11-9-09

Carrie is feeling better each day. She is still not able to return to work, due to the illness that surrounds the job of being a K teacher. She will be getting chemo in the month of November.  The results of her last bone marrow biopsy were good. Carrie and her family appreciate your continued support through this illness.

 

7-21-09

Carrie has been feeling good lately. She has enjoyed some activities with the kids outdoors.  Carrie will be going to get a bone marrow biopsy on Friday, July 24th at Hopkins. She will know her results a few weeks from that day. She is scheduled to have chemo in the middle of August. Looking forward to seeing many people at the golf tournament on Aug. 15th.

3.13.09

Carrie is HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! :o) She has been doing very well & got to go home this week.  She will continue out-patient monitoring & treatment at Hopkins as necessary and will need to be cautious about germs, etc.  Most importantly, she is home with her family!  SOOOOO exciting! :o)

2.23.09

Carrie is back at the JHH apartment, which she is happy about.  She wasn't getting much sleep in the hospital since people come in all hours of the night to do their job.  She will still go to the JHH out-patient clinic at the hospital for monitoring & any needed treatments - usually daily.  Lately, her days have been long there, starting in the morning and not getting back to the apartment until about 6:30pm.  She has been feeling weak & tired, but no major complications/concerns at this point.  Carrie's spirit remains hopeful and she appreciates all the support.  We can't wait until she can return home!  I'm sure she'd love to hear from everyone...keep sending her your love! :o)

2.10.09

Just a brief update - I've seen Carrie a couple of times since her transplant & she is going great.  She looks good & has been feeling pretty good lately.  She has had a couple of fevers, one just on Sunday, but they are just taking precautions & still feel like she's responding well to the transplant.  Hopefully she'll be able to go into JH housing at the end of the week & continue with out-patient treatment.  Keep sending your love!

1.20.09

After a nice, much needed break at home with family, Carrie has returned to Johns Hopkins for in-patient treatment.  She was admitted on Tuesday, Jan. 13th & continued chemo treatments.  Today Carrie is having her bone marrow transplant.  We are all grateful for the bone marrow match & hopeful for the transplant, but recognize that Carrie is going to need our support now more than ever.  Please keep Carrie & her family in your prayers and send her your love to help her through this next challenge.

 

                                                                                                                        Carrie's Bone Marrow Transplant (above)

12.17.08                                                                                                                                                                         

Carrie is feeling a lot better today.  She sounded up beat and excited - she was packing up to go home for the holidays! :o)  Carrie will be going home Friday, Dec. 19th - Jan 12th.  She will need to be back at Johns Hopkins a couple times a week for out-patient treatment, but she will be able to be home & commute for those days.  She will be admitted back to Johns Hopkins on Jan 13th and prepare for her bone marrow transplant on Jan 19th.  It is a blessing that Carrie will be able to spend the holidays with her children and family.  We are all grateful for that!  Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers so that everything goes smoothly from here & she can be home for good hopefully at the end of March! :o)

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!! Hooray for 2009!

12.8.08

Carrie was able to go home to Frederick, MD for Thanksgiving Day and Eve. :) She was delighted to be home with her family. Heather went down to visit with Carrie on Saturday and Carrie was admitted into the hospital for her next chemo phase.  Her creatinine level was below 1.2, so they were able to start the next treatment. This treatment will be 3-4 days, and then back to out-patient care again.   Carrie is still very tired and nauseas.  She has been getting daily exercise by walking from the apartment to the hospital. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers this week - feel free to call her or send her an email! Don't forget to eat at Glory Days Grill (and send your receipts to Bonnie) before Dec. 31st!

11.11.08

Brighid & I went to visit with Carrie last night.  She was feeling a little better - last week was a difficult week for Carrie.  She was very sick and nauseas.  Her numbers are going up again, so that is good for the treatment process.  Carrie was pampered again with massages from her cousins! :o)  We all enjoyed each other's company and had a nice visit.  Carrie & Brandon's days are still long;  spent at the hospital for treatment...I'm sure they'd love to hear from everyone through the guestbook, or email, or a phone call. Thanks for the continued support!

11.5.2008

CARRIE HAS A MATCH!!!!!!!!!!! :o)

Carrie & Brandon got word from the doctor today that they have found a match for Carrie's bone marrow!  It is a 100% match & everyone is thrilled & relieved!  Carrie will be having the bone marrow transplant in early January and should be home around early March.  Thank you everyone for your continued support & prayers...it has brought us this far! :o)

Keep in mind, you too get on the bone marrow registry & possibly save someone's life.  More information is on the "How to Help" page.

