wrapping it up

Hi all,
Chris and I have been huge slackers on our blogging, which I guess means we're getting on with our lives. Busy busy busy!
(really? what are you even doing?)

I have been feeling great, and I checked off another successful blood test last week. We're looking forward to a holiday break down in Newport Beach (with my sister - the housewife of orange county) for more entertainment by our little nephews.
Please enjoy this ridiculous video of Charlie - we put a ski mask on him, and he assumed a weird spooky-ninja persona:


So what I'm trying to say is, thank you.
We just cannot begin to say thank you enough for the unbelievable support we have received from our wonderful friends, neighbors, coworkers, doctors & nurses, and our dear family. I just want everyone to know how much strength your support gave us. I probably should have some amazing words of wisdom after this ordeal... but all I really know is that overall my life has been pretty full of good luck and wonderful people.
Alicia and I were talking about this crazy-sexy-cancer lady, and how she felt like we're all actually walking around with some percentage of survival hanging over our heads, but we usually don't know it. And those of us who know it just have more information. Well that has (strangely) been very comforting to me. My doctor can tell me one piece of data about my chances of staying in remission, but no one tells my my chances of falling down an elevator shaft, and I bravely step into the elevator every single day.
(not true, I've been taking the stairs mostly.)

My point is that I would like everyone who is reading this to know how wonderful you are. We are truly thankful for all of you, and we wish you health and peace.

much love,

h & c

We may in fact blog a bit more, but in case that doesn't happen, here is a fine substitute: www.dailypuppy.com.

Hola!

hi all,
We are back from a wonderfully relaxing vacation in Mexico and a visit to Grandma's in Palm Desert. Nice and toasty! Bridget & Brian's wedding was so lovely:

enjoying cabo...

hullo puffer fish.

paddleboating in palm desert...

chris and dad:


happy 29th birthday to...

• my adorable sister, Stevie,
  
• my cousin, Brett,
  
• and Kevin P Murphy!
  

I suppose I should mention that my last doctor's appointment was a huge success. Did I already mention that? My blood cells are just growing back like crazy. Apparently they are plump, since they are young.
Amy & Leigh - you were totally right about my nails; they are unbelievably strong!

Ok I really am wrapping this thing up soon... probably my next post.

many hugs,
h (& c)

good times here

Hi all,
We've been whooping it up here with some special guests.
Stevie, Carey & the boys paid us a visit last weekend! Those boys are round the clock comedy... so much funniness in such short bodies.
Tommy & Charlie on their working vacation:

On the free local trolley (this was a hoot!):

(tommy, stevie, carey, charlie)

And Miss Pam came to visit the weekend before. Such a blast! We visited Sonoma and went to see a new brazilian singer called CéU. Their music is samba/reggae/hiphop/jazz-y... very awesome show, by the way.
Running 5k with team gilead:

so funny, pam & I thought our time was 31 minutes, not noticing that would be pretty impressive, since we stopped for a bathroom break and walked half of it. chris finally told us it was actually 37 minutes. Anyway, here we are at umami:


baby announcement! Angie & Derek had a new little Lu... Oliver was born last Thur, 11/8. Adorable little guy:


Ok, I'm off to my monthly hematology check-in (it's Wednesday morning, now). And I expect to have nothing newsworthy to share :)
love,
h (& c)

new little peanut!

Big news... Katie and Greg had their second little girl, Grace, on Sat, 10/27! Just look at this cuteness:


Let's see... what have we been up to here...
Chris & the boys played some Kubb:

Christy taught me how to knit a hat (yep, that's a hat... not a thong):

We celebrated Basak's pregger-ness:


hugs!
h & c

Stevie and the gang are all fine

hi all,
A lot of people were concerned about Stevie & Carey and the boys, since they live so close to the fires in So. California. They are doing fine, although it sounds like a smoky, ashy mess. From Stevie:

"It smells like there are leaves burning right next door, but the fire is about 10 miles away... we have piles of ash in our carport and on our roof deck. We can’t open our windows, because ash comes blowing in. (that is a problem, because it has been about 90 degrees and we don’t have air conditioning!) The conditions are improving from what we can tell. The temperature is slowly dropping, and the winds are almost gone (they were about 50- 60 mph at the beginning of the week)."

