Derrick's Foundation...

Hi.... Many of people have talked to me recently about ways they can help out, so I wanted to update everyone on what is going on. After the first of the year, I will be setting up a non profit organization which will take a little time to get processed out. In the meantime I will be working with other organizations and doing fundraisers in Derrick's name. My friends are having a beef and beer benefit in Philadelphia at the end of January and I will provide more information as I have it. the money raised for this will go towards purchasing chemo ducks for cancer patients. These ducks are for children to help show them the kinds of treatment they will be undergoing. they are an amazing tool. I just wanted to let people know to keep checking here for updates, until I have Derrick's website up and running. Once again, thank you everyone for everything. I can't say enough about the friends and family that we all have. I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday.


- Mindy

Thank You

I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. The support that Derrick and I, and our families received was remarkable. All the cards, prayers, phone calls, and meals really helped to boost all our spirits when we needed it. Also, thank you to all who participated in and attended Derrick's beautiful service yesterday. I know Derrick was smiling down on all of us and was thrilled with the turnout, the kind words spoken about him, and the beautiful music that was shared. I am so glad that Derrick was able to touch so many people with his unwavering spirit and courageous attitude. He was a true example of how we should live our lives. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't angry about his passing, but I quickly try to remind myself how blessed Derrick and I were to have the time we had together. I truly believe what I said yesterday that life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. Derrick filled my life with enough memories to last forever and enough love to carry me on for years. He provided me the strength I needed to make it through the past 10 months, and especially the past couple of days. And for this I am thankful to him. My Diggy was a blessing and miracle that God placed in my life. He has made me a better person and he will always have my heart. I only hope that Derrick will continue to inspire others to love completely and live fully. Since I have been Derrick's voice for the past 10 months, I thought I'd be his voice again and remind you all to keep a positive attitude, help others, and count your blessings. I wish the absolute best to all the loyal blog readers, family, and friends of Derrick. A special thanks to Donna, Jim, and Marcy for all their love and support, and accepting me into their beautiful family. Please feel free to keep in touch at: Mindy Dull 421 Market Street Apt.3 Lewisburg, Pa 17837

- Some men leave their mark on the world by the way they live and the difference they make in the lives they touch.

-Baby since the day you came into my life
You made me realize that we were born to fly
You showed me everyday new possibilities
You proved my fantasies of love could really be

Let's go to a place only lovers go
To a spot that we've never known
To the top of the clouds we're floating away yeah
Ooh this feels so crazy
Oh this love is blazing
Baby we're so high
Walking on cloud 9

You've got me up so high
My shoes are scraping the sky
You've got me up so high
My shoes are scraping the sky

Maybe later we can go up to the moon
Or sail among the stars before the night is through
And when morning comes we'll see the sun is not so far
And we can't get much closer to God than where we are

We'll go to a place only lovers go
To a spot that we've never known
To the top of the clouds we're floating away yeah
Ooh this feels so crazy
Oh this love is blazing
Baby we're so high
Walking on cloud 9
-John legend

I love you Derrick...

Quick Announcement

For all our great friends, family, and loyal blog readers, we wanted to provide you with the information for Derrick's services.

Tuesday, December 9, there will be a viewing from 6-8pm

Wednesday, December 10, there will be a viewing from 10-11am and the funeral service will begin at 11am.

All of the services will be held at Ephrata First United Methodist Church on 68 N. Church St. in Ephrata.

Following the service, there will be a brief gathering for refreshments, but the details are to be determined.

Peace in Heaven

Today, December 6th 2008, around 11am, Derrick moved on to live an eternal life with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He passed away peacefully in his bed, holding his wife in his arms and surrounded by his closest friends and family. We were wishing for the miracle of a cure, but instead we were treated to the miracle of Derrick and Mindy's true courage, true strength, true mightiness, and true faith. Derrick and Mindy taught us so much in the last 10 months and are an example of true love in God's eyes. Derrick will always be my big brother and it was an inspiration to see him battle leukemia with all of his heart, with all of his strength, and to never once consider complaining about what he was enduring day in and day out. He reminded us of the important things in life and how much we should cherish our loved ones and remind them of it every day. Our family and friends continue to be a foundation of strength for us and we are so thankful for these people in our lives. We are thankful that God blessed Derrick with such a beautiful, caring, selfless bride who never left his side. Most of all, we are thankful that Derrick is in Heaven, free from all of the struggle and hurt that he endured here on earth throughout his battle with leukemia.

like Jimmy V said,
"cancer can take away all my physical abilities, it cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul, and those three things are going to carry on forever"

John 16:22
So with you: now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy

Update...

So the past couple of days have been a busy roller coaster ride to put it best. Yesterday, Derrick had to be placed on a ventilator for various reasons. They had planned to drain his left lung, which is almost completely filled with fluid, but they couldn't. The fluid in his lungs really made his breathing labored. Also, his liver isn't processing out the medications like it should, so it was causing him to be confused. Also, yesterday they did an ultrasound on his abdomen, because he was having a lot of different symptoms. The ultrasound showed that he had bleeding in his abdomen at several different places and bleeding in his colon. They can't definitively pinpoint where the bleeding is coming from, but it is likely due to his low platelet count and complications caused by the chemotherapy. Today they gave him this drug called factor 7, which is something we all have naturally in our bodies, but Derrick is currently deficient. Factor 7 helps with clotting, so they are hoping this will stop the bleeding internally. As soon as they get a handle on the bleeding, they are hoping to place a chest tube in Derrick to remove the fluid. The next step after that is that if this helps his breathing is to remove the ventilator and wake him up. He is currently sedated and resting comfortably. He gets platelet transfusions every 6 hours to also help with his clotting. Also in the works is his next bone marrow transplant which is scheduled to occur before December 16th. The chemotherapy that he had totally wiped out his immune system and his white cell count, which is currently at 0. At this point we are just going hour by hour, minute by minute, as things can change so quickly. Please keep Derrick in your prayers. We are still praying and believing in a complete healing for Derrick.

- Mindy

A Day of Thanks

Hope everybody had a joyous Thanksgiving today spent with people you love and care about. We are thankful that the 5 of us were able to be together today in NYC. My parents and I were able to choose between Thanksgiving dinner at the hospital and the Ronald McDonald House, both of which were a pleasant experience. Mindy is waiting to have her turkey until she can share it with her husband. Derrick has had a few rough days but continues to fight and make progress. Today he watched the parade and a little bit of football. Yesterday he had some fluid removed from his lung after the doctors noticed that his breathing was disrupted as a result of the fluid. Today Derrick started 24 hr dialysis in hopes to remove a lot of the fluids and toxins from his body. We're hoping that this will result in Derrick feeling a little bit more comfortable and an overall improvement of his kidney function. Thanks for the continuous support and we just ask that Derrick continues to be in your prayers.

p.s. How bout them E-A-G-L-E-S????

-Marcy

Update from the Ronald McDonald House...

