Letter from my Donor!

What a blessing to be home with family and with my children for Christmas. Last year I started a round of chemo on Dec. 26th so that was no fun. It was so wonderful to be in a whole new state of mind this year. Last year we didn't even know if I would see this Christmas. My friend, Samantha, I often mention had her transplant on Christmas Eve! So far she is doing well. She has not experienced gvhd or engraftment yet but I know she is in for a rough few days soon. So prayers are going out to her and her family.

I FINALLY RECEIVED A LETTER FROM MY 23 YEAR OLD GERMAN DONOR! I do not have very many words to even explain how I felt when I opened a piece of mail from Baylor and it wasn't a bill haha but a letter from my donor! My heart was racing as I saw the words Dear Receipient! I was starting to wonder if my letter ever made it to him. Or maybe he was wanting to remain annonymous. He may even read this one day and laugh...or think I'm just crazy...(if you ever do read this, just remember we do share the same DNA now) haha. It's already kind of interesting that we both share an interest and love for the medical field. I wish I could ask him a multitude of questions right now! I'm very excited to start a relationship with him and cannot wait for the day we meet in person!

My 9 month bone marrow biopsy was inconclusive and I chose not to redo this one. I will give my back a rest and wait until my one year which is only 2 and a half months away!

Still Fighting.

Katie.

9 Months post-transplant.

I will be having my 9 month bone marrow biopsy tomorrow. I hope the results are just as good as the last 3. Only one more for my one year and boom, I think the every three month biopsies will go to every 6 months or maybe even a year, I'm not quite sure yet. Either way I'm happy with whatever because I'M ALIVE! I still do carry some anxiety about relapsing but from what I hear this is normal. So as soon as I know my awesome results, so will you! yipee. Now onto my friend forever Samantha! She goes in Friday to start her conditioning for transplant and needs ALL of our prayers also! Please pray for Sam to have strength and courage! I know she will do great! I also had the pleasure of going the see the MAZE this week. If you have not heard of this fantastic show please google it. Jim Munroe has been blessed with amazing talent. Not only do we share the same diagnosis of cancer and have both had transplants and came out with flying colors but he has taken his illness and turned it into a way to not only educate people on it but to also witness to young children and teens on how God works in amazing ways! The magic is great and all but the message is the real miracle! I do know he will be in Keller in January! GO SEE THIS SHOW!!! It's Free! So I will be back in a few days to update you guys on my results, then we can talk about my "big move" as well!

Still Fighting,
Katie

7 Months post transplant

7 months post transplant....and still in REMISSION! The second bone marrow biopsy came back as "no leukemia detected". Such a blessing. Starting to think about working again and moving back to Austin to take on my role as a full time mommy again! I cannot wait to be able to hug and kiss my children everyday as they deserve. We've all missed each other so much and they are to the point now that they can tell mommy is getting "stronger" as Ryan likes to say and they ask relentlessly "mom, can we live with you now"? It warms my heart but I still have to say, just a little longer. And that is okay with me as I look back and see just how far I've come! To people around me it may not seem like a year is that long but when your the patient, to me I feel like my battle has lasted forever! Today, I am happy, feel well, and eager to move on to the next stage in my life....but this could all change tomorrow lol. Bad joke I guess, I just mean I still have good, bad, and really bad days =)

Thank you all for your continued love, support and prayers!

Love,
Katie

Ready for a New Week!

