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The Cancer Card

  • Remission
    A bone marrow biopsy early this summer showed no signs of cancer, normal bone marrow function (producing all there blood cell types (red, white, and platelets), and 100% donor DNA. Bottom line … I’m in remission and the transplant was successful. I’m not yet out of the woods with respect to cancer recurrence but myContinue reading “Remission”
  • Gratitude
    My mother-in-law and I text every day. She started texting me when I was first diagnosed with leukaemia and hasn’t missed a day since. Generally, a short text about what she and my father-in-law are doing, pictures of the garden, or an update on the latest puzzle they are working on. About this time lastContinue reading “Gratitude”
  • You’re in My Care…
    During the mid 2010’s I was employed by The Ottawa Hospital (TOH), the same hospital at which I am now receiving treatment for my leukaemia. Although I was hired on a temporary contract to manage a provincial digital health project, I was required to go through the same orientation as any other employee. I vividlyContinue reading “You’re in My Care…”
  • Deja vu all over again?
    As I mentioned in my last post, several of the gastrointestinal GVHD problems that I experienced last year have returned. My medical team put me back an Entocort, a drug used to treat mild to moderate Crohn’s disease and has ordered several tests to determine whether the GVHD had returned. They have also put meContinue reading “Deja vu all over again?”
  • Quick Update
    It has been about 6 weeks since my second stem transplant. All test results indicate successful engraftment of the new stem cells. I have put back on the weight I lost due to the gastrointestinal GVHD; I bottomed out at about 125 lbs. Over the past few months my medical team has started to weanContinue reading “Quick Update”
  • It’s been a while …
    I was out for dinner last night with friends, one of whom is an avid reader of this blog. She told me how much she enjoyed and learned from my blog posts. Her comments got me to thinking about why I haven’t posted in so long. I have always had a love/hate relationship with writing.Continue reading “It’s been a while …”
  • Thank you for the feedback!
    I am currently attending a work related conference. This conference is the first work related event I have attended in about a year (I started self-isolating about 6 weeks prior to my transplant). I had the opportunity over the past two days to meet a number of blog readers and I am, to say theContinue reading “Thank you for the feedback!”
  • Imposter Syndrome?
    WebMD characterizes “imposter syndrome” as doubting your own skills and successes. They state that when you suffer from imposter syndrome “you feel you’re not as talented or worthy as others believe, and you’re scared that one day, people will realize that.” When I first started this blog, I was overwhelmed by and grateful for theContinue reading “Imposter Syndrome?”
  • The Real Waiting Begins
    My wife, daughter, and I are reading “How to Be Sick: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide for the Chronically Ill and Their Caregivers.” We are doing so to facilitate a discussion about our respective roles as patient and caregivers as well as equip us with new tools and perspectives for how to deal with the situation inContinue reading “The Real Waiting Begins”
  • T+132 (Desperately Seeking Normal)
    Although I am in hospital (and have been for over 3 weeks), I still go to work Monday to Friday. I am lucky that I can work remotely (and have done so for 5+ years). Essentially, I just moved my desk from home office to hospital room. Why not take time off while in hospital?Continue reading “T+132 (Desperately Seeking Normal)”
  • T+131 (It’s Been A While)
    I am back in hospital and have been here for just over three weeks. Why? Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) reared its ugly just after T+100. I encourage you to take a few minutes to read a previous blog post that explains GVHD in more detail. As I mentioned in the blog post, acute GVHDContinue reading “T+131 (It’s Been A While)”
  • T+62 (Are You Kidding??!!)
    Having found myself back in hospital, I had barely woken up on my first morning to hear the nurse telling me, “You tested positive COVID.” I was stunned. All I could think was “ARE YOU KIDDING ME ??!!) This latest hospital journey started on T+51 (18 January 2024). After a busy morning of hospital visits and prescription refills,Continue reading “T+62 (Are You Kidding??!!)”
