APRIL 29

DAY 8
Gary has done a little better today. He was able to drink a nutritional drink to help get calories in him, but said it burned all the way down. The mouth ulcers are now down his esophagus. The sores in his mouth have not bothered him too much because where they are the worse, is the right side, which Gary still has no feeling. When I walked into the hospital room this morning, there was quite a change from yesterday ... he has lost his goatee. *smile* Sure happens fast!

He is still "talking out of his head" off and on. Other than the episode with the Apaches .... most of his talking is doing ministry. *smile* He is either organizing something or teaching someone. It makes me smile to think that even in his subconscious, his heart desire is to be back in the Philippines doing ministry. Lord willing, we will be able to do just that. Thank you so much for your prayers.

APRIL 28
HEMOGLOBIN 8.2
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 0.2
PLATELETS - 31

GARY PHOTOS

I have been taking a picture of Gary each day through the stem cell transplant process. The picture I took yesterday compared to today tells a story as to how he was feeling each day. In the Day 7 photo, you can see his hair falling onto his shirt. It looks like a Labrador puppy was sitting on him. *smile*

DAY 6DAY 7

APRIL 28

DAY 7
Gary is about the same today. He started the day feeling pretty good and even tried to eat a few bites of oatmeal, but as the day progressed, he started to feel worse. He is still experiencing a fever, so this evening, they did another blood culture.

Yesterday, they gave him a unit of platelets since he went below 20 and today they gave 2 units of red blood cells because he was lower than 10. The anti-nausea drugs are still causing him to talk a little out of his head. He wakes himself up talking, and realizes immediately what he is doing.

Because of this, he is not resting completely. He told me to leave the TV on last night, but this morning, said that he had conversations with it all night long. *smile*

His doctor has not said anything about Gary leaving the hospital and Gary hasn't asked. Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 27
HEMOGLOBIN - 8.6
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 0.3
PLATELETS - 19

APRIL 27

DAY 6
Gary told me this morning that he was glad he was admitted. He felt a little better due to the heavier anti-nausea drugs they can give him. Still not eating, but maybe tomorrow. For the last few days, he has not talked because the effort made him so nauseous. This afternoon, he started chatting up a storm, but I soon realized that he was not quite in the same world that I was. I'm smart enough to know that when he talks about staying around to help "them" fight off the Apaches .... he isn't with us any more. *smile* This has happened before with the drugs, so I was not surprised. What was funny to me was, he went in and out and after saying something off the wall, he would say, "I'm just having a conversation with myself!" The nurses probably thought I was weeping for sadness, but it was silent laughter!

Gary's main doctor is on the rotation this week and as he walked into the room, he said, "Boy! You will do anything to get me to visit you in the hospital!" This has been a joke between Gary and his doctor since we arrived. His doctor is on the transplant team, so between those rotations, and seeing patients in his office, he does not do the "regular" morning visits. He said what Gary is going through is perfectly normal and nothing to be concerned about. Hopefully in a few days, Gary's counts will come up and he will start to feel better. Thank you so much for your prayers!

APRIL 26
HEMOGLOBIN - 10.1
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - .3
PLATELETS - 34

MORRIS, OK

First Baptist Church of Morris
Morris, OK

ROCHESTER, MN

Our daughter Sandra

Rochester, MN

APRIL 26

DAY 5

Gary has not done well today. We came in this morning for them to put him on antibiotic IV for 2 hours. This one is called Vancomycin and they will continue with this twice a day until 3 different cultures come back negative. The first one has. They administered another antibiotic through his central line called Cefepime. Because he has had a fever, he will now have this given twice a day, whether or not anything shows up in the cultures, until his white blood counts come up.

Gary has not been able to eat anything today and barely managed to drink some Gatorade, so this evening before the time I was to bring him in for the antibiotic treatment, I called to let them know how he was doing. They instructed us to come in and they planned to admit him. Gary was ready to do this, so that shows how bad he is feeling. He would do all he could to stay out of the hospital.

They will watch him tonight and if he still can't manage to keep eat anything or drink anything with nutritional content, they will put him on a nutritional IV. The doctor said that he is at the worse, and in a few days, his blood counts will start to rise and he should start feeling better.

I asked Gary tonight which was worse ... the extreme nausea or the pain. He said, that he is experiencing both. They took him off Lortab because it contains Tylenol and would mask a fever and gave him a different pain med for the "break through" pain. Obviously, it has not worked as well, so tonight the doctor said they would try something different.

