And so it begins

This is a quick post before I need to head to an oral surgeon to get my wisdom teeth removed. Fun, I know. Oh well, it is nothing compared to what is probably going to come up next …

I got a call from my hematologist and it looks like what I have now is categorized as bi-phenotypic leukemia lymphoma. It’s so fresh in my mind that all I know is that I will now need to go through not only intensive chemotherapy beginning as soon as this Friday, but I will also need a bone marrow transplant in a couple of months. If I stay with the UCLA Medical Center, I will need to be admitted to the hospital by Friday. 

The trouble now are a couple of things:

1) I need to move back home for long term treatment. Need to find a doctor at UCSF or Stanford Medical Center. Luckily, my insurance is accepted. But where to start? This transition may be tricky. Time is of the essence. 

2) I need to start the bone marrow search now. 

And this is where all the help that you have all graciously offered may come into play very soon. I hate to get other people involved in this. I really do. But now my life depends on potential donors getting registered so that it increases my chances of finding the right match. Particularly Asian-Americans. 

We’ll need to talk to my brother about this, because he has a 25% chance of being my perfect match. I hate to put him through this. But I’ve been advised that I need to begin an aggressive search with the assumption that he may not be the match as well. 

Will you join my team? It’ll take an army to battle this sucker. I hate this. Did I say that already? Still in shock. Still confused. But I hear your thoughts and prayers. 

Love,

Janet