Day 1

Taking Deni's advice, I entered the emergency room at Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee CA  at o700 AM,  Monday July 27th.  I was the first patient of the day and I didn't have to wait long.  A doctor came in to check me out.  He looked at the ugly sore that was rotting away the roof of my mouth.  He asked a few questions and left.  A lab tech came in and drew some blood.  A little while later another physician accompanied by the first one looked in my mouth.  

  My primary care physician showed up at about 0900 AM and asked me a few questions.  He then dropped the bomb.  He said he thought I had Leukemia.  My blood was 90% worthless cancer cells.   By this time my Sister Marti was with me and she was reciting the blood numbers to Deni back in Anchorage.  "That can't be true!" Deni said. "Read them to me again."

  It all made sense to me now. I was out of breath with the slightest exertion because I had no oxygen carrying red blood cells.  My white cell count was low and that is why I kept getting infections that were not going away.  I was also out of platelets and that explained why the slightest insult was bruising me.  I hardly ever bruised before.  

  Cancer was the farthest thing from my mind.  I thought I just had an infection that a few antibiotics would take care of.  I had no clue as to why I was feeling so tired and out of breath.  Normally I am a strong, healthy adult male.  I should have known that I was not normal.  It is amazing how deep a person can go with denial.  

 I owe my life to Deni.  I might have dropped dead the next day if she didn't tell me I needed to go to the emergency room.  I wouldn't have gone to the emergency room myself because I felt that what I had was not any kind of emergency.  

  I was admitted to the hospital and I was immediately given a blood transfusion.  Dr Lombard my primary care physician worked hard to find me a place in Sutter General Hospital in Sacramento.  I knew I had a long way to go and I was alive.