Ok... This is Mindy... We haven't updated in awhile so I will try to catch everyone up the best I can. It has been a busy couple of days. The chemotherapy that Derrick was being given was in the pediatric unit, because the pediatric leukemia doctor has a new chemo regime that Derrick's transplant doctor thought would be good. We had some up and down days with the chemo. At first his counts came down, then they went back up, so that was a little scary. The chemo regime consists of four different types of chemotherapy given on different days. Once he got the strongest chemo his counts have dropped drastically from 180,000 to 3, 900. This was good and bad. The chemo was so strong that it damaged Derrick's kidneys and he is retaining a lot of fluid. He came into the hospital weighing 182, today he weighed in at 215 ( all fluid). His stomach is really bloated, in fact today he told me he thought his stomach might actually pop. Today, they decided that kidney dialysis would be beneficial in order to clean his blood and get rid of the toxins in his body that his kidneys aren't processing out. With today's dialysis they took out 5.7 pounds of fluid. They have to remove the fluid slowly, not all at once. Yesterday, Derrick also had to get a catheter put in to help him drain his bladder. He will get dialysis again tomorrow and they will up the amount of fluid they will try to take out. Derrick has just been really uncomfortable because of all the fluid and not being able to move too much because he currently has four different types of catheters. When we left tonight he was much more comfortable. The hardest part is that since he is in the ICU I can't stay overnight with him. In fact I have to leave by 8. Since Derrick has been sick, I have barely been away from him for a couple of minutes, let alone nights. This is really hard on both of us. Since I can't stay overnight, Marcy, Jim, Donna, and I are staying at the Ronald McDonald house. Please continue to pray for Derrick that his body, mind, and spirit will be strong. Also pray that the chemo will completely wipe out all the bad cells in his blood and bone marrow. It is also really important that he stay infection free. Derrick has been so incredibly strong throughout the past couple of days that we are all so proud of him. We did get some good news that the donor has decided to donate again! This will make the transplant process less complicated. Based on the scripture that says "where two or more agree, I am there in the midst" I thought it would be nice that whoever would like to take a minute or two tomorrow at 6:00 could say a prayer for Derrick. We appreciate your constant love, support, and prayers.

Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
Hebrews 13: 5-6

Second Day in the hospital...

Just checking in from Memorial Sloan Kettering... Today was mostly spent resting and recovering from a busy couple of days. Derrick's white blood cells started to come down a little today which was a good sign. We give thanks and praise to God for that! We are just praying that he continues to respond to the treatment. We are also praying that this donor gets lined up to donate again, or we get a better donor, whichever is better ( God knows!). Our amazing photographer, Greta and her husband Mike, set up a website with our wedding pictures on it, so by popular request, I thought I'd give you the link. The pictures help to capture the most magical perfect day of both mine and my husband's (hehe..I had to say that!) lives so far. Derrick and I cried pretty much the whole time, but they were definately tears of joy. I will never forget the first time I saw Derrick as I walked down the aisle, he was absolutely gorgeous. We wished everyone could have been there, but you all were definately in our hearts. We absolutely can not thank everyone enough for the time and effort put into a wedding five days in advance! Hope everyone enjoys the pictures. We love you all, and thank you all for your continued prayers!
God Bless,
Mindy

http://www.derrickandmindy.com/

http://picasaweb.google.com/dbld88/TheBestNov17Ever?authkey=KHSgaVqB0es#

The Day After.....

Hi! Donna here, just wanted to update everyone on Derrick's current status. Before I do that, I just want to share with you all how truly awesome our day was yesterday, November 17, the day my son married his angel on earth. The ceremony and reception were held at Shade Mountain Winery in Middleberg and went off almost without a hitch (other than the florist going to the wrong place) everything was perfect. This was amazing considering that Derrick and Mindy only decided on Wed. that they wanted to be married on Monday. Thanks to the hard and selfless work of Barb and Michelle (Mindy's mom and sister) and Mindy's friend, Casie (sorry if I spelled that incorrectly) the wedding fulfilled Mindy's dreams and everyone present felt like they were part of a very special love story that culminated in the marriage of two people who have lived the term "true love". Thank you Derrick and Mindy for allowing all of us to share your "special day" with you.

Today, Derrick and Mindy and Jim headed back to NYC to find out what the next steps will be in Derrick's treatment. When they arrived at MSK, Derrick had his blood taken, had some CAT scans, and a breathing treatment. The results of his blood tests indicated that Derrick's white blood count was extremely high and he needed to be admitted to the hospital and begin treatment immediately to try to get that count down. His doctor starting giving him fluids which should help bring the count down and also started him on a new chemotherapy drug which they're hoping will work to kill the leukemia cells. The doctor told him that he will most likely be in the hospital for the next 4 weeks or so. Please continue to keep all of us in your prayers as this is a very critical time for Derrick.

God will never let you sink under your circumstances. He always provides a safety net, and His love always encircles. - Barbara Jackson

A time when you can't help but ask why....

Sorry for not posting for a few days, and I wish I could say everything is great and I was just being lazy but unfortunately that is not the case. We found out on Wednesday that my cancer, leukemia is back in my body. I know most of you when you read that last sentence will ask the same questions as me, why, how. So this means that I will have to start chemo next week to get my cancer back into remission and then most likely we will try a second transplant and this time instead of having a T-Cell depleted one, I will have a conventional transplant which will cause graft vs host disease but will kill off the leukemia cells as well. Mindy and I have decided to get married TOMORROW. I never thought people could pull off a wedding in 5 days but I know ours is going to be awesome. Since we are going to have to go through and down this long road again Mindy and I thought it only be fitting if we do it as husband and wife. Personally I was totally excited when we brought up the idea because I have been waiting forever to marry this amazing angel of mine. It is the night before my wedding right now so I'm going to keep this short, please keep me in your prayers and pray that the chemo regime they put me on next week gets my cancer into remission and that we have success with the donor again and a good second transplant. Tuesday I will see my doctor again and learn what the game plan will be. We have finished asking why and we have turned our lives over to the Lord, our lives are in his hands now, and when you think about it they have always been. I can't believe I'm getting married tomorrow, I love my future bride to be so much and I can not wait to call her my wife, tomorrow in the mist of everything else I am dealing with I will be able to say with absolute certainty I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I love you Mindy, you are my everything.

Update...

Hey! It's Mindy, Derrick is sleeping, which is great, because sometimes his leg bothers him so much it interrupts his sleep. I just wanted to give a quick update and let everyone know that the nurse called yesterday with the results from his MRI. She said that it pretty much confirms what they previously thought that it is a small tumor on his nerve and that this type of tumor is usually benign. She said that it will be removed. Today we are meeting with the orthopedic surgeon to discuss the surgery, and he will probably give us more details about the tumor. Please pray that we have a great appointment and that the tumor is benign. Thanks! In other news Derrick is still recovering emotionally from both Penn State and the Eagle's losses this weekend. Have a good day!

