Life after bone marrow transplant hasn't been easy; but he is here - and that is what matters.
Kevin generally has good days but there have been a few bumps along the recovery path.
He still has to take chemotherapy every single night.
This one pill can cause so much destruction. It's scary.
A few months ago Kevin had a really bad week. He was having these head pains - like a stabbing feeling in the back of his head that literally brought him to the floor multiple times a day. It was awful. So awful. I couldn't do anything to make him feel better except stay home with him and the kids and make sure he was safe. He couldn't even bring himself to move for about a week. I was terrified that he had relapsed. I was so scared that there was a mass of leukemia cells in his brain causing this. A few days later he had a CT scan of his brain which was normal and the headaches just stopped.
A month or so after that he started having horrible nights. I would wake up to him moaning and unable to stand up because of the pain he was in. Other nights I would wake up to him projectile vomiting all over the bathroom. All because of this chemo pill that keeps his leukemia away. He needs this pill to live - but sometimes it is hard living taking this pill.
In February we went down to Nassau for my brother's wedding. It was so bad for Kevin. Every night I would lay in bed next to him while he slept and just cry. He had so much belly pain that he couldn't really function. He would try and participate in the festivities but it was hard for him. His body is still at risk for getting infections - and he got one. It took at least two weeks for him to get better.
With every single side effect he gets from his medications or a virus - I am scared that it is a relapse. I know the odds are that it is a side effect of chemo or an infection - but my mind thinks leukemia. I don't think this reaction will ever stop.
There has got to be better treatments for cancer. Research is really the only way to make sure this happens. Everybody who has a cancer diagnosis deserves the chance to enroll onto a clinical trial. Unfortunately, this is not the current reality. Cancer research costs lots and lots of money. A cure is not cheap. Organizations like the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society help to fund research. My fundraising campaign will help future patients. So back to my goal in the next 4 weeks... please consider donating. Please.
http://www.mwoy.org/pages/wi/wi15/mbrickler
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