Simple blessings...

As I sit at home this afternoon, I'm thankful for so many simple things, simple gifts that God has graciously provided. My family is currently making a bit of a commute each Sunday for worship, but we're finding we enjoy the time together in the car, as well as a lovely drive through the countryside. And we're certainly thankful for the opportunity to fellowship with friends old and new before and after such a God-exalting worship service. All of these things are simple, yet precious.

I'm linking up to

 

Tim and Michele's story {a video}

As I mentioned in this post, part of Michele's day at the Fisher house last Saturday included an interview. Today, which happens to be her birthday, her mom received a copy of the final video. Tony did a great job of editing a day's worth of video and interviews into a wonderful, but brief, story.




It was such a special day -- so glad we were there to share it!

Bone Marrow Transplant FAQs {or, I'm married to a stem cell stud}

My stem cell stud!

As we've approached the time for Jeff to donate bone marrow for Michele's transplant, many folks have asked what would be involved. Will Jeff be put to sleep? How do they extract the marrow? How will this affect Jeff? Jeff and I are the type of people who take a "less is more" approach to medical knowledge, but we've found this process to be really interesting. Of course, it's all personal with us, too, as we stand in awe that something as elemental to the body as stem cells can be removed from Jeff and placed in his sister in hopes of rebuilding her immune system.

Here are some answers to some of the questions we've been asked. I'll try not to get too graphic (mainly because I might get lightheaded, causing my laptop to fall onto the hard hospital linoleum) while giving as much info as I can.

Why does Michele need a bone marrow transplant?

Michele & Jeff pre-transplant

About a year ago, Michele was diagnosed with aplastic anemia. In itself, this compromises the immune system; combined with other conditions Michele has, it presented major challenges for her immune system. Earlier this year, doctors found that the aplastic anemia had progressed to MDS, which would most likely lead to leukemia. Essentially, Michele is no longer producing white blood cells. Her immune system is basically non-existent, but doctors are hopeful that a successful stem cell transplant will provide her the ability to produce new, healthy bone marrow, as well as providing a brand new immune system. 

How was Jeff selected as the donor?

Michele's two brothers both went through two rounds of blood testing to determine whether or not they were a match. Amazingly, both Jeff and Kevin were identified as 100% matches. The doctors ultimately selected Jeff.

Where will the transplant process take place?

Michele has been so blessed to be accepted into a protocol at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. NIH offers her a team of specialists working together to help with each of her issues as they prepare her for the transplant process. Because of Michele's compromised immune system, she was already dealing with infection issues when she arrived. She was immediately admitted, with the team working around the clock to identify and treat each infection. Michele is not only the beneficiary of years of research done here at NIH, but other patients will benefit from the research protocol that Michele is a part of. And all
of this care has been provided at no charge to Michele.

As part of the donor process, Jeff has traveled to NIH twice: once for more screening and testing, and again for the actual donation. Again, this is done at no charge to Jeff or Michele, with some of the travel expenses even reimbursed.

How has Jeff prepared for the donation process?

First of all, he has tried to stay well. Michele's husband, Tim, consistently reminded Jeff to "Keep that blood healthy!" Second, for five days up to and including donation day, Jeff has taken injections of Neupogen to stimulate bone marrow and stem cell production. He had the option of going to the hospital to receive the injections (two shots once each day), or we could learn how to give them ourselves. Because it's quite a commute to NIH from where we are staying, we bit the bullet and learned how to do it. Additionally, he's tried to stay very hydrated.

How is the bone marrow obtained for transplant?

The apheresis machine.

This is one of the best things about being at NIH. Rather than being put to sleep and extracting the marrow by needle directly from the hip bone, Jeff went through apheresis. This is a process of filtering the blood; blood is removed from one arm (similar to a simple blood donation), run through a machine to remove the stem cells, with the remaining blood products returned to his other arm. As they return the blood, they also give the donor citrate (to lessen clotting) and calcium (to counter the effects of the citrate), as well as saline (for hydration). Quite a little cocktail flowing in!

