Another Loss

We lost another friend this week, Sarah Hawthorne. She was an amazing person who offered her wisdom and support to many, many people on the Webmagic Hodgkin's forum. Similar to Adrienne, Sarah relapsed after an autologous transplant and recently started a phase 1 clinical trial. She died shortly after that, stunning all of us who knew her. As Brian said, "We all tend to settle down into our specific roles here on the board - the joker, the healer, the parent, the hero, the fighter, the librarian, the cheerleader - Sarah was one of the few who filled all of the roles. As sad as I am for myself, for those who've known her from the start, and those who had barely met her, I feel most sad for those who will come after and not get to know the light, happiness and love that is Sarah."

Adrienne's platelets came up a bit on Wednesday so she was able to skip the transfusion. She still has some hideous looking bruises on her foot and butt from her falls but at least they aren't hurting so much any more. Since her chemo was cancelled this week, she came home yesterday and will go back to California on Sunday. She is very fatigued and pale, but otherwise is feeling well. She has scans next week and if her disease is stable or smaller, she'll get a reduced dose of the same chemo. If there's been any progression, she'll start another phase 1 clinical trial. Scary times right now...