Written in Boston, Wednesday 12th September 2012.

“Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with singing……The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad.”. Psalm 126: 2-3

“A merry heart does good, like medicine… ” Proverbs 17: 22

Over a year ago when Noel was first taken ill and diagnosed with cancer we both decided that we would trust in the Lord our God to have a plan for our good, we would not be downhearted or allow anything to rob us of our joy. So we praise the Lord that we have been able to keep our focus on the positive and have been able to remain cheerful and our lives have been filled with much joy and laughter… some people may find us a little strange but hopefully they find us encouraging too.

From one week to the next time seems to go increasingly fast and this week sees Noel at +93 days since his transplant. Back in June, day +100 seemed so far away but now it is just one week away… For us it will bring two changes… After next week Noel moves on to fortnightly appointments at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, so long as nothing unusual suddenly happens with his progress. And he will have the Hickman Line removed… he will be glad not to have to stick on a waterproof cover every time he takes a shower and for me to not have to flush out his access lines each night. Although no longer having it will mean at each appointment he will have to have an IV put into his arm so they can draw the 9 to 13 vials of blood they use for his tests and if needed to receive blood products through, although this will be removed after each appointment.

Transplant Day plus 93 September 12, 2012

This week Noel saw Dr Soiffer and he had a Harvard medical student with him as the Dana Faber is also a teaching hospital. Dr Soiffer said it is still early days in this long recovery process, Noel’s blood test results this week show little change from last week, just very slightly lower but Noel feels well and looks good so Dr S. is not too concerned.

Dr S. looked at Noel’s right foot as last Friday Noel had called him because his foot was suddenly and inexplicably extremely painful. Dr S. said he thought it was gout (!) and that Noel should see his Primary Care doctor, which he did on Friday afternoon; he also thought it was gout… prescribed pain killers and suggested Noel went back to drinking the 3 liters of water a day. Thankfully his foot is now looking much better and the pain has gone.

This weeks Blood test results. Still low but Praise the Lord… relativity stable.

Red Blood cells 2.93 — Last week 3.12 — Normal 4.2 – 5.6
White Blood cells 2.3 — Last week 2.5 — Normal 3.8 – 9.2
Platelets 37 — Last week 38 — Normal 155 – 410

You may remember I wrote about a DNA test called a Chimerism. When I said Noel’s DNA was 14% his own and 86% his donors… Noel and I had misunderstood the result that was being sought… We thought we were waiting to see the DNA being 100% Noel’s but what we are actually waiting to see is for Noel’s blood DNA to be 100% that of his donor! This seems a little strange but since the blood manufacturing stem cells in Noel’s bone marrow are those that were transplanted from the donor it actually makes sense. At this stage some transplant patients blood changes and becomes the same blood type as their donor but Noel was fortunate as his donor was A Positive, the same as he is.

We are so blessed to be able to stay here at the American Cancer Society’s AstraZeneca Hope Lodge… Accommodation is offered here to cancer patients and their care givers free of charge no matter if your stay is for several months or just a few days… funding for this is provided through fund raising and donations to the American Cancer Society and by the drug company AstraZeneca. This evening we had a group of research scientists from the company come to give us a presentation about their work in developing new cancer drugs… which was most interesting. They also brought a light supper of sandwiches and cookies for us all to enjoy (except for the transplant patients, including Noel, who sadly cannot have outside food: Noel cast his eyes longingly over the delicious ham, cheese and salad rolls!)

Family news is all good. Our granddaughters Charlotte and Eve both took big school in their stride and seem to be doing great. And everybody else is doing well… and keeping very busy.

Although the daytimes here in the Northeast are still very warm the nights are definitely getting cooler and Fall (Autumn) is on the way… we are looking forward to the changing colors of the leaves as we drive to and from Boston… the New England area is famous for the beautiful foliage at this time of the year.

We have continued to be blessed this past week by your support, cards, messages and telephone calls of encouragement along with a visit from our good friend Michael, the first English man we met in Glens Falls five years ago, and a visit from Deacon Dave and his wife Barbara, who shared the blessing of the Reserved Sacrament with us. We are not sure when we will be allowed by the Doctor to attend Church again… Noel’s blood counts need to be higher before he can be with groups of people again. I could of course attend Church but have decided to avoid being around people as much as possible as if I was to catch even just a slight infection it could be very serious for Noel if I passed it on to him…

Please continue to pray along the same lines as other weeks, travel safety, rise in blood counts and general well being for us both and give the Lord all the Glory for answered prayers and His provision for our needs.

You are all in our prayers, God Bless you and your loved ones.

Written at Hope Lodge, Boston. Wednesday, September 5th 2012

Trusting God’s faithfulness dispels our fearfulness…
Psalm 56:3

Thank you all for your prayers for Noel’s blood count numbers… Praise the Lord, they are on the rise! Any negative thoughts we may have briefly felt after last week’s lower figures, have been dispelled.

It was an early start this morning , with an 7:45am blood work appointment at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. The results were good. Not yet within the normal range but signs of improvement are slowly being seen. So after last week’s drop this is a good sign and one for thanks and praise.

There was no need for any blood products today… PTL… so all Noel needed was a dressing change on the insertion site of his Hickman Line. Amy, the NP said maybe in 2 weeks he could get it removed if his numbers continue to rise. Although he is used to it now it will be good to be free of it.

