Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Sorry it's been so long since my last update. Eric's doctor visits have become less frequent than in the beginning. A few weeks ago I was able to take some time and attend the most recent UofM BMT visit with Stacey and Eric. This visit was very brief. Dr. Kitko and the other members of the BMT team are very happy with Eric's development and progress in the past few months. They still would like to see the transplanted cell to original cell percentage be better but at this point it's not a major concern. The thought process now is that enough of the transplanted cells have taken hold and are reversing the bone density issues they saw when they first meet Eric several months ago. Dr. Kitko commented that Eric's blood counts are stable, he hasn't need a blood transfusion in several months, a lot of the negative conditions they saw within his blood cells have gone away. Also a very basic chest x-ray was done and that within itself showed improvement. The team of doctors are still trying to come up with more concrete ways of determining or base-lining just how far Eric has progressed…………..So how do they intend to do that? We still don't know.
A few weeks back I got a request from Dr. Kitko for some recent in home photo's of Eric. She was doing a presentation to other hematologist and oncologists about Eric, his disease and treatment. This wasn't any type of lab rat presentation where they refer to the patient as subject "A". This was very much an information sharing session and Stacey and I where thrilled that Dr. Kitko choose to speak about Eric. During that presentation one of the other doctors mentioned getting a urine sample and looking for the broke down bone deposits in Eric's urine. Dr. Kitko isn't really thinking about trying that urine method and kind of rolled her eyes discussing that option with Stacey and I, but it was nice to hear that ideas on how to base line progress continue……………..No matter how strange they might be.
On a personal note, it has been about three months since my last visit to UofM. I was amazed at how well known Eric has become in and around the cancer center. The people at the blood bank know him, the receptionist, the appointment clerk, the nursing staff, and the team of doctors have become Eric's second family. Eric is very comfortable around all these people and during his last appointment he showed everybody his most recent trick………walking. That's right Eric has started walking and it has become his primary way of getting around. He still does that little hand push motion thing on the floor from time to time but not nearly as often as he use to. Due to this recent development Eric appears to be done with physical therapy and we will know move into more educational type of sessions once the school year starts back up in the fall.
That's about it for now. Hopefully everybody has seen Lisa's postings on the web site about the Eric's Hope Golf Outing scheduled for August 29th at Sycamore Hills. Need a good laugh, come see Eric's grandpa swing his "old man oversized orange and silver colored driver"……………I call it the AARP club. No way he could miss the ball with this club. The head on it is the size of a spare tire!!!!
See YA!!!
Chris DeWaele
Friday, May 29, 2009
Stacey met with Dr. Kitko last week Thursday and Eric's cells have shown some stabilization, so because of that, his second transplant is officially on hold. By no means does this mean it won't happen, but it does mean they are willing to spend some more time doing blood work and letting those results play out. Along with the Dr. Kitko visit, Stacey took Eric to see an eye specialist at UofM and that doctor stated that Eric's vision appears fine. This eye test, along with the hearing test from last month, have shown the BMT doctors that Eric continues to maintain his basic senses and they don't need to rush into a hasty decision.
Besides all the doctor appointments that Eric is required to go to, he also maintains a very busy therapy schedule. He continues to meet with therapists twice a week and he continues to meet with the early on teacher through the local school system once a week. Even though these appointments are a draining thing for Eric, he continues to show positive developments and is making real strides. All people involved in these programs are aware that Eric is behind in development for his age grouping but he does have a strong tool kit of abilities and motor skills to build upon. They aren't asking him to do anything he can't do. The goal of these sessions is to start getting him to do more of what he can do. Building his endurance is a key part of these exercises.
So what are the next steps for Eric? Right now the team at UofM is trying to come up with ways to determine if the osteopetrosis has slowed down or stopped completely. Blood cell counts aren't giving a clear picture. Most recent discussions center around getting an MRI done or coming up with some procedure that can determine bone mass or get a good look at his nerve endings.
That's it for now. More to come on the 2nd transplant and potential next steps for Eric. Please pay special attention to the Eric's Hope web site in the coming days and be on the lookout for a mailer from Lisa. Right now she is in the early stages of planning a golf outing for Eric which will take place August 29th at Sycamore Hills.................More details to come on that event.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Sorry it's been so long since my last update. We have been waiting for the doctors to make decisions on Eric's blood counts and tell us what the next steps. The news is not great.