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and healing shall spring up quickly.
Isaiah 58:8


Whatever you ask for in Prayer with faith you will receive.
Matthew 21:22

Pics

Day +106

My spinal tap on Tuesday went well, I was planning or I should say anticipating getting sick from it but thankfully I didn't, which was obviously very cool. I picked up a prescription for oxycodone on Tuesday because I am having more pain now in my leg behind my knee and in my foot. I had my MRI today but I probably won't have any of the results until Tuesday when we meet with Dr. Bollin an orthopedic surgeon. We are just praying that the tumor is not cancerous and can be removed.
Mindy and I are finding ourselves bored here at the Hope Lodge, I mean don't get us wrong, we are truly grateful but after being back home for a few days it's hard to come back to NYC and be in a room where we don't have anything. I don't eat as well when we are here either, I attribute that to the fact that I have to mask and glove up to walk down to the kitchen to make anything. As opposed to our apartment where I can just get up and walk into the kitchen, not to mention we have the cupboards stuffed with food and here it's just a day to day kinda thing. Today I had oatmeal for breakfast, skipped lunch because of my MRI which we were gone from 2 till 6. Then I had a digourno pizza for dinner, then a little snack of lucky charms.
We are going to be here at the Hope Lodge for a few more days now, I have my meeting on Tuesday and pending the results of my MRI and what the doctor wants to do I may have surgery sometime shortly after that, so at this point we are just hoping to be home by Thanksgiving so we can both chow down on some of our mama and memaw's famous home cooking.
I had two more finger nails fall off today, they really don't bother me as much now that I keep band aids on them so they don't get caught on anything. More and more hair is starting to grow on my head and the more it comes in the more I am starting to think my best days as a blonde could be gone. That really is the least of my cares, God has given me a second chance at life and I am lucky enough to have any hair at all. (Right Dad)
I through up some random pics of Halloween, I was a doctor and Mindy was Pippy Longstocking. I also put up a picture of me along the highway on our drive back to the bus station on Monday when part of my car was dragging on the road, Mindy and I had a good long laugh, something about your first car though, I just can't see myself ever parting ways from her. (Yeah its a her and her name is betsy). There is one of my best friend Michael from the other weekend Mindy and I went to visit him before the Phillies game, he cracks me up, he just got this new tent for his upcoming hunting trip and was setting it up in the house.
Congratulations to Marcy and the Ohio Bobcats on winning their first game in the MAC tournament today 7-0, 3 of which were knocked in by my favorite sister.


Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see
Herbrews 11:1

Day +103

Back in NYC. Today we went to the hospital to have labs drawn, I didn't get the results back today though. Tomorrow I have a spinal tap, which I'm not looking forward to, last time I was sick the whole next day. My leg is still bothering me, it is the worst at night, we keep praying that it is nothing major. I have an MRI on Thursday and then I am seeing an orthopedic surgeon next Tuesday. It's looking like we will be in NYC for at least 2 and a half more weeks, now we are just hoping to be home by Thanksgiving. We are looking on the bright side, not only are we so thankful that we are here and that the Lord has blessed us and seen us through many deep waters, but at least this way were will be in one place for some time instead of running around all the time. My first two fingernails fell off this past weekend, and now I have nice new nails. I can't believe the BCS this week, PSU #3 I mean come on, this team has National Championship written all over it.

Please keep my in your prayers and pray that the tumor in my leg is nothing serious and everything goes well tomorrow with my spinal tap. Also please take time to give praise to the Lord for all that he has done and provided not only in my life but in yours. A lot of time we turn to the Lord and ask for prayer during tough times, but we need to remember all that we have to be thankful for, from living in this wonderful nation, to our health.

DAY 100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We made it, day 100, for those of you who aren't aware this is a huge milestone in my recovery process, after 100 days without problems your percentages for survival go up drastically. Last night I had a surprise B-Day party for Mindy's 26th birthday, we all had a good time. This morning when I woke up Mindy made me breakfast (coco krispies and hash), she also had 100 post it notes stuck all over our apartment, with notes of things I have overcome and things we have done over the past 10 months.
My doctor called with the results of the ultra sound I had on my leg, she thinks there is a small neurologic tumor behind my knee. This should be able to be removed with surgery so pray that everything goes well and that it is this neurologic tumor and nothing else.
Today is another great time to reflect on the obstacles we have overcome and all that we have done even though we were dealing with such a terrible disease.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN MUAHHHHH

Day +97

We had a great apt. at the doctors today, we found out that I am 100% donor and that there were no chromosonal abnormalities. Praise God. I'm sure some of you are also wondering how our trip to South Philly went on Sunday. Let me just say that watching the fans on TV doesn't come close to the insaneness when you are really there, I'm sure it didn't hurt that there wasn't an empty seat in the house. I hope the phillies can close this out tomorrow. I don't think I mentioned about Penn States big win on Saturday but what a WIN, 3 more games to the National Championship. Tomorrow I am having an ultra sound on the back of my left leg just above my knee cap. I have been having some pain there and I have lost some mobility in my foot which is a little scary to me.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith
Hebrews 12:2

Day +93

I got my preliminary results back yesterday from my doctor and everything looks good. We should know whether I am still 100% donor or not in a week or two and also the cytogenetics, if there are any of the abnormal chromosome from before. On Wednesday night Mindy and I went to a black tie affair in NYC for a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society at the Pierre hotel. I gave a speech and we had a blast. I opened my speech up by saying I was a Phillies fan because the gentlemen who introduced me said we were from PA but he wasn't sure if I was a Phillies fan or not. After my speech as I was walking off the podium a gentleman approched me with his business card outstreatched in his hand and repeated the following "you call me tomorrow and you got yourself 2 world series tickets." So to make a long story short Mindy and I are going to game 4 in Philly on Sunday. I am speaking tomorrow at another ACS event in Valley Forge. Keep praying for good results on my bone marrow and go PSU tomorrow night and Lets go Phillies!!!!!




God bless,



Derrick

Day +85

Another post from home in Lewisburg. Everything with my appt. on Tuesday went well, I didn't get sick from the IVIG and my doctor gave me the ok to come home for a few days because I do so much better when I'm at home, I get out and walk, I eat more, and I just have a much more positive attitude. I have another apt. on Tuesday when I am having my 100 day bone marrow biopsy done which is HUGE. To all the prayer warriors out there please pray that I am 100% donor again, I was after 30 days but they check this every time the do a BMB, that I have no leukemia cells, and that everything looks good. Even though Mindy and I are big PSU football fans we have to give a shout out to Lenny (thanks for the t-shirts we love them) and all the USC fans out there. FIGHT ON!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Check out the dome piece, can't tell quite yet what color it will be but I am definitely sprouting.

O god when I have food let me remember the hungry, when I have work help me to remember the jobless, when I have a warm home help me to remember the homeless, when I am without pain help me to remember those who suffer. And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency and bestir my compassion make me concerned enough to help by word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted.

Samuel F. Pugh

Weekend update

Sorry for not posting in a while but guess what, I am writing this from my apt. in Lewisburg PA whoo hooooo. We don't like to say anything to jinx us but Mindy and I were able to come home last Wednesday just for the weekend, our good friends got married yesterday and I was able to go to the wedding as long as I steered clear of everyone, Mindy was the Maid of Honor. So getting out of NY and back home here has been great, I have been so gitty, I have been outside on walks and just the smell of the fresh air is just refreshing. I miss this so much and can not wait until we are able to be here full time. I am feeling well and I have been eating good so I hope my weight is up when we have out doctors visit on Tuesday. I really can not express how happy I was and still am to be back home for the first time in months and just getting back to some sense or normalcy.