Color matching during filtering process

After 45 minutes to an hour of prep, the actual apheresis process can take up to six hours, with the possibility of going through it all again the next day if the minimum amount is not collected. The doctor stopped by after only two hours and said that Jeff had produced about twice the normal amount of bone marrow. In fact, he said that we could actually stop apheresis then and have enough, but he wanted to keep the process going for a couple more hours to have enough for multiple transplants, if needed. The doctor originally calculated that 25 liters of  blood would need to be filtered in order to obtain the required amount of stem cells; only 15 liters were actually filtered. All of this is an amazing answer to prayer!

A nurse told Jeff he had very pretty cells!

At the end of the process, Jeff lost the equivalent of a pint of blood, and all of his blood products are naturally replenished within 24-48 hours. The side effects from the Neupogen shot begin diminishing within that time period and should be gone within two weeks.

How will Michele receive the transplant?

Michele will undergo chemotherapy and radiation for seven days beginning Memorial Day. She'll have a day to rest on June 4, and will receive the transplant on June 5, right in her hospital room. Following the transplant, she'll still need to receive transfusions for several weeks until her bone marrow begins producing. At some point within the first two weeks following the transplant, Jeff will come back to NIH to go through apheresis again, this time to donate granulocytes, a type of white blood cell that is integral to the immune system.

It's been amazing to be cheering from the sidelines through this process. We have confidence in God's sovereignty in all things; we are so blessed to, in this instance, see how His hand has orchestrated so many things to bring all of this together at the right time. He has been gracious to provide so many blessings along the way -- even Christian nurses (which, we've been told, can be rare at NIH).

We are so thankful that the Lord has answered so many prayers. Thank you to those of you who have been praying for Tim and Michele. Please continue to pray that Michele's new immune system will grow strong within her body, but not so strong that it will recognize her organs as foreign... it's a fine line. And may God receive glory in all that happens.

Washington DC, the sequel

Our second trip to Washington DC (for Jeff to donate stem cells for his sister) has been full of surprises. The first surprise presented itself even before we arrived in DC. If you know me at all, you know that I love Mexican food. Imagine my surprise at finding one of my favorite restaurants from out West -- Abuelo's -- in Roanoke, Virginia, and right at dinner time! Just a little thing, but nice!

 On Tuesday afternoon, we headed downtown to try to visit one of the many free museums. I use the term free loosely here; the high price of parking definitely offsets free admission. Thankfully, the Air and Space Museum was open longer that day, and we stayed through closing. Jeff and Jared were especially excited to be just a few feet from vintage aircraft they had only read about.

After the museum (and after dark), we wandered down to the Washington Monument...

and the Vietnam War Memorial Wall...

and the Lincoln Memorial.

We wrapped up the evening with food from the best Five Guys Burgers and Fries we've ever enjoyed.

Wednesday was spent up at NIH, as Jeff signed his consent forms and we took the kids up to visit with their Uncle Tim and Aunt Michele. Michele was up for a walk about then, so we did a couple of laps around the floor before finding a place to sit and visit.

Thursday was the beginning of the donor process for Jeff, as we reported to Apheresis at NIH to donate leukocytes (white blood cells). These will be held for Michele in case they are needed after the bone marrow transplant. After prep, the process took about three hours and required Jeff to keep his left arm still and straight the whole time. I thought Jeff did really well, and the Lord was so good to provide us with a Christian nurse. Once he was released from apheresis, we reported to the clinic to broaden our horizons. A sweet Bulgarian nurse taught us how to give Jeff injections of neupogen. This is the medicine they call "The G"; it stimulates Jeff's bone marrow production to provide more stem cells for donation. Once the injection process was explained, we decided it would be simpler for me to give Jeff the injections than for him to inject himself. Because the dose is so large, I'm actually giving him two shots each morning. Talk about a stretch! It takes both of us to get through all of the steps and keep things sterile (and we're both the types to basically pass out at the sight of blood and/or needles), but we're getting it done. (Aren't you glad I didn't include any pictures here?)

