Mary Jo Update #35 -In Thanksgiving, Ave Maria

05/15/13 00:10CBCWBC: 0.6* thou/uL (3.9-10.7)    Hemoglobin Blood: 10.2* g/dL (11.8-16.0)    PCV BLOOD: 29* % (36-43)    MEAN PLATELET VOLUME: 10.8 fL (9.3-12.8)   PLATELET COUNT: 12* thou/uL (135-371)    Red Blood Cells: 3.23* mil/uL (4.00-5.50)    MCV: 90 fL (81-98)    MCH: 31.6 pg (27.0-32.0)    Mean Corpuscle Hemoglobin Concentration: 35.1* g/dL (31.0-35.0)    Red Blood Cells Width Distribution: 13.0 % (11.1-14.3)   

05/15/13 00:10DifferentlNEUTROPHIL %: 29.0* % (35.0-75.0)    LYMPS %: 58.1* % (15.0-49.0)   MONOCYTES %: 11.3 % (3.5-12.0)    BASOPHILS %: 0.0* % (0.1-1.5)    NEUT (ABS): 0.16* thou/uL (1.60-8.10)    LYMPHS (ABS): 0.33* thou/uL (1.10-3.50)   MONO (ABS): 0.06* thou/uL (0.30-1.10)    BASO (ABS): 0.00* thou/uL (0.01-0.08)   ATYP LYMPHS (ABS): 0.01 thou/uL    NUCLEATED RBC: 0 /100_WBC   NUCLEATED RBC#: 0.00 thou/mL    WBC COMMENTS: WBC comment    # WBC'S COUNTED: 62 

The good numbers keep getting better!  The progress with Mary Jo's WBC continued this morning. Her WBC number actually doubled from yesterday's resding of .3 to .6. Dr. Engelhardt said this was outstanding for Day +9.

There are actually two numbers on Mary Jo's blood labs that the doctors are looking at that indicate that the engraftment process is underway. The WBC and the NEUT (ABS) numbers are in red above.. The NEUT (ABS) is the Absolute Neutrophil Count  (ANC).  Mary Jo's ANC is at 160 today. When the count is 500, or higher, for three straight days, it indicates that the her stem cells that were infused have grafted to her body.

At this morning's meeting with Dr. Engelhardt and the transplant team, he confirmed that Mary Jo would be discharged today. When a patient's platelet count drops below 20, they infuse platelets. Since Mary Jo's are at 12 this morning, she will need platelets before she's released. We could be here for little while. Dr. Engehardt said that they had to special order the platelets because Mary Jo can only use 2 of the platelet types. I always knew Mary Jo was special.

We will be making our daily visits to the outpatient stem cell clinic starting again tomorrow. The caregiver's duties will ramp up a little bit, since we won't have a cadre of nurses and doctors around. We will have to check Mary Jo's temperature four times a day. We also brought her blood pressure cuff with us. Jayme is back as Mary Jo's nurse today. Jayme was there when Mary Jo's stem cells were infused last week. She is a wonderful nurse. We like her a lot.

Mary Jo's progress since Mother's Day has been remarkable. After the problems Mary Jo had last Friday, Peggy, a friend in North Carolina wrote in an email that she would be praying specifically on Mother's Day for Jesus' mother, Mary, to intercede with her Son on Mary Jo's behalf. I know there are others out there praying to the Blessed Mother, too. As a believer in the power of prayer, and that Jesus truly listens to His mother, I give thanks to Jesus, His Blessed Mother, Peggy, and all of you for all of your prayers.

Thanks to our friend, Cathy in Louisville. Here's a tribute to Jesus' mother sung  by Karol Wojtyla, Blessed Pope John Paul II singing Ave Maria in 1976:



P.S.Please keep our friends, Peggy and her husband, Steve, in your prayers. Steve is battling Mantle Cell Lymphoma, too. He has had several chemo treatments at the Cancer Center of Duke University.