Eric's transplant has been deemed unsuccessful. His cells continue to grow at steady rate and we don't have any way to determine if the bad cells have been eliminated by the transplanted cells.
Rather then waiting a year or two, just comparing x-rays, and hoping the cells have reversed themselves is not an option. The doctors have consulted with other institutions / medical centers and they believe the time to act is now. So that means Eric will be going thru another round of chemotherapy (more intensive) and getting another transplant. We have Craig's extra cells that had been harvested during the first transplant, ready and available, so they will use those.
We have a meeting next week with the radiation team to discuss the more intense chemotherapy. With a child of Eric's age, the side effect they try to avoid is liver disease. Not exactly sure how they are going to do that, I'm sure that will be a part of our discussions next week.
Chris DeWaele
Monday, January 5, 2009
Happy New Year!
As Eric's story continues, so do the random acts of kindness. A few weeks ago my neighbors Rich and Donna Holland asked if they could do something special for family. Due the amount of support we had already been receiving, I couldn't really think of anything. Rich said he had something in mind and would let me know. Well he worked the phones and put something together. This past weekend we had a very special visit. Former University Michigan defensive lineman Mark Messner & his family came over to the house this Saturday and spent sometime with the us. For those of you who don't know who Mark Messner is, Mark was a 4 year starter on the Michigan defense from 1985-1988. He started in 49 consecutive games. He was MVP of the 1986 Fiesta Bowl and captained the 1989 Rose Bowl team that beat U.S.C.
It was a fun day. Mark brought pictures that he autographed for everybody, showed off some Rose Bowl rings and gave me a hat from the athletic department. Mark told stories about his time at UofM, he looked at all the memorabilia that I have displayed in my basement, and gave some insight into college football. The thing that I thought was really nice was the genuine concern and interest that the entire Messner family showed Eric. It was impressive just to meet Mark, what was really impressive was how nice his wife and kids are.
Click here to view a photo of Eric, Mark Messner, and me.
Also, many of you have heard me speak about the the Student Athlete Board
at UofM and their Thursday night trips to Mott hospital, and in particular
Hockey player Brandon Burlon. As I stated in an earlier email, Brandon was
nice enough to take a picture with Stacey and Eric during their stay in the
hospital. Last week during the GLI tournament down at Joe Louis Arena, I took
a chance and figured that I might be able to meet with Brandon in between
the first and second game and get him to sign that photo. I got lucky and
managed to say thank you to Brandon and had him sign Eric's photo. Also present
was Brandon's mother & father. As is the case, I try to say thank you
to someone and the focus immediately shifts to Eric and his treatment. Brandon's
mother asked a ton of questions about Eric and was very nice. At one point
she asked for hug and told me she was thrilled that her son is taking part
in such a meaningful program.
Please take a moment to look at our Thank You! page for some updates there. Check back soon for another update to this page!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Hi everybody! As we quickly approach the holiday season, I wanted send out one last Eric update for 2008.
Things are about the same with Eric. No big revelations or happenings. He received another blood transfusion on Tuesday of this week and right now Stacey is in route to Ann Arbor for another base line check up. These are the dog days of treatment that we got warned about back in September. It's a lot of back and forth to Ann Arbor...........a lot of the same type of tests and procedures............and you hear the same responses every time you go. Pretty boring, but that's the ultimate goal for transplant patients. The doctors monitor a patients vitals closely, accurately and very often with the hope of finding nothing. Sounded strange to me the first time I heard it, but as we've gone through this process it makes more sense.
Last week I mentioned the Student Athlete Board at UofM and their involvement at Mott Hospital. In today's Detroit News, Angelique Chengelis the beat writer for UofM athletics, did a story about that organization. In the article she mentions wrestler Cody Walters and soccer player Kristen Thomas as frequent visitors to Mott. Eric & Stacey we're fortunate enough to meet both of these people during their time on the floor. Thursdays are really something special at Mott. The impact these athletes have on these kids and their parents is remarkable. Here is the article in case anybody is interested.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081218/SPORTS0201/812180353/1004/SPORTS
That's it for now. Here is hoping that everyone has a safe and happy holiday season. See ya in 2009.
Chris DeWaele
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
ERIC WENT HOME TODAY! He'll still have to travel to U of M at least twice
a week, but he's back home tonight to enjoy the holiday with his family,
so we are all very THANKFUL for that!