Today’s blood work results:
Red blood cells 3.12 — Last week 3.06 — Normal 4.2 -5.6
White blood cells 2.5 — Last week 1.6 — Normal. 3.8-9.2
Platelets 38 — Last week 18 — Normal 155- 410

Results from other aspects of the blood tests are also looking good, Noel’s liver and kidney levels look better so he can now drink less water, dropping down from 3 liters of water to 2 and a half liters per day.

Noel has appointments scheduled for next week and the following week and if the trend of rising numbers continues it very much looks like he will be moved to appointments every other week toward the end of September… this will be really good news. One reason that will be good for us is that in the 2nd and 4th weeks of October we have visitors from England. Noel’s sister Joycelyn and her husband Bill and his brother Julian and his wife Ann. It will be great if we we don’t have to spend time in Boston during those 2 weeks.

We had a number of questions to ask the Doctor this week:

Q. When could Noel book his next dental check up and cleaning, he normally gets this done every 6 months?
A. Not before late December and only if blood levels are good.

Q. Should he have a Flu shot?
A. No, but possibly in the new year when his numbers are higher. Other shots? Noel lost all his immunity, built up over a life time in the transplant process. Childhood immunizations and others using ‘live’ vaccines will be given 2 years post transplant. It is very important that I, Meryl and others close to Noel should get the Flu and other seasonal shots now! This will hopefully keep us from getting sick and infecting him.

Q. When can he go back to the YMCA to walk on their indoor track and use the exercise equipment?
A. Not yet, numbers need to be higher and then only at quiet times of the day, not when there are lots of people there and especially not when there are lots of children there.

We had a quiet Labour Day weekend… being blessed on Sunday by receiving the Reserved Sacrament brought to us by Deacon Dave of St Mary’s. And also having a friend visit with us.

This week is a busy week for both our two oldest granddaughters. Both began full time school in the USA and England respectively. A big step for both families. Please remember them as you pray.

Prayer and Praise this week:

• Give praise and thanks for all the many answered prayers, for love and support from family and friends and continuing good blood test results and for good overall health.

Please pray :-

• For safety as we travel.
• For Noel’s bone marrow to recover fully the ability to produce good healthy, red and white cells and platelets, so that his numbers will be within the normal range.
• For continued renewed energy and good health for both of us.
• For all Noel’s lingering side effects from the Chemotherapy and transplant to completely vanish!

God bless you all as you are all a blessing to us.

Written at American Cancer Society’s, Hope Lodge, Boston, Wednesday August 29th 2012.

Morning by morning new mercies we see, all we have needed your hand has provided, Great is your faithfulness Lord unto us! Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!

No time to read my whole update?Then just fast track to the end to read prayer requests and praises…

How quickly the weeks seem to pass as our routine of 4 days in Glens Falls, 2 travel days and one day in Boston continues.

This past weekend was relatively quiet. On Sunday we enjoyed a visit from our friends Grant and Mandy and little Daniel. They will be moving soon to Norfolk, Virginia as Grant has been assigned to the Naval Base there. Noel and Grant talked about trying to put Noel’s boat in the water and go for a sail before the end of the summer. Amy, the Nurse Practitioner said today that it would be OK, once Noel’s platelet count comes up. Noel must not intentionally swim in the lake water!! Bishop Dan and his wife Carol also came after the morning service at St Mary’s to bring us the blessing of the Reserved Sacrament. It was good to spent time chatting and catching up on news.

On Monday, Noel had an appointment at Glens Falls Hospital – a review with his hematologist to keep her up to speed with his progress. We ran into friends from St Mary’s, Tom and Rosemary, while waiting to see the doctor as they were also waiting to see Tom’s doctor. It was good to catch up with them. We then popped into the main part of the hospital to briefly visit with Ron, our daughter-in-law’s father. He was admitted last Friday with very low oxygen levels. Thankfully he was released today but has to undergo a sleep study as they think his problem was related to sleep apnea. We thank God he is feeling better.

Then on Monday afternoon Noel and I, Toby, Charlotte and Lucy all went to Lake George for the girls to play on the beach and in the lake… just after we arrived it began to rain and we had to take shelter except for Lucy who loved running about in the rain! The rain stopped but before we even set foot on the beach it was closed by the lifeguard. There must have been a thunderstorm warning although there was no thunder or lightening. Charlotte was very disappointed but she was a good girl and we headed to the small play park and the girls played for a while. Before we left for home we enjoyed ice creams, except for Noel who can not have ice cream except when served at home. Click here to see photos.

Today’s appointment at Dana Farber was interesting… Firstly we found out the results of the blood tests taken 2 weeks ago to determine the ratio of DNA in Noel’s blood. This showed that 86% of the DNA belongs to the donor and 14% to Noel! A month ago it was 87% and 13%. This will be closely watched to make sure the numbers rise in Noel’s favor. One day it will be back to 100% Noel.

The results of today’s blood tests we’re also interesting… Red cells were 3.06 this week, which reflects the boost from the 2 units of red cells Noel received last week. We need the number to increase without receiving an infusion as this will show the bone marrow is making good red cells. The white cells were 1.6 today and 1.8 last week so although a fraction down there is not much change but as with the red cells, we do need to see higher numbers. The surprise today was the platelets. For some unknown reason they have dropped from being at 41 last week to being 18 today. Amy said she is not worried but Noel must be careful not to have any bleeding; no skateboarding she said!!!! And if he does for any reason start to bleed we must call her and also seek local medical help. If next week the number has dropped below 10, he will need a transfusion of platelets. We need to see this number rise, as normally platelets should be over 155. But as I said, Amy is not unduly worried and will see Noel again next week. He, this week feels about the same as last so not much change to report on how he is.