  • T+50 (GVHD)
    Most people are familiar with the concept of organ rejection as a key concern with organ transplants. This rejection is caused by the immune system of the recipient treating the donor organ as a foreign body and attacking it. Consequently, most organ transplant recipients end up taking immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their lives to preventContinue reading “T+50 (GVHD)”
  • T+44 (Weekly Clinic Visit)
    It has been a while since I last posted. The main reason for not posting is that I have been sleeping a lot! 8 to 10 hours a night plus a 2 to 3 hour nap many days. I am feeling less tired (though the first few hours each morning are still a challenge) and hope to blogContinue reading “T+44 (Weekly Clinic Visit)”
  • T+37 (Weekly Clinic Visit)
    Although it is now several days after the event, I wanted to share an update from my weekly TCT clinic visit. I will endeavour to provide clinic visit updates each week as soon after the visit as I can. Since leukaemia is a form of blood cancer (sometimes referred to as a “liquid cancer” toContinue reading “T+37 (Weekly Clinic Visit)”
  • T+35 (Happy New Year!)
    A little over two weeks has passed since I last published a blog post. As scheduled, I was released from hospital on December 20th. I am thrilled to be home, sleeping in my own bed, eating what I want (when I want!), and, getting outside occasionally. My medical team warned me that I would be very tiredContinue reading “T+35 (Happy New Year!)”
  • T+20 (Time to Start Packing)
    My blood counts have been steadily increasing over the past week. This increase clearly indicates that the stem cells successfully found their way to my bone marrow and engraftment is in progress. After 4 weeks (to the day) in hospital, I will be discharged tomorrow to The Ottawa Hospital Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (TCT) outpatient program. IContinue reading “T+20 (Time to Start Packing)”
  • T+17 (Home for the Holidays?)
    Since the last blog post my blood counts have been steadily increasing and it is now clear that engraftment is taking place. One of the immediate impacts – my mucositis has subsided and eating is no longer so painful! My medical team is pleased with my progress and believes that I should be ready for dischargeContinue reading “T+17 (Home for the Holidays?)”
  • T+14 (I’m Back!)
    The contents of this blog post include explicit descriptions of the various transplant side effects I am experiencing. I worried about straying into TMI (too much information) territory but decided, in the end. to continue to be as open and transparent about my journey as possible. Proceed with caution. I woke up this morning feelingContinue reading “T+14 (I’m Back!)”
  • T+11 (Medical Update)
    The contents of this blog post include explicit descriptions of the various transplant side effects I am experiencing. I worried about straying into TMI (too much information) territory but decided, in the end. to continue to be as open and transparent about my journey as possible. Proceed with caution. As I mentioned in an earlierContinue reading “T+11 (Medical Update)”
  • T+9 (Hospital Food)
    Patient 1: “What are you in for?”Patient 2: “I ate hospital food” Hospital food is an easy target for comedians and cartoonists. I’ve yet to meet anyone who didn’t have some complaint about the food they were served while in hospital. After my previous hospital stay I had many complaints about the food service andContinue reading “T+9 (Hospital Food)”
  • T+8 (Pain Scale Rant)
    One of the questions I am asked almost every time a nurse or physician visits my room is “How is your pain on a scale of 1 to 10?” I hate this question and stumble every time trying to answer it. When I was first asked the question, I had to ask “What is theContinue reading “T+8 (Pain Scale Rant)”
  • T+7 (Pain Management Update)
    As mentioned in my last blog post, one of the side effects of the stem cell transplant process is mucositis. For me, it affects both my mouth and my throat. The inflammation that characterizes mucositis is quite painful. Chewing and swallowing irritates the inflammation which makes eating more of a chore than a pleasure. IContinue reading “T+7 (Pain Management Update)”
  • T+5 (Quick Update)
