DAILY NANCY UPDATE #122

Greetings. 

This is the one hundred and twenty-second in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I have posted-- now celebrating the fact that even though her post bone marrow transplant and brain seizure recovery continues... the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in 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, click SUBMIT, and follow the prompts!

THURSDAY REPORT

Yes, I know these blogposts have become less and less frequent. 

But in this particular case, no news is good news.

It's been 86 days since Nancy's bone marrow transplant and 66 days since the unexpected brain seizure she suffered as a major complication during her recovery.

Today, the Sunshiny Superwarrior Goddess took her twice weekly visit back to City of Hope for outpatient blood testing and a consultation with Dr. Forman. And here's the headlines:

1. Her third BCR-ABL blood test has once again revealed no traces of leukemia in her body.

2. And because the rest of her numbers are strong and her immune system seems to be rebuilding itself quite nicely... Dr. Forman has decided to reduce her outpatient clinic visits to only one a week. What's more, he doesn't want to see us again at all until September 11th-- at which point, she'll be only two days away from the 100 day post transplant mark.

3. Finally, since the latest results from last Monday's EEG brain scan show no signs of continuing mini-seizures and significant healing since the viral encephalitis and grand mal seizure she suffered in June... he is removing one more of the three anti-seizure meds she's been on. That means she's now only taking one-- which should also be dropped very soon.

When Nancy returns to COH on the 11th, she'll be undergoing some comprehensive cognitive testing so we can hopefully get a little more insight into her short term memory loss and intermittent confusion issues-- which, although vastly improved, have continued to plague her a bit.

Again, her entire team of physicians insist those issues are temporary and will eventually resolve themselves. So until then, we're all just doing the best we can to manage the daily frustrations that come along with them.

Many of you have sweetly begun to reach out to Nancy directly about scheduling visits. We appreciate your patience in that process-- setting dates can be a bit daunting when your memory doesn't always cooperate. But she's a little bit sharper every day-- and sooner or later, she'll share that mile-wide smile with each of you.

Meanwhile, please know that our entire family is continually touched by all the kindness and support you've offered us.

WE LOVE NANCY, and... 

ALL IS WELL!

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #121

Greetings. 

This is the one hundred and twenty-first in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I have posted-- now celebrating the fact that even though her post bone marrow transplant and brain seizure recovery continues... the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in 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, click SUBMIT, and follow the prompts!

FRIDAY REPORT

Hello friends.

I know it's been a few minutes since we posted. But we've been kinda busy trying to get Nancy back up and running. The good news is, she's made tremendous strides. Her immune system numbers are getting stronger and stronger-- and the most recent tests still show no signs of leukemia. 

The better news is (better than beating cancer?!) is that her mental clarity is slowly but surely improving as well. 

There are still some lapses in short term memory. And if you haven't been around the Sunshiny Superwarrior Goddess since she got home, here's basically what that means. You know those times when you go to the kitchen to get your keys-- only to arrive in the kitchen moments later and completely forget what you're looking for? That's kinda what Nancy is battling on and off every day. And when she gets tired-- she can also get a little confused about certain conversational details. But when I get tired, I lose my marbles a little, too. The bottom line is, the doctors have continued to assure us that these conditions are temporary. They can definitely be frustrating for her-- and a bit challenging for me and the kids. But sooner or later, we'll all get through it.

Meanwhile, she's been enjoying some great visits by a few of her close friends-- and our beloved family, as well. In fact, her dear old Dad has been paying his favorite girl routine visits every Sunday.

If you'd like to start calling, emailing, or texting Nancy yourself-- it's fine for you to do that now. Just be patient and understand it may take her some time to respond. And please be careful about trying to schedule visits of your own, since her days are often filled with outpatient trips back to City of Hope, or visits by home healthcare folks to our house-- and it's all a little tough for Nancy to keep track of right now. Hell, it's not that easy for me, either. But I appreciate you reaching out to me directly if you'd like to try and snag some time to see the SSWG in person.

And until next time, just know this. Even though the blog posts may be a little less frequent these days-- the days are definitely getting brighter. So thanks for all of your continuing warm thoughts, good vibes, and healing prayers on her behalf.

WE LOVE NANCY, and... 

ALL IS WELL!

THE SUNSHINY SUPERWARRIOR GODDESS SPEAKS!

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #120

Greetings. 

This is the one hundred and twentieth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I have posted-- now celebrating the fact that even though her post bone marrow transplant and brain seizure recovery continues... the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in 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, click SUBMIT, and follow the prompts!

FRIDAY REPORT

Just a quick update. Yesterday during her twice-weekly outpatient clinic visit at City of Hope-- we got two important bits of information from her doctors:

1. Her immune system numbers continue to rise, making the Sunshiny Superwarrior Goddess stronger and stronger every day.

2. Her second BCR-ABL test has once again confirmed that Nancy is leukemia free.

She's continuing to rest and recover at home. 

And some days and nights are better than others. 

But I keep trying to frame it in these metaphorical terms:

When Nancy was first diagnosed with A.L.L. back on New Year's Eve, it was like being told we had to climb Mount Everest.

We knew it was going to be extremely difficult. But we were also extremely determined to get her to remission.

So we started climbing. 

Three hospitals, dozens of doctors and nurses, hundreds of tests... 

Three rounds of chemo, eleven radiation treatments, more spinal taps than we care to count, a bone marrow transplant, and an unexpected brain seizure...

Until we finally made it to the summit. Remission.

But what happens once you reach the top? You're exhausted. Confused. Nearly broken.

So now those of us who love her the most? We're like sherpas-- slowly helping her down the other side. 

Each day the air seems a little more full.

The path feels a little less treacherous. 

And Nancy's body and mind continue to improve.  

And one day, not too long from now-- we'll all be able to look back and see that mountain in the distance behind us. 

We'll be able to pat her on the back and say, "Wow. Can you believe you made it over that thing?"

And then we'll keep right on walking, without looking back.

WE LOVE NANCY, and... 

ALL IS WELL!

Meal Train For The Callaways