Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! Hopefully this will be the year we are told Terry is "cured" If he makes it to May 26th without any signs of leukemia, the bone marrow doctor will consider him "cured" We won't know for sure until they do a bone marrow biopsy and that will be closer to May. They did it early last year and that is the last one he has had. His rash is still faintly there but the biopsy came back benign without any GVHD signs. That is a GREAT thing although don't know why the rash came up and is still there. They were not able to do the esophogus biopsy and stretching because he has to come off the coumadin for at least 7 days before the procedure and I have to give lovenox shots again while he is off the coumadin. We were VERY dissappointed because he really needed that done. It takes him forever to eat and some foods he can't even swallow. His appointment is January 21st and they have a plan with the coumadin and lovenox 1 week before that. We go back to the BMT on Jan. 7th to discuss it and for his check-up. Lidia has been out and we don't like to go while she is not there. She went to London with her husband for a medical conference. January 17 will be 2 years when he was diagnosed with leukemia and the doctor(Dr. Henry Darnell) that discovered the white blood cell count so high passed away last night from liver cancer. I went to see him and his wife yesterday and it was very upsetting! I have known this family since I was 8 years old. He has treated 4 generations of my family and he and his family is VERY special to me. When I saw his wife yesterday she told me of how when Terry came to him with the flu symtoms and the first visit did not do the trick(which was very unusual for Dr. D, as I called him)he had a feeling that he should do a complete CBC on him. That is when they discovered the white cells so high. I will never forget that phone call and how Dr. D followed Terry all the way through with the cancer doctor and came to see him when he was in Carraway. How may doctors can you say do that! He was the SWEETEST man and helped SO many people through his life. Please pray for his family. I know he is up in heaven as one of our angels! We have made it through all the holidays without much trouble. He even went to work this week and will continue to do so as long as his health will let him. He is getting stronger by the day and when we compared him to last year at this time he is SO much stronger and so much better. Thank you for continuing to pray for us and we hope all of you had a GREAT new year celebration. We went out to eat with some very close friends and went and watched some awesome fireworks in Blount County and then waited for midnight and at 12:01 we were headed home for the bed. Not used to staying up so late. Getting too old for that! We love you and wish you the best 2009! God Bless You! Alyce