Although this is all new to us, miserable for Gary and a little scary for me, it is all expected and they have seen it before. Gary is a typical transplant patient ... this time, he isn't being "special". *smile*

I appreciate your prayers! The comments we have received on Facebook and through emails, have also been such a blessing! Thank you!

APRIL 25
HEMOGLOBIN - 11.4
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - .3
PLATELETS - 66
POTASSIUM - 3.4
WEIGHT - 100.1

APRIL 25 update

Soon after posting for today, I had to take Gary back to the hospital. He was running a fever. They immediately hooked him up to an IV antibiotic that he was on for 2 hours, and then also administered a different one through his central line. They took blood draws, urine sample and chest xray to determine what kind of "bug" he might have and where it might be located, i.e. lungs or central line. This is a common thing among transplant patients, caused by their white blood counts being so low. The nurse said that our own skin has "bugs" and normally it isn't a problem for us, but when the white blood counts are so low, you can't fight it. The antibiotics they gave will cover a wide range of infection, so he will be put back on it tomorrow morning when he goes and then again in the evening, every day, until they are sure he no longer needs it. Appreciate your prayers!

APRIL 25

DAY 4
Gary is not feeling well today. It is starting to sound like a broken record, but that is the way it will be for the next several weeks. The nurse told me today that it will get worse before it gets better. They administered another 1000 ml of fluids this morning along with an IV anti-nausea medicine. Then they applied an anti-nausea patch behind his ear hoping that will help along with the two different drugs I am giving him at home.

Starting Day 4-7, he will lose his hair and develop sores in his mouth. Some get the sores all the way down their esophagus. That will make it even harder to eat. Gary has started a sore on his tongue and looks like one is starting on his upper lip.

When we started this, we thought "three weeks will go by fast!", but now realize that it is going to be a tough, long three weeks for him. Appreciate your prayers!

APRIL 24
HEMOGLOBIN - 11.6
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 0.9
PLATELETS - 111
POTASSIUM - 3.5
WEIGHT - 100.1

Thank you for praying for Gary's Dad. Although not completely well, he is out of the hospital and plans to preach this morning (Filipino time) for the churches anniversary service. *smile*

SKIATOOK, OK (2)

The Day and Phillips Family

Skiatook, OK

SANFORD, FL

Praying for Gary in Sanford, FLPilgrim's Sunday School Class

Palmetto Ave Baptist Church

APRIL 24

DAY 3

Gary had a rough afternoon and evening yesterday, being very nauseous and not able to eat or drink much. This morning, the doctors were concerned enough to have him stay hooked up to fluids for an hour. They also administered an anti-nausea drug by IV hoping that would help. Gary's white blood count dropped significantly the day before, so that is the cause of the nausea and general "UGH!" feeling.

The nutritionist said if all he could do was drink ... to drink calories. So, if he feels like it, he can have all the milkshakes he would want. *smile* I did find out that a small milkshake at Dairy Queen contains 560 calories. Ouch! I guess I can't join him each time he wants one. Having one yesterday morning helped him to come close to his daily calorie goal. Thank you for your prayers!

HEMOGLOBIN - 9.4

WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 1.4

PLATELETS - 134

WEIGHT - 100.7 kilos

On another note, please pray for Gary's father, Bob Phillips. He is in the Philippines ... admitted to a hospital for pnuemonia. This is very hard on his wife, Sue, to not be able to be there with him since she is here with us. Thank you!

PHILIPPINES

Staff and youth from Camp 09

Joint project of

Sumulong Baptist Church

Bethel Baptist Church

Faith Temple Baptist Church

Metro Manila, Philippines

Can you see Gary's name? if you click on each picture, they will enlarge to be able to see everyone close up. This years camp had 177 young people come to know Christ!

COLLINSVILLE, OK

Our oldest grandson, Tyler

Collinsville, OK

APRIL 23

DAY 2
Gary had to have 1 unit of blood given today. His red blood cells from yesterday were 9.6. That is not terribly low and they normally wait until it is under 9 before giving a transfusion, but because of his previous heart condition, they want to keep his count above 10. He has just felt a little "off" today. This is all to be expected. We know that starting tomorrow, the effects of the chemo will hit and we expect several weeks of him being sick. All in all, he is doing as well as could be expected. I will start listing his blood counts from now on to keep record of it.

4/22/09
HEMOGLOBIN - 9.6
WHITE BLOOD COUNT - 3.2 (8-10 is normal)
PLATELETS - 167 (150-400 is normal)
WEIGHT - 101.9 kilos

Thank you so much for your prayers! On another note, the young man I mentioned in my last post has come through surgery well. Go to their CareBridges site to read how God has worked a miracle for Jeff, and continue to pray for them. Thanks!

