Marcia's News for Monday November 9th

Hello Everyone:

Sorry for the slightly late notice for this great news but....... MARCIA WENT HOME ON MONDAY!!!!

She was so happy to get home... She was really done with the hospital food and all she wanted was ribs and creamed onions! Tina made her some great homemade soup for her first meal back at home since October 5th.

She is doing very, very well and all of the numbers that really matter are going in the right direction now. This week she (and her chauffeur Pat) will have to be at Fred Hutch for blood checks and treatments every single day and the platlets and red blood cell transfusions continue.

Although the transplant process is working well, there continue to be some "peripheral" issues that must also be monitored and dealt with too, along with everything else. She now has a virus that is common to everyone however when you have no immune system it can get a quick hold on you and become a real problem. This one carries with it the threat of pneumonia. For that she will need infusion therapy twice a day for three weeks and then once a day for another four weeks after that, on top of everything else.

So please keep up the great thoughts and prayers. Hopefully she has the worst behind her, but this is a marathon, not a sprint and she continues to need all of your wonderful good wishes and positive support. She can accept phone calls at home - if you can catch her there - but she cannot have visitors yet as she still has almost no immunities.

Thanks to all of you!!
Marcia's Family