Thank you for thinking of them.
~
We had a quick doctor appointment this morning, which was mostly social... since I am in such total remission!
I would like to send a special Shout Out to my doctors & medical staff at Stanford. They are brilliant and fashionable at the same time, and I am not just saying that because I know they're reading this now. They look like actors who play doctors on TV!

love,
h (& c)

walking the light fantastic

Hello wonderful friends,
We participated in the San Francisco Light the Night walk on Thursday evening, and we're heading down to San Jose's Light the Night walk tonight. Both were arranged by my amazing colleagues at Adobe. Oh, did I mention they are fabulous???

san francisco walkers
(b) stephen, sarah, teal, simone, kevin, neil, jongan, judith, jose, alyssa
(f) melody, lisa, mimi + baby walker, kelly, hillary, jeniffer, fawn, chris, gordon
not pic'd: angie, kate

~happy birthday, daniel-san~
love,
h (& c)

san jose photo coming soon...
--------------------------
...SJ photo up!

san jose walkers
(b) hillary, jessica, chris, andy, & deirdre
(f) andy's adobe-nies: karl & emma

xx,
h

biopsy results all good

happy news... my bone marrow biopsy was all clear, so I am officially in remission.
yippee!

sooo... I'm thinking about putting this blog to rest pretty soon. I got a recommendation for some blog-to-book software (thanks Dan G!) called BookSmart (at www.blurb.com). This looks better than Blogger's print s/w, because you can edit your content before you publish.
superfly!

love,
h (& c)

also this weekend...

... happy bday to Pammy!
... and happy healing to my mom! (broke her arm yesterday)

geesh.

worky work, busy bee

Hi everyone,
I started back at work last Wednesday with no problems. Plenty of energy, and I highly recommend the 3-day work week. I was very busy... eating cake, cookies, chocolate, ice cream sandwiches, and French food.
But hopefully my schedule will slow down a bit.

I won't get any results from my bone marrow biopsy until Tuesday, but I got results back from my most recent blood work. It had a lovely stamp: "Within Normal Limits" right across it. Way to go little blood cells!


love,
h (& c)

chocolicious update...

The bone marrow biopsy went perfectly. In fact, our physician assistant actually said "perfect!" as she was finishing, so that was relieving. I am feeling great... just a teensy bit sore on my hip, but my hot chocolate + whipped cream treat seems to have taken off the edge.
I should have some preliminary results next week, and she expects to have full results in 2 weeks. Our phys asst told me that I need not worry... so I shan't.
Thank you all for your thoughtful messages & wishes!
love,
h (& c)

chicago blues

We had such a fun weekend with Alicia here, and we didn't even make her do any house construction. Beautiful weather and no hospital/doctor trips.

Poor Chicago... the marathon was too hot and the cubbies are out of the playoffs. So we went to a Smuin Ballet performance; nothing like a good ballet to take your mind off bad baseball, I always say.

alicia and i patiently awaiting the mail... something I have come to anticipate with much excitement.

Nova and Winkie celebrate Stanford's big win.

Nova: "Go Cardinal!"

Winkie: "I knew they could do it."

Chris and I head to the hospital tomorrow morning for my bone marrow biopsy. The goal is to confirm that I am in remission.
And then I just have to stay there :)

love,

h (& c)

friday! 4 days and counting

Good news... the hospital (unfortunately) remembered to schedule my bone marrow biopsy. It's scheduled have for Tuesday morning, so I'll just avoid thinking about it for the next 4 days. Easy for me; I have stellar denial skills.

Mi madre just left after a few days of visiting and cooking/working/chores. Wow, it's such a treat to visit me!

painting the deck w/ mom... done!

Just picked up Alicia at the airport, and we're off!

love,

h (& c)

weekend work

hi all,
We had my dad here this weekend (free labor!), so we worked on the back deck. I think he and Chris are going to have some really sore muscles for a while.

replacing boards

sealed... ready for paint

I'm still waiting for the hospital to schedule my final biopsy. Maybe they will just forget :) :)
-h

it's friday again

I just threw away a bunch of hospital wrist bands, my pink face mask, and 2 breathing apparatuses (apparati?). So cathartic! It's grey and cloudy here today, but should be a sunny weekend. My dad will be here, then my mom is coming next week, then Alicia next weekend. And then back to work the following week yeah!

Some photos from last weekend with Teal...

walking at the SF Race for a Cure


hill, teal, geo, shelbie, matt, chris... closing down b'game

I thought this was entertaining. I made an animated gif of my hair growth over the past few months. Not sure if this works...


love,
h (& c)

happy arms

big day... I got my PICC line out! We had a doctor appointment this morning. My blood cell counts are all coming up to normal, so our doctor decided we should pull out the PICC line today and schedule my bone marrow biopsy (aspiration) for within the next few days. It's amazing how easy it is to pull out the PICC line -- almost totally painless. But it's creepy to see a really long tube coming out of your arm. (When they pulled out the first one a few months ago, Chris accidentally watched, and I saw his face go white. hee.)

