Buy "Gold" Now

It feels odd to be quoting the gold bullion and coin commercials that have apparently imprinted their message into my subconsciousness, but I'm really excited about this new book. Its author, Chris Cleave, also penned Little Bee, which was a runaway sucess, and Incendiary.

In the words of the September issue of Writer's Digest, Gold is about "...two rival Olympic cyclists--one a single-minded athlete to the core, the other an emotionally torn parent to a daughter with leukemia."

When unathletic Cleave first started working on this project, he spent two months training 20 hours a week as a cyclist, so that he would better understand his subject matter. The physical exertion wreaked havoc on his immune system, which gave him the idea for coupling the story of a sick child with that of elite athletes.

To research childhood leukemia, Cleave spent time at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. He was so touched by the children he met there that this past June, he completed the HotChillee London-Paris bike ride to raise money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. In total, his team raised over £100,000.

Since I just purchased this book, and likely won't finish it until after both the actual Olympics are over and my Aug. 7-21 chemo round, I can't comment on how good it is. But I've got a feeling it's not going to disappoint...

 

Health Update

This morning my doctor rechecked my blood cell counts. They are all still normal, which is a huge relief, considering acute promyelocytic leukemia is a very aggressive disease. She drew blood for a PCR test, for which I may get the result as early as Wednesday.

This past weekend was the hardest my family's had since I came home from the hospital. For the first time in a while, we were worrying about: the the possibility of spending Christmas in the hospital; a bone marrow transplant (and losing any chance of having another child); the inevitable fear of "What if a BMT doesn't work?"; and would Katelyn have any memory of me?

A Thousand Better Ways to Spend a Friday Night

Yesterday evening my left side started hurting. Pain in the same area of my ribs that preceded my diagnosis last spring. When the ache hadn't dissipated by midnight, I called Dr. Sharma, who told me to get it checked out at the E.R. for peace of mind.

The CAT SCAN and blood counts came back normal, and there were no irregular cells when Dr. Sharma looked at a blood sample under the microscope this morning. However, she thinks it's worrisome that I'm having this same rib pain, so she'd like me to come into her office Monday to have blood drawn for a PCR test. The PCR test, which assesses the blood on a molecular level, is much more precise than a CBC (count of blood cells) or examining a slide under the microscope.

(Almost) Drug Free

Yesterday was my 15th day of ATRA--the last day for Round 1. Today is the first day I will have been (almost) drug free since my diagnosis. For the next two and a half months, the only medication I will be taking will be the Warfarin to prevent blood clots.

That means no headaches, nausea, wooziness, or fatigue for two and a half months. No struggling to function and no attempting to hide how bad I feel.

In January I'll have a cat scan of my liver to assess if I need to remain on the Warfarin. If my liver has repaired itself, my doctor may take me off the Warfarin. For a few days before I start the next round of ATRA, I could be completely drug free.

For those few days, it would be like none of this ever happened.

Except it did happen.

The BRCA Gene for Blood Cancer - GATA2

In September of this year, researchers announced that they have discovered a gene mutation that can cause, among other things, leukemia. The study, published online in the journal Nature Genetics on September 4th, explained that a mutation in the GATA2 gene has been associated with diseases relating to the development of white blood cells, including acute myeloid leukemia.

Scientists Find Gene Link to Blood Cancers

GATA2: Gene Defect that Predisposes People to Leukemia Discovered

As far as I'm aware, I have no familial history of leukemia. The article states that a genetic tests is/will be available to determine if a person is a carrier of the GATA2 error.