Thank you all for your outpouring of support--kind thoughts, well wishes, and brilliant writing. I have saved all of these messages and even read a few aloud to Dan.

He just finished his first day of chemo a few minutes ago. It will go as expected: 5 days with a 2-hour drip on days 1, 3, and 5. Then 2-3 weeks in-between before they test his bone marrow again. He may need another round of chemo and/or another type of chemo after that, but we'll have to see how he responds to this first.

Since I'm a "one day at a time" kind of gal, the goal today is to make it to the Halloween edition of bingo on the recreational floor. There are prizes! So far during this 6-week stay Dan has won a Ralph Lauren bath robe, 2 Brooks Brothers ties, Tommy Hilfiger cologne, and various nick-knacks like a tie-dyed Rubik's cube and soap. I used the soap. Like he said to me, only at Sloan would you get a designer bathrobe...more later.

Susan

It's Susan again.

I am writing to update all of you with the most recent news. Dan's scheduled bone marrow biopsy came back showing that there is still a significant amount of "blast" cells in the marrow. In other words, the chemo was not effective in treating his leukemia. I just spoke with the team of doctors here at Sloan and they will be turning to a "Plan B" round of chemotherapy, using a drug designed specifically to treating resistant ALL. Don't ask me what it's called or how to spell it since I have yet to get those details...it's possible it starts with "l". There will be 5 days of treatment followed by recovery (I don't know how long yet, but it will depend on a bunch of factors). By the way, there is at least a "Plan C" as well.

Dan has been feeling nothing less than terrible, but I know him well enough to know that at his core he still has hope. Just as it's difficult for me to watch him in pain, I know it's also difficult for those of you who are far away or feel a sense of helplessness. All I can say is that help comes in many forms. Reading this blog and staying informed helps; sending cards or messages helps; keeping us in your thoughts helps. I would like to thank all of you for this and more. You have enabled me to sit with Dan for entire days, to be his personal nurse/clown, and to do so without fear of eviction and while appropriately caffeinated!

I will be updating this blog periodically until Dan feels like doing it himself. In the meantime, please check this blog and encourage others to do so if they would like updates. It is designed to help both of us focus on his recovery and expend a little less energy keeping friends and family updated. It seems that every patient on the floor has a similar blog or website and they have all found it to be an invaluable resource. Also, don't panic, it's not like I'll be out of contact--just know I have a Blackberry so I'll be checking emails/text messages a lot.

Much love and appreciation,
Susan

Susan is dictating for me:
I am still in the hospital. These last two weeks have been the worst two weeks of my life in the hospital. That doesn't leave much time for phone calls to chit chat. My blood counts are slowly coming up which hopefully means I will be leaving sooner rather than later. In the meantime please do not visit me right now since I spend most of my day resting. For some happier news, I'd like to wish Grant a happy 30th birthday...celebrations to come.

I am very fatigued by the stay in the hospital, but all else is relatively postive. My blood counts should start rising within the week, at which point the doctors will be able to start testing to see whether the chemo was effective.

The past week has had its ups and downs. I receive a variety of antibiotics every day to fight and prevent infection. I've had a cold for some time now, but that is not much of a problem at the moment. My biggest issue currently is probably some pain in my legs due to the fact that I have been off of the steroids since being admitted. That kind of pain can linger for about a month, but I have plenty of pain medication to help with that.

I will be in the hospital about another two weeks, after which (assuming all goes well) I will return home for a brief recovery period. So, for those in the neighborhood, feel free to continue to stop by. I may have a homemade trinket from the arts and crafts center that you can take home and cherish.