Great News!

We got great news today! Met with Dr. Vaughan and they are setting up his 3 years tests for May 26th, his third birthday from transplant! Kristina and Garrett will be in Jamaica but she is alright with it! They will thoroughly check him out and of course the dreaded bone marrow test but I know everything, and T does too, will be alright! God has gotten us this far! They will look at all his tests and evaluate him and make a plan for the future! They will measure his donor cells(Karen's cells) and his immune system, heart, lungs and draw about 15 tubes of blood to look at and study. Hopefully when we get the results the next week it will be great news! The doctor even mentioned him going back to work, even maybe part time! But he said we had to wait and see what the tests results are to be sure what to do and not to do! We left there feeling good about it all! Tomorrow we go and get Kristina's wedding dress! No pics of that will be on facebook you can bet on that! Only 17 days until the wedding, WOW!!!!!!!!!!! Just SO glad T. is here to walk her down the isle and be by my side through it all! Thank you to all of you who have stuck this out with us and been by our side through it all! God Bless All of You! Will update after the tests are done! Hugs and kisses to all!

3 Year Birthday Coming!

WOW! Can't believe its been a month since I updated this! SO SORRY! He is doing well, still fishing! In fact, he is fishing in his second tournament today. He had cataract surgery two weeks ago on his right eye and last Tuesday had the left eye done. This was caused by the heavy steroids he was on for the GVHD. They told us this would happen but it came earlier than we thought. So for the wedding, he will be able to see everything so much better! Wants to make sure he gives her away to the right guy, HA!HA! I am sure Garrett would think that was funny! Garrett will be home in two weeks and we are excited! I more than T of course! Giving his little girl away is killing him. BUT, we new this day would come and am just so glad he is here to be the one to walk her down the isle! Just 21 days from today! We see the doctor this week because he is going for his photopheresis on Wednesday and Thursday so one of those days we'll go through what's been going on in the last month and discuss when to set up the 3 year tests. This is the one where they will go into his bone marrow to see if anything looks different. And then alot more tests to see how his lungs and heart are holding up. Plus about 15 tubes of blood to check everything else in his blood system. But he tells me he is fine because he would know it if he was sick. God has really blessed us, we know this!!!! Since Kristina has been working at the BMT unit, we have found out how things could have turned out. Its so sad to hear about people that have gone through what we have gone through and don't make it. So kiss your loved ones and tell them you love them, because you never know!!!!! Say a little prayer for Butch too, he is having an arteriorgram(spell check doesn't recognize this word) on May 7th! Michael and Margie are now husband and wife so many additions added this year to the family! Hugs and kisses to all of you too! Alyce

Hoppy"Happy" Easter!

Hope everyone has had a great day! We went to church, ate at Ruby Tuesday's, then took Harlie and Jake for a walk and played ball in the park. It was a nice relaxing Easter day! He went to photopheresis this week on Thursday and Friday. We saw the doctor on Friday. Kristina is now working up there at the BMT unit, in case you didn't know, and we are so proud of her!!! He has been fishing alot and the doctor asked him if he could not fish so long at a time. Imagaine that, asking him, you have to tell him! She told him it wasn't good for him to stay out so long. But the problem with that, as most of you know, is getting him to come in especially if he is catching fish. And he has been catching alot of BIG fish lately and putting them in our lake. He has been in hog heaven and so he is over doing it of course! They did not take him off any of the immune suppression meds and said it would be a while before they did. He is still having problems swallowing and they do not want to take any chances if it is GVHD. So he now has a better chance of getting stuff again. Which is NOT good, especially handling fish and bacteria in the water. All I know is God is watching over him and that is what is keeping him here with us. I just want him to not do anything to make it where he can't walk Kristina down the isle!!! Pray he stays well! He pretty much is doing ok. He's got sinus stuff going on and they did a chest x-ray just to be sure. Hadn't heard back from it and I am going to call Lidia tomorrow to make sure everything is ok. The fishing is making him stronger! They will set up to do the yearly tests when goes back the first of May, just not before Kristina's wedding! Sorry so BAD on keeping this up. If he wasn't doing well, you would know it! Hugs and kisses to everyone! Alyce