We did have an interesting conversation between ourselves and Amy about what we now see were signs of the bone marrow not working correctly for some time before Noel was diagnosed with this type of cancer (we are no longer saying he has it. Amy said he is in remission and recovering). Looking back over about 8 years… we now know certain things were signs but of course we only know that in hindsight and not all people who have these physical signs have this or any other cancer… But Noel had been slowly losing weight not doing anything different. He was actually pleased to be slimmer, but this slow continuous loss with no change in life style is apparently an indication of something being wrong. Then there was that itching for over 3 years which I have talked about before; and latterly the swollen spleen and the anemia. But we decided that since the disease was slow growing and there was no drug or other type of treatment for it, we are glad that it was not diagnosed until April last year as 14 months was quite long enough to cope with it before the transplant. We are so grateful that Noel remained pain free and in reasonably good health as some people suffer greatly as the disease develops. We are grateful that he was offered the transplant, that a donor was found and that Noel is doing well. We can say the Lord has provided all we have needed and we are grateful.

It’s the unofficial ‘official’ end of summer next Monday… This must have been the fastest summer ever… Charlotte, age 5, becomes a Kindergartner next week, riding on a big yellow school bus. One friend from preschool will already be on the bus when Charlotte is picked up, so she is pleased about that. However, she is a little unsure of the unknown, but then who of us is not? She will not have any of her preschool friends in her class, as the little girl who will ride the bus with her is in a different one and all her other friends are in different school districts. Our granddaughter Evelyn, age 4, in England, starts her first year in Primary School but, unlike Charlotte, will walk to school and will have many friends from her preschool in her class. Next year they will both be First Graders. Lucy, age 2, will go one morning to preschool and her cousin William, also age 2, over in England, will be going 2 mornings to the same preschool where Sarah, his mummy, is going to be teaching this year.

During the past 3 months I have tried to keep in contact with everyone. I know I have not done so, as we have folk telling us they did not know what was going on. But I hope that this journal has in some way given you, who read it, a sense of what our lives are like on this journey we are on and that we are grateful for you all. Because we are. Thank you!

Prayer requests this week are:

• For rising blood levels, red and white cells and especially platelets.
• For energy levels to improve and energy to be sustained for longer.
• For Noel’s digestive system to continue to improve.
• For safety as we travel…

Praises for this week:

• For the continuing ability to pay all the medical bills.
• For family and friends who care about us.
• For progress, although slow, on the road to being healthy and remaining cancer free.
• For it being well with our souls and for the joy and peace that comes from the Lord.

Thank you for taking the time to read this update… Please do stay in touch with us… By signing the CaringBridge guest book and/or by email to both. Please copy emails to us both as I check my email much more frequently than Noel does.

Thank you for you support and love, God Bless you!

“This is the day the Lord has made and we DO rejoice and ARE glad in it.”

We are sitting here on the 8th floor of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in the infusion department in a room with a view across the medical district of Boston. It’s a beautiful sunny day and now at 4pm there are puffy white clouds in the sky.

Today at Noel’s weekly review appointment his blood tests showed his red blood count had dropped a little lower so he is receiving 2 units of red cells. We are grateful to the blood donor as this should give Noel a nice energy boost. This past week he has been feeling mostly good along the same lines as before and coping well. Amy Joyce, the nurse practitioner said sometimes you just get used to your body having low counts and that then seems normal until you look back after the counts have come up again. The infusion will take about 3 hours as it drips very slowly so not to raise his blood pressure too high.

Amy said she is still pleased with how things are. Although his progress is still slow and both red and white counts have dropped a little. But he seems to be keeping steady and there is nothing unusual or worrying happening. We can all give thanks and praise for this!

Today’s blood test results:
Red blood count — 2.6 / Last week — 2.86 / Normal — 4.2-5.6
White blood count — 1.8 / Last week — 2.4 / Normal — 3.8-9.2
Platelets — 41 / Last week — 40 / Normal — Over 155

His kidney and liver levels were looking better today… A result of the lower drug doses and all the water he has been drinking. Amy again lowered the Sirolimus and Tacrolimus anti-rejection/immune suppressant drugs. These work to prevent Noel rejecting the donor and the donor rejecting Noel. A good balance has to be found and this seems to be working well. Thankfully Noel has not shown any signs of rejection or graft verses host disease. We hope and pray this trend continues into the future but there is still a long way to go and setbacks can happen.

Praise the Lord for two definite indications that progress is being made. Firstly the disappearing spleen which I wrote about last week and now this week Noel has noticed for the first time in about 3 years that after having a shower, he no longer has bouts of incredibly horrible itching that used to last for about half an hour and was very irritating. So PTL these are good signs that all is well.

All Noel’s social and food restrictions remain the same but at the weekend we did enjoy celebrating the 38th birthday of Toby, our youngest son. We had a family dinner at our house and dessert was a traditional orange sponge cake. Noel’s mother was a fabulous cook and she would always make an orange sponge cake with orange icing for everyone’s birthdays so we try to keep up the tradition with Nana’s orange cake.