We were pleasantly surprised to learn that the Andrews AFB Air Show was scheduled for this weekend, with a special day for military families on Friday. Mom and Dad took us to the flight line where we enjoyed seeing more vintage and modern aircraft, as well as watching some amazing aerial feats. The highlight of the day had to be Blue Angels demonstration -- absolutely amazing!

The best surprise of the week was learning that Michele would have an eight-hour pass to leave NIH and come to the Fisher House on Saturday. A couple of military journalists scheduled a video interview with Tim and Michele (and a brief cameo appearance by Jeff). Tony and Stacy were very kind and spent most of the day with us as we shared a family cookout and watched the Blue Angels again, this time from the front porch of the Fisher House. However, before lunch, Colonel Rizer (Wing Commander for Andrews AFB) came by the pick up Tim, Michele, and Jeff to visit the Fisher House airplane which had just arrived for the air show. After introductions, he invited the rest of us to come along, too. Jared joined the others in "the white top", while AnnaKate and I followed along in our little CRV. It was fun to follow along as the Colonel drove with sirens wailing -- all traffic stopped to let us pass, and we saw some very snappy salutes. He drove us right out to the flight line, right in the middle of the crowd, right up to the airplane. The base photographers were waiting for us and began snapping pictures immediately. Passersby took note and began taking pictures, as well! Afterward, when Colonel Rizer returned us to the Fisher House, he presented both Michele and Jeff with his Commander's Coin.

It was a very special day, and we are so thankful to have spent it with Michele. but the days ahead are full of challenges. Michele still has hurdles to overcome as she prepares for the transplant process. Tim faces the daily challenges of faithfully caring for Michele and working with the doctors to manage her care. Jeff faces challenges over the next several days of injections, side effects, and the five to eight hour stem cell donation process. And Mom and Dad have the challenge of walking alongside Tim in caring for Michele while facing health issues of their own. I hope you'll join me in praying for them all in this process. As Michele's doctor so wisely put it, we can do everything right in the transplant process, but in the end it's up to God. Amen.

Washington DC and a reminder...

Jeff and I have enjoyed a whirlwind trip to Washington DC the last few days... probably me more than him. (After all, this trip has really been all about him being poked and prodded to be sure he can donate stem cells to his sister.)

 After arriving in the wee hours Sunday morning, we did a trial run to NIH, just to be sure we could find it before we had to fight our way there through rush hour traffic on Monday morning. Later that afternoon, we enjoyed a driving tour through downtown Washington (that's what we're calling our search for a parking spot). I saw some amazing architecture and was able to snap a few shots from the car window.

We finally found the perfect place to park on the mall, and the Washington Monument was happy to serve as our marker to help us find our way back. You can see that beauty from just about anywhere! The Secret Service officers were very friendly and helpful, answering our questions which ranged from "Can we park here?" (the answer was "no") to "Are there any public bathrooms around here?" (another "no") to "Has that woman really camped across the street from the White House for the past thirty years?" (unbelievably, it was "yes" to that one, but she still has not achieved world peace).

After parking, we wandered around by foot, just enjoying the lovely spring day. Just people watching in DC is a cultural experience. We didn't try any of the local food (read that "street cart") this trip.

I figured  Jeff should get a picture of me in front of the White House... after all, I've been helping to pay the mortgage on it for years!

The bank that holds our money that makes those mortgage payments is conveniently (and attractively) located just around the corner...

This is the closest we got to the Capitol building.

We spent all day yesterday and much of today at NIH, getting clearance for Jeff to donate stem cells for his sister's transplant. When we finished up today, we visited with Tim and Michele in her hospital room for a bit. Michele's medical team is working hard to determine the cause of her fever and the swelling under her eye -- they really are the best. Then we headed back to the Fisher House at Andrews AFB, our home away from home, to rest and get ready for the long trip back tomorrow. We can't wait for our next trip -- we'll be able to share the city with the kids and complete the transplant donation!