Almost 3 years

We are counting down the days until his third "birthday"!!! He went to the hospital the last two days for his photopheresis and he saw the doctor yesterday. They increased his immune suppression medicine because they suspect he could have GVHD in his mouth and esophogus since he is still having problems swallowing food. He had it stretched not too long ago but it didn't seem to do much good so I think that is why they are suspecting GVHD. We really thought he might come off of it completely, but not the case! So please pray it is not GVHD!!! We've come so far and are planning Kristina's wedding for May 22nd and are just so grateful that he is here to walk her down the isle. I told Lidia yesterday I didn't want his bone marrow test done before that. I just don't think we want to have to deal with that until after the wedding!!! My mom is still dealing with high blood pressure and is wearing a heart monitor now. We have to get her straightened out! I know God only gives you what you can handle and he is really testing me!!!! Please pray for me to have some relief! Working and taking care of two people having health problems is enough! My brother is still in Vancouver working and will not return until the end of March, for the paralympics now. Kay, his wife, has been great! Sorry so long posting this and complaining as I read back at this. Just been a little busy and too tired when I get home! Thanks for listening and hugs to all! God Bless You!

2 In The Hospital

We'll I get one home from the hospital and another goes in! My mom had to be rushed to the hospital on Monday night. When it rains it pours on me for some reason! She is home with us for now, don't know how long she will need to be here! BUT on that note! Kristina is getting married on May 22nd so now planning a wedding! Garrett will be graduating from A school on May 14th, come home May 15th and the wedding will be the 22nd of May. But in the meantime, Micheal, Butch and Jackie's son is getting married on April 24th! Man, lots to do! T is doing better now that he has the oxygen at night while he sleeps. We are still giving the lovenox shots and hopefully that will end soon. When the weather gets warmer he'll be itching to go fishing! In the meantime, he's playing with the studio downstairs to keep him busy. Hope next week will be better! I'm staying pretty busy at work too! Alan, my brother, is in Vancouver helping provide transportation for the olympics and I am working with that too besides our own bus transportation business here in Birmingham. Just pray that I can handle all that is on my plate! Sorry to give such a bad report but like I said hopefully next week will be better! God Bless You All! Hugs and kisses! Alyce

Home from The Hospital

We got home around 6pm this evening. We had oxygen delivered to our home for him to have at night while he is sleeping and when he needs it. Dr. Salzman told him that the medicine, Dapsone, was most likely the cause of him to have low blood pressure. Its in the blood disease family and is only treated two ways and giving oxygen is one of them. So he is off that medicine and on another. We are SOSOSOSO ready to be off these meds!!!!! He is feeling better and that is the important thing! He has photopheresis tomorrow early in the morning!!! He is going to ride in with Kristina and I will pick him up and bring him home. He is VERY happy to be at home. Karen was sweet and posted what was going on for me, thanks SIS!!!!! I was hoping he would get to come off the rest of the immune suppression medicine this week, but so much for hoping! PLEASE PRAY this goes away from his blood system or he will be going in and out to get fluids ALOT! His blood pressure is something that can't be played with or messed up! I am tired, can you tell???? Hugs and kisses to you all! God Bless You All! Alyce

PRAYERS NEEDED

Hi friends and family, This is Karen posting today. Alyce asked me to let you know about Terry and ask all you prayer warriors to be praying for him a little harder today. He started feeling worse on Saturday and was a little light headed. On Sunday he had a sore throat and low blood pressure so Alyce took him to the BMTU. His blood pressure and oxygen level were dangerously low so they admitted him into the hospital. They have been pumping the fluids and antibiotics intravenously and kept him up last night giving him breathing treatments. His levels this morning were BP 100/44 and Oxygen level low 90's. That is still too low but much better than yesterday. His immune system is still weak and the stress of the funeral and close exposure to so many certainly did not help. They never know what kind of "bug" he might pick up that will set him back. He wants so badly to have a "normal" life. When you are lifting Terry in prayer today, please remember Alyce too. She is such an angel and takes such good care of him. Hugs and kisses and God's blessings on you all, Karen