11.4.2008

Carrie is still hanging tough!  She is back in the apartment after spending a week in the hospital.  She still goes to the hospital each day for out-patient treatments.  This will continue for approximately the next few weeks, then she returns to the hospital for another round of in-patient chemo treatments.  Carrie is feeling ok, but tired and weak.  Her numbers have dropped significantly - but that is what is supposed to happen with the chemo.  I got to spend Saturday with her while most everyone else cheered her on at the golf tournament.  We spent most of the day at the hospital, but made the best of it.  We played cards, talked, looked through pictures, and did "Mad Libs" online.  We were cracking up - the nurse finally came in and asked what we were doing! :o) 

Carrie was excited to hear how the golf tournament went and was thrilled with the overflow of support from everyone.  (Great Job Heather & Mr. Kinley!!!)

Last night, I went to watch the Redskins game with Carrie.  We ate her favorite "chicken popper" sandwiches and enjoyed each other's company (regardless of the loss to the Steelers).  Brandon & Carrie are still amazed at everyone's efforts in supporting them through this.  Let's keep cheering them on...!

10.28.2008

Carrie is not doing very well this week.  She started the more intense chemo treatments in the hospital at the end of last week.  The chemo is making her feel very sick & weak.  She might be able to go back to the apartment by Thursday or Friday...we'll see.  Please say a special prayer for her to help her though this next phase.

10.22.2008

I apologize for the gap in updates!  I was holding out to get more accurate information and then struggled to find the time to post it...thanks for your patience!

Carrie has had some difficult weeks and been traveling back & forth the hospital almost daily for time consuming treatments.  After the last bone marrow biopsy, they have determined that she will need a more intensive treatment plan.  She will be going back into the hospital for an in-patient stay at the end of this week.  With this new protocol, she will receive chemo & other treatments daily for approximately 5 days in the hospital.  Depending on how she responds to the treatment, she can return to the in-patient/out-patient apartment living for about 2 weeks, with montioring & treatments, and then back to the hosital as the cycle repeats itself.

They still have not narrowed down a bone marrow donor for Carrie, but are still hopeful about the 22 potential matches.  Most of them are from Germany or England, so it may take longer to get to the donors, etc.  It is hopeful that Carrie will have the bone marrow transplant around the New Year - which would get her back home in early March at best.

Carrie still can't express her gratitude enough.  Each time I talk to her, she is amazed at how wonderful everyone is being to her and her family.  She is trying to keep herself busy with positive thoughts and activities, but we can only speculate how difficult it can be.  Keep lifting her spirits! :o)  Thanks everyone!!!!

 

 

 

One of Carrie's scrapbook pages! :o) 

 

9.29.2008

The results from Michael & Emily's bone marrow match test cam back today - and neither one of them were a match :o(  From here, the next step is to look through the registry to find a potential match.  Once a few potential matches are found, they will test the bone marrow to find an exact match.  The registry found 22 potential matches, so "the search is on!"  They are disappointed that Emily nor Michael were a match, but the 22 potential matches in the registry was good news.  Unfortunately, this prolongs Carrie's stay at Hopkins for another couple of months.  (Jan - Feb 2009)  We will keep you posted with updates and progress.  Carrie also got her hair cut today - so she has joined Ernest (Emily), Bernard (Bonnie) and Charlie (Cathy)!  We have added Clyde (Carrie) to our group of short hair!  It looks very cute on her & she wears it well!!

9.28.2008

The Glory Days fundraiser was a HUGE success!  The turn out was so incredible and we would like to thank everyone who came out to support Carrie & her family.  It was a great opportunity to gather together, share stories about Carrie, cheer for her & the Redskins, raise money, eat, drink & be merry!  Carrie was able to see pictures and enjoy her messages from her t-shirt & photo board, so thank you!!!! (And the Redskins won just for her!!!) Glory Days also mentioned how thrilled they were to be a part of the event and that our group was an inspiration to them.  They said they could only imagine how special Carrie must be to bring out such a crowd! I had to say - WE AGREE!!! :o)

9.24.2008

I went to see Carrie today & she is all moved into her new diggs!  The apartment is cute & it's a nice "homey" environment.  Carrie was doing well, she didn't even need to report to the hospital today.  They told her she was doing well & that she could have the day off.  She layed on the couch & got another famous foot massage!  She was lovin it and I am happy to do it! :o)  Of course there were fuzzies all over from her socks...Brandon wasn't too happy about that. lol  We had a nice time & Carrie is a trooper!  She was laying on the couch & said "I'm calling Oprah!" I was like, "what? why?" Carrie went on to say she plans to call Oprah to tell her all about the wonderful support from her family & friends.  She feels so loved & supported so she wants Oprah to know how much she appreciates everyone!  I thought that was cute & wanted to share with everyone.  Carrie and Brandon are at a loss for ways to express their sincere appreciation to everyone.  They are so grateful & want everyone to know that! :o)  Here are a few pictures of her new apartment...they are staying at the Marriott - Execu Extented Stay on Broadway in the city. 

