09/25/09 Day + 43

09/25/09 Again my apologies for taking so long to update you on how Joe is doing, this past week has been a better one for Joe he is showing signs of his strength returning and he is becoming more of his old self. He is talking more and I actually heard him laugh for the first time in months it was wonderful. We go to the doctors and have his blood drawn on Thursdays and he gets checked over by his hematologist here in Syracuse. There have been a few worries but nothing to serious, one his white count is now high which could mean infection but he has no fever or any other signs of infection so there are few other indicators that show he could be having an allergic reaction to something perhaps one of his meds? They are going to start monitoring it to see if they can figure it out. His red count is down which worries me but they say it is normal for it to go up and down at this stage of treatment, it is not so low that he needs a transfusion. He still is not sleeping well so they are going to do a thyroid panel to see if one of his meds is causing Hypo thyroid. I have gotten my first flu shot and I am in line to receive my H1N1 shot in October. Clorox bleach is now my normal odor I smell it in my sleep. Still wiping everything down, constant hand washing and antibacterial hand sanitizer it is so important that Joe does not get any kind of germs or infection right now. The first 100 days from the day of Joe's Stem Cell Transplant is high risk period for infection. One major milestone coming up for Joe is November 21st that will be Day 100 from his stem cell transplant. From a medical perspective, this is a very important day as it represents the closing of the risk period for the stem cell transplant and the high dose chemo. August 13th was Joe's "new birthday" and November 21st will be his 100th day. His immune system will still be compromised for 6 - 12 months but he will be able to fight off infection a little better than he could that first 100 days which could be fatal if he was to get a serious infection. Well I have to say it again we were just amazed at the response to the benefit so many people came out and so many people gave donation of food and prizes, so much work went into the planning. We did not know how to Thank everyone I have been trying to send out a Thank you letter to the ones that I know of who donated or helped. I have also published the letter in three newspapers it should be in the Post Standard, Pennysaver and Citizen Outlet over the next week but in case I don't reach everyone I have copied it below I just don't want to not get it to everyone who helped us. I return to work on Monday so hopefully Joe will be ok without me, my daughter inlaw is home next door and so is my sister inlaw on the other side of us. We also have wonderful neighbor's and family who have said they will check in on him. God Bless and We love you. See letter below:

Dear Family, Friend, Neighbor, Donor, Contributor and Giver;

We can not begin to put into words what your gifts and kindness mean to us. The money without a doubt is helpful and will go to extremely good use. But more than the monetary value, we so sincerely appreciate the kindness and generosity behind the gifts. A life threatening illness is a burden you never really plan for, but your goodwill has really helped with that burden. For that above all, we thank you.

To all of you who had a hand in the benefit, there are so many of you who donated your time, gifts, money, food, the hall, did a bottle drive, golf tournament and so much more, also so many of you who came out to the benefit to show your support. We could never say enough to thank you, your compassion and concern is awesome.

This journey has been a difficult one for us, with still a long road ahead of us but knowing we have the support and love of people like you certainly helps. Please know we will not forget your kind gestures. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts and God Bless You All always.

Love and Gratitude,

Joe and Mary Bateman