Day +73

Sorry for not posting since my visit and procedure on Thursday but I had good reason. So Mindy and I never like to post about things coming up that we are doing or anything because we think that sometimes jinx's us, so we didn't say anything about us going to Lewisburg for the weekend on the blog. But Thursday everything went well I had the spinal tap and a CT scan which came back good. Mindy and I were scheduled to leave at 6 am on Friday and at about 5 am I woke up and threw up. Then I threw up for the rest of the day like every 3 hours and I didn't eat or drink anything all day, I felt pretty crappy. So Mindy did leave to go home on Saturday and my mom came up to stay with me because I still wasn't feeling the greatest. The vomitting was found to be a side effect from the chemo that was put in my spine. Today I feel much better and I am eating and drinking and I feel really good. Phils are going to the NLCS whoop whoop, PAT THE BAT. PSU got another win yesterday which I was happy about. Mindy gave a great report from Lewisburg and said how much I am going to love coming home, "I can't wait."

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14: 6

Day +69

Today I had a visit with my doctor, and our meeting went very well. For the first time ever, all my counts were in a normal range, my WBC was up at 4 which is the bottom of the normal range. This was an awesome apt. my doctor was very pleased with how everything is progressing and where we are at. So give God a big praise in your prayers for a great meeting today. The Phillies start October playoffs tomorrow, GO PHILS. Markets rebounded a little today which was good to see I didn't want to see another 777 crash. Appetite is coming back little by little, still not really ever hungry but I feel like I'm able to eat a little bit more each week.

Day +68

How about crazy financial markets! DOW down 700 points, good thing I am not looking to retire. Hopefully things will get worked out soon. I have my weekly appointment with my doctor tomorrow to get my blood levels drawn, so hopefully my white cells will be up. I will keep you posted this week on how my appointments go. I am still eating a little better, but I still don't ever really feel hungry, I kinda miss that feeling. I spent the weekend watching football. I'm pumped that PSU won, but I am bummed that the Eagles lost. We needed Westbrook. On another note I thought I would pass another webpage along to you. It is the page of one of Mindy and I's friends from Lycoming. She is running a marathon in honor of me to raise money for the leukemia and lymphoma society to raise money for research to fight these blood cancers. The marathon is in November, and she is still trying to meet her goal of raising $2,800. If anyone is interested in helping her out there is a link on her website where you can donate. Thanks for all the prayers. Please keep praying for my white cells, no infections, that my lungs are clear so I can stop this medecine, and a smooth spinal tap.

Here is Cara's website http://pages.teamintraining.org/epa/corps08/ckapson

Day +66

Hello! Hope you all our having a great weekend! So we had casino night the other night, and let's just say I hustled all the other unsuspecting players. Just kidding. But anyway, I did play Texas Hold' Em and was the big winner! As a prize I was given Guitar Hero! Mindy and I have been playing that a lot lately. My appetite seems to be getting a little better again. I made some brownies the other night, and I am just finishing the pan right now. I also have been eating a lot of Ramen noodles lately. Tomorrow, Mindy is making cheesy potato soup which will go perfect with football. In a little bit we are going to watch the Penn State game! My Ma Ma and Pa Pa came this week to visit. It was really nice to see them! They brought Mindy a blanket that they made for her. It is really nice, in fact she hasn't gotten to use it because I have been using it.


On the medical front, nothing really new. Next week is going to be pretty busy with some procedures. I have to get this breathing treatment to prevent pneumonia and a spinal tap (not really looking forward to that one). I am also getting a follow up CT scan of my lungs to see if the nodes are gone. If they are then hopefully my doctor will discontinue one of the medications that I am on. My hair is starting to come back, especially on my face. It looks a little darker than before, so maybe now I will be a brunette. I call myself spaghetti head, because I think my hair is going to come back all stringy.

Thanks again for all your prayers, cards, and well wishes!

Day +63

Yesterday we had a good apt. with my doctor. My WBC was down a little and I needed to get a shot of nupogen but my doctor isn't too worried about it. Next week I am getting my first spinal tap which is where they inject a small amount of chemo into my spinal chord. I had that before and I got terrible headaches so I hope this one goes better. I am feeling well, my taste is almost back to normal I'm still just waiting for my appitite to come back. Mindy and I are going down to the 6th floor for casino night tonight. There is blackjack, roulette, and poker, it should be a good time.

Day +57

Yesterday I had an appointment with my doctor and my white cells came up from 3.0 to 3.1 on their own!!!!!!!! This was great news, praise the Lord. I also got a medicine yesterday called IVIG which takes 4 hours to infuse in me. Afterward we got back to the hope lodge and had dinner and just as I was finishing I threw up. Then again this morning right when I started to eat breakfast I threw up again. I talked to my doctor and she isn't too concerned yet but we are definitly going to keep and eye on it, my stomach hasn't felt that good that past few days and thats really the only thing I can ask people to pray for.

Anyone who believes shall not perish but have eternal life.

Day +50 Reflections

So today I'm officially half way to my big day +100. We had a little scare last night, it was around 12 and I took my temperature and I was 100.7, and a fever for me is 100.4. I called the doctor and he recommended that I come into the urgent care unit at Sloan and be evaluated. So Mindy and I packed our suitcase for about 3 days because we anticipated being admitted. When we arrived there they took my temp and I was 98.0. We kinda thought that our thermometer was acting a little strange but that was great news and meant we weren't going to have to stay. I had some blood cultures done, a urine sample, and a chest x-ray all which came back good.

So Mindy and I got to talking last night about how far we have come in the past 9 months and how big a part God has played in our lives. I know we are always on to the new thing to pray for and I want to take some time to reflect on some moments since I was diagnosed with cancer.

Jan. 29: The day I was diagnosed with AML. My white count was 122,000 normal being 4-6 thousand. I was admitted at Hershey around 8 and that night I had a catheter put into my groin to be able to run my blood out of my body through a machine and back in to kill down my white cells because they were dangerously high. I hated that surgery. The Lord was there with me that day just letting the doctors find this disease in time before it could have killed me.

Maybe 3 days later: I was told I had the worse type of AML, and I would need to have a stem cell transplant in order to live.

The most common death for AML transplant patients is those who can not find a suitable match to have a transplant.

I was able to get my leukemia in remission after my induction chemo which was another huge step, and I praise God for that.

Then there was the dreadful day about 5 weeks after my second round of chemo, when they found masses in my testes, and I was having problems with my eyes that they thought it might have spread to my brain and central nervous system. If you remember reading these days you remember that about a week later I had my testes ultra sounded again and the masses were completely gone. The doctor came in the room and said there is no explanation for this unless you've been praying a lot, which we were, but how cool was it the the Lord took these masses away and made this doctor realize there is a God and he can heal.

May: Mindy for no reason decided to look up other hospitals that do transplants, I say for no reason because at this point Hershey was where we were planning on going and there wasn't really any thoughts of anywhere else. Mindy came across Memorial Sloan Kettering in NY, one of the world's best transplant centers that specializes in AML my specific type of leukemia. God bless her.

June-July: We went through so many ups and downs with a donor, we thought we had one, and then they were no good, and then one backed out, but finally God brought us a 22 yr old male. I mean do you think that is a coincidence that I'm 23 and we were going to go with a 46 yr old woman but waited and this guy came up, and God bless him for joining the registry and going through with donating his stem cells. I thank God so much that I was able to find a match and have a transplant.

We had plenty of ups and downs with my pneumonia and I had to have a lung biopsy before they would clear me to be eligible for a transplant. I was cleared and on July 14 was admitted to MSK for my transplant.