What a week! As many of you know, I had a bone marrow biopsy last Friday. It usually only takes two or three days to get the results back. We usually just e-mail my doctor's nurse and she e-mails us right back saying everything is negative. So, I did just that and e-mailed the nurse. A few minutes later I got a call from my doctor's PA. He first started by telling me that my pcr (a sensitive test to ck for leukemia cells) and my bcr/abl (the test that cks for the ph + gene) were both negative. Then he said BUT they've detected 1% of b-cell leukemia/lymphoma in your bone marrow. I didn't know what to say back. I stood there in shock as he was trying to tell me "don't worry, we'll do another blood test in two weeks and another bone marrow biopsy in 4-6 weeks". In my mind I was thinking "is he crazy? This cancer grows so fast that in 4-6 weeks that 1% will be 100%!" So, we end the call and just like that every single emotion I felt when I was diagnosed just flooded me at once. I didn't know what else to do but of course call my Mom. My Mom and I decided we needed to go and talk to my doctor directly about these results and find out my options while it's still early. My Mom e-mailed his nurse first thing Tuesday morning asking for an appointment and also if she could get a faxed copy of the results. She got both! They gave us an appointment for that afternoon and she faxed the results. Upon viewing the report I realized it was actually 3% leukemia and not 1% like I was told over the phone (by the way, since when did doctors start giving less than good news over the phone anyway?). I felt even worse, because I had relapsed right before my transplant, and when I did I went from them seeing 1% to 3% to 8% in a matter of days in my blood and marrow. That afternoon we went to the clinic. My doctor came in and we discussed the report. After voicing our concerns he stated, "I strongly believe it's a mistake". Naturally, our next question was "why do you think that"? He basically said it's virtually impossible for the pcr and bcr/abl to be negative and the marrow show 3%, if that was the case then those tests would be showing positive. He also said they had new interns in the pathology department and had received a few sketchy reports over the last few weeks. I wont even go into my feelings on that. Oh wait, yes I will, just one comment; why in the heck would you call someone with those results if they had not been double checked or signed off on by the doctor in charge of those interns? That is all on that. So Monday I was basically told I was relapsing, Tuesday, "we think it's a mistake" to Wednesday night I got a fever that went up to 101.8 for no apparent reason the fever lasted about 5 hours then by morning everything was back to normal. Makes me wonder even more. Yesterday, I just laid low at home. I had a little less anxiety also. Today is Friday! And for myself, my Mom, Jenn, and Kim, we will be putting all this aside for one night to have a girls night of dinner and seeing comedian Anjelah Johnson at the House of Blues in Dallas.

P.S. We will be repeating the bone marrow biopsy on Wednesday October 5 (exactly one year since my diagnosis).

What is going to happen is going to happen. I have faith that this is all one big mistake, I truly do not believe God would have brought me this far for no reason. I will continue to fight this battle for as long as it takes.

Love,
Katie

6 Months post transplant!

Wow, 6 months since transplant! Not too much to report really. I did spend about 10 days in the hospital a few weeks ago with a lung infection. All better now, my new immune system must be working haha. I had my 6 month bone marrow biopsy yesterday, Jenn was with me and it actually went pretty quick! Then we ate and shopped most of the day. Getting ready for a few busy months coming up. Mom, Kim, Jenn and I will be going to see a comedian at the House of Blues next Friday...girls night out woo hoo! Then the family + Ryan and Rachel (the babies) will be going camping in October! Can't wait to fish with the babies. Hopefully they love it like mommy does! Then we have the LIGHT THE NIGHT WALK through the Leukemia and Lymphoma society Oct. 23rd! You can help saves lives by making a donation in my name at lightthenight.org and search my page via my name (Katie Maldonado), every little bit helps from $5 to any amount you want! Then of course Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are all busy busy, I'm sure you can all relate =) I went to a bone marrow survivor reunion at Baylor with my Mom and Jenn a few weeks ago and there was a man there named Jim Munroe. He is a magician but also had ALL ph+ (first person I've ever met in person). He was a great motivational speaker.

All in all I'm feeling great again, a little worried about cold and flu season coming up so I having a feeling I'll be doing a lot of shopping online this year for the holidays! lol I will definitely be bringing out the masks as places get more and more crowded....maybe some gloves too haha. October 5th will be one year since diagnosis and let me tell you, it feels like year(s) to me! We're all still fighting here and will continue to do so! An update on my friend Samantha - she is now at the Dana Farber clinic in Boston getting treatment and just found out she has 20 preliminary matches in the donor registry! This is great news for her!