    One of the most vivid (not in a good way) memories from my first stem cell transplant was the pain caused by mucositis. A common side effect of chemotherapy, mucositis is the inflammation of the mucosa, the mucous membranes that line the entire gastrointestinal tract including the throat and the mouth. The mucositis was soContinue reading “T+5 (Quick Update)”
  • T+4 (Brain Fog)
    My sister Celina visited earlier this week. Spending time with her is like hanging out with an old friend. Conversation flows easily and, given our respective competitive personalities, she is always up for a board or card game. During Celina’s most recent visit we played Yahtzee. In keeping score, I noticed that it was takingContinue reading “T+4 (Brain Fog)”
  • T+3 (Home Away from Home – Part 2)
    As discussed in yesterday’s blog post, Tracy and I chose the inpatient option for the stem cell transplant process. As long as there are no major complications and the engraftment takes place, I should be home before the end of the calendar year. The inpatient unit for The Ottawa Hospital TCT program patients is calledContinue reading “T+3 (Home Away from Home – Part 2)”
  • T+2 (Home Away from Home – Part 1)
    For patients residing in eastern (and, I believe, northern Ontario), allogenic stem cell transplants (the type I am receiving) are delivered by The Ottawa Hospital’s Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (TCT) Program. This program operates from the General campus of The Ottawa Hospital. The TCT program offers patients two options when undergoing a stem cell transplant:Continue reading “T+2 (Home Away from Home – Part 1)”
  • T+1 (COVID!!)
    Today started out quietly enough and was shaping up to be an uneventful day. My sister was driving up from Montreal to hang with me for the day. We planned to chat, have lunch together, and play board games. My sister arrived mid morning and the remainder of the morning unfolded as expected. As weContinue reading “T+1 (COVID!!)”
  • T-0 (Stem Cell Transfer Day)
    Today is the day that stem cells from an undisclosed donor will be transferred into my body. This transfer represents the START of the transplant process. As mentioned in a previous blog post, this process differs considerably from solid organ transplant (e.g.. heart, liver, kidney, etc.) in many ways. This difference and how it impactsContinue reading “T-0 (Stem Cell Transfer Day)”
  • Thank You and An Apology
    Thank you, thank you, thank you for the outpouring of support from family, friends, and professional colleagues. I am quite simply blown away by how many of you are taking the time to send messages of support. I am touched and feel truly blessed. Many people have noted that they had no idea that IContinue reading “Thank You and An Apology”
  • T-2 (1st Rest Day)
    Four days of chemo complete! I tolerated it well with no major side effects. I get a break for the next two days to get my body ready for transplant on Tuesday. The transplant itself is quite straight forward … it is really no different than any other blood transfusion that I receive. Almost aContinue reading “T-2 (1st Rest Day)”
  • T-4 (3rd Day of Chemo)
    I’m still trying to determine the frequency of blog posts and the nature of the content that these posts will contain. Please forgive what may be an initial deluge of posts … I have been planning this blog in my head for several months and have a backlog of topics that I’d like to exploreContinue reading “T-4 (3rd Day of Chemo)”
  • T-5 (2nd day of chemo)
    My cancer treatment plan is expressed in terms of days pre- and post- transplant (e.g. T-5 is 5 days prior to transplant, T+3 is 5 days post transplant). T-6 to T-3 are chemo days. Each day I receive two different chemotherapy drugs, both by infusion. T-2 and T-1 are “rest days” to get my bodyContinue reading “T-5 (2nd day of chemo)”
  • What is “The Cancer Card”
    My family and I have found humour in my cancer journey. Indeed, we actively seek it out and share it whenever possible. While some of this humour may be a little dark at times, it helps us put the cancer in perspective and offer much needed relief during difficult discussions, “The Cancer Card” is anContinue reading “What is “The Cancer Card””
  • Introduction
    30 months ago blood tests revealed abnormalities that were highly indicative of some form of blood cancer. 28 months ago I was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia. 22 months ago I received a stem cell transplant. 16 months ago my leukaemia was declared to be in remission. 8 months I was told thatContinue reading “Introduction”

About Me …

Work in progress …