Hope to see you all on Saturday.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
Lisa DeWaele- Hall
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Sorry that it's been a while since I sent out an update. Really haven't
had a whole lot to discuss. These past two weeks have been further continuation
of the long process that Stacey and I had been warned about.
The doctors have been making frequent visits and have been monitoring the
progress of Eric very closely. Immediately after transplant, the doctors
told Stacey and I to expect Eric to have some really down days. The down
days didn't happen immediately, but this past week has been a tough one for
Eric. His appetite is way down, almost non-existent. He has started to lose
his hair. He has been very tired. All this is normal behavior for a transplant
patient. The doctors have him on a nutrition tube. They have him on a antibiotic
drip to keep infections away. They have called for several chest & stomach
tests. So far all test results have come back negative. All this is precautionary
to base line vitals and also continue the process of closely monitoring the
patient.
This weekend Dr. Levine and Dr. Harris told me that Eric's blood cell count
is on the upward swing. This is encouraging and they began to discuss with
me the possibility of going home. I was a little nervous when I first heard
this because that means that Stacey and I would be responsible for a lot
of in-home type treatments. Dr. Levine then explained to me that Stacey's
nursing background will accelerate any learning curve that we might have
as far as those treatments are concerned and he was confident we could handle
being at home. To this point the doctors still have not declared full on
engraftment of the new marrow. They all have a different time frames in mind
as to when they think that might happen. November 24th, 25th, & 26th
appear to be the days everyone is looking at, but Dr. Kitko explained that
they are always surprised at how fast that process can move when you have
a 10 of 10 cell match. Which we have. So more to come on that front.
I know Stacey said a big thank you to everyone for their help and support
during the first benefit at Augie's. I hope everybody knows how special a
day that was for us. The turnout was amazing. I saw and talked to so many
people that day. Lisa managed to get in touch with two friends of mine from
high school. That was really cool. Besides all the people coming thru the
door, Dr. Kitko and her family made an appearance, which was really nice.
I only have two regrets from the fundraiser. The first is that I couldn't
make it around to everybody and say thank you for attending. The second thing
is I regret that not everyone was present when Dr. Kitko's made her speech
about Eric and his on-going treatment. That might have been the high point
of my day.
Last thing. FOX2 NEWS has just finished a special interest story about Eric
that should air within the next few days. Last week Wednesday they interviewed
Stacey, Lisa, Dr. Kitko, & Dr. Levine at the hospital and yesterday they
came to our home to interview Craig. Reporter doing the story said she would
call ahead of time and let me know specific air times.
That's it for now. Thanks again for all the support at the Augie's fundraiser,
it was a massive success. I look forward to seeing and meeting even more
people at the bowling fundraiser scheduled for next week Saturday.
Chris DeWaele
Monday, November 10, 2008
Thank you!!
We just wanted to thank everyone for making the fundraiser yesterday such
a success. A big thank you to Lisa and Tina for all their hardwork. Thank
you to our families and friends who helped in big ways and small. People
were willing to do any job that they were asked to or volunteered to help
out. I don't want to leave anyone out so that's why I won't get specific.
We are truly blessed to have such an amazing network of family and friends
who have helped us in so many ways. We have so many people who are praying
for us. Eric is still doing very well. Craig, Jack, and Emma are still
hanging in there too. We were overwhelmed by the support. Keep us in your
thoughts and prayers and we will keep doing our best taking care of Eric.
I also wanted to make sure you all know just how proud we are of Craig.
He has been so brave and willing to help his baby brother. I am sure they
will share a special bond.
P.S. I also can't forget to thank Dr. Kitko for taking the time out with
her family to join us. We were very impressed and grateful for that and everything
she is doing for our family.
Sincerely,
Stacey DeWaele
Friday, November 7, 2008
The transplant is complete and Eric is doing well. He had a blood pressure spike right after transplant but that was probably due to all the fluids pumped into him prior, so they hit him with a specialized med and the problem seems to have went away. Stacey said he was up constantly during the night wanting to eat, which is a good sign and regular food will help keep his digestive organs working normally. Sometimes a nutrition tube just isn't enough to keep those organs working.
Doctors also said that the prep work on Craig (stimulus shots) was perfect, his cells count was jumping and he was a awesome draw. They harvested enough cells to do 10 transplants. Craig feels fine and he's has been running and jumping around; Dr. Levine said you can't even tell that he had surgery.