PRAY FOR JEFF McCOART

This week, a friend asked that I post to my friends, a request for prayer for this young man. He is 24 yrs. old, married with a toddler and baby on the way. Jeff was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor and was able to make it up to Mayo Clinic to see the doctors here. He is scheduled to have surgery on his brain in the morning. I was able to call Jeff and his wife to encourage them that they were in the right place with the best of the best here. I know they would be encouraged to know many others will be lifting them up tomorrow as he goes through this procedure.

You can read about him here

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jeffmccoart

Thanks!

APRIL 22

DAY 1

Gary was able to eat a small breakfast before heading to the hospital. He will go every morning at 9am to have blood draws and have the doctors check him over. They have me chart his medicines, which are many, and go over that with us plus any questions we have.

In a few days when the full effect of the chemo will kick in, I will also have to chart everything he eats and drinks. At that time, it will be very important for him to get in a certain amount of calories whether he feels like eating or not. So, he could have all the milkshakes he would want if that is all he could stomach.

The rest of the day, he has slept off and on. Some of that is due to the pain and anti-nausea drugs. He still has a smell of cream/sweet corn about him due to the preservative that was in the stem cells. The doctor said she was surprised he wasn't as strong as some are, considering he had 10 syringes given to him. I hope that means it will go away soon.

I had to change his dressing on his central line for the first time tonight. It needs to be done weekly. Until now, he has been in the hospital and the nurses have done it. I have watched it enough times, but doing it yourself is a different story. Everything has to be handled with sterile gloves and both of us wearing mask. It would be very dangerous for him to get an infection at the site since the line travels right to his heart. Appreciate your continued prayers for him!

APRIL 21

HAPPY TRANSPLANT DAY!

Today Gary received his stem cells. It was quite a procedure! They started early in the morning taking blood draws to record his red and white blood counts and then hydrated him for 4 hours. The lab sent up Gary's stem cells still frozen in a little cooler. One nurse stood outside Gary's room and would place a bag of his stem cells in a warm water bath to thaw out. She would then draw it into a large syringe and hand it to one of the nurses inside his room.

The nurse inside the room would then slowly administer the stem cells into Gary's central line. They used 10 syringes and it took about an hour and a half to complete it.

The whole process was relative easy on Gary and we had a good time joking around with the nurses.
Many call the stem cell transplant "your second birth". Gary told the nurses that this was his third birth. His first was when he was born. The second, when he accepted Christ as his Savior at age 9 and then today, his third birth receiving the stem cells. He then told them that the second one was the most important!

Gary was able to come home today and will just have to go to the hospital every morning for the next 21 days for them to monitor his blood counts and make sure everything is going well. Thank you for your prayers. The important thing now, will be that these new "baby" cells will engraft into his bone marrow and will start making new white and red blood cells and platelets.

APRIL 20

In Gary's room, there is a poster that has spaces for the patient to write about himself. Gary had not done this, but when we arrived back in his room last night, his nurse had written some for him. This is the same nurse who had commented about our relationship. A few days ago, I had just arrived to his room when she asked if she could do anything for Gary. He said, "I'm fine ... now that my eye candy is here". That is whey she wrote what she here. *smile*

Gary started the day being sick and it has continued. He only had one hour of chemo and that is the last of it. His white blood count has already dropped from 8200 when he came in Wednesday, to 2800 this morning. He has lost another 2 kilos, so that is 5 kilos (11 lbs.) since Wednesday! Tomorrow is the BIG day! He will get his cells put back and we will start the count down to "wellness". Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 19

Gary is having a hard morning dealing with nausea. Not severe ... but enough to not want to eat. Through this process, the hardest part will be getting enough calories in to stay healthy. There is no getting around the fact that he is going to be very sick ... just pray for him during this time.

Gary is developing quite a reputation with the nurses. In the section where he received his MTX treatments, the nurses commented how they were always happy coming into work and find out he would be their patient, because he was "easy". Meaning, they didn't have to do much with him and he was pleasant to deal with. That's a good reputation to have.

This time around, he is developing another reputation. His main nurse mentioned yesterday to him that it was nice to see a couple still in love after so many years of marriage. She has been telling all the other nurses about us. *smile* Sure brings home the fact that we show Christ in the way we live AND love.

