Good Afternoon Family and Friends;

Today, Friday , I arrived in Tampa & got to Moffitt to spend the weekend with my best sister in the world :)

After greeting Carol and a very big bunch of hugs, Jaime showed me the ropes, provided me with a quick mini-tour and then off we went to the Bone Marrow Center so I could be tested to determine if I will be a match and can be her donor. It’s just a simple blood test but takes about 3 weeks to analyze, because they will be looking for a minimum of 4-5 matching genetic factors. The nurse there was so sweet and filled with optimism for us that we would have our match soon. Michael’s (our brother’s) test kit was shipped from PA where he lives, so that both siblings’ blood can be analyzed in about the same time frame.

Carol needed a transfusion today, and also receives IV antibiotics on an ongoing basis. The process usually takes about 4 hours (for 2 units) but today it went a bit more slowly because blood pressure was up a little (guess she was too happy to see me) – of course a certain sister of mine had little patience for a 6 hour process that didn’t allow her to escape for a walk outside until 5:30 , but we did fit in a rather competitive game of scrabble until the freedom bell rang! She was convinced that she must have gotten some English professor’s blood in that transfusion when she was beating the pants off me :) We also had a great lunch thanks to Jaime’s shopping spree at the organic market (sure beats hospital food).

The grounds around the hospital are pretty, with walking paths, fountains, tables with umbrellas, gardens. It’s part of University of S. Florida, so we walked around the campus a bit where there are sculptures, streams, bridges. It’s great that Carol is feeling well enough to walk around for an hour (or more if she didn’t have to get back for the next IV, but only Carol can make a joke about feeling like Cinderella at a time like that). It’s also great to be in an area where there are many young students around playing music, setting up for a fashion show, or whatever – nice positive energy!

No other news for now… the nurse on duty tonight is collaborating on the plan to spring Carol free for a morning walk, and we hope to have an uneventful weekend just spending time together. Wednesday she will have another bone marrow biopsy to determine if the cancer is in remission as the chemo may still be working to get the blasts to a lower percentage. Then she can go forward with bone marrow transplant preparations. We will keep you posted.

Your positive thoughts and wishes are appreciated every single day.

-Susan