Dr. Madden, who was the marrow harvest doctor said that the patient donor situation that existed between Eric and Craig was a "remarkable story". The head surgery nurse also said that the older brother, who is not that old, being the donor with a 10 of 10 match for his 11 month old brother isn't something they see everyday...and then the pediatric desk coordinator said that this story was huge. All the doctors involved have just been taken back with how this played out.
But the heavy lifting of all this still remains. So, by no means are we
done.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Well here it is, the all important ZERO DAY is almost upon us. Eric gets his last dose of Chemotherapy today and we are all set for the transplant tomorrow. Last week Craig passed the bone marrow questionnaire. This questionnaire is required to be answered by all donors regardless of age. A few things we learned in completing this questionnaire is that Craig has never main-lined hard drugs, is not sexually active, and has never had an abortion. Craig did tell me to write on the paper that he was going to be "The Batman" for Halloween. Just in case the doctors needed to know that. So since that time Craig has been receiving his marrow stimulus shots and gets one more before we go in.
Chemotherapy has gone very well. Eric has maintained a decent appetite, continues to have working body functions, still is active, and only had a few minor fever spikes over the weekend. This was all to be expected and doctors have maintained that he is taking to all treatments very well. Only time they really deviated from the procedures is the doctors have decided to spread his chemo doses out over longer periods of time (instead of 4 hours more like 6 to 8 hour blocks). This was done to avoid any fever spikes.
This past week, although it has been long and boring, has been interesting in some respects. Last week Wednesday Stacey and I meet with Dr. James Ferrara. Dr. Ferrara is the senior director of the bone marrow program at UofM. The other doctors refer to him as the "big boss". To me he is the "Lloyd Carr" of the BMT team. Besides being the director at UofM he still maintains a clinical interest in all patients and even takes a regular rotation working the bone marrow floor. His work is amazing. A lot of the treatment procedures given to BMT patients today is due to the research done by Dr. Ferrara and his team. This weekend Eric's doctor assigned was Dr. Sung Choi (a Wayne State medical grad who joined the UofM staff in 2002). Yet another brilliant doctor. When I first meet Doctor Choi she asked me how things had been going and I told her it had been pretty boring and I hadn't noticed very much change in Eric. She then told me that boring is good thing and it's what they strive for during transplants. Excitement is a bad word during transplants. So I had to change my definitions a little. This morning Stacey meet with Dr. John Levine. Dr. Levine is the associate professor of pediatrics and clinical director of the Pediatric BMT program at UofM. He is the first doctor we meet so far that has seen and treated Osteopetrosis. He told Stacey that he has successfully treated children with Ostepetrosis at other hospitals with transplants, but has never seen someone as young as Eric being treated……………………………..But that's not a bad thing. He stated that early detection can go along way in treatment. In the cases he has worked on the children had already shown some side effects of the disease. To this point Eric has nothing extreme. He also noted that his prior patients had to go to the donor list for a match, which delayed treatment of their conditions. He was encouraged that we found our 10 of 10 match within the family and got to work very quickly on this.
It's not the ideal situation that Stacey & I wanted, but being able to meet these brilliant people, watch them work, and see the results of their research be put into action is quite an experience.
So that's about it. The long process continues and after tomorrow becomes and an even longer process.
As everybody knows this Saturday is fundraiser #1. A lot of people have asked what could they do to help and have come to me directly. The thoughts and words have been very nice but my focus is caring for Eric, therefore all fundraising questions or ideas should go directly to Lisa.
I hope to see as many of you as I can on Saturday.
Chris DeWaele
Monday, October 27, 2008
Update from Chris (Eric's father)...
Last update before we go into the hospital. Craig passed his physical and we are still on track for this Wednesday. Day one will be more about check in and getting Eric setup. He will be sent to the operating room to have his central line put in. After that he starts chemotherapy. Since Eric is not a cancer patient, they don't need to kill every cell in his body, he won't receive a full on blast of chemotherapy. He will be receiving a lower dose that will target the marrow and white blood cells. This will still result in lower immunity and Eric will still be susceptible to infections. By November 4th, everything should be cleared out. During this time Craig will be receiving special shots that will stimulate his marrow in prep for the transplant. Doctors have used this process before and have seen success with it, so they have advised us to do the same.