I spent 26 days in the hospital, the fastest that most doctors have ever seen. The average is between 35-50 days, most people we talk to were in for at least 40 days. God was with me the entire time and there were some very hard days at MSK but I had my angel Mindy with me and the Lord.

So today at day +50 I want to give thanks and praise to the Lord for all that he has done for me in the past 9 months.

I wanted to give some advice to everyone who reads this because it's something I have learned since being diagnosed.
Don't sweat the small stuff in life. So many times Mindy and I find ourselves in situations were in the past we would have reacted differently or complained to each other and now, we just shrug it off because it is so insignificant in the grand scheme of life. Don't get upset if you get caught in a traffic jam, don't have any road rage at all, if that person cuts you off, who cares. Maybe your waiting in line and someone cuts right in front of you, who cares it doesn't matter. Just be thankful for everything that God has provided for you and blessed you with. Your health being a main one. Never take days for granted because tomorrow is never promised to anyone.
Stay faithful. I usually close my posts with a pray request, but tonight I am asking you to take a moment to give thanks and praise to God!

Day +47

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't posted in a little while, I don't really have too much news to report. Tomorrow I have a visit with my doctor and we will evaluate how my white cells are doing, I hope and pray that they are up. They were at 2.1 on Friday and I got neupogen, so I think they most likely will be up tomorrow, the real test will be next Thursday when I go back after a week and a half without neupogen and see what they are doing then. I really love the fall weather, but I must say when your in the city you wouldn't know it, which is nice that way I don't get teased. But I'm sure back in Pa is beautiful. Mindy got me one of my favorite foods to have for dinner tonight, RIBS!!!!!! yeah I'm excited for that. My feet are still peeling off, I have a feeling this is going to be a slow process. I still have some discoloration on various spots on my body but this should all go away with time as my new cells come in. I have been drinking a lot of water lately, not straight though, I put those crystal light packets in, I really like lemonade, and strawberry, but at least I'm able to drink water. Soda I think will be the ultimate test, I had a sip the other night and it still tastes crappy, I think it has to do with the carbonation. Still no new sprouts growing on my dome piece or any where on my body for that matter. Ok, that all from the big apple.

"...whoever believes in him shall not perish..."

Pictures from Saturday

Here are some pictures from my parents' visit on Saturday.

Day +43

Today Mindy and I went to the hospital to have my labs drawn. My WBC unfortunatly was down a little bit to 2.1. They are still holding longer than the week before which is a good sign, we just need them to stay up on there own. I did get a shot of neupogen today because my ANC was 1.1. Marcy is down in Louisville this weekend to play them in field hockey. My mom and dad are coming to visit tomorrow in the afternoon for a little while. I had a hungry man for dinner tonight 960 calories, whoop whoop. I didn't check my weight today but I feel heavier. Mindy and I both were able to finish our first week of our 100 push up challenge. It's a program that if you follow claims you will be able to do 100 straight push ups. Todays sets were 15, 12, 10, 10, Max at least 15. I also did some abs exercises yesterday and today my abs are as sore as I have ever felt them, I guess when you don't really work out for 9 months you really feel it when you do.

I'll leave you with the verse that Mindy and I currently studying in our daily bible study.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
"The numbers of hope"

Day +42

Today was really nice here in NYC so this afternoon Mindy and I went down to the 6th floor balcony and I did some small laps back and forth, it was a nice little work out and a good change of scenery for both of us. There was a Wii tennis tournament tonight, which didn't amount to too many people showing up, but we did have people to play with, none of which were a match for Mindy and I. Other than that nothing really out of the norm here for us. NFL starts tomorrow so I guess I'll start watching that, see if the Eagles can put it together this year. Please continue to pray that my white cells are up from 2.5 on Friday when I go back to the hospital. Thank you.

Day +41

Today we had a visit with my doctor and got good news with regard to my white cells, they were up to 2.5 which is up from last week when they were 1.6 but I got a shot of neupigen then and didn't receive any today. I am going back on Friday to see where they are then and if they are up then we will know that they are coming up on their own so pray for that. At least they were not lower today. Nothing else to report we were at the hospital for most of the day today and now were just watched some tv.

Lord, Be thou a bright flame before me,
be thou a guiding star above me,
be thou a smooth path below me,
be thou a kindly shepherd behind me,
today, tonight and forever

-Saint Columba

Day +40

Happy Labor Day to everyone. It was another pretty uneventful day here in NYC. I watched some football during the day today and watched UCLA upset Tennessee in a great game. Tomorrow is a big day as we have a meeting with my doctor, so keep praying that my white blood cells are up and that I remain infection free. I am able to still drink some water, although today it seemed to taste a little worse but I was still able to get one or two bottles down. Mindy made a great dinner tonight, she made chicken alfredo with fresh broccoli. Mindy did some research on foods which boost your white blood cells and that is what I have been eating the past few days. I will try to give everyone an update on how my appointment goes tomorrow, it probably won't be until late though because by the time I get back from the hospital it will be around dinner time. Hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day.

"...whoever believes in Him shall not perish..."

Day +38

College football day........whooo hooo. So needless to say I spent most of my day in front of the TV. Notable efforts on the day go to Penn St putting up 66 points, Eastern Carolina for upsetting VT, USC looking great. I am looking forward to Alabama vs Clemson tonight, should be a great game. For anyone who has me on any prayer chains at their church I would ask that you please pray that my white blood cells stabilize and come up on their own for my meeting on Tuesday. Ironically the other day when I said I was yet to try water, Mindy comes back from the grocery store with a fiji water for me, And......I drank it. I couldn't taste anything really but at least it didn't taste bad, and it still quenched my thirst. So i'm totally pumped about that, just being able to drink water will save us some cash too because all I was drinking were flavored drinks which are much more expensive than water. Tonight Mindy is making one of our favorite meals, chicken divine, it consists of chicken, broccolli, corn flakes, and a great sauce in a casserole dish, umm yummy. I saw the Phillies won today against the cubs, I really hope they can sustain for the rest of the season and make the playoffs. I hope this blog doesn't turn into a sports blog, but I can't promise anything. The hope lodge is great, I spend basically all my time in my room, because I'm not allowed out, so I hang out in my room and make trips down the hall to the community kitchen to have my meals, but sometimes I eat in my room because I'm not supposed to be around other people and some people here are sick and I have to stear clear of them. I had peanut butter cap'n crunch for breakfast this morning, I haven't had that cereal in a long time and I forgot how awesome it is. Last night for dinner Mindy got me Lloyds pulled pork, now normally the entire container would have been gone last night, but I wasn't able to taste it too much, which I was totally bummed about, because anyone who knows me knows how much I like pulled pork or anything that comes from that delicious animal. My hands really peeled, I think I mentioned that in a previous blog and now my feet are peeling.

I still am not growning hair anywhere, I'm not sure how long that will take. Thanks to all who are reading my blog and staying up to date with our fight.

God is good and God is great!

Day +37

Nothing real exciting to report here from NYC. Yesterday Mindy and I watched some movies and played a lot of 500 rummy. We are still just praying my white cells come up by our meeting with my doctor on Tuesday. I am eating a little bit more each day or so, last night I had a hungry man frozen dinner, mainly because of the 960 calories and 45g of fat in it. This morning I had 2 packets of strawberry oatmeal, and a bowl of golden grams. I still haven't mustered up the courage to try water yet, I think I will wait until I know i'm going to enjoy it, I really can't wait, it's my favorite thing to drink.

