relaxin'

Tonight we celebrated my last day of chemo for this round with a pile of filets......umm delish.

Next week will be the real test for me to stay virus free. Watched "We own the night" today with Dad and Mom while Mindy was at a friends bridal shower. Then my boys from CAROLINA manning up on Louisville, Final Four baby!!!! Air high fives for all my Tar Heel Fans out there.

Friday Mindy was at Hershey for the drive and there was a great turn out, thanks to all of you who came. The Elizabethtown drive is filling up quickly and I encourage anyone who would like to attend to contact Allison ASAP.

2nd round of chemo - day one

Hello loyal blog readers, this is Marcy. Today Derrick started his 2nd round of chemo which he will be receiving twice a day every other day. Mindy and him had to go into Hershey today for his first dose of chemo, but from here on out (until the last day of treatment), he will be receiving his chemotherapy from the comfort of our home (and has the luxury of having his parents, me, and Mindy at his beckon call!). He is able to move around the house and do things while receving treatment because there is just a small pump that is administering the chemo through his picc line in his bicep. Tonight, when Derrick's nurse was over, she was trying to listen to his lungs but we were reciting movie lines and he couldn't keep from laughing. She was a good sport though and waited until we were through with our jokes to have a second listen.

I will be home until Sunday and there isn't any other place in the world I'd want to be then at home with my family! Its refreshing to see Derrick and Mindy enjoying themselves and being able to do things that they weren't able to do the last few weeks. Derrick's spirits are still very high and that will be to his benefit the next few weeks because they might be tough. But, now that he is an engaged man and all, he has no fear!

Check the Ephrata Review for an article about Derrick tomorrow!

Easter Weekend

I hope everyone had a great Easter. Mindy and I were able to go up to our apt. on Friday and we came back today. Even though we don't have any cable at our apt. we love it up there and always keep ourselves occupied, we watched "The Kingdom" and "Into the Wild" after which I contemplated trying to live off nature and become one with the wild like Supertramp, but soon came back to reality

I just want to remind everyone of the upcoming bone marrow drives, THIS FRIDAY March 28 at Hershey Medical center from 11 - 3, there is no cost and they only need to swab your cheek. Should you be a match for me or someone else the cost for saving a life is a donation of your blood, THAT'S ALL....There is no procedure like in the past and many people still think there is and that is simply not the case. The other drive is on April 1 from 4-8 at Elizabethtown College, please contact Alison Kreider to schedule a time at (717) 367-5751 she will accommodate anyone who can attend by offering to test you 24 hours before or after the scheduled drive. Also anyone can register online by going to www.marrow.org and have a kit sent to your house. PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD!!

In other news, last evening I asked Mindy to Marry me...........



SHE SAID YESS!!!!

Confirmed donor drives.........

I have now been able to confirm  both of the donor drives I had mentioned in previous blogs.  On Friday, March 28, there is a drive at the Hershey Medical Center from 11-3.  It is being held in the College of Medicine.  There is a separate entrance in the front of the Medical Center for the College of Medicine.  Once inside, you should ask for directions at the information desk.

 

The other drive is being held at Elizabethtown College on Tuesday, April 1 from 4-8.  There is no cost to prospective donors, as The Tyler G. Kreider Fund and the NMDP cover expenses.  To make an appointment, contact Alison Kreider at 717-367-5751 or kreidera@etown.edu.  I spoke with Alison yesterday and she asked that donors contact her because she wants to make sure they have enough kits and doesn't want to turn anyone away.  In addition, if you are unable to make it on Tuesday, she offered to accommodate anyone up to 24 hrs. prior to or after the scheduled drive hours as long as you contact her to schedule an appointment.  

Thanks to all who are considering donating.........you may possibly save a life!!!

 

Weekend and work visit

Friday I had a bunch of tests done at Hershey to ensure all my organs are ready for my next round of Chemo. Afterwards Mindy and I left to go up to our apartment up in Lewisburg. We had lunch on Sunday with one of my college roommates at Damons and watched North Carolina take the ACC title.
Today Mindy and I went into my work Crossgates in Harrisburg to visit my co-workers and just catch up with some other people in the building I work in. I am feeling great again today and it is great to feel good and get around and do normal stuff again. I have a feeling this may be short lived because next week I am scheduled to start my next round of chemo, but I will make it back to this stage just like I did the first time. Thanks again for everyones support and all of you who leave messages on the blog it's great to sign on and check out what people wrote.

Revised Donor Drive Information

I made a mistake on yesterday's blog with the date for the E-town College drive.  The date is 4/1, however, that is a Tuesday not Monday.  Also, the time might be different than what I had listed, but I'm waiting until Monday to receive confirmation from someone at the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry to get back to me to confirm.  Please check the blog on Tuesday for the correct time.  I believe the date and time for the Hershey Medical Center drive is correct.  

