can keep her body on the right circadian clock).

She basically drifted in and out of various layers of consciousness (which is still to be expected as she doggedly continues fighting off the virus which gave her seizures in the first place).

But just before our beloved Shirley arrived to take the night shift-- Nancy looked at me and let me have it one more time.

"I love you."

We still have some ground to cover. She won't be leaving the ICU until the virus is gone and she can fully re-engage on all mental fronts. Then there will be some inevitably necessary physical therapy to help her get back on her feet.

But for now... all things considered... this Fourth of July wasn't half bad at all.

WE LOVE NANCY, and... 

ALL IS WELL!

If you'd like to send Nancy a little love (please no flowers, balloons, or food), you can reach her for the next few weeks at:

Nancy Neufeld Callaway

City of Hope Hospital

1500 E. Duarte Rd.

Helford Bldg. Rm. 3215 East

Duarte, CA 91010

Meal Train For The Callaways

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #98

Greetings. 

This is the ninety-eighth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture and follow the prompts!

MONDAY AFTERNOON - BREAKING NEWS

After triumphantly watching Nancy finally open her eyes yesterday and hearing her gorgeously grunted responses to my questions, I drove to City of Hope this morning with one major goal:

Today I want Nancy to talk to me.

Naturally, after expressing this goal to her physician upon my arrival, he was quick (and probably right) to suggest I should probably try to keep my own ambitions in check and let Nancy's beautiful brain drive the process of her own recovery.

Then a few minutes after he left... the nurses came in to reposition her body in the bed. Unimaginably sore at this point (it hurts me to see someone as active as she is stuck on her back for a week), she moaned and groaned, making her displeasure clear.

So when she suddenly rolled over with a frown to look right at me-- I had to ask:

"How're you feeling?"

And without hesitation, she snapped right back:

"Crappy."💩

Which appropriately rhymes with HAPPY. 

That's right. I'm elated to inform you that the Sunshiny Superwarrior Goddess is once again finding her words. She's still got a long way to go. But a lot of folks prayers have been answered. And my ambitious goal for the day has been met. 

Meanwhile, she had to suffer through another EEG, swallowing some oral anti-rejection meds, and fight a virus related headache (without painkillers, because we don't want to adversely impact her brain's effort to come back online).

But I'm extremely thankful. And tomorrow, I'm hoping she'll tap-dance.

WE LOVE NANCY, and... 

ALL IS WELL!

If you'd like to send Nancy a little love (please no flowers, balloons, or food), you can reach her for the next few weeks at:

Nancy Neufeld Callaway

City of Hope Hospital

1500 E. Duarte Rd.

Helford Bldg. Rm. 3215 East

Duarte, CA 91010

Meal Train For The Callaways

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #97

Greetings. 

This is the ninety-seventh in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture and follow the prompts!

SUNDAY NIGHT - BREAKING NEWS

Prayers are being heard.

Today Nancy opened her eyes and looked right at me. I told her she was pretty. And she smiled.

As the day unfolded, she drifted in and out of sleep-- opening her eyes, clearly connecting with us visually, then closing them. She was also occasionally able to answer questions with an "mm-hmm" (yes) or an "mmm" (no). Her hands and arms are much more active, reaching above her head, touching her own face, etc. And each time we applied lip balm to her lips, she would rub her lips together, as if she'd just put on lipstick.

These may seem like small tasks-- but they're huge victories after everything she's been through-- and her neurologist was very pleased. I'm telling you, I've honestly never witnessed such strength in my life-- and her sweet friend Rikki was there all day to witness it, too. She can vouch.

Our new goal tomorrow is to get her to keep her eyes open longer. And maybe even give us a few words.

A little more progress every day. That's all we need to keep her on the path to full consciousness-- so we can get her up on her feet and back on the road to complete remission. 

(Meanwhile, just so you know-- all her cell count / immune system numbers are amazing).

Bottom line: If you're reading this and you've taken even a moment out of your holiday weekend to say a prayer, think a good thought, or send a healing vibe-- please feel the depth of my family's gratitude.

And if it's not too much to ask... please don't stop.

WE LOVE NANCY, and... 

ALL IS WELL!

If you'd like to send Nancy a little love (please no flowers, balloons, or food), you can reach her for the next few weeks at:

Nancy Neufeld Callaway

City of Hope Hospital

1500 E. Duarte Rd.

Helford Bldg. Rm. 3215 East

Duarte, CA 91010

Meal Train For The Callaways

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #96

Greetings. 

This is the ninety-sixth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture and follow the prompts!

SATURDAY MORNING - BREAKING NEWS

NEW AMAZING DEVELOPMENTS!

This morning when the nurses added an IV medication to her hand, she said "Oww!" Then when they turned her over for a skin check-- she actually said "Oh, God..." First words she's said since Monday! She also just started responding to me with soft "mm-hmms" when I ask her questions like "are you okay?" And she even opened her eyes a couple of times briefly! 

PLEASE KEEP SENDING YOUR GOOD THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS-- I believe they're being heard!!!

THE SUNSHINY SUPERWARRIOR GODDESS IS ON HER WAY BACK!

WE LOVE NANCY, and... 

ALL IS WELL!

If you'd like to send Nancy a little love (please no flowers, balloons, or food), you can reach her for the next few weeks at:

Nancy Neufeld Callaway

City of Hope Hospital

1500 E. Duarte Rd.

Helford Bldg. Rm. 3215 East

Duarte, CA 91010

Meal Train For The Callaways