Lord, I trust you. I have said, "You are my God." My life is in your hands.
Psalm 31:14-15

+35

I had my doctors apt. yesterday and everything looked good except my white blood cells which were low again. My doctor isn't sure the reason for this, she said that if she just looked at my bone marrow I should have normal WBC which is anywhere from 5-8. I was at 1.6 yesterday. She isn't going to do anything yet, we are going to wait to see where they are next Tuesday for my next apt. This would be something I would ask everyone to pray about, that my white cells come up and hold at the normal level. I am watching Beverly Hills Cop right now while Mindy is out running some erans. Can't wait to watch some college football this weekend, I'm looking forward to the USC vs Virginia game.

In you, O Lord, I put mmy trust: Let me never be ashaamed; Deliver me in your righteousness.
Psalm 31:1

Day +33

GREAT NEWS TODAY!!!!!! I got a call from my doctor around 3 today letting me know that my cytogenetics came back and I am officially 100% donor. Praise God for this awesome news. I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow afternoon, just my regular Tuesday visit. I will get my blood counts taken and then just have a few minutes with the doc, so she can look me over and talk about some of this news and anything coming up. Nothing else is really new, just really stoked about that news we got today.

When a person's steps follow the Lord, God is pleased with his ways. if he stumbles, he will not fall, because the Lord holds his hand.
Psalm 37:23-24

Day +31 & 32

Saturday my dad and mom came up in the afternoon and hung out and then we all had shepard's pie for dinner, which was great, I still can't taste 100% but I would say I'm well on my way to like 50% I can kinda taste some things here and there. Mindy and I watched Definitely Maybe last night, it was a good movie. Today my mom and dad are coming to visit a little before they make the trip back. We are all still praising God for the great news we got on Friday that there was no sign of the chromosomal abnormality that originally was the cause of my leukemia. Mindy and I are going to have to find something else to occupy our time now that the Olympics are over tonight, that goodness football starts soon, although I don't know if we will be able to watch our Eagles or our Nittny Lions from NYC.

"God gives us the faith to righteousness, no matter how dark and uncertain are the skies of today. We pray for the bifocals of faith-that see the despair and the need of the hour but also see, further on, the patience of our God working out his plan in the world he has made."

Day +30

Today we got some great news at the hospital, we found out that there were no chromosomal abnormalities in my bone marrow which is what causes the leukemia. This is Fantastic news, praise God. My counts were good today my WBC was 4 and my ANC was 3, it will be interesting to see where they are on Tuesday because this past Tuesday I got a neupegin shot to boost my counts. Thank you to everyone who has donated stuff to the hope lodge, we really appreciate it and so does everyone here. I am eating a little more day by day, I feel like my taste buds at the front of my mouth are coming back a little bit so right when I get food in my mouth I can taste it a little bit but as it moves back I loose taste, but hey even that little bit at the front is great. We will find out what percent donor I am hopefully sometime next week so keep praying I am 100% donor.

The Lord will keep you from all evil, he will keep your life.
Psalm 121:7

Day +28

Yesterday I had an apt. with my doc, I had my 30 day bone marrow biopsy. Even though I wasn't at exactly day 30 they still call it that. All went well, we won't know the results of whether or not I'm 100% donor and if any leukemia cells are there for about 10 days. I also got a medicine called IVIG to help boost my immune system while I am still recovering here. I will get IVIG once a month for the first 3 months then on an as needed basis. I had to get an IV put in and it took about 3 hours to infuse. My weight dropped yesterday to our dismay, I really felt like it would go up. I was 188 last Tuesday and yesterday I was 185. The doctor was not concerned with this and knows once I can start tasting stuff and my appetite comes back this should not be a problem. My platelets and red blood cells are coming up on their own which is a good sign I am engrafting. The days are just going by here at the hope lodge, I am looking forward to day 100 when Mindy and I can get back home. Thanks to all who are praying for us and continue to pray that the results of my BMB are good, that I'm 100% donor and no leukemia cells are found.

I lift my head up to the hills, where does my strength come from, my strength comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.

Day +25

Derrick fell asleep before he could post, so I thought I'd give a quick update. He felt pretty good all weekend and is slowly starting to eat more. He's still waiting on being able to taste food. My family came to visit today, which was wonderful because I haven't seen them in so long. Derrick has his first bone marrow biopsy on Tuesday which will determine if there is any leukemia and if he is 100 % donor. This is really important, so please keep this in your thoughts and prayers. Tomorrow, derrick plans on just resting, because Tuesday is going to be a long day since his has the biopsy, a meeting with his doctor, then a four hour infusion of special immune system recovery stuff :) Hope everyone had a great weekend!


Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires.

Psalm 37:4

Day +24

Today was another good day, my grandparents and my mom came up to visit for a little today. Mindy and I just watched Phelps win his 8th gold medal, what an athelete. My skin is still really peeling off which is weird, but normal they say. I am still eating a little and drinking maybe a little more I am slowly trying to eat more. I am drinking a lot of gatorade, it has good calories and I can taste some of the flavors a little bit. I started with just orange but then moved to lemon lime, fruit punch and today I got grape and cool breeze. Tomorrow I'm going to try some frosted flakes for breakfast. Hopefully Therrrreee Ggggrrrreat!!!!

I look up to the mountains: does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from GOD, who made heaven, and earth and mountains.
Psalm 121:1

Day +23

Today I had to go to the hospital for blood tests to check my levels, and they were great, I didn't need to get a shot to boost my cells like I thought I would because they are holding steady on their own. My mom and grandma and grandpa are coming to visit tomorrow which should be nice. Don't really have to much else interesting to say. Pretty much just eat sleep and hang out in our room unless we have an apt. We do venture down to the 6th floor every now and then and play some Wii. We did watch Phelps win his 7th gold medal in one of the best finishes I've ever seen in any sport, he's the man.

Day +21 Part 2

Hello everyone, what would I do with out Mindy? Sometimes at night I just get in bed an don't feel like doing much but trying to sleep. I just got done having a pop tart and two bowls of cinnamon toast crunch for breakfast. Still can't taste too much but certain things I am able to tolerate. I don't really get hungry yet either (can anyone believe that) but I just kinda have to force the food down. But hey, whatever it takes right? Mindy and I are enjoying our stay so far here at the hope lodge, our days seem to go by rather quickly. I can't believe we have only been here 5 days, it seems much longer than that already, what a drastic change from being in the hospital though. I was telling Mindy that sometimes when your in the hospital you just feel like you should be sick. And eating and drinking wise I have come so far since last Saturday when I could barley eat anything and I was only taking little sips of drink. My skin is really dry and I have to lotion up at least twice a day. There are still some real dark spots all over my body from the radiation but they will go away with time.