APRIL 18

DAY -3

Gary still doing well with the chemo. He was slightly nauseous today, but nothing to "write home about". He has lost 3 kilos since starting the chemo on Wednesday. Most of that was probably extra fluid that he had gained during the collection process. Tomorrow will be the last day of "double dosing". Thank you for your prayers.

APRIL 16

Gary did ok with the two rounds of chemo today. He was able to leave and go back to our apartment and stay until after dinner. That helps his morale more than anything. Even though he may sleep most the afternoon, he would rather be home. He should do ok the rest of the week. The adverse affects of the chemo will not hit him until in a week. Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 15

DAY -6

I had so much to talk about yesterday after seeing the doctors to discuss what Gary will go through with the chemo this week, but THIS is why I was not able to get online ...My usually WHITE dog had swept up ALL the dirt on the sidewalk during our walk. Although it gave us all a laugh, I had to spend the evening brushing and bathing him. I have made the announcement, that he is not allowed to go on walks this week while I am busy running Gary back and forth to the hospital. *smile*

Today was Gary's first day with chemo. During the BMT process, they call this, Day -6. For those that may be interested, here is the schedule of what he will be given ...

Day -6 ... BCNU (Carmustine) given over 2 hours. Gary was able to leave the hospital for the day and does not have to be back until 9pm. This made him very happy as he really has started to hate being in the hospital. He has to wear a mask when outside his hospital room or our apartment and avoid crowds. Day -5 thru Day -2 ... P-16/Etopside, and ARA-C. The VP-16 is given IV over 2 hours twice a day. ATA-C is given IV over 1 hours twice a day. IV hydration begins on Day -5.

Day -1 ... Malphalan. Given IV over 1 hour. Hydration ends.

Day 0 ... Day of transplant. Gary will receive his stem cells through the IV along with hydration. Should be dismissed from hospital to "Outpatient Management" later that afternoon.

The risk are many. One main risk is to the vital organs. Because Gary has had trouble with his kidneys shutting down in the past ... he is particularly at risk. His doctor has given specific instructions to everyone involved to be on alert for this. I am so comforted from the fact of so many lifting Gary up in prayer. I will never be able to express my appreciation enough! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

SKIATOOK, OK and SPRINGFIELD, MO

Gary's niece, Leah Phillips and sister, Tina Phillips

Gary's great-nieces, Kate (with mom Lisa) and RachaelGary's nephew, Zach Harris

(notice the letters on the ducks) *smile*

REMEMBER TO GET YOUR PICTURES IN AS WELL!

HAPPY EASTER!

APRIL 12

Gary wanted to attend church today, but did not feel well enough. He is experiencing flu-like symptoms, which is caused by the growth shots. Tomorrow morning, he will go to clinic to have his kidneys checked so they will know the amount of chemo to give him. He commented at how nice it was to spend the day at home today. It was a needed rest. This video really was a blessing to Gary and I today, so wanted to share it with you. Appreciate your prayers!

APRIL 11

Today was Gary's final day at collection. He produced 1.95 this time so his total is well over 5 million ... 6.27 to be exact. Monday, the BMT nurse coodinator will call to let us know when they will start the chemo. Gary really wants to be able to go to church in the morning, but is feeling pretty rotten this afternoon. Please pray that he will have a restful night and be able to go. Enjoy your Easter celebrations and thank you for praying for us!

HOPE

A Hope Transfusion

by Charles R. Swindoll

Revelation 1:17, 18

Easter and hope are synonymous. That special day never arrives without its refreshing reminder that there is life beyond this one. True life. Eternal life. Glorious life. Those who live on what we might call "the outskirts of hope" need a transfusion. Easter gives it.

I think of all those who are battling the dread disease of cancer. Talk about people living on "the outskirts." They fight the gallant battle, endure the horrible reactions of chemotherapy, and anxiously await the results of the next checkup.

And then there are those who still grieve over the loss of a mate, a child, a parent, or a friend. Death has come like a ruthless thief, snatching away a treasured presence, leaving only memories. What is missing?

Hope. Hope has died. There is nothing like Easter to bring hope back to life. Easter has its own anthems. Easter has its own Scriptures. And Easter has its own proclamation: "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said" (Matthew 28:6).

When Christians gather in houses of worship and lift their voices in praise to the risen Redeemer, the demonic hosts of hell and their damnable prince of darkness are temporarily paralyzed.

When pastors stand and declare the unshakable, undeniable facts of Jesus' bodily resurrection and the assurance of ours as well, the empty message of skeptics and cynics is momentarily silenced.