Still Fighting,
Katie

August 10th

Well, I had an appointment at Baylor today. My numbers are messed up again but "you look great" haha thanks doc. I still feel like I've turned a corner though. There are always set backs along the way big and small. I've been having a sharp shock-like feeling if that makes since down my spine when I move my neck up or down. So next week I'll have a lumbar puncture and an MRI of my spine. I'm okay with that. Just figure out what it is wrong and take care of it and move on! On a happy note, doctor says I can get back to work whenever I'm ready now. I'm ready to start working...part time...to make sure I can really handle it 5 months after transplant. He stopped a few more meds today including my blood pressure medicine! yay! But he wants me to check my bp often and wants me to have my own bp machine at home....my insurance covers it, even better! I've been stretching and working out (very light working out) and I've been getting really bad cramps in my calves like charlie horses that don't let up, so I guess I'll try doing it maybe every other day until my legs start getting used to it. After all, after being in a bed for 7 or 8 months I have quite a bit of muscle atrophy and it's not easy to build them back up, but I'm putting in great effort so hopefully it will get better soon...no pain no gain right? haha. I spoke about Samantha a few days ago, and I'd like to quickly update you on her. She finished her induction chemo and was sent home only to find out that she has multiple blood clots from her neck down her arms. So she will only spend a few days home until she goes back for round two of chemo. She is taking a blood thinner for the clots but I just don't understand how that happens really, because our platelets are so low at that beginning point and the blood has a harder time clotting. But it did happen and she really needs our prayers! I would love nothing more than for all my friends, family and strangers to pray for her as you have prayed for me! I greatly appreciate your love, support and prayers!

Still Fighting,
Katie

5 Months Post Transplant

I don't even know where to start! So much has happened in the past 3 weeks or so. I guess I'll start with my favorite thing that's happened; I FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE ELSE MY AGE WITH ALL THAT IS ALSO PH+ LIKE ME! It only took 10 months haha. Many of you know how hard I tried to find just one person, and then that person found me! yay. Her name is Samantha, she lives in Colorado and was just diagnosed July 14th I believe so she is still in the hospital for her "induction" round of chemo which usually lasts about a month. She has two siblings that will be tested to see if they are stem cell donor matches if not then she'll go to the national registry to hopefully find a completely matched donor. It makes me extremely happy to be able to help and coach someone through this, especially because I can pretty much guarantee she wont find anyone else for a while if at all that's our age. Like myself, she too is a young mother of a young little boy. I pray that as you prayed for me that now we can all pray for her as well. Meeting her was definitely a blessing to me. Now an update on myself. I FINALLY FEEL LIKE I'VE TURNED A CORNER! I haven't been sick in 3 weeks! Getting more energy each day and I actually would like to start working again! Of course I have to see if my doctor will release me to work but since winter will be here in a few short months I really don't know if he will given I wont have any of my shots (all the ones babies get from 2 months on), and I don't know if he'd want me in a crowded office, hospital especially, or clinic for that matter. We will see. I would start at part time of course to see if I can handle it or if I jumped the gun a little. Most people don't feel "normal" again for 8 months to a year from what I've heard and read but hey I'll never be "normal" this is my new normal. Last week my numbers were in great shape, my platelets were even 150,000 which is the highest they've been since I was diagnosed. Oh and we're starting to wean off some of my medicines. I hate taking 20 something pills a day so I'm 100% ready to cut it as much as I can and believe me if that means begging Dr.V to get off something I'll do it haha eventually he gives in and says "ok w can drop the dose or cut it in half then ok lets stop this med" and score one more gone =) My sister and one of my biggest fans is celebrating her birthday on August 16 as well as my daughter Rachel and friend Brianna, it will be a busy month. I'm hoping to go to Austin in 2 weeks to see the babies and of course I could never miss my princesses very first day of kindergarten!! Ryan will be in first grade, I'm so glad they have each other. Thank you all for continuing your love, support and prayers!

Still Fighting,
Katie

Kjenn and Rachel! Happy Birthday Girls. Love you infinity x the world!