On Monday we also enjoyed a visit from our friend Bishop Dan who again brought the Holy Eucharist to us. This is always a blessing.

On Monday evening good friends from our days together in the British Army came to have a meal with us. They live in Florida for 6 months of the year and the remainder in Europe. They are on a trip visiting friends and seeing Boston and New England. We had not seen them since we visited them in their home in Florida 5 years ago. We had a lot of catching up to do and it was a fun evening. Of course I got double hugs as Noel could not give or receive any!

Yesterday we chose to drive a more scenic route to Boston. We took Route 2 though the Berkshires. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the quieter roads and the small towns and beautiful countryside.

We are again blessed as we are staying at The American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge. I have now been able to pre book two nights each week through to the end of the year. This is a huge blessing as there is no cost (donations are never refused) for the great accommodation they offer. We are grateful to those who support the American Cancer Society and enable them to not only support research but also offer daily practical help to cancer patients and their families. We hope that Noel will soon move to appointments every 2 weeks. This will be when his counts are consistently higher and then we will be able to cancel some of those bookings at the Lodge.

We do read all your messages on CaringBridge and do appreciate every one… I think I should have hit the like button on everyone’s message to show we had read them. Sorry I did not think of that earlier.

Thank you also for your phone calls, e-mails, cards, your practical support and your prayers. This journey would be so hard with out you all. Thank you for continuing to walk alongside us. You help us to stay positive and resilient and to be cheerful, to the extent that several folk have said that Noel seems to look and act so normally it is difficult to believe he is ill. We choose not to interpret such comments in a negative way!

Today turned out to be a long one… We spent over 7 hours at the DFCI and felt like we had done a days work by the time we got home to the Lodge. But it was a blessed day.

We will be back here in Boston next week for our 8th weekly visit since our 4 week stay in Boston before and after Noel’s transplant. Noel will be about 3 weeks away from the 100 day mark. There is nothing special about this day and it is not the end of the journey but merely a progress marker. Most people who have developed acute GVH disease usually have done so by this time. Of course, GVHD can develop at any time in the future, even in several years time, so a close eye will continue to be kept on Noel to make sure there is no rejection by the donor’s cells. Last week a blood test was taken to determine the level of the donor’s DNA to Noel’s DNA. Hopefully the results will be back next week.

Thank you for all your prayers please continue to pray along the same lines as last week.

We thank God for you all, our family and friends world wide. God Bless you.

Thank you Lord for your mercies, your blessings and for giving us patience in this journey of slow progress. Please don’t let disappointments capture our minds but help us to have a positive perspective and to be happy as we look at what progress is being made.

We arrived back in Boston yesterday evening and are staying at the Hope Lodge again. There has been quite a turn over of guests, so many new faces and names to get to know.

Today’s appointment at the Dana Faber Cancer Institute was with Amy Joyce, Dr Soiffer’s Nurse Practitioner. We have a good relationship with her and she always seems genuinely interested in our lives as well as Noel ‘s health.

Noel has been feeling well, although still having some of the same physical problems that have plagued him these last few weeks. But he is able to cope with them. He even told me yesterday he felt really energized, for a short time anyway! As he still gets fatigued.

Today’s blood test results were a little disappointing as Noel’s progress is still very slow but there was encouragement that they had not dropped lower (except the RBC but only by a tiny fraction.) This was a blessing as they were all above the level for receiving infusions of blood products. So all he needed was his dressing and line caps changed. Noel is looking forward to the day he can have the Hickman line removed. That will be when the doctors feel his levels have risen and he has passed the period of time when he would need transfusions.

Today’s results.
Red Cells RBC — 2.86, Last week’s 2.87, Normal 4.2-5.6
White Cells WBC — 2.4, Last week’s 2.1, Normal 3.8-9.2
Platelets — 40, Last week’s 36, Normal over 155

His liver and kidney toxicity levels are still being watched carefully and at next weeks appointment they may decided to further reduce the anti-rejection drugs.

Noel is only 5 weeks away from the 100 day mark. This is when normally it has been found that with most patients the anti-rejection drugs can be reduced even further. It is around this time that the donor’s stem cells should have become really well established and Noel’s bone marrow should be producing healthy red and white blood cells and platelets. It is expected by then Noel’s clinic appointments will have been moved to every other week and then eventually to monthly.

Noel asked when he could expect his lifestyle to return to being more normal. Amy said it was usual for transplant patients to be able to return to work after around 9 to 12 months. But when he asked if he would be able to attend meetings with groups of people by October or November, Amy said she thought it most unlikely but agreed to review the situation nearer the time.

Noel is a typical A type personality as well as he and his donor having A Positive blood!

He would like things to be moving faster and to be able to get back to his ministry, working with Chaplains and Veterans, something he has a passion for and he so loves. He is beginning to feel energized enough to talk for short periods of time on the phone and to be involved in ministering to people over the phone. He does have better energy levels but still gets fatigued and ‘ hits a wall’ if he does too much. But I am keeping a close eye on him to make sure he does not do too much as it is still early days.

Other news from our 4 days back home in Glens Falls:

Noel ‘s appointment with the Heart Specialist went well and Noel does not have to see him again. PTL…his heart is healthy. Even so, he remains under the watchful eye of a local Glens Falls cardiologist and will have his next 6-monthly visit to him in November.