On November 5th Craig goes in for his biopsy. Craig will be put under for this. Procedure should only take about 30 minutes, but extra time will be required to allow for recovery. Once his marrow is extracted it will be sent to a processing center to prep for immediate transplant. Doctors told us if we can time it right, Craig can watch the transplant happen.
Once the transplant occurs that is when the real work begins. First thing they will monitor is rejection of new marrow. The second is graft vs. host disease. With children of Eric's age the biggest concern is liver disease. The doctors believe that they can administer a drug that will hopefully curb this problem. Monitoring of all these issues happens around the clock.
Last thing. I took this right out of the UofM cancer center planning guide. During this time the patient has no white blood cells and is susceptible to infections. So we discourage the sending off fresh cut flowers and plants to the hospital and to the patients home. Flowers, plants, and the potting soil / water they are packaged in contain large amounts of bacteria that can put the patient at risk. Flowers and plants are not permitted in the cancer center.
Things are coming along great for the benefit on November 8th, and the second benefit is now scheduled! It will be a GLOW BOWLING BENEFIT at Harbor Lanes in St Clair Shores on Saturday, November 29th. Tickets are $20.00 each and include bowling, shoes and pizza- space is limited and advance ticket purchase is required. (click here for more info).
Please keep Eric, Stacey, Chris, Craig, Jack and Emma in your thoughts and prayers.
Thank you for your love and support!
Saturday, October 11,2008
We are planning his first fundraiser. (Click here for more info.)
Friday, October 10, 2008
Bone Marrow Transplant Scheduled!
Things are beginning to move fast. The doctors at UofM have huddled and made
a few decisions. Craig and his 10 of 10 cell score will be Eric's bone
marrow donor. Here is the scheduled the doctors are working off of. Right
now this is just dates. Timing has not yet been established:
October 23rd - Craig and Eric go to Ann Arbor for further blood work. Craig will meet with Dr. Kitko and have a physical.
October 29th - Eric will be admitted to UofM Mott Children's hospital. He will then begin his chemotherapy. Chemotherapy will most likely take between 5 and 7 days to knock out all existing cells.
November 5th - Craig will have a bone marrow biopsy done. No worries with this process. Doctors have told me children handle this procedure better than adults do and are an easier draw. Craig might have some minor discomfort but there are no incisions or stitches in this process. So if he wanted to, he could walk out of the hospital. NOTE: This is also the day that they anticipate performing the transplant on Eric.
With that being said, Eric basically has about 2 and 1/2 weeks left at home before he is placed in isolation, so if anybody is planning a visit, please stop by very soon. Relatives and friends will be allowed and are encouraged to visit when he is in the hospital, but there will be rules.
Chris DeWaele
Thursday, October 09, 2008
An Update from Eric’s Dad
Today Stacey and I received another phone call from the BMT doctors at UofM.
They are making serious plans to proceed with Eric's transplant. They are
thinking of getting him started either the week of Oct 20th or Oct 27th.
During the past two weeks Eric has gone in for extensive testing and medical workups. In that time he has had an eye exam, a hearing exam, an EKG exam, an ECO exam, a dental workup, and more blood work. All tests have come back with no negative results. All this is being done in an effort to baseline Eric's vitals and to track any progress or any possible regression that may occur as he goes thru this process.
As many of you heard, all the children got tested and submitted blood work to see if they are possible donors. Early last week Emma was ruled not a match. This was strange because I thought the fraternal twin would provide the best chance.
We meet again last Friday with the BMT nurse assigned to Eric's case and she restated that my 9 of 10 cell match count still holds up and to prepare myself to be the donor,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but she also stated that the results on Craig and Jack still where not completed and wouldn't be until 10/08. The results are in. THIS IS AMAZING!!!! Craig and Jack both scored a 10 out of 10 match. Meaning that both are solid candidates to be Eric's donor and my 9 of 10 match is no longer the route they are going to take. I guess in weird way that kind of sums up the story of my life. I get a 90% or an A- and somebody always trumps my score and gets an A+.
In all honesty I'm glad it's one of the boys. Craig has greater understanding then anyone gives him credit for in regards to what is happening to Eric. The nurse tech said he and Jack where the most well behaved 2 and 3 year olds she ever saw during a blood draw. They didn't cry, didn't yell, didn't scream, didn't even flinch. After the appointment was over Craig said he was giving his blood to help Eric! I explained to Craig today that he might have to do some more and might have to go to the hospital in order to help Eric. He then said to me, "I know. Can we go tomorrow?.................and I need some more chocolate milk."