To learn more about Michele's transplant and how you can help, please read my post about Shopping for Shelly. And please spread the word by sharing the link via Facebook, Twitter, email -- however you communicate with your friends and family! Bloggers, my sweet daughter even helped me make a blog button that you can share on your blog. (Just cut and paste the code.) Thanks!

Shopping for Shelly

I'd like to introduce you to a special person in my life, someone I've known for more than thirty years. Michele is my husband's oldest sister  -- her family affectionately calls her Shelly. We graduated from high school together; I was in her wedding almost 31 years ago.

As both an Air Force brat and an Air Force bride, Michele's life has been lived all around the country (plus two stints in Germany), but she and her family ultimately settled back where she started, in Middle Georgia. Here she has raised her two children, Apryl and Greg, and enjoyed her grandchildren. Michele and her husband, Tim Fetz, have been extremely active in their church. They work behind the scenes, serving quietly, except for times when Michele is able to share her song of worship.

Tim and Michele at NIH

Over the years, Michele has faced various maladies. She was eventually diagnosed with Crohn's disease and Lupus, but with no real help offered. Over the years, her condition has worsened and it became evident that there was more going on here. Referrals to Emory, then the Mayo Clinic, ultimately led to a referral to the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, finding that a hereditary blood disorder was the root of the problem. NIH offered Michele the opportunity to participate in a lengthy clinical trial -- an extreme immune system makeover of sorts. After several months, Michele was released to return to Georgia and seemed to be improving. Unfortunately, after about two months home, it became clear that the treatment had not worked. A bone marrow transplant needed to reverse her pre-leukemia condition.

Michele and Jeff (2008)

It took a bit of time, but two potential donors were identified: Michele's brothers, Kevin and Jeff (my husband). The transplant team was amazed to learn that both brothers were 100% matches, increasing the odds of acceptance exponentially. Jeff was ultimately selected simply because it was logistically simpler for him to participate.

Because Michele's condition is considered critical, the transplant team has scheduled the process to begin as quickly as possible. Tim and Michele will report back to NIH at the end of April and are not expected to return home until sometime in September. Jeff will also report at the end of April for his physical exam and the first stage of the donor process. He returns to NIH in mid-May for the actual donation, which will be a non-surgical procedure. He'll receive a series of injections over five days to increase the number of blood-forming cells in his bloodstream. Immediately following the fifth injection, blood will be removed from one arm, cycled through a machine which removes the peripheral blood stem cells, then returned to his other arm.

Tim and Michele

Following this, Michele will begin a series of chemo and radiation treatments over several days. Then she'll receive the bone marrow transplant, a little at a time, over several more days. She'll be on anti-rejection drugs for about three weeks following the transplant. Her parents will travel up from Macon prior to the transplant to help care for her and for Tim in the following weeks. (You can follow Michele's progress on her CaringBridge page.)

Tim and Michele will ultimately be up at NIH for more than four months; Tim will be on unpaid leave for much of this time. His coworkers generously donate leave to cover most of their time away in the fall; Tim does not yet know how much will be covered this time. Thankfully, the Fisher House provides free lodging, but Tim and Michele will be responsible for their personal expenses, including most of their meals and the gas needed to make the 45+ minute commute to NIH.

Because of this, I'd like to help Tim and Michele with a fund raiser, and I hope you'll join me. Simply visit either of my online Willow House stores, Style for Home or Jewelry by Sara Blaine, place an order using Michele Fetz as your host, and I'll donate my entire commission from your order directly to Michele. Style for Home orders over $39.96 are still eligible for a customer special, and even e-outlet orders count! If you need help or prefer to order by phone, let me know.