09.23.2008

Today they got the test results back from Carrie's bone marrow.  Her bone marrow has zero cancer in it! :o)  This means that they should be able to do the bone marrow transplant earlier than they thought & that means less time for Carrie & Brandon to be away from home! :o)  Stay tuned...

09.18.2008

Just a brief update...I got to see Carrie last night at the hospital.  She looked fabulous!  We had a very nice time and she was in good spirits laughing & making us laugh!  I massaged her feet & Emily was massaging her hands - Carrie was loving every minute of it - peeping her eyes open to see what was going on if one of us stopped for a min to do something.  It was too funny.

Her room was decorated with drawings, pictures, and cards from her loved ones.  The floor was full of baskets and gifts.  She said many times that she knows she has so many people in her corner and appreciates everyone's efforts.  She moved today into the Johns Hopkins housing.  The goal is to have her home by Christmas.

09.17.2008

Carrie is doing okay, but is uncomfortable because of all the chemo treatments she's getting & the pricking for her blood sugar.  She has band aids on every finger :o(  The have also told her that she will probably start to lose her hair between this Saturday and Tuesday.  She is having a hard time with the reality that it brings.

They hope to have her placed in the Johns Hopkins housing by this Friday if all goes well.  They are still dealing with the insurance issue.  She is "out of network" with her insurance plan being at Johns Hopkins, so they are unsure what that will mean in terms of her coverage.

Carrie does have computer access and was able to use a web cam the other night to see/say goodnight to the kids.  She may not be up for responding to emails, but we should be able to send her messages.  I tried sending her an email last week & today to the two email addresses Emily gave me, but they both bounced back.  I'm waiting to confirm the right email address & then I'll share that with everyone.  Jenn hopes to have the website up by this weekend with more information.

Brandon & the rest of the group are sooooo appreciative of everyone's support.  They really want to let everyone know how much this means to them!

09.16.2008
I just talked to Emily - they won't know the results from yesterday's testing until sometime next week.
As of today, she said Carrie looks great & is feeling okay.  She got another chemo treatment in her spine today.  She has developed diabetes from the steroids in the chemo, so they are taking her blood sugar every four hours & giving her insulin.  This will not be permanent and once she finishes with the chemo, she should not have diabetes complications any more.
She also has thrush - an oral yeast infection.  It's common in cancer patients.  They hope that next week she will be able to move from the hospital room setting to the Johns Hopkins housing.  This Johns Hopkins hospital is not covered by her insurance, so they have been talking with the insurance company & the social worker is trying to get the housing to go through.  They aren't sure exactly what that means yet for insurance purposes, but are trying to work that out.

09.15.2008
Small update that you may already know.  I spoke to Emily Friday evening after I left work & didn't get a chance to email everyone…but the results from the bone marrow test are back & Carrie will need a bone marrow transplant.  The chances of Emily or Michael being a match are good (30%).  Emily & Michael are being tested today, so hopefully we'll know soon if they are a match.  If not, from what I understand, they will move on to a donor list.

09.11.2008
I just talked to Emily.  She is very busy & overwhelmed…as expected.  She apologized for not getting to back to everyone, but I told her we understand.  Obviously, it's been really hard for her & she's trying to be the rock for Carrie, Brandon, the kids, Cathy & Bob & for herself. 

She said they got the test results back from the spinal tap & there is little to no cancer in the spine! :o)  It was caught early and they are optimistic about treatment.  They won't have the results back from the bone marrow test until next week.  Carrie had two chemo treatments yesterday and will start having chemo every Tuesday for the next month.  Overall, she will have chemo for about 2 1/2 years, but Emily isn't sure how often she'll have it down the line.  Carrie looked much better yesterday and is feeling a little better.

No information yet about visiting Carrie, but Emily will give her the message that we are all praying for her & are here to help.  Emily said that people have been by the house to visit & brought food, which has been helpful.  She just is not able to visit with everyone who comes by - so she doesn't want people to think she's ignoring them :o)  She said she has no idea what would be helpful right now…but they know we're all willing.
Cathy is going to spend the night with Carrie tonight & Brandon is going to come home to be with the kids.  They are working on putting together a website with information about Carrie's treatment, status & a way to post messages/information.  She'll let us know when that's up.

I told her I'd email everyone with an update - please pass it along to anyone I don't have an email address for & let me know if you hear anything too.  Thanks!