Hey everyone, just after writing to you all yesterday I had another conversation with a Doctor in Seattle and from that chat I have decided that Ottawa is the best place for me right now. As you are aware this has been a tough decision for me to make, as I didn’t have an overwhelming gut feeling going one way. And at present I can still make perfectly good arguments for and against each option.
What it came down to for me is that the Transplant option is my shot at a cure (5 year plus) where as the DLI option in Seattle only has data 3-4 years out. I do feel that DLI may be the solution and future standard treatment for Transplant Patients who relapse, but for right now they are still learning how best to use the DLI process and what drugs are the best complement. They may have those answers in another couple of years, but for now I have gained greater comfort with the fact that a Transplant is shooting for a cure, as opposed to maintenance.
I feel a big part of my perspective and comfort with my situation comes from the fact that I have dealt with the fact that a cure is not a guarantee, more to the point in my situation it happens less than half the time. While that can be a tough reality to accept I can assure you that I have, and I am very comfortable with that fact. When I leave here on Monday there is a real possibility that it will be my last time on the Rock as the first 100 days after Transplant are most critical. But adopting that mind-set, accepting the reality of my situation does not mean that I am not focused and committed to a cure. More to the point I want you to know the opposite I am very focused on a cure. While I haven’t seen that 5 year mark yet, that is my ultimate destination and right now I feel that a second Transplant is the vehicle to kick start me on the next leg of this journey.
I say kick start, as the Transplant is not the only thing that will get me to “Cure”, but it is a major contributor. Very early in my Original Series I decided that while medical science would be a necessary and important part of my Cure, it ranked second in priority and importance to my Positive Attitude. I have always felt that my Positive Attitude, complemented by the amazing love and support of family and friends, mixed with solid medical treatment, those three things were major elements of any Cure that I would experience. And I feel that way now as much or more than ever.
My Transplant does have the toxicity issue that I will face, and this next round of chemo will kick my ass pretty good, but I can tell you that I haven’t had anything that has kept me down yet. And I have no other intention than rising from this next beating and continuing my Climb back to a healthy state. I’ll share the details of the medical procedures with you in the next little while, as I begin the preparation for an October 10th Transplant. Presently I’m scheduled to have another Hickman line put in on Friday morning – hopefully this one will be around for longer than 9 days.
At this moment I am focusing my mind on the fact that I’m leaving on Monday, continuing to get comfort with my chosen direction and tackling some of the million things I want to take care of before leaving. You can count on hearing from me again soon, but I may be away for a couple of days as I don’t have plans to take my computer to Ottawa right now – that could change but probably not.
Have a great day.
Always…
Live Life. Love Life.
Geoff