For the biopsy, I said that I'll want all the pre-meds/painkillers available. Apparently, my doctor and the physician assistant think that's silly. They said one of the pre-meds only makes you groggy like you've had a few drinks... um, what's the problem??


big bandaid (strange camera angle)

side note: I'm looking for gym recommendations. I got a letter from my former gym that they had closed. So sad, because it was always empty and easy to get an Elliptical machine. I suppose that was the problem!

love,
h (& c)

fashion w/ compassion

hide your credit cards, these happy-animal shoes and bags are cye-ute!
Matt & Nat:

MooShoes:

{ok, hide my credit cards!}

go go goooo

Looks like my blood cell counts are hanging on! I had lab work today, and although my counts haven't gone up (maybe down a teensy bit), the nurse still thinks I'm generally trending upward.

I'll put up photos from our fun weekend soon. Teal came out to visit... we closed down Burlingame on Friday night, hit our neighbor's birthday party on Saturday, and walked in the SF Susan G Komen Race for the Cure on Sunday (the 1-Miler, no less!). ¡Olé!

trending upward

happy friday. I have been feeling really well for the past few days... probably attributed to my increasing blood cell counts. I had lab work on Wednesday that showed everything improving.

Blobfish!


So I don't have to go back into the hospital until Monday for more lab work. My nurse said she thinks I am trending upward, and she doesn't expect my blood cell counts to drop at this point.
I'm heading to the airport to pick up Teal in a bit. Woo hoo!

love,
h (& c)

new shows!

ho ho who is excited about the new season of shows? Or perhaps I'm just a big loser... I'm sure I should be reading up a book storm, but chemo makes it hard to read books. It seems to mess with your concentration and memory, so you read the same page over and over. I guess I also repeat myself a lot, because Chris often politely notes when I keep asking him the same thing. How long can I blame this on chemo?? Fortunately, not much longer... I imagine it steadily evaporating from my body.

Shout out to Gary Parker who is also on his final round of chemo!

I have had a couple blood transfusions over the past few days, which has been rejuvenating. We even got a little hike (stroll?) in with Bill & Michelle on Saturday. And a visit with Chris's friend, Brian yesterday.

Chris and Brian Gurr terrorize the streets.
(I am so tempted to post a matching photo of them in their speedos at about 8 years old.)

Speaking of too much TV (and cookies) and nothing else even remotely related... Daily Show video "C is for Chubby":


love,
h (& c)

"almost done"

hullo,
I had lab work and a doctor appointment yesterday, and my blood cell counts are still looking good. My doctor said there really is a possibility that I will avoid a hospital stay this time, since I only received 1/3 of the dose for the last/final chemo treatment. (hmmm... wonder if they will still charge full price??) But he also said "but who knows"... apparently no one! So we will see...

My doctor also confirmed that I am "almost done", which is so great to hear. My next steps are to [1] wait for my blood cell counts to get back up to normal. We're mainly watching the WBC (white), RBC (red), and platelet counts; [2] have my "final" (that is a quote... you bet I have that documented) bone marrow biopsy; [3] pull out my PICC line (aka bionic arm); [4] be done.

Since we're at a university hospital, we've interacted with a variety of doctors, incl. Hematology fellows, residents, as well as students. So even with my standard treatment plan, there have been different opinions about the specifics. The best part has been having my doctor correct our mistaken understandings -- his plan always seems to be better than what we've been told.
First I was told that I would have a bone marrow biopsy every month for the next year. That would be the WORST, but hallelujah that is not the case for me.
Then I was told that I would come in for lab work twice a week for a few months. NOPE! My doctor said that after my biopsy, I will only need to come in once a month. Other than being totally paranoid for the other 29 days of the month, that will be so much easier.

Yeah it is almost Friday! This actually means nothing to me, but hopefully it brings joy to you :)
and happy rosh hashanah!
love,
h (& c)

on the upswing

Hi all,
I had a quick check-in today for lab work. I showed up wearing my fashionable pink mask, assuming I was at least almost neutropenic. But what a surprise to find out that all of my blood cell counts have gone up! I mean, really it is the least they can do after all their unruliness.