On Saturday we celebrated Lucinda Violet’s, aka Lucy, second birthday. She was pleased with her presents and enjoyed blowing out her candles. We give great thanks to the Lord for her. Her birth has it’s own miracle story to tell and she is a blessing to us all.

On Sunday we had a couple of short visits from church friends. It is always nice to catch up with what other folk are doing and to pray for them.

Noel had his fortnightly appointment at the CR Wood Cancer Center in Glens Falls and Dr GG was so thrilled with the fact that his spleen has shrunk to being normal size again. She was pleased to see us and hear of the progress Noel is making.

So as we Praise the Lord we can both say ” It is well with my soul” and we do see His hand in Noel ‘s recovery and see his provisions for us daily.

Thank you for your love, your encouragement, your support and for following these updates. Please forgive us for not replying to everyone personally.

Please keep us in mind as you pray because God is answering your prayers. And we praise him for our many blessings daily.

Please continue to pray:

• For a steady rise in all Noel’s blood levels.
• For continued well being and energy levels.
• For continued patience during this slow journey back to full strength and health.
• Not to be frustrated or disappointed; and to turn negative thoughts to positive ones.
• For continued ability to minister to others even if not being able to be with them.
• For the Lord to continue to provide for our needs.
• For the time spent with Charlotte and Lucy to be quality time if not quantity time and for continued safety as we travel back and forth.

God works for the good of all those who love Him, God Bless you all.

PS: As the Internet connection was still not working at the Hope Lodge I am posting this from our home in Glens Falls on Thursday evening.

It’s Thursday evening and we are home after this week’s trip to Boston. I was unable to update this journal yesterday as the WiFi connection at the Hope Lodge was down…

Our 4 days at home last week went by quickly with a couple of brief visits with Charlotte and Lucy and their mom and dad. Noel was able to take Charlotte for a round of mini golf and I took her for an ice cream before taking her to her dance class at the YMCA. Lucy will soon have lots of Poppa and Granny time as Charlotte starts Kindergarten in September.

A girl friend treated me to lunch at a local restaurant, which I enjoyed. Our friend, Deacon Dave, brought us the blessing of the Reserved Sacrement and another local friend, Michael, popped in for a short visit. But mostly we spent time resting, catching up with mail, making phone calls and enjoying watching the Olympics on TV…

So many great athletes and events to watch it is good to see both our nations doing so well collecting many medals but it is also good to see the smaller nations of the world competing as it is not just about winning medals. It was great that Muslim women were for the first time able to compete, the rules being changed so they could conform to their religions dress code, a move forward for women in those nations.

For us one of the best moments even greater than seeing any performance or medals awarded, was when just after winning a gold medal, the young American female gymnast Gabby Douglas said,

“All the Glory goes up to God and he pours His blessing on me.”

This is exactly how we feel!

Although Noel continues to have struggles in different areas we are both praising God that we can still say things are overall “good”.

This week his blood levels were actually lower than last week and this was a little disappointing as we would like to see a more upward trend. Dr Soiffer says Noel’s blood levels recovery is slow but this is not unusual for patients with Primary Myelofibrosis and he does not see any great cause for concern. We are very confident that he knows what he is talking about. We have great trust in him and his team.

This weeks blood levels:
WBC — This week 2.1, Last week 2.6, normal 3.8 – 9.2
RBC — This week 2.87, Last week 3.09, normal 4.2 – 5.6
Platelets — This week 36, Last week 39, normal over 155

Noel was also showing some raised toxicity levels again. Even though he is drinking over 3 liters of water a day to flush his kidneys. So Dr Soiffer decided again to slightly reduce the anti rejection drugs he is taking. This could have a good effect on lowering the toxicity levels and also a good effect in promoting the donor’s stem cells to work harder in the production of new blood cells, but in lowering the dose there could be a slight risk of rejection. So a close eye will be kept on him and we will be returning to Boston for more tests next week.

I have mentioned before about Noel’s spleen which has been the object of much interest right from the start. Being so greatly enlarged as is often seen with Primary Myelofibrosis. It has been shrinking since the transplant and yesterday Dr Soiffer said he did not think he could even feel it. Amazing! It must be small enough to be hidden behind Noel’s ribs as it should be. Praise the Lord! We now think the swollen spleen may have been the cause of Noel’s breathlessness. We had always thought it was caused by the anaemia but since he still has the very low blood counts and not the breathlessness may be the spleen was pressing on his lungs. A huge praise item as he can climb the stairs again with out being puffed out.

It was a blessing to again this week have a room at the Hope Lodge. Meeting new people and saying goodbye to some whom we had got to know over the past 2 months. they having now finished their treatments are going home. They will all be in our prayers and hopefully we will be able to stay in contact with them though email.

We stopped in at the Spiritual Life Center in Greenwich on our way home to say hello to our friends Father Nigel and Lynn… being also blessed to see Kate, Lynn and Margaret from the Healing Team and even saw Bishop Bill… No hugs for Noel of course… But I got double hugs.

Again this week we have received a number of messages and blessings. Thank you for your kindness and thank the Lord for his provision for us.

This weeks prayer requests are much the same as previous weeks.

• Safe travel to and from Boston.
• Better energy levels for both of us.
• Continuing improvement for Noel’s digestive system.
• For good blood cell production and rising levels.
• And for the Lord’s continuing provision for us.

