Milestone Day

Maura , My sister and stem cell donor

Left to Right, Brothers and Sisters

Myself, Gene, Kit, Nancy, Marti, Marianne

Mauras' daughter was sick today so Maura couldn't make it

Today is day 92 since my stem cell transplant. It is kind of a milestone day and the news is as good as it can possibly get. I had my fifth bone marrow biopsy in six months today and the preliminary results are the highest number they are willing to give it at this time. More specific results will come in about two weeks. Celebration time.

My thirty day chimerism test finally came back after sixty two days and it showed more than 95% of my blood cells were already Mauras'. Those results were very good also.

The line into my vein that has been an external fixture on my body for the last six months was removed today. The nurse asked me to hum while she pulled out the foot long line that was inserted into my arm and went directly into my vena cava. Whoo Hoo! I am so glad that's gone now

I appears that the tests are verifying just what I'm feeling. I still have a long way to go. I will be managing the GVH symptoms and it will be a minimum of three more months that I will be on immune suppressants. After that I heard I may be drug free. Amazing. That would be the best scenario. If the GVH flares up then the drugs may have to be extended. Unlike other recipients of donor organs, stem cell recipients can eventually be weaned completely off immunosuppressant drugs that combat graft rejection.

Family Reunion

This weekend is the annual sisters weekend for my sisters, our wives, nieces and children. We met in Golden Gate Park today for a walk on the beach and a photo op. Billie will be with the sisters and Kit is my temporary caretaker. Tomorrow with the help of my brothers, I will move back to Sacramento. While the sisters go to the wine country, the brothers will be hanging out and watching the Super Bowl together on Sunday. My old friend Paul will be joining the Super Bowl party too.

While Kit and I are together we went to visit the site of the Broderick / Terry duel nearby.

Kit at the site where Terry killed Broderick, the State senator in 1858.

We then then took a hike into Ft Funston. Midday Ft Funston is crowded with professional dog walkers. You can often see single persons with ten to fifteen dogs running loosely around them.

This pro dog walker has been walking the dog with the mask and muzzle for five years. "This dog has issues." he said.

These three bungalows are near south Buena Vista Park known to the locals in the Haight as "Acid Rock." "My mom would never let me go near there", one baby boomer age lady told me.

Click for a higher resolution photo.