Day + 120

They say if you get "a little bit" of Graft vs Host disease before day 100 it's a good sign everything will go pretty well, and past 100 days (chronic gvhd) it will probably be pretty bad. I don't know where I stand, I'm at 120 days and I've had NO graft vs host at all. Now, I feel like hmm "will I get a rash today"? I don't know how many people have "never" had gvhd but I doubt it's many. I still haven't found anyone my age with my exact diagnosis so it's still hard sometimes not having a group I "fit into" so to speak. And I only know one other person with my exact disease (Lorenzi you've been wonderful to me and a wealth of information!) It's funny because when I go to the doctor once a week they say "everything looks great"! and they give me my counts and I just laugh because everything has either an L (low) or H (high) so I'm like okay I'm glad you think that's excellent, yeah I get they want to be positive to keep me positive but come on sometimes you just have to be real. Lately I have talked to several people with ALL but no PH factor like me, almost everyone I've talked to has relapsed and gone through 2 transplants or have severe gvhd, and my cancer is supposed to be far more aggressive. It's hard not wondering if I might relapse, but that's no way to live so I'm constantly telling myself God is still on my side and maybe I'll be the miracle person that just had a perfect donor who never gets gvhd and lives to be 100 who knows haha nice thought uh? My family continues to support me and keep me positive when I have those "bad" days, and when I have a bad day, it's really bad. But slowly but surely as time goes by there are starting to be more good days than bad, Mom always reminds me of this (thanks Mom), and somehow Jenn always knows when my appoints are (even when I have no idea haha; I can't remember yesterday lol) and calls to ck my numbers and see if anythings new. I think she's only missed 2 biopsies (the next one is 3 mths Jenn, so we gotta get our dates together =) And I have the other sister KIM (the compulsive shopper and most "on the go person I know"! She tries to stop by on her way home from work after 12 hours of work bringing babies into this world, we talk often and go out when we can! All of my Aunts, uncles, and cousins are all supportive and wonderful too. This last week I had the babies! We went to Midevil times to create a really fun memory for them, Ryan said "I want to be a knighter when I grow up" and Rachel correcting him every time haha "No Ryan, it's called a knight" every thing was perfect and "normal" for a whole second when I hear her correcting him lol. Rachel is 4 and fluent in English and Spanish, it's quite funny hearing her and Ryan converse because Rachel will talk to him in Spanish and Ryan will respond in English. Ryan says he doesn't know Spanish but when he called his Abuela while here I secretly heard him speak an entire conversation w/ her...in Spanish because she doesn't speak English...busted Ryry=) That's about it as far as life goes right now. My Grandmother just turned 90 this month! I just thought I'd throw that in as well. Love you Grandma!

day + 104

Not too much to report. Tomorrow I have my 3rd and last bone marrow biopsy for a while. Um, I've lost 40 lbs since transplant day, I have hair coming back....finally....hair everywhere but my legs, makes for a great summer =) It would be awesome if it never came back but I know that's probably not possible haha..wishful thinking. I really don't have much going on these days but getting my strength back...which isn't easy, I watch a lot of movies, take lots of naps...etc...just what the doctor ordered so I guess this time I'll listen =) I'll post when I get my 3rd set of results from the bone marrow biopsy!

Love,
Katie

Day +100

WELL WE'VE MADE IT FOLKS! DAY 100 POST TRANSPLANT WITH NO MAJOR COMPLICATIONS THUS FAR! I DON'T REALLY HAVE MUCH MORE TO REPORT LOL BUT I'VE FINALLY HAD A FULL WEEK W/OUT BEING SICK AT LEAST ONE OF THE DAYS. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL THE LOVING THOUGHTS, PRAYERS, CARDS, AND ENCOURAGEMENT ALL THE WAY. EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU HAVE HAD A HAND IN MY FIGHTING THIS LEUKEMIA!

STILL FIGHTING,
KATIE

Day + 97

Day + 97, that means Friday is Day + 100! I was never sure if I'd actually ever say that. My blood counts have pretty much remained consistent except my magnesium, for some reason my body just wont absorb it. I take 9 magnesium pills a day and get infused with magnesium once a week at the clinic. Days are still up and down, there are great days, good days and just plain bad days. Today is a good day and I sure hope tomorrow is too as I have plans w/ great friends! I finally mailed my letter to my donor and I hope he writes back! I would love to meet him one day. I will have one more bone marrow biopsy Tuesday the 28th, should be the last for a while! yay! The best part of this month was having Ryan and Rachel out in the country at Aunt Sherry and Uncle JD's house! They loved playing in the sprinkler and playing with all the animals, and shopping! It was nice and peaceful! Thank you Aunt Sherry and Uncle JD! Rachel made a new best friend in cousin Amy, she keeps talking about hanging out and shopping with Amy lol it's too cute!