Tomorrow, Friday, Noel has a scheduled 12 month review appointment with his heart doctor. This is the Specialist who found nothing wrong with Noel’s heart after the episode in April 2011 that put him in the hospital and ultimately led to him being diagnosed with the bone marrow cancer. We hope this will be the last time Noel sees this doctor as we are quite sure there is nothing actually wrong with his heart.

Please do keep in touch with us, let us know your news and prayer requests… So we can pray for you. Thank you for continuing to walk this journey with us. God Bless you.

“It is good to praise the Lord … For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands.” – Psalm 92:1-4 (NIV 1984)

We are just past half way, 49 days to go to the the 100 post transplant day mark. Noel will then move into the second phase of his recovery. As he is slowly weened off most of the anti rejection drugs.

We arrived back in Boston after being home in Glens Falls for 4 days. This week we are staying for 2 nights at the Hampton Inn as the Hope Lodge could not offer us a room. But we are blessed again to be staying here at the discount rate for Dana Farber patients. It is a very comfortable hotel.

To recap on last week. Noel received 2 units of red blood cells at the clinic last Wednesday to give him a boost as his counts were low. Thursday morning he did not feel so great. Not what we expected but thankfully by mid day he was feeling much better. We were able to drive home; even stopping briefly to say hello to a friend who lives just outside Albany. We then made it home just ahead of a big storm and were once again glad not to have been driving in the rain…another blessing.

On Friday Noel had an appointment with hid Doctor at the Glens Falls Cancer Center. She was pleased to see us again as we were her. These appointments with her are basically to keep her up to date with Noel’s progress. As one day in the future Noel’s care will again be shared between her and his Doctor in Boston. This will be another blessing as it will mean less traveling to Boston.

Over the weekend at home we enjoyed being able to watch the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics with Toby, JoAnn and Charlotte. Lucy was sleeping. As we were at their house Noel had to wear his face mask and gloves but it was so much more enjoyable watching it on their large HDTV… another blessing. If you also watched it I hope you enjoyed it as much as we all did.

On Saturday Noel was not having the greatest of days so he relaxed in his Lazyboy and watched the Olympics. I have to admit I also watched them. My new role as caregiver is not difficult but sometimes I too feel quite tired. It is a blessing being able to enjoy spending time together.

Sunday was a better day for Noel and the family came over after church for Lunch and Toby blessed us by cutting our grass. Noel must not be outside when grass is being cut as it brings up mold spores which are not dangerous for us to breath in; unless like Noel you have a compromised immune system. Our evening blessing was Dave, our friend and a Deacon at St Mary’s Lake Luzerne, visited us and shared the Reserved Sacrament with us. We are looking forward to the day we can both go back to Church.

Thankfully Noel has felt well this week. Within his new normal that is. Today at his appointment at DFCI we saw Amy Joyce the NP. We had a couple of things to ask her…. Noel had developed a reddish rash on his face, she does not think is anything serious and suggested using an OTC hydrocortisone cream. She also decided to cut the dose of magnesium oxide he takes from three to two times a day. She hopes this will help improve his digestion and he won’t have to rely so much on taking Immodium as he has had to do since the transplant.

Amy says Noel’s counts are still being slow in recovering but she thinks that is just the way it is for him and is not greatly concerned. There is no right or wrong speed of recovery. It is just one day at a time.

White blood cells. Today 2.6 Last week. 2.6 Normal is 3.8 – 9.2.
Red blood cells. Today 3.09 Last week 2.75. Normal is 4.2 – 5.6.
Platelets. Today 39 Last week 47. Normal is over 155.

So the blessing in all of this is that there is some stability even in the low readings.

Because Noel feels quite cold even in this rather hot weather we are having in the north east. Someone had suggested he might enjoy sitting in the warm sunshine; sadly not because of the drugs he takes it is very important to stay out of the sunshine.

Please keep praying along the same lines as before:

• For Noel’s blood counts to go up.
• For increased energy.
• For his digestive system to return to normal.
• For safety as we travel.
• For the Lord’s continuing provision for us as the bills arrive in our mail box. We continue to trust that He has a plan for how we pay those bills.

Thank you for continuing to walk this walk with us. Although the walk is slow we are glad you are hanging in with us. You are all a great encouragement to us and we enjoy hearing from you. May God Bless you as you bless us.

So again we count our blessings and give thanks to our Lord for him also walking this road with us as he promises in Hebrews 13:5 ” I will never leave you or forsake you”

Just one final note …as some have asked…. Donations to Caringbridge do not come to us. They help provide this web page at no cost to us. Please make donations directly to us here on the www.supportnoel.org website.

Our four days back in Glens Falls seemed to fly by quickly. Noel felt basically the same health wise. Which is good with not much change either way. So we count this as a blessing.

More blessings came in the mail….more get well cards and good wishes to encourage us which they do and also in the form of support. Thank you for your generous gifts to help us at this time…we praise the Lord for this being his provision for us..

Sunday was the final day of the Tour de France… Very exciting… Made even more so because of the brilliant achievement to the British riders, first Brit to win in the history of the race… Then Noel also enjoyed watching the British Open Golf….Since Noel’s transplant he has been very fatigued and we seem to have watched a lot of sport on the TV. Something we have not normally done in the past…another blessing no time to be bored during this change in life style from our previously very busy lives.

We also had short visits with our granddaughters Charlotte and Lucy on Saturday and Monday always a blessing. They are so much fun to be with. We interacted with our grandchildren Eve and Will in England via Skype. It is not quite like seeing them in person but always fun and a blessing.