The Lord is always with you

Day +21

Derrick fell asleep again, but he will post late tomorrow morning. He had a pretty uneventful day today which is always good. I know some people had some questions regarding donations to the Hope Lodge, so I wanted to quickly try to answer some of those. In an earlier post I accidentally had a typo where I said that someone had taken care of all the donations. What I meant to say was someone took care of the dvd player donations. Derrick went back and fixed it, but most of you probably read it by then. I guess I should proofread :) Anyway, the Hope Lodge provides many things for their guests. Some things they can always use are; dishtowels, paper plates,cups, plastic silverware, paper towels, cascade dishwasher soap, throw blankets, condiments such as ketchup, cooking supplies such as pans, and simple things like Pam cooking spray. Basically the only thing that the Hope Lodge doesn't provide for it's guests is food. I know some of you expressed just writing a check to donate. If you wish you can just make it out to the American Cancer Society and mail it to the address we provided. This money will be put to good use as it can be used for some of the families who have difficulty providing food for themselves. Once again, please do not feel obligated. Derrick and I feel truly blessed to have family and friends like all of you. :) We love you.


Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6

Day +20

Today I had a meeting with my doctor. They took blood which they will do routinely to check my counts and various other stuff. My counts were all really good my WBC was low which is normal so I got a shot to boost them up. The doctor was very pleased with everything and was very positive in our meeting which made Mindy and I both feel great. We watched Phelps win his 11th gold medal last night which was awesome. Today we just plan on relaxing and hanging out. Please continue to pray that I am leukemia free and that any residual leukemia is killed off by my new immune system, also that my donors cells engraf sucessfully, and if you want that my taste buds come back but that is really the least of my worries right now. Thanks to all. Mindy and I were doing our daily devotion the other night and we came across this verse which really touched both of us.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18

Day +19

Derrick feel asleep before he could post tonight, he was preoccupied with the Olympics! He had a really good day all around today. In the morning he was able to eat two small bowls of cereal, then he had a Popsicle, 2 packs of oatmeal, mandarin oranges, and a can of Chef Boyardee. So there is much improvement with his eating. He also has been drinking a lot more. Things still taste really bad, so he is avoiding his favorite foods! we have a pizza date set up for the first day he can start to taste things again. This is the only restaurant like food he can have, but the pizza must come directly out of the oven and into my hands and they can't slice it with their pizza cutter (too many germs). Since our last stay at the Hope Lodge someone donated a Wii, so Derrick and I played both tennis and bowling today, and then he played golf. Derrick had a lot of fun and he was surprisingly energetic. We got moved rooms today, one with a bigger bed, since Derrick didn't fit on the last one because his legs were too long. He has his first follow-up appointment with Dr. Papadapoulous tomorrow, so please pray that everything goes very smoothly. Right now we are just waiting until day +30 for confirmation that the stem cells completely engrafted, and we are waiting on the cells to attack any residual leukemia so that it never comes back. So please agree with us in prayer for that! On a side note Derrick posted yesterday about the wish list for the Hope Lodge, and I just wanted to let everyone know that the lady here told us today that a past visitor to the Lodge has donated all of the DVD players. How wonderful! Both of our families are coming this weekend, so we are excited to see them! Hope everyone has a great week!

In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
Psalm 138:3

Day +18

Today was our first full day at the Hope Lodge. I was able to drink a little bit more today, but I still can't taste anything. We watched a lot fo the Olympics today, it's great that they are on tv, because it gives Mindy and I something to do. I have an appointment on tuesday afternoon with my doctor just to get bloodwork and a physical exam. We greatly appreciate all the cards that everyone has been sending us lately, but we feel so blessed that we have everything we need right now ( my health), so we are asking that instead of sending any cards or care packages, you instead help keep the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge up and running by sending things as simple as dishclothes. We figured that the average card costs the same as a dish cloth. The Hope Lodge has been another blessing for us and they function basically on donations. I have attached the link to the list of things they need as simple as paper plates and throw blankets. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/subsite/hopelodge/NY_NewYorkCity/nyc_our_wish_list.asp

You can send any donations to us at:
Derrick Dull
c/o American Cancer Society Hope Lodge
Po Box 2284
New York, NY 10116

Please don't feel obligated at all to do this, but we just want to see others helped in the way that we were.

Having returned from Sunday school, a little boy was playing with his dog in the front yard. A neighbor, a local cynic, walked by and stopped to visit with the boy. He asked him what he had been doing that morning, and the boy told him he had been to Sunday school, where he'd learned a lot about God. The neighbor laughed derisively and challenged the boy. " Well, if you can tell me where God is, I will give you a quarter." The boy responded in a polite and calm voice, " Sir, if you'll tell me where God isn't I will give you a dollar."

Day +17

First day out of the hospital......Awesome. It took a little while today to get out of the hospital, Mindy and I and my Mom and Dad didn't leave MSKCC until around 3. It felt very weird to set foot outside and smell the fresh air and see all the colors of the sky and trees in person once again. This is the first time that I am not connected to anything, other than the 3 days I had right before I was admitted into MSKCC since I was diagnosed in January. I took a shower today in our room and it felt great to be able to spin around and not have any cords attached to me. My mom and dad came up today to help with the move Mindy and I had a little more than we could handle especially since I couldn't carry much at all. We got to the hope lodge dropped our stuff off in our room and headed down to the 6th floor which is the only floor where you can have visitors. The hope lodge got a Wii since the last time we were here. We all had some fun playing some of the sports games. Well needless to say today was a great day and a huge day in my recovery process. Mindy and I just watched Micheal Phelps win his first gold medal, what a cool guy, I hope he breaks the record and wins more gold medals than any one ever. Mindy and I are going to watch some more Olympics and get some shut eye in our new beds.
Thanks to all.

Derrick

Day +16

Today I have my chest catheter removed because guess what.........MINDY AND I ARE GETTING OUT TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!! We both thought this day would never come but it is finally here. I am watching the Olympics opening ceremonies and I must say it was maybe one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Mindy who doesn't get good sleep at night is napping right now and missing it but I think they will replay it all night so she will get to see it. I still can't taste anything and everything tastes like crap but I have to force stuff down. We have been so blessed during our stay here at MSKCC and we praise God and all of you out there who have kept us in your thoughts and prayers. We are by no means out of the woods yet but getting out of the hospital has to be a big step. I spoke with my doctor today who said the first 30 days are key and 100 days is really key and if you make it 18 months that is when you can take a large sigh of relief and know that you are basically cured. That seems like such a long time to Mindy and I but we will refuse to live our lives in fear and we will put our faith in God and in the procedure the stem cell transplant and we know in our hearts that this will cure me for life. I need to give a special thanks to Mindy, I don't know what I would ever have done without such an amazing person to push me and give me so much to fight for. She has been with me every step of the way and has slept on her little couch here in the hospital in her gown, gloves, and a mask, every single night. I truly feel like the luckiest man on the face of this earth to have such an amazing women to spend the rest of my life with. God has truly blessed me.
Tomorrows post will be from the American Cancer Centers Hope Lodge which is where we will be staying for the next 2 months or so here in NCY.
To all who are looking for things to pray for, just pray that I stay infection free and that I don't get any graft vs host disease. Also that my new immune system kills all residual leukemia cells that may have survived the treatments.

I LOVE YOU MINDY!!!!!