The team of doctors is meeting this week to decide between Craig and Jack. Based simply on age, they say Craig is the best choice, But I also believe the doctors are going to take an even deeper look at the underlying cells that they mentioned to me in our first meeting. Those cells they believe are not as important as they key 10, but do increase the odds of a successful transplant. Which is why if a family member can be the donor the odds go up for success.
That's it for now, more to come after the doctors decide on whether to take a sample of Craig or Jack marrow's.
I hope see everybody at the benefit's that Lisa has scheduled in the near
future.
Chris DeWaele
Friday, October 03, 2008
Bone Marrow Donor
Eric's twin sister Emma's blood work results are in, and she is not a match
for Eric. Still awaiting results from his brothers Craig and Jack, if neither
are a good match, then his father, Chris, who is a 9 out of 10 match for
Eric will get a medical work up done to be Eric's Bone Marrow Donor.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
First email from Chris to family and friends
Many of you are probably wondering what has been happening with Eric. I apologize that I haven't sent more out to you, but I wanted to make sure that I when I did send something out that I could speak to the next steps and not just what I think might happen.
As was discovered last week Eric has been diagnosed with Milignant Infantile
Osteopetrosis. It's very rare bone disease that is also very fatal. Eric
will be the first person ever to be treated for this disease at UofM.
Today was a very important day. Stacey and I meet with the Bone Marrow Team
at the University of Michigan to discuss particulars. They believe that Eric's
chance to beat this rare form of Osteopetrosis can be accomplished with a
Bone Marrow Transplant. Last week Eric went in for a bone marrow biopsy and
Stacey and I got ourselves screened while we where at the hospital. In choosing
a donor, the team of doctor's looks at 10 particular cells and tries to come
up with a match of those 10 cells. A score of 10 out of 10 is great. 9 out
of 10 is still pretty good. As luck would have it. I scored 9 out of 10 cells.
Meaning I am a good candidate to be Eric's donor. Doctors said that there
existed only a 25% chance that a parent could be a donor, so they are encouraged
by this. The doctors would still like to get our three remaining children
tested. Since I am 9 of 10, the chances improve that a 10 out of 10 match
can be found in one of my other children. One of the reasons they like to
stay in family is because the other "underlying cells" can increase
success of a transplant.
I know a lot of people have called and said they would like to get tested
on Eric's behalf and I love all of you for that, but it won't be necessary.
If none of my kids match up, they will use my marrow. Pretty simple stuff.
If things change I'll let everybody know. You can still register yourself
as a donor if you want.
All of this means that Eric's transplant can happen very soon………………Like
in about 4 weeks. The hospital encourages family and friends to visit while
the recovery process goes on, but the rules are strict. Meaning if you are
feeling a little ill, don't come. So if anybody wants to visit with Eric
prior to his going into the hospital, please do so very soon, because it
might be a while before he can have real visitors or can attend a social
setting.
So what is the next step? Tomorrow I go to the Kellogg building at UofM hospital
to get Eric's eyes looked at. Reason for this is Osteopetrosis can stress
out the nerve endings in the eyes and ears causing blindness and deafness.
Since he is a baby he can't read an eye chart. So the doctor's want testing
done to see if this has happened to Eric to this point. I really don't believe
it has, but I leave nothing to chance these days. On Tuesday we will be taking
the kids for their blood work. If one of them is a 10 of 10 match GREAT!!!!
If not, I'll probably get a health check scheduled about two weeks after
that and make plans to be the donor.
Last thing. I've never been one to tell other people how they should craft
their views on politics or religion. I was told long ago, you will never
change people's opinions of those subjects, so don't try, but I will tell
all of you this. The doctor's have made it very clear to me that advanced
stem cell research and the national bone marrow donor program have greatly
improved their ability to not only improve the quality of lives but also
save lives. I'm not asking anybody to write a big check or to write your
congressman or change your political/religious views, but the next time someone
mentions stem cell research and uses the terms "evil medicine" or "cloning
life" or "immoral" or "experimental testing with no real
results", please think of Eric. It just might be the thing that saves
his life.
That's it for now.
I apologize for rambling on. More news to come as we progress a long. Thanks
again for all the support. I really do appreciate it.
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