Katie

Day + 78

Hello Friends! I finally have a chance or feel well enough to blog this morning! I know it's been a while and in that while not too much has been going on. I've now had my 60 day bone marrow biopsy and everything was negative! The pcr, fish and bcr/able...all negative! Also the doctor told me I was "all boy" haha meaning all my cells are all donor cells so not only did the transplant take it did exactly what it was supposed to! I do take around 20 pills a day. Things for anti rejection of the transplant to steroids, anti virals, anti bacterials and a couple of them in combination have messed with my eyesight, loss of appetite, fatigue etc. Some days I still need to sleep quite a bit and others I'm ready to get out and do anything! That's really just about it as far as post transplant goes. On a happier note I've gotten to see Ryan and Rachel quite a bit this last month! Ryan's school had a mothers day tea and Jenn was nice enough to make a day trip with me to Austin to see him. And of course while there we couldn't leave with out seeing Rachel at her school too, she couldn't have been more excited to see us! Poor thing didn't understand that we were only there to visit and had to go back home so she cried for a few minutes and then we had to get going, broke my heart but I went back the very next weekend to take them to my best friends house for the weekend, we literally just stayed in all weekend and enjoyed each others company, they pretty much stayed right by side all weekend! Rachel had her first dance recital this past Sunday, I couldn't really make the 3.5 hour drive again as I usually get car sick but everyone said she did really good and I will just have to buy the video for $25 of her 5 min of fame on stage lol. Now I feel like I'm just rambling, like I said like is pretty boring right now, still just laying low and allowing my body to recover. Ms. Kennedy, I would love to plan a lunch or dinner one day, maybe your mom and Jenn would like to come too! You are amazing and strong and I can't wait to meet that awesome spirit of yours.

Katie!

Day + 33

Yesterday I had an appointment at Baylor as most of you already know. I still had to get an infusion of magnesium but I was fine with that because I had my sister Jenn there with me, we had good conversation and I was happy she was there for the big results. Then Mom showed up too, she usually doesn't miss anything! The Doctor finally came in and sat down. My first question was what was my PCR (the most sensitive test to detect the leukemia) and he said "less than one percent" my heart just stopped, it had occurred to me what he was telling me....that the leukemia is still there, he left the room to go get the "official report" and I just cried and my mom hugged me and Jenn had tears in her eyes. The Doctor came back and said "I'm so sorry I've made a big mistake, but a good one". Then he told us "everything is negative" and handed me the official report. He left, we all cried...again then Mom and I went to dinner to celebrate! It's still hard to wrap my head around "CANCER FREE" after all the chemo, radiation, stem-cell transplant, medications, etc... I'm so thankful for all the support and prayers and of course my ultimate healer God!


Love,
Katie

Day + 29

Well, it's almost been two weeks since I've been home. It's been up and down. The first two days or so were good, the next few...not so much. Trying to work out all the medication levels (all 18 of them) has been quite the nightmare on my system. I've been extremely fatigued just like everyone told me I would be, everyday I pray for strength and courage; and everyday does get a little better. Today I had my first bone marrow biopsy since my transplant, so I should know next week if I'm in remission. I've been going to the doctor usually every other day to have blood drawn and to get transfusions of magnesium as mine has been extremely low. My white blood cells have held in range but my platelets are steadily going down right now at 86, not sure if that means much but I guess it's par for the course. On a high note, my babies are coming for Easter! I talk to them via skype almost every night but there's nothing like having your babies in your arms! We'll be going out to Aunt Sherry's house....they love animals and even have a pet duck the kids love so they are very excited! That's really all I have for now and will update more as I feel better.