I'd love for you to share this opportunity with your family and friends, too. If you have several folks who'd like to participate, I'll even set you up as host and let you earn host rewards. Contact me for details.

If you prefer not to shop but would still like to donate, let me know and I'll help you take care of that, too.

Above all, we would appreciate your prayers through this long process. There are scores of people involved in making this happen, from Michele's family to the Fisher House folks to the teams of professionals at NIH. But ultimately, we know that all of this rests in the Lord's hands.

Tim and Michele Fetz

How not to bake a cake...

We had a busy weekend. Saturday morning, I got busy and made a couple of casseroles, one for dinner and one for the freezer. Finished up a bit of laundry and picking up around the house, then my daughter took me to October Baby. Stopped by The Friendliest Grocery Store On The Face of the Earth (Publix in Warner Robins, if you must know), then home to pop dinner in the oven and have some family time.

Yesterday, we drove down to Colquitt, Georgia, for a family reunion. Left at 9:00 a.m., got back at 8:00 p.m., with some interesting pit stops along the way. (I hope to post some pictures later, including one of the five foot tall pink pig we encountered on a potty break.)

Today we're having another reunion of sorts, as most of Jeff's family will be over to visit with his two West Coast aunts. Meats will be grilled and stories will be told.

I thought it would be nice to have some semi-homemade desserts, so I decided to whip up a couple of cakes. Wouldn't you know it, only enough eggs for one cake. Okay, so maybe I'll make it to the store to get more eggs later, maybe not. But I can at least make my family's all-time favorite chocolate cake. 

This is the cake that my family requests for every special event, my ace-in-the-hole to take to church potlucks. My recipe is packed up in a 10x20 storage unit with most of our earthly possessions, but recipes are for wimps. I've made this so many times, it should be a, well, a piece of cake. Or so I thought.

I already had the eggs out, so I pulled out some of the other ingredients while my English muffins were toasting. Then I ran around and did a bunch of other things that needed doing. I came back, mixed the cake batter, and put the cake in the oven.

About a minute later, I looked over and saw the eggs still sitting on the counter. Sigh.

I took the cake out of the oven, dumped the batter back into the mixing bowl (at least I hadn't even had a chance to run water in it yet), and mixed in the eggs. The batter was a bit thinner than usual, but maybe that was due to being in the oven for a minute. I dumped the batter back into the bundt pan and popped the cake back into the oven.

About ten minutes later, I realized that I had forgotten another key ingredient: pudding mix. Sigh.

My daughter suggested that I just go to the store and get what I needed to start over. Unfortunately, The Friendliest Grocery Store On The Face of the Earth is about 30 minutes from my house. Yes, there are closer stores, but at this point I was in no mood to deal with them.

So I pulled the cake BACK out of the oven and just sprinkled the pudding mix around the top, mixing it in with a little spatula as I went. My children are very concerned by this point; my daughter is certain that this is not going to turn out well, and my son is worried that we might all get salmonella (confession: science is not a strong point in our homeschooling experience).

I put the cake into the oven again, thankful that my oven does not have a snarky little voice asking me if I'd like to just install a revolving door.

My daughter peeked in about 20 minutes later and informed me that, "The cake looks interesting. I'm just sayin'." Her spiritual gift is encouragement. At least she didn't bring up the chicken pot pie incident.

After adding a few extra minutes of cook time to account for the cake's ingredient interventions, I removed it from the oven. It looked... remarkably normal. When I popped it out of the bundt pan -- well, all of the extracurricular activity kept it from actually popping out of the bundt pan, but you know what I mean -- it was still looking good. And powdered sugar covers a multitude of sins.

My daughter also encouraged me to serve the cake sliced (so that we could check it out before the rest of the family ate it). But I'm a risk taker, and this is family.

Besides, it's triple chocolate. How bad can it be?

{I must give credit to Lisa Pennington for reminding me via blogpost today to be willing to laugh at myself. I hope I'll one day be as good at this as my mother was. I sure have many opportunities for practice!}