Feelin' Good

Derrick continues to enjoy his days of feeling good. He is out and about and doing everyday normal activities. We are very thankful for this time when he is back to the "old Derrick".

Marcy's surgery went very well and she is recovering nicely. She continues to receive a lot of pampering from her roommates and friends which makes us very happy. She will be coming home for spring break next Wed. yahoo!!!

I have found two additional bone marrow donor drives which are local. The first is at Hershey Medical Center on Friday 3/28 from 11-3. The second is at E-town College on Monday 4/1 from 1-4. Both of these drives are within the time frame when the search for a match for Derrick will be continuing. If you have any questions or concerns about becoming a donor, please feel free to contact any of us.

Update...

Today we went to Hershey to have a follow-up appointment with my doctor. The results from my last bone marrow biopsy showed that I am currently in complete remission. My blood work all came back good and I am really starting to feel like myself again. I think today was the first day where I felt like I got my old appetite back. We are still searching for a match for my bone marrow. The coordinator said that there might be one person who is a match, but it will take further testing to know for sure. So in the meantime, I will be starting chemo again to try to keep the leukemia in remission while we wait for a bone marrow match. I will be starting chemo again either at the end of next week or the beginning of the following week. Tomorrow, my really good friend from college, Michael is coming for a visit and I am really looking forward to catching up with him. Also, tomorrow Marcy is getting her knee operated on to repair a torn meniscus, so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks again for everyone's support.
Derrick

It's Friday

Today Mindy and I got out of the house and went to see a movie at the Penn Cinemas in Lititz, what a cool new movie theatre, there were about 5 other people watching Vantage Point with us. It felt great to get out of the house and actually be able to do a normal activity. I felt great all day today, I still get a little tired in the evenings and usually take a nap but other than that I feel awesome. I see my Doctor on Monday and will receive a lot of information about what lies in the months to come.

Thank you to everyone who has kept me in your thoughts and prayers. The generosity that my family and I have received is wonderful. I am asking that you extend your thoughts and prayers to another family in need. A good friend of mine Lisa Shirk informed me that her grandson has a rare genetic disorder and will be undergoing some significant treatments. Please add four year old Benjamin to your prayers. Thank you and I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Derrick

Additional Marrow Donor Info........

For those of you interested in registering in the National Marrow Donor Program (and being considered as a match for Derrick) but would prefer to join in person..........there is a donor drive being held this Sun. March 9 from 8-1 in Paoli.  The address is listed below:

Paoli Presbyterian Church

Fellowship Hall

225 South Valley Rd.

Paoli, PA  19301

Apparently, this drive was just recently added to the website because when I checked late last week the only drive was in Laurel MD in April.  If you can't make this drive you may want to continue to check the website to see if any additional drives have been added.  I will also continue to check the site and inform you if I see one.  

 

A Little Trip.......

Things have been going pretty well for Derrick since he's been home. He is getting outdoors when he can, eating some of his favorite things and spending quality time with Mindy and the fam at home. Today, Derrick and Mindy traveled to Lewisburg to spend the night in their apartment, gather some more "stuff", and visit with Mindy's family. Mindy's niece (Bella) and nephew (Donovan) were delighted to see them, as was the rest of Mindy's family.
We received a call yesterday from the transplant coordinator at Hershey who told us that Marcy is not a match for Derrick. Derrick's doctors will now be evaluating non-related donors for a possible stem cell transplant match. If you would like further information as to how you could be considered, please see my previous post regarding the National Bone Marrow (Stem Cell) Registry. If you have some questions about the program, please feel free to call us and we will try to answer them or get the answers for you.
Thanks again to all of you who are supporting and encouraging us during this difficult time.

Weekend @ Home

Derrick has been home since Thursday and things have been going well. On Friday evening Derrick introduced Mindy to the Green Dragon. They bought some beef jerky and walked around for a little bit, but since it was pretty cold they headed home after awhile. Mindy and Derrick's 4 yr. anniversary was on Tues. Feb 26 and they celebrated it by going to Fiorentino's Restaurant at the Lancaster Airport last night. After dinner they returned home and watched American Gangster. Today the four of us went for a nice walk on the rail trail. It was a beautiful day and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The fresh air and walk was a bit exhausting for Derrick, but he said it felt great to be outdoors. Ma Ma is bringing dinner for us tonight. She is preparing her special ham loaf and scalloped potatoes. yum yum Nothing much is scheduled for this week. We're hoping that Derrick cointinues to feel good and gain some strength and energy back.