November 8th, 2004

For some of you this is the first time to hear this news and for others it’s an update. On October 22th I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). Leukemia means it is a type of cancer that affects the blood. Chronic means that the disease progresses slowly. If I had Acute, then the disease would progress rapidly. Myeloid is the type of blood cells that are being produced in too large of numbers. The white cells in a CML patient have the Philadelphia chromosome. That is where DNA is switched between the 9th and 23rd chromosomes.

First of all, for those of you who have been praying for me, THANK YOU. I have been intimately sensing God’s presence in this process. The peace I have felt, even from the initial phone call at midnight when I thought death was imminent, is surreal. If you want to pray for me, pray that God’s will be done and if that can happen by me being healed, then that would be great. I have known for a long time that we are all in God’s hands and He controls the number of our days here on Earth. That truth is a lot more evident to me now.

I started chemotherapy on the 23rd with Hydroxyurea to lower my white blood cell count. My count was 171,000 where a normal count is 5,000 to 10,000. The doctor added Gleevec on the 26th, when the diagnosis of CML was totally confirmed. Gleevec is new wonder drug that OHSU helped develop from 1999 to 2001. In 2001 it was released by the government as a treatment option for CML patients.

On Tuesday (11 days after diagnosis), my white cell count was below 70,000 and I have begun phasing off the Hydroyurea. I started with 8 capsules a day and am on 4 capsules a day currently. Gleevec will maintain a normal white blood cell count by itself soon. I will not know how well I am responding to the Gleevec for 3-6 months. I may be able to stop taking Gleevec in a few months or I may have to take it for a long time.

There are three phases of response I can have toward CML from my treatment. First, Hematological Response happens when the blood count gets back to normal so I can feel normal again. That is happening already. Secondly, to prolong my life there will need to be a Cytogenetic Response where the abnormal chromosomes start disappearing and normal white blood cells are being produced.

The final phase is the Molecular Phase where less than 1 Leukemic cell is found for over 1 million normal cells. Over 40% of patients using Gleevec have great chromosomic response. I’m hoping to be in the top 40%, but there is no studying for this test. It is all in God’s hands. Prior to Gleevec, the only option for prolonged life when CML was diagnosed was a bone marrow transplant. In patients my age there was a 40+% mortality rate due to the harshness of treatment and complications. Gleevec seems like a great alternative to me.

Even after 2 weeks of chemotherapy, I am feeling great, besides feeling a little tired. Both types of chemo drugs are taken orally and I have been spared the typical side effects of nausea, diarrhea, hair loss and loss of appetite. The doctor laughed as he said that one of the side effects could be fluid retention under the eyes. (If you have noticed the bags I normally carry, you’ll understand.) Then he added that he had a good baseline for monitoring me.

I am so glad I have you as a friend. Again, I appreciate your prayers. If you have any questions or need more information, give me a reply. If you want updates of my progress, let me know.