We came back to Boston yesterday. The rain held off till we arrived in Boston… Yet another blessing as interstate driving is horrible in the rain.

We are blessed to have a room at the Hope Lodge… It feels like home now..although quite a few of our new friends have gone home…. More blessings…new faces and people to get to know.

We arived at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute at 9:15 am….after check in Noel had his blood drawn for testing..that was on the 2nd floor….then up to the 8th floor to wait to see the doctor. This week we saw Amy, Dr Soiffer’s NP. She is so nice and well up to speed with everything. Noel’s counts today were all still low and he did need to have an infusion of 2 units of red blood cells. His red cells are a bit slow at returning and are lower again.. But this is not unusual in these still early post transplant days so nothing to be concerned about. Another blessing as we choose to see having blood as a positive thing not a negative one.

This weeks numbers,
WBC 2.6. Last week 2.8. Normal are 3.8 – 9.2
RBC. 2.75. — 3.08 — — 4.2 – 5.6
Platelets 47. — 37. These are steadily creeping up. But normal is over 155 so quite a way to go……

Because Noel gets bouts of shuddering chills as well as feeling cold most of the time, Amy decided to be on the safe side and have blood cultures done to make sure there is no sign of infections..unlikely but she wants to be sure.. No results yet.

The 2 units of red cells took four hours to be infused as the drip goes very slowly. We did not leave the hospital until 5:30pm having been there for 8 hours today…..sitting reading, napping, looking at our iPads…is not difficult but very tiring. But one blessing was we did get the free lunch provided in the infusion center.

We were glad to return to Hope Lodge…..where we know the blessing of a comfy bed awaits us this evening….

We return next Wednesday for more appointments….but as yet there does not seem to be a room at Hope Lodge so we may have to stay at the Hampton Inn again…but are blessed we can at least get the reduced room rate for Dana Faber patients.

Two things I talked about in last weeks up date did not happen. Because of Noel’s continuing low counts he did not have his Hickman line removed, it looks like he will now keep it for a few more weeks.

We did not manage to start our early morning walks but may be this week we will have greater motivation and energy.

So the slow journey continues a day at a time with blessings to count every day. Thank you for walking with us, for your prayers, your cards, calls and gifts are a great encouragement to us and a blessing. Thank you.

We are focusing on what is positive in our lives not on anything negative and even though we do not know what the future holds we do know who holds the future…..please continue continue to pray for:

• Noel’s counts to go up.
• Better energy levels, should be good after the 2 units of red cells today.
• For no adverse reactions to any medications.
• For safety as we travel.
• For the Lord’s continuing provision for us.
• And give thanks for answered prayers and many blessing.

We keep you all in our prayers, God bless you.

It’s amazing how fast time is going after getting back to Glens Falls last Thursday the 4 days at home have flown by… we once again thank you for the snail mail you have sent… both of us appreciate your good wishes and kind thoughts, your phone calls and the messages you leave here on this site. We enjoyed a visit from our friends Dave and Barbara on Sunday, sharing the reserved Sacrement with them and catching up on news from St Mary ‘s Lake Luzerne.

We are counting the many blessings everyday brings in different ways small and big to encourage us and remind us that the Lord is in the detail too. On Friday the family were coming over for a short visit ( Noel has to wear his face mask but short vists are OK ) so that we could celerbrate Charlotte’s birthday, she was 5 on the day before… because Noel would not be able to share a store bought cake, I was making a cake but wanted a little Strawberry Shortcake decoration for the top to go with the candles… I asked the lady who decorates the cakes at our local supermarket if I could buy one… she said no but I could have one put on any of their cakes. So I explained why I was not going to buy a cake… She said she was sorry and I went my way… moments later when I was buying eggs she came to me with a small package and said, “We don’t do this but I am a grandma and I hope your granddaughter has a happy birthday and your husband does real well very soon…” There and then in the super market I cried at her kindness… I hope some one blessed her as she blessed me that day… So Charlotte was thrilled to have her decorated cake and Noel enjoyed a big slice… Charlotte was also thrilled with the Strawberry Shortcake dress up outfit we gave her… even with the dress I made in a hurry on Friday morning when I realized the one I had ordered from Amazon was the wrong size… another blessing… I was taught to sew when I was young and like to sew.

Her hair party on Saturday was so much fun too… Seeing 5 little girls getting their hair done like Princesses was very special.

Noel had felt tired and suffered bouts of being chilled over the weekend, when the rest of us were trying to keep cool he was trying to keep warm. But on the whole he has continued to feel good… taken things easy and rested when he has needed too. We both want to get back into doing some walking but have felt a lack of motivation but hope to begin some early morning walks around the small lake at a local park this next week.

Yesterday we drove back here to Boston, grateful for the AC in the car as the outside temperature was in the high 90’s… this week we were unable to get over night accommodation at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge but are blessed to have been able to stay at a Hampton Inn here in Boston at a reduced rate for Dana Farber patients. It is a comfortable room but of course no kitchen or microwave so as Noel can not eat in restaurants he has been on a diet of sandwiches… Next week we know we have a room at Hope Lodge and use of the kitchen, so that ‘s is another blessing.