Derrick

Day +15

Well today was a pretty uneventful day, which is always a good thing. We got the word that the Hope Lodge has an opening for us, so God willing we will be checking out of here! Tomorrow they are removing his Hickman catheter ( Woo Hoo!) and he is scheduled for discharge sometime Saturday afternoon. They will keep monitoring him until them to make sure things are still going well, and if they are then he can go home. So we won't have official word until Saturday. Derrick's white blood cells dropped some today to 6, which is completely normal. His platelets are up to 80 and is red blood cells are holding their own! He is still having difficulty eating and drinking, but we are told that this will take some time. On day +30 he will have a bone marrow biopsy to confirm that he is officially engrafted and the leukemia is gone. We will continue to keep you posted on his discharge as we get more information. Thank you for all your continued prayers, they definitely worked!

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

Day +14

Hello all, today was another good day. I woke up this morning and had an Ensure, some apple sauce and some juice for breakfast. Just hung around in the room today, watched some king of queens with Mindy and just relaxed. I got taken of my TPN today which is the nutrition that was going into my IV when I wasn't able to eat. So now the pressure is on me to eat so that I can get out of here. The docs this morning talked about me getting out of here and they said possibly by this weekend which would be awesome. Mindy and I both can't wait to get out of here. I can't wait until I can start tasting food and drinks again ahhhh what a day that will be although I don't think it will happen over night I think it will be a gradual change but man I can't wait. Mindy and I talked today just how blessed we have been through this transplant process, we have no one to thank but God and all the wonderful supporting friends and family we have out there.

Thank You,
Derrick
Through Christ Jesus anything is possible

Day +13

Derrick's white blood cells dropped down to 13 today, which is totally normal. Since he has stopped the neupogen shot, his blood cells counts should drop back down to the normal range of 4,000 - 8,000. The doctors cut his pain medicine in half today, and Derrick hopes to be completely off of it tomorrow. Tomorrow his IV nutrition will also be cut in half, as Derrick is starting to eat and drink a little on his own. Today he was able to drink to Ensures and he finished applesauce and a half a can of tomato soup. Discontinuing the IV nutrition and the pain medicine are two bigs steps in getting him ready for discharge. When he is able to drink and eat on his own, he will likely be able to leave. Since they removed three of his antibiotics, they monitored him for 24 hours to make sure he didn't get a fever, and thankfully he did not! I think tomorrow he might ask the doctor when a possible discharge date might be. I am sure he won't be able to tell him for sure, but we kinda just want a proximal time. Thanks for all the cards we received today and the messages on the blog. I know that really motivates Derrick. We will make sure we send everyoen our address at the Hope Lodge as well.

Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.

Day +12

So today was another good day so far. My WBC was up again today to 15.4 and my platelets came up on there own to 56. I tried to eat a little today for lunch. I had about a half a cup of an icy. Almost a whole little box of Wheaties, and some juice. Mindy's friends Casie and Grehtta were in the city today shopping and stopped by for a little visit and then all 3 of them went out to paint the town red and go out to dinner somewhere. I am watching PTI right now and just relaxing a bit. It is still really frustrating not to be able to taste anything. The one nurse told me today that it is more important that I start drinking than eating because they want to know when they send you home that you won't get dehydrated. I will try to have some soup for dinner tonight and see if I can get a few sips down. My docs even talked about me getting out of here this morning which was awesome.

Day +11

Today was another good day. Derrick's mouth felt a little bit better, but he still has no voice. His blood cell counts were up again today which is a really good sign, so tomorrow they will be stopping three of his antibiotics! For lunch he tried to eat some Italian ice and applesauce, and for dinner he had a couple bites of mashed potatoes and a half a can of soup! His taste buds are still off, which is really frustrating for Derrick because we all know he likes to eat! I think tomorrow he is going to try and eat a little more starting with breakfast. He just has to work his way back little by little. I knew Derrick was feeling better today, because for the first time he turned the TV on himself. You might think this is silly, but for the last three weeks, Derrick didn't want the TV on and he wanted the blinds closed to his room. Today he actually even looked out his window to the view below. He napped a lot again today, because they gave him a new anti -itch medicine for his rash that works really well, except it also makes him sleepy. The doctors continue to be impressed with how well he is doing.

This same God that takes care of me will supply all of your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now glory be to God our Father forever and ever.
Philippians 4:19-20

Day +10

Derrick's white blood cells shot up to 6 today, so they discontinued his neupogen shot. They will only restart it if his counts drop, which is likely they might drop a little from the discontinuation of the shot. Donna and Jim came to visit which was really nice. Unfortunately, Derrick slept most of the time they were here, but I know they were just really glad that got to visit him! Derrick was pretty tired today and was still plagued by the throat and tongue pain. He is hoping that this will subside soon so he can start eating again. The nurse said he might be so tired today, because he spent most of the day out of bed yesterday. So hopefully tomorrow he will feel better and have more energy! We also had a video chat with our niece and nephew which was really nice, since they always cheer Derrick up! The doctors are happy with the way his white blood cell count responded and they are hoping it continues to increase after it settles from discontinuing the neupogen shot. Derrick and I looked back at the first ever blog that was posted on this site, and we just paused a minute and discussed how far he really has come. So so many ups and downs that it's so hard to believe that he is ten days post transplant. We continue to feel so blessed at how far he has come and how much God has really provided for us during this process. Please keep praying that this miracle will continue, and that he will engraft the new cells and make a full recovery!

Praise the Lord from the Heavens, praise Him in the heights above.
Psalm 148:1

Day +9

So today I woke with one of my doctors giving me some amazing news. WBC 1.0 today ANC or my neutraphils .3 This was the best morning I can remember having for a long long time. The only stinky part is that my tongue and throat both really hurt again today. I still have no voice so no talking to anyone, which can get frustrating at times, like when calling my nurses into my room when I need something or even when ordering food from the room service, but we all know thanks to God I have a very special person right here with me all the time who takes care of everything like that for me.
We are having some technical difficulties with the blog and I can't see the past 2 days post but I can post which is still good. I would ask that anyone who has any comments leave them on Day +7 so I can read them and I will let everyone know when this bug has been worked out.
My tongue is really what is most sore and bothers me the most right now. I have two long sores that run down both sides right were your tongue hits your teeth. I have been rinsing with this cocktail call Sodium Bicarb which has been helping a lot. Hopefully with my counts recovering today I won't have to deal with this inconveniece too much longer. All my docs and nurses say that your GI track and your mouth are the first places your white cells will go as they come back and I should notice a drastic change very soon. Which I'm hoping for. All my cultures that were taken from my fever the other night have come back negative which is another great thing and I haven't run a fever since that day when I ran two pretty close together. Its weird to look at myself in the mirror now because of all the weird little things that the TBI and the Chemo do to your body. I have like dark spots on my sides from the TBI and my hair is all gone, but I do have like 28 facial hairs which have decided to hang around and get real long and disgusting. And just the way your body looks after you drop like 30 pounds, I can only imagine what Jarad must of thought didn't he loose like 160 pounds or something ridiculas like that.
Thanks to all my prayer warriors out there today was definitely a day blessed by God in my life and I will never forget it. The sign of engraftment is when you have 3 consecutive days which ANC of .5 or above. Today I was at .3 so i didn't make my first day, but hopefully tomorrow will start day one of that countdown. I am still really itchy in the groin area from the TBI.

God is my strength, my power, and my source, for everlasting life. ( I made this up on my own)