Message for Cheryl

[Guest guest]

Hi Cheryl: I think you are more positive than you realize. You keep going and

doing everything you can in the midst of planning a BMT.

Attitude and determination will get you through it all, and mostly a lot of

Faith.

This is all new to you, and you are amazing at what you do everyday. I

just posted about my stomach cramping, and have gotten back onto my water

drinking to keep my system flushed. Then I read about how much water you

drink. I have to try harder.

I have had CML since 1998, and I just fell apart when I was told I had to

have a BMT. I never did it, and chose the Gleevec instead. I just Thank God

for the past 11 years.

I believe you will do just fine. I will keep you in my prayers.

A.

[Guest guest]

Suzzie...

Thanks so much for your kind words...I never realized how right you are...I

didn't think about what I was doing as being positive...I am so grateful for

people like you who reach out just when I seem to need it most..I am glad that

you are doing well this long without transplant and I will pray that you

continue to do so...they say I have had this disease for probably 5 years and

never knew it...and my body for whatever reason was keeping the blasts in my

marrow and not letting them into my bloodstream - an abnormality in this disease

- as when I was diagnosed in blast crisis, I had 50% blasts in my marrow, but

less than 1 % in my bloodstream and my wbc was only 15000 just over the normal

range...they thought they had caught it early but alas that was not the case...I

supposed I could try and continue on drugs as well, but my local Onc. and the

cml specialist I saw feel that a bmt is my best option because I am 44 and in

good health otherwise...I know that the stats are not good for a unrelated

donor, but as my new friend Lea would say " you are a statistic of one " and all

others do not count...it is hard somedays to be grateful for this diagnosis and

all that I stand to lose, but slowly but surely I am seeing the wonder in each

day that I continue to do well on the Gleevec - I feel really no different now

than before dx except for the amount of pills that I take...I pray that this

continues and they are able to find the best possible donor...until then I will

do my best to stay in the here and now and not go to the dark places...and be

grateful each day for my family and friends, and all of you here that continue

to pray and encourage me.

Blessings to you,

Cheryl

>

> Hi Cheryl: I think you are more positive than you realize. You keep going

and doing everything you can in the midst of planning a BMT.

> Attitude and determination will get you through it all, and mostly a lot of

Faith.

> This is all new to you, and you are amazing at what you do everyday. I

just posted about my stomach cramping, and have gotten back onto my water

drinking to keep my system flushed. Then I read about how much water you

drink. I have to try harder.

> I have had CML since 1998, and I just fell apart when I was told I had to

have a BMT. I never did it, and chose the Gleevec instead. I just Thank God

for the past 11 years.

> I believe you will do just fine. I will keep you in my prayers.

> A.

>

[Guest guest]

>I just fell apart when I was told I had to have a BMT. I never did it, and

chose the Gleevec instead. I just Thank God for the past 11 years.

>

*************************************************

Hi ,

Many of us went though the same thing you did. Myself included. In fact, I had

to change doctors because the one I had was so insistant on transplanting me.

The difference however is that we were never in blast crisis.

With Cheryl being in blast crisis, it's not at all the same situation. Not even

close.

I don't believe that it's helpful for her to hear anything negative about

transplants or how great we're all doing now in spite of choosing not to have a

BMT. She needs to know that she's making the right choice in this. There is no

room for even an iota of doubt.

I don't want to sound harsh in any way but I also don't want anything posted

here to even remotely cause Cheryl to second guess her choice as I believe

that's a stress she does not need. It would be very different if she was in the

same boat as us (diagnosed in chronic phase) but unfortunately, that isn't her

case.

The vast majority of us really cannot relate to what she is going through and as

a result I think we should be careful of what we say with regards to

transplants.

Tracey