How wonderful that Fall is here and Summer is over! (not really a summer fan) It has been quite toasty here, which makes me grouchy. Here's some music to make you happy:

love,
h (& c)

quick weekend update

Hi all,
I don't have to go back into the hospital for lab work until Monday, so we can relax all weekend. We're about to go on our second walk of the day, and I've watched 2 episodes of the BBC's Jane Eyre (on Netflix's "Watch Now" online). Hmm... this is not as captivating as it sounded in my head.

Local news update: Tom the Tree got the axe. The 100-ft Eucalyptus tree is no more! I got a photo of Tom from his final days:

Kiss the sky goodbye, Tom

From last weekend up at Joseph Phelps winery:

with kathleen, sarah, & stephanie

love,
h (& c)

chemo dunzo

Hi all,
I got another fever yesterday, after my morning dose of chemo... so we decided to be done with chemo! Fortunately, I was already back at the hospital for my evening dose when I started to feel sick. My doctor came by and said he was leaning toward ending my chemo, and I said we thought that sounded lovely, and he said yes, I think you'll just keep having reactions and then we'll have to admit you into the hospital, and I said great, and please make this fever go away because I think my head is going to pop off again.

So Chris spent most of the evening trying to coerce me into adding more ice packs.

Well I am feeling much better today and am just resting at home. I have a quick check-in this afternoon, and then they're expecting my immune system to drop at some point like after the previous cycles. My goal now is to stay out of the hospital (that would be novel), by trying to avoid catching anything. So I'll probably be a bit hermit-like for a little while :)

love,
h (& c)

minor setback (+ welcome sienna!)

Yesterday was quite weird. After my morning dose of my chemo, we came home for our midday break. I laid down for a nap, and then woke up with a 103 (~39 C) temperature. So we drove back down to Stanford for blood tests. Fortunately, since my immune system is still fairly normal, they said we could go home, put ice packs in my armpits and between my legs, and try to bring the fever down. It finally came down by about 9pm, and after taking my Ambian & Tylenol (aka gin & tonic... just kidding) I managed to fall asleep. I woke up this morning feeling completely fine -- very strange.

We just got back from a quick check-in at the hospital. They're confident that my fever was caused by my chemo, not an infection as I had assumed. In fact, the medical assistant said she saw this with 90% of her patients, when she worked at UCSF. No one at Stanford had really seen this before, but I guess that's the point of multiple opinions. She even said she would have given me the 2nd dose of chemo last night, even with my fever. Chris said he would have liked to see her try to give me another dose of chemo last night! I was apparently not in my nicest form, but I thought my head was going to pop off my body.

So we're planning to continue with the rest of this chemo cycle, which means I'll have 4 more doses (2 on Wed, 2 on Fri) this week. We're really playing it by ear. If things go well, we'll keep going. If not, we will probably call it.

Now here's some fun news... Jeff & Darlene had their little girl, Sienna Elizabeth, on Friday! And it sounds like all are doing well. Here she is...


love,
h (& c)

happy birthday, chris

my love

-h

Ding ding ding... Round 4!

Clearly we are nuts, because we were so excited to hear that I'm on for my 4th cycle of chemo shmeemo next week. Following the same schedule as before, I'll go in on Mon, Wed, and Fri mornings and evenings. Luckily for Chris, this will give him something to do on his labor day holiday. How embarrassing to not have plans. You will be doing upside down margaritas, while we will be watching high-dose Ara-C (aka Cytarabine) drip into my veins.
My doctor really surprised us this morning. He suggested that we might decide to stop my chemo now after only 3 rounds of outpatient treatment. Since I received this same drug when I was first admitted, I have technically already been through 4 cycles. Plus I have had one or more infections after each treatment, due to my low/non-existent immune system. But we all decided that it would be worth it to go ahead with a final treatment. For me it is mostly psychological; if I don't do it, I'll be wondering if I have a higher chance of relapse. We were told that, based on my type of leukemia, I have about a 30% chance of relapse. I said "oh good, that's low!"... then I realized, it's not that low. (I mean, technically, it's an F, but it could be a D with a serious curve.) But then my doctor pointed out that I do NOT have the KIT mutation, and therefore have a slightly lower chance of relapse... maybe 20-30%.
By the way, I would love for someone to actually read that article that I just linked to. I sure didn't!