Today we took the free shuttle bus from the hotel to DFCI , another blessing for Noel’s appointments… after his blood work we saw Dr. Soiffer again… he is not unpleased with Noel ‘s progress but his blood levels are not rising very quickly, not a great cause of concern at this early stage but as Dr. Soiffer said today “we are not out of the woods yet”…

today’s numbers, slightly lower than last week, were:
White Blood Cells 2.8 last week 2.9, normal 3.8 – 9.2
Red Blood Cells 3.08 last week 3.25, normal 4.2 – 5.6
Platelets 37 last week 42, normal 155 – 410

Dr. Soiffer did not order any infusions of blood products today, another blessing and even said that after next weeks appointment Noel can have his Hickman Line taken out… which is normal after a few weeks of it being in place. Noel will be very pleased to get rid of it although it will mean every time he needs blood work done and that will be often, he will need to get it taken with a needle from a vein in his arm.

One of the blood tests measures the toxicity levels in the kidneys which can cause damage if not corrected. Today Noel’s levels were elevated so Dr. Soiffer has reduced the amount of one of the anti-rejection drugs Noel is taking for the prevention of HVG, Host verses Graft disease and asked him to up his intake of water to around 3 liters a day to keep the kidneys well flushed.

Today Noel’s spleen had again reduced in size, a blessing, last week it was 6, today 3. Soon be tucked back under the ribs and not felt at all!

Noel has appointments for next Wednesday so we will do the same as this week, travel to Boston on Tuesday and home on Thursday.

Please continue to pray:

• For Noel’s blood levels to rise
• For his Kidney levels to return to normal
• For his digestion system to return to normal
• For there to be no adverse effects from reducing the anti rejection drug
• For no signs of infections or HVG disease
• For his energy levels to increase
• For a better night time sleep pattern
• For safety as we travel
• And for provision each month to cover the medical bills.

Thank you for continuing to walk this road with us… Your encouragement is a huge blessing to us to… we pray that you all will find you can count your blessings everyday day, as we are doing, however small or big and we hold you up in our prayers as we know so many others are facing various health problems and difficulties in their own lives…

Faith is essential it makes all the difference as we weather the perilous and uncontrollable storms in our lives. Our faith in Jesus is a blessing.

God Bless you!

Since being back home Noel has felt somewhat lacking in energy and cold almost all the time… and this is a hot summer… but everyday his other side effects are less than they were… although sleeping not great he is doing remarkably well. My skill at flushing the 2 lines on his Hickman with saline and the anit blood clotting drug have increased with the daily practice. And I even changed the dressing once but was glad they did that at the hospital today.

Back tracking to Monday, Noel had an appointment with Dr GG at the CR Wood Cancer Center in Glens Falls… as she waw very interested to see him and catch up with how he is doing. Although she had received the reports of the transplant from the Dana Farber. She was pleased to see Noel and she remains his secondary Doctor.

Tuesday we drove back here to Boston where we had managed to book into the Hope Lodge for the night and then a hotel for Wednesday night. We were welcomed back like long lost friends and it was good to see some of the people we had met again, new faces too. This moring I asked if there was a room free for tonight as things can change daily with people leaving. Yes , thank you Lord, we could stay another night, so I rang and cancelled the hotel. What a blessing this amazing place is.

Today, Noel’s appointment was just after Lunch. We arrived early at the DFCI as we had to get our parking ticket validated… and hand back the swipe card from when Noel was an inpatient. Thankfully we still qualify for Free parking. Another blessing as not all patients do.

All these small blesses add up as we are now receiving many copayment accounts… Noel has had a lot of appointments in the past month and a lot of tests and blood products.

Today’s visit with Dr Soiffer went well, he is not only a very bright Doctor but is a very nice man, talk ranged from football. tennis, cricket, Noel’s blood work and his spleen… His bloodwork is still good enough not to have needed any products today, no red cells or platelets needed… Although his counts are still low compared to the normal reference range today’s numbers were:

RBC red cells 3.25 up from 3.14 last week
WBC white cells 2.9. Actually down from last weeks 4.4
Platelets 42 up from last week at 35

Dr Soiffer says Noel’s spleen which was so very large before the transplant measuring 13 finger widths (real hands on measuring) has shrunk to 6. We look forward to the day when he can not measure it. normal spleens sit under the lowest rib and can not be felt during a hands on examination.

He also discribed Noel in one word today ‘GOOD’ he is pleased with the progress, he says he only goes day by day as he knows full well the twists and turns the recovery time from a stem cell transplant can take… he can not predict anything as things can still go wrong. There are many days ahead for Noel yet… But every good day is a day closer to his return to good health. SO we give thanks and praise to be good at this stage one month past the transplant and pray it will continue this way.

We have to return next week for more blood work and Dr appointment so will again travel to and from Boston on Tuesday and Thursday… appointment on Wednesday. Please pray for accomodation needs… We are on the wait list for a room here at the Hope Lodge… And please pray for Noel to continue to be ‘GOOD’ his energy to increase so he feels more able to catch up on emails and snail mail. Thank you for the many cards he has received.

Tomorrow is Charlotte’s 5th birthday… we give thanks for her and she herself now being cancer free… a survivor! Friday night family party and cake and Saturday morning a Hair Party for her girlfriends at local Hair Salon… she has asked me, Granny, to also be her guest because she says I am a girl but Poppa can not be there because he is a boy! But she did suggest to him she could maybe get him some new hair, so sweet… I am excited my first hair party…

Thanks everyone for following our journey… Hope you will continue to do so and one good day turns into another good day… God Bless YOU!!!