More Bad Stuff

It's getting to the point whenever I check in at home, there is more bad news. This morning was a perfect example. First of all, my great uncle (the one diagnosed with leukemia last week) is having trouble with his PIC line this morning. He is pretty nervous, so he has asked my dad to come down while they are trying to figure out what the problem is. Yesterday, he finished his chemotherapy, so we now have to wait 2-3 weeks to find out if it worked. He has now completely lost his appetite and is very fatigued!


I also found out this morning that Jessica's (my sister) boyfriend Nick's dog Divot was hit by a car yesterday morning. Whoever did it didn't even stop and say anything!!! One of Divot's legs is banged up pretty bad and he won't walk on it. He sounds pretty miserable. I don't know what I would do if something like that happened to Izzy. It's so sad! I can't believe that nobody said anything...especially in a small town like Tekamah!


So that was the main "bad news" from home. Yesterday, there was an article in the Lincoln Journal Star. Click here to check out the article. One of my coworkers has a "connection" to this family, so she is organizing the bake sale for the Carnival fundraiser they are having for RJ & his family on April 5th. Most of us at work have volunteered to put our baking "skills" to good work and provide some items for the bake sale. It was a no-brainer to me to want to help, especially with the most recent cancer battle in our family in full throttle. We know how expensive medical treatment is, so if I can do a small part help I'm in. Maybe it will make a difference!

Here we go again!

In the last 7 years, I have had 3 family members diagnosed with some form of leukemia. The first was my aunt, Janna. She was diagnosed when she had her baby girl, Kayla, back in 2004. She had a stem-cell transplant and has recovered quite well. She still has the daily battles, but she is cancer-free!

The second was my great aunt, Suzanne. It took them a long time to diagnose her and once they did, she didn't last too long. The leukemia had progressed very quickly, and the treatment was too much for her. She was in her 70s at the time, so her body just couldn't handle the treatment.

The latest came just this week for my great uncle, Jack. He has been diagnosed with Acute Leukemia. He is 83 years old. They are now analyzing his bone marrow to determine exactly what they are dealing with and the best course of treatment. He is scheduled to check into UNMC in Omaha on Friday for an extended stay. We are hoping that the treatment they prescribe will be something he can handle and hopefully give him some more time without suffering too much.

At 25, it's very sad for me to have this much first-hand experience with leukemia. They said that leukemia is not hereditary, but I'm beginning to wonder. My grandpa died of it when he was in his early 50s, and now both his siblings...Suzanne & Jack have had it. Three out of three siblings...a coincidence? I must say the pessimistic side of me is wondering when my time (and my immediate family's time) will come to face this battle. There go the irrational fears again! Time for a gut check!