Love,
Katie

Second day home

I was released from the hospital on Monday, April 4th so I've been home two days now. I didn't really wrap my head around this "extreme fatigue" everyone kept warning me about because I walked every day at the hospital, but I've figured out what everyone meant now. I'm finding it very difficult to stay awake past 7:30 or 8:00pm and very difficult to wake up before noon then lay in bed until 2:00 or so. I will see the doctor 2-3 times a week for the next few weeks or so. Next Thursday is a "big" day. It will be 30 days since transplant and also they will be doing a bone marrow biopsy...probably the only one I'll ever look forward to haha. I can't wait to see if I'm in fact cancer free! I've started to write a letter to my donor. I had no idea how hard writing that letter would actually be. There are obvious things I want to say to him but I also have questions but don't want to be too intrusive. Any ideas would help...(Aunt Sherry???) I have an appointment tomorrow, so I'll update again soon.

Still Fighting,
Katie

Day + 17

It was great to see my Aunt Sherry and Uncle JD today! I know it's a long drive and just know it's greatly appreciated! Can't wait to come spend a few days in the country relaxing! My numbers are all still in normal range and climbing...on their own! So, now It's time to get home, recover the rest of the way and get back to life! So ready for ALL my mommy duties back, talking to the babies through skype is nice and neat and all but I just want to hug and kiss all over them whenever I want! That aspect has actually been one of the hardest for me of this whole ordeal is being separated from them. It wont be long now! I pray that each and everyone of you has a beautiful blessed day as I have. I continue to pray for you as you have for me.

Blessings,
Katie

Day + 15

Almost time to go home. It will probably be early next week (like Monday early)! It's bittersweet. I want to be home surrounded by my family, my own things, MY shower, seeing my Mom every day and my sisters more often; but on the other hand I worry about leaving my "bubble" here. I don't want to get an infection and be sent right back (I will still have a "baby" immune system). Although, I will have weekly appointments for a while to continue to check counts and make sure I don't need any transfusions so I guess that makes me feel better. The waiting game is also hard, waiting for all the tests to come back NEGATIVE for leukemia, which will be at least 3-4 more weeks. We've come this far, we can wait a little longer! So with that here are my numbers for today.

WBC's 9.3
HCT 35.2
Platelets 52,000 (my body is now making platelets on their own!)
TP 76%
ANC 7720 !

Day + 13 each day more exciting than the last!

WBC- 7.8
HCT- 32.1
PLT- 47K!
TP- 60%
ANC- 5850!

WOW! is all I have to say today. May thanks and glory be to God, my ultimate healer! Amen.

Love my butterfly Kimmi! Thank You.



-Katie

Day 12- nothing short of a miracle!

WBC's 4.0....NORMAL RANGE!
HCT 31.2...NORMAL RANGE! (NO BLOOD NEEDED)
PLT 15K....(NEED PLATELETS TODAY, BUT PLATELETS ARE THE LAST TO RECOVER)
TP 64%
ANC 2880! NORMAL IS 2000 AND UP! REMEMBER IT WAS 528 YESTERDAY!

My nurse today couldn't believe it, I only had one nupogen shot to help the new cells start producing like this but his immune system proved to be strong enough to go it alone! The severe back and chest pain has been very uncomfortable but well worth it, so worth it they are going to start weaning me off IV meds into pill form to get ready to go HOME!!!! REALLY? HOME? YES REALLY AND IN THE NEXT WEEK!!!! Once again your prayers for me have been heard...Thank you to each and every one of you!

Scripture of today:
This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it! Psalm 118:24

Prayer for today:
Thank you God for the light of hope which shines through the darkness of my fears. Amen!

Day + 11....must read!

I had severe bone pain yesterday completely up and down my spine and in my sternum of my chest, needless to say I was pretty uncomfortable. But I fought it out as the Doctor and nurses kept telling me it's engraftment I kept my eye on the prize and kept telling myself it's good pain...WELL IT WAS!

WBC (white blood cells) from 0.3 or (300) to 1.1 (1,100) today !!!!!! awesome
HCT (Red blood cells) from 32.4 to 31.4 (still no transfusion needed!!!! woo hoo
Platelets from 22k to 18k (still no platelet transfusion needed!!! yay
TP (Total Percentage of wbc's) 48%.....

And THE BIGGIE! ANC (absolute neutrophil count) from 156 to 528!!!! those are some fightin numbers!!!!!!!

Still Fighting, Katie

Happy Birthday; Dr. Vance, Nurse Curtis, Kjenn in the bed, Kimmi, Aunt Sherry