"THESE LEGS WON'T TAKE ME ANYWHERE!"

This was the text that Kristin sent me from school Friday morning. The night before she had been getting dizzy when she stood up and she said her heart was pounding. This usually means that her hemoglobin is low and she needs a transfusion. The past week had been incredibly difficult for her and she was trying desperately to keep up with school but just could not muster up enough energy to do so. She has been terribly pale and tired. So, bright and early Friday morning, we did labs and had them to LabCorp by 7 a.m. Around 11:00 Oakland called with the numbers. HGB 7 and Platelets 20. This meant off to Renown for two units of juicy packed red blood cells and one unit to platelets. We arrived at 1:00 and did not receive any transfusions until 5:00!!!!!! I got some movies and Darren brought fried rice to help pass the time. Needless to say we did not get home unitl 2 a.m. this morning. Thank you to all of you who have donated blood products! These save lives and Kristin is with us today as living proof! It is beyond my comprehension why some people claim religious reasons to not transfuse. What an awful thing to inflict on an innocent child! Does not everything good thing come from God? All this aside, Kristin is feeling and looking much better and we are so very grateful for the gifts of modern medicine!

Comments

the Andershall Family said…
Hi Kristen and Leslie,
Thank you so much for keeping us informed. We are with you in our thoughts and prayers, and we know you are going to come out on top.

You are both beautiful!
Love, Georgia
September 18, 2008 at 8:16 PM
the Andershall Family said…
Leslie, can you take Kristen to this site?: radiatejoy@gmail.com. Brandon Fisher started it up to cheer on and encourage his cancer patients in his residency. Chaci's twins are due any time!
Love, G
September 18, 2008 at 8:18 PM
the Andershall Family said…
oops--me again, its actually http://radiatejoy.blogspot.com/
September 18, 2008 at 8:19 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Beginning

Image
Hello to all from Children's Hospital Oakland, California To it still difficult to grasp that we are actually here...hearing this news...living in this new world. Kristin's official diagnosis is ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA precursor b. This is very treatable form of cancer. She is enrolled in a cutting edge program for treating A.L.L.. All of us here are very optimistic. She is under the care of amazing Doctors and the recipient of the miracles of modern medicine. It will be a very rough 2 years or so, but she will survive. Thus far, we have been on the fast track. This is an amazing institution and we are very, very fortunate to be here. Nothing short of kindness and compassion have been shown to us from the very beginning. Upon our arrival on Monday, she has undergone a bone marrow biopsy, 2 lunbar punctures, echo cardiogram, chest x-ray, broviac cath . placement, and numerous pokes and prods. She received her first chemo treatment; injected into the spinal fluid, Wednes...
Read more

GO GO SPECIAL K!

Our last bone marrow biopsy went great! It showed no leukemia cells. This shows that she is having a positive early response to the chemo which is a very, very good thing! All of her labs are coming back "smashing!" We are dealing with secondary complications such as situational diabetes. This is only tempoary and should resolve once we are off the strong steroids. Consequently she has to have blood sugars checked often, insulin injections, and follow a carb controlled diet. not fun! In trying to be supportive, I am counting carbs along with her. It is hard when someone has a birthday up here every other day and wants to share their cake. Keep the dang cake to yourselves! Kristin is getting very tired more often and is noticing that she can pull out clumps of hair....I am sad. Although I knew this was coming, I was taken back by the situation and caught off guard. Baldness goes hand in hand with leukemia and every parent up here would rather have a beautifully healthy, shini...
Read more

UPDATE

Kristin is currenly in room 5330 getting two units of PRBC's. Her counts are on the way down and I am hoping that this is all the drama we will see. It has been a long, difficult...two months.....seems like forever.... especially as we approach the one year mark. Our daily excursions to Berkley have been uneventful. (I decided that if I had another life, I would like it to be in Berkley. I love this area!) We are going to Alta Bates Hospital. I am taken by the compassion, charity, and warmth that the patients are treated with here. It is the same spirit you feel when you walk onto the 5th floor here at CHO. Wonderful people who truly and compassionately love what they do. Back to her radiation.....Her radiation takes all of two minutes. I call it a "lick." Thankfully she is getting a very low dose so the side effects are pretty much nil. Kristin really looks forward to returning to school on a more regular basis. I cannot begin to tell you of the hardships Kristin has ...
Read more