Our illnesses don't seem nearly so final.

Our fears fade and lose their grip.

Our grief over those who have gone on is diminished.

Our desire to press on in spite of the obstacles is rejuvenated.

Our identity as Christians is strengthened as we stand in the lengthening shadows of saints down through the centuries, who have always answered back in antiphonal voice: "He is risen, indeed!"

A hope transfusion awaits us. It happens every year on Easter Sunday. Alleluia! Jesus lives, and so shall we!

Excerpted from Day by Day with Charles R. Swindoll, Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

CAINTA, PHILIPPINES

Stephanie, Nimfa and Malou - Cainta, Philippines

APRIL 10

Another day of collecting produced 1.92 stem cells! Now they have over 4 million to work with. The doctor still wants Gary to come in tomorrow for collection to get closer to 5 million, but he will not have to have the growth shots. That will make him happy. This means that we have Sunday off, which we were hoping would be the case. It will be good to be able to celebrate the Resurrection in church instead of in a hospital room! Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 9

Gary had another good day, although it didn't start out well. Before he could sit down to have his breakfast and coffee ... he was headed for the bathroom ... very sick. We left for the hospital hoping that would be the last of it, and it was. Probably a side effect of the Plerixafor.

From then on, he relaxed and watched The Masters on TV while getting his cells harvested. The 5 hours seemed to pass quickly for me ... maybe not so much for Gary. *smile* I will say that the nurses who handled him these three days have just been awesome! Couldn't ask for any better.

Tonight, the BMT nurse called to say that Gary put out 1.29 cells! That puts him to 2.38, which is enough to go to transplant, if Gary has a hard time giving more. They will still have him continue with the Plerixafor tonight and go back for harvesting tomorrow and possibly Sunday. Even though over 2 million cells are enough to go to transplant, they have found that if you have close to 5 million, your chances of the cells grafting back into your bone marrow is significantly better. So, let's pray that he does over 2 million tomorrow!

APRIL 8

Gary did well today. It always seems like we are always watching some kind of number to determine good or bad days. *smile* The collection today brought in .85 so that brings the total to 1.07 million stem cells. The BMT nurse was very pleased with that. They still want Gary to go back tonight for a Plerixafor shot to keep this going. Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 7

Today was Gary's first day to start collecting his stem cells. We arrived at the clinic at 8am and within 20 minutes, the nurses had him connected to the machine. The disappointing news was he would still have to receive the two growth shots (G-CSF)each day of this process.The next 5 hours was spent just waiting ..... and waiting...

For the machine to take out his blood ... separate the red blood cells, plasma and stem cells ... store the stem cells ... and then circulate the red blood cells and plasma back into his body.

The end result is this little bag of stem cells! They tag it, send it directly to the lab for them to count how many cells were harvested and then they will freeze it.
They hope to collect a million cells a day, but are happy with what they call .5. Later in the day, the Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Nurse Coordinator called to say that Gary only produced .22 so he needed to go back to the hospital at 8pm to get a shot of a new drug called Plerixafor.

This drug has just been approved this past February, and they have nothing but good things to say about it. It helps push the stem cells in the bone marrow out into the blood stream so they can be collected. Before this drug was available, Gary would have had to go in tonight and received 2 more G-CSF shots, which are painful. Although this drug is also administered in his belly, it is not painful. All in all, it was an uneventful day. Gary slept most of it. *smile*.

So, how can you pray for Gary? Pray that he will produce the desired amount of stem cells each day. He needs a total of 5 million or more. He will have to go every day and receive the two G-CSF shots and possibly every evening for the Plerixafor until he meets this amount.

APRIL 6

Once again our day started with Gary getting two shots in his belly. They took a blood draw to see how Gary is doing making stem cells. If the number was at least a 10, they would proceed to harvesting tomorrow. Around noon today, we received a phone call that Gary's number was a 12! Gary was so happy to no longer need the shots. They are not pleasant at all. So, tomorrow at 8am, Gary will go in to be hooked up to a machine for 4-5 hours as they start to harvest the cells. This will go on for 3-5 days, depending on how well he is at giving up his blood.

APRIL 5

Gary arrived at hospital at 7am for his two growth shots. They also changed the dressing on his central line. All in all, he is doing ok today. Been very tired, but that is a normal thing lately. Has not had the pain he had yesterday. I am still hobbling around, but don't think I did any serious damage to my knee. Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 4 update

After I wrote a post for today, Gary started having severe pain in his back. We were told this would happen, we are just a little surprised it started this soon. They said he would have aches as if he was getting the flu. This was good, as it means the stem cells are multiplying and putting pressure in the bone marrow trying to get out. It is pretty significant pain but he is allowed to take an extra pain medication as needed, so I hope it will help him to be able to sleep tonight. Thank you for your prayers!

