care of your son, to also take care of yourself.

LOW... Keep the faith and keep your spirits up!
as many strides have been made medically in the fight against leukemia.I know it must be especially difficult for you and him in light of what happened two years ago but I'm sure you'll find the strength to assist your son in his time of need and remember there is no need to fight this battle alone as there are many people out there willing and able to offer assistance.
Good luck and God speed from your friends at TER.

but by all means step back and devote your time and energy to your son and yourself. Keep us informed from time to time for we will be missing and thinking about you.

  God Speed

   FR.

Best of luck to you and him.  This is terrible, but leukemia is not an automatic death sentence.  Keep your hopes up.

Handle this in whatever way works best for you, but please remember that if at some point you must meet your own needs it won't be cheating your son and you'll have nothing to feel guilty about.

In my despair, I forgot what a wonderful group of people gather on this board.  Thank you all for your kindness and words of encouragement.  I promise to stop in from time to time and keep you all aprised of the situation.

Stay in touch with us on the boards we shall all be pulling for you and your son and I think that I can say for all of us at those times when you just need someone to talk to we will try to be here for you.This place is not just about the hobby but also about a community of friends. take care

Hi L;

A while ago one of my friends (around my age) got the same diagnosis that your son has just got. He had a very succesful business & a wife and two kids.

He was fortunate to encounter a doctor who was not prepared to give up & who was instrumental in setting up a national bone marrow register. After trying all his nearest & dearest and failing to find a match; they found one in an unrelated donor.

That was over a dozen years ago & he is now hale and hearty and will probably outlive us all.

Chin Up.
N

First let me echo the sentiments of several who have already posted here. It is certainly understandable that your focus will be on being there for your son in every way possible. It is a difficult path that lies ahead but there are various forms of leukemia and the prognosis for the various forms of the disease may differ.

Hopefully your son has access to a skilled oncologist who is dedicated and can lay out the various treatment options available.

Hopefully you have access to family members/friends who will be there for both of you.

Although I do not have children of my own I do have a co-worker who was diagnosed with breast cancer several months back. She is not family but probably as close to family as anyone I have ever worked with, and although it has been a difficult journey for her as she goes through chemotherapy she has kept her spirits up and perhaps helped those around her MORE than we have helped her.
Keeping that positive outlook can be so very beneficial when faced with something like this.

I also work at a regional pediatric trauma center that has an active hematology/oncology unit so I am aware of our many patients who deal with this disease on a daily basis.

Those children are such an inspiration to us all.

For those who may be interested here is a link to the National Marrow Donor Registry:

http://www.marrow.org/

This web site offers information about how the registry works, how to join, and information on various forms of disease that can be treated with marrow transplant.

I'm sure most of you probably know that the match for a bone marrow donor/recipient is much more stringent than for a blood transfusion. Even though it may be quite unlikely that anyone of us would prove to be a match in this situation, it still improves the chances for those who are in the registry in need of a marrow transplant of finding a compatible match as more people join the registry. I already belong to the registry. It's a very worthwhile cause.

Perhaps there is already someone in the registry who is a compatible match for LOW's son. It is of course up to his son's
oncologist to determine the proper course of treatment based on the nature of the disease in his case and the various treatment options avaialble. Marrow transplant may be one of those options.

LOW my thoughts are with you. I wish you and your son the very best.




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Just keep in mind every doctor is not equally trained/skilled.  My entire family is in medicine either as doctors or RNs, so they see a lot of doc's both good, bad and grossly incompetent.  There are several criteria that makes it more likely that a doc will be good and smart.  Here they are:  Did their residency in the U.S. after graduating from a U.S. medical school.  The doc is affiliated with a teaching hospital (a large hospital connected to a medical school).  Finally, the doc graduated from med school prior to 1991 (it matters for reasons besides experience, too).   Don't accept everything the doctor says as Holy Writ.  In other words, don't be afraid to ask questions if something doesn't make sense to you.  Just because you're a lay person doesn't mean you have to accept things that seem to defy common sense.  Don't be afraid to seek out a second opinion. I hope all goes well for your son.

free to drop in from time to time and let us know how things are going, or to get some encouragement. We'll be here for ya!

I am registered with the marrow banks, but if you are looking for direct donors to be tested, just say the word and give me a way to have the test sent to you.

Regards,
Loarthan