Good news... I continue to not lose my hair, so it's like a short bob now. That is, if 1/2 inch counts as short! Some famous people with possible hairstyles:




love,
h (& c)

Charlie's piece parts

Quick udate that all went well with my nephew, Charlie's, little surgery. Everything is healing well, and he's resting at home. He was nicely doped up, so I don't think he even remembers what happened. Isn't that the way all hospital visits should be??

-h

TGIM

Hi all,
Happy new work week. I just got back from the dog park with Jake, my friend Jen's dog. He was at camp Hillary while Jen was out of town over the weekend. Also out of town last weekend, Chris just back from a Colorado mancation with some pals. He has slightly less skin on his elbow after they went biking down the mtn in Brekenridge. (note: that never happens to me on vacations.) I read an article recently about how caregivers often forget to take care of themselves; this is Chris's first fun trip out of town since my diagnosis, so well deserved is an understatement!

My mom came out to "babysit" me, and we had such a fun weekend. It ended up being a bit of a vacation for me as well, since I have had 3 days off from the hospital. My lab results last Friday looked quite good, so they decided I won't need to go back until tomorrow. So we did lots of walking, shopping, and eating... and we are now stocked with homemade food. Let the eating continue! We also met up with some of my friends for a girls' wedding shower... Bridget & Brian are planning a November wedding in Cabo, so I have some serious motivation to kick this thing before then.

Charlie, my little 3-yr old nephew, is having minor surgery today on his little hernia, so I'm all nervous to hear how he's doing. Fortunately, it's routine, but I know how scary hospitals are for kids. Poor little guy! I've had some friends tell me they think I've stayed really positive through this whole thing. It's true, I am a pretty positive person naturally, but Stanford also has a huge children's hospital right next to its cancer center. I think I would feel like a bit of a jackass complaining about my time in the hospital, while sitting next to a building full of little kids going through the same thing or worse. But I also have a very positive prognosis and a doctor who has been extremely positive... although perhaps a bit too honest. We bumped into him when I was at the infusion center last weekend, and he said he has a newly admitted patient who is similar to me -- young with Leukemia. I asked if she had a "good" kind like me (meaning a good prognosis), and he said "Nope, her's is better." Ha... nice! :)

delanie, mom, tricia, moi, sarah, bridget, kathleen (@ pres a vi)

with Jake dog

love,

h (& c)

happy moonday

We had a pretty relaxing weekend mostly at home. I'm on daily trips to the hospital's infusion center to get my antibiotic, but I think the sinus infection I picked up is almost gone. One side of my face had puffed up and looked a bit like domestic abuse. I seem to be accumulating drugs with each hospital trip. After this last one, I had to sit down and make a daily pill schedule, because it is so ridiculous. I have about 9 medications/day, and the amounts change every few days. Plus some of these pills should not be for human consumption (e.g. Cipro pill is sized for horses).
We got into the city on Saturday for a birthday bbq & bocce ball at Golden Gate Park for Chris's friend Doug. And Sunday, Chris's dad, John, Camille, and Marcus came by to see us during their California tour. Burlingame is quite the hotspot! And there are always such exciting and important issues being discussed here.


making my drug schedule... Chris thought this was sooo funny

love,
h (& c)

who's got 2 thumbs and is out of the hospital?...

... this girl! They let me out this afternoon, and Chris and I had dinner & a movie at home tonight. So wonderful. My white blood cell count is high enough, so I'm no longer neutropenic... feeling almost normal.
On another exciting note, my friends took some great photos from last Sunday's big run in Chicago. Here's the team!
{clicky-click for larger version}

(back) Julie Boczkowski (w/ Jack), Ted Skodol (w/ Dylan, & Lexi in stroller), Catherine & Gary Parker, Ed & Joan Skodol, Sherry & Bill Bowne, Bud & Sandy Leister, Brian Boczkowski, Tim & Cathy McHugh, Tom "DAD" Thompson, Leigh's dad, runner, Tammy (+ bambino), Katie Ojala (t-shirt designer), Viviane Krause, Tony & Leigh Hinkle (w/ Emily). (middle) Mike & Heather Shaffer (w/ Murphy dog), Denise & David Price, Kelly Murphy, Erin Hiltebrand, Margie "MOM" Thompson, Katie Jermak (+ bambino), Justine Singh. (front) Alicia Skodol, Pam Leister, Chris Willich, Amy LaRue, Kristie Provost, Shannon McHugh (& Riley dog), Teal Walker. (unpictured: Amy Storm, Betsy Pringle, Betsy Owen, Caren Chessick)

More photos!









I have been so humbled by this and all the outpouring of support... thank you everyone!
love,
h (& c)