APRIL 4

Gary is doing better with the pain from the central line being put in. He had two more growth shots this morning and then has rested today. I on the other hand, need your prayers.

We had our carpets cleaned today to prepare for when Gary will need a sterile environment. The solution they were using was bothering me so I thought I would take my dog Charlie out into the hallway. I made the mistake of walking on wet carpet ... then onto the kitchen linoleum. My right foot slipped out from under me and I landed with all my weight and Charlie's on my left knee. I now have a very large "goose egg" on my knee cap. So ... I am laid up this evening with ice on my knee. Please pray with us that I did not do any serious damage to my knee and it will be better by morning. It will be hard enough caring for Gary in the next month without having to worry about seeking treatment for my knee. I told my daughter, Becky that I pray constantly not to get sick, but forgot to include accidents .... Just call me "Grace".

APRIL 3

Gary came through the procedure for the central line fine. It will take a week or so for him to get used to the tubing under his skin. He was given several instructions concerning the line and the one we thought was funny was that he could take a shower ... just don't get it wet. *smile* Guess I will be drawing a bubble bath for him from now on. *giggle*

We went to lunch, then back to the clinic for him to have the growth shots. It was bad enough to know he would need a shot given in his belly, but after arriving to the infusion center, he was told he would have to have TWO shots. He said it feels like bee stings and continues to sting awhile until the drug gets into his system. He will have to do this for two more days and possibly three.

Tonight, he is understandably worn out and sore. Says he is in considerable pain at the site of the central line. Hopefully his pain meds will kick in and he will be able to rest tonight. Thank you for your prayers today. Although the risk for this procedure was small, it was still a comfort to me to know that so many were praying for him. We are so blessed!

APRIL 2

Tomorrow morning at 9am, Gary is scheduled to have a central line put in. This catheter will be use to deliver chemotherapy, medicine, nutrition, blood transfusions and the healthy blood stem cells. It is also used to draw blood for the frequent blood tests he needs during the transplant process. This will reduce the number of needle punctures, which is a good thing, since Gary has always been what the nurses refer to as a "hard stick".

Gary will receive a palindrome central line. The inserting of this line is done during a surgical procedure. a surgeon or radiologist will make two small incisions in his chest and thread a catheter through a large vein until it approaches his heart. The line will remain in place until his treatment is finished.

In the afternoon, Gary will receive his first Neupogen/G-CSF (granulocyte colony stimulating factor) shot. This medication will be given by daily injections in his belly for 3-4 four days. It will cause the bone marrow to increase the production of stem cells and move them into the circulating blood so they can be collected. On Monday, they will check to see how many of these stem cells are in the blood stream and if the right amount, they will start harvesting on Tuesday.

PRAYER

We don't take it for granted that so many around the world are praying for Gary. Words just can't express enough how thankful we are for that!

Recently I saw something that I would like to do on this blog. If those of you who are able, could take a picture of Gary's name written on a sign of some sort, and include in the picture either yourself, your church group and/or something that would show where you live and send it to me either by mail (see address under our picture at right) or through the internet (bamaw5@yahoo.com.ph) as a jpg. file.

I would like to post it on the blog so others could see the different people, from all over the States and in different countries that are praying for Gary. It would be an encouraging thing for Gary as well. If you choose to do it in a humorous way, that would be even better. There would be no deadline for this, I would just add them as I receive them. Thanks!

APRIL 1

GOOD NEWS!

And it's not an April Fools joke! Gary saw his doctor today and the tumor in his brain has shrunk dramatically! He was very confident that it would continue to do so. That means, Gary has been given the green light to start the process for the stem cell transplant.

Friday, he will have a central line put in. He will have to go to the clinic every day for three days to receive growth factor shots. This is to make his stem cells start producing extra cells. If by Monday, he will be making the required number of cells, they will start harvesting. I have explained this process in a previous post title "Blood Harvest" dated 12/3/08.

Today, the doctor explained all the possible risk of going through the stem cell transplant. This is not going to be an easy process and Gary will be pretty ill. There is a danger of damaging all his vital organs and though the percentage is small for his age group, there is also the risk of death. I say all this to say that he is going to need your prayers more than ever now. Thank you for your prayers!