Sorry for the lack of updates. We got back last night to find our Internet access down and it's just been up for a little while. You don't realize how dependent you are on it until you don't have it.
Curt and I made it to Mexico (Puerto Vallarta and San Blas) and had a great trip, except for a little swine flu scare. A few people were wearing masks, but otherwise, you wouldn't know anything was going on. No one was sick, no one seemed too bothered, and most of us just tried to enjoy our vacation. Curt's brother, Kent, and his partner, Luis, were sick before we arrived but have been just fine since then and no one really knows what they had. At the airport, we had to fill out a form saying we weren't sick. We're staying away from people for a few days, but really that's just to be overly cautious.
I was in touch with Adrienne's doc since he returned from vacation on Monday. He got another read of her scan from a radiologist he trusts and, while the report is more detailed, it doesn't tell us much. There's definitely some progression, there's definitely some pneumonia, and there are areas that they can't figure out from a scan. The plan now is to have a bronchoscopy and take samples for pathology and cultures. Getting this scheduled has been a bit of a challenge but hopefully it'll happen soon. Adrienne is feeling okay except for some noises coming from her chest. Coughing seems to clear things so that's good, I think.
THESIS IS DONE. They were due at noon on Monday, followed by champagne (the senior class buys everyone a bottle), and a romp in the fountain. There was even a countdown to noon when the papers were due. There's still a lot of work for Adrienne to do but she'll be done with classes and exams on December 6 and will graduate on May 16. We can hardly believe it.
A bit of sad news: Jessica Wentz, a young mother of two adorable children, died this morning from Hodgkin's. Adrienne and I spoke with Jessica several times trying to find a treatment that would help her, and sadly, her disease was too aggressive. We are extremely sad for her and her family, but even more, we're angry that this disease isn't as curable as people think and that Jessica's HMO limited her access to the best healthcare possible. We hope you'll visit her Caringbridge site at: www.caringbridge.org/visit/jessicawentz and leave a message for her family.
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Adrienne was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease in 1996 at age 9. She had multiple relapses, two bone marrow transplants, and a range of chemos and radiation therapies, and passed away on October 1, 2009. We are heartbroken.
Out with the Girls
About Adrienne
- Adrienne
- Adrienne was very much like others with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, the most common cancer in teens and young adults. What was unusual is that she had it for more than half her life and ultimately, it took her life. Hodgkin's is curable for about 80% people, but Adrienne was one of the 20% for whom a cure was elusive. She considered herself lucky since treatments had been there for her with each relapse but she ran out of treatment options and her body just couldn’t take any more. As she said, "Though I’ve now had cancer for most of my life, I no longer plan my life around it; instead, I try to plan cancer around my life." We hope you can take inspiration from her and how she lived her life.
2 comments:
Hope you stay well following your trip to Mexico......the hype over swine flu over here is AMAZING! We've had 2 confirmed cases about 20 miles from us and you'd think that the end of the world was nigh!
Our hearts broke once again last night too when we heard the news of Jessica........W had been in touch with her quite a bit over the past 18 months or so - it is just so unfair :0( The family have such a strong faith which will hopefully continue to bring them comfort.
Congratulations to your accomplished daughter - hope she romped in the fountain with the best of them ;0)
love to you both as always.......<3...........Vx
So sorry to hear about your friend.
I'm glad your trip to Mexico worked out after all, no matter what!
Take care.
Karen, Clare's mom
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