[Nfbf-l] Jim's personal update

[Kirk Harmon]

Sherri, thank you so much for keeping me informed as well as others with his progress. God bless him and his family at this very difficult time. It will be   such a tough struggle they have in the future!

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 29, 2013, at 2:32 PM, "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com> wrote:

> This is part of an e-mail that Jim Ellsworth sent me regarding his condition 
> and upcoming treatment. Also, we should all fill out organ donor cards and 
> bone marroe donor cards too. Above all, prayers, prayers, prayers!!! Thank 
> you.
> 
> Sherri
> Here's the update.
> 
> 
> I had some tests run this last Friday and will have more run next Friday. 
> One of the tests is to determine if my heart can stand up to a very intense 
> chemo therapy called Hyper-CVAD.  Essentially what that does is put me in 
> remission but it also destroys my immune system leaving me open to all kinds 
> of possibilities.  If I make it that far I will have two choices.  They will 
> look for a possible match for a bone marrow transplant.  There are lot's of 
> risk's involved with that.  The other choice is to use some sort of 
> medication possibly a pill backed up with some sort of chemo therapy.  The 
> transplant if it goes well with no problems should offer me a longer life. 
> The real danger is rejection either by my own immune system or by the actual 
> bone marrow that was injected into my body.  We are told that there are 
> drugs to help with that sort of thing but we don't know much about them at 
> this point.  The second choice that I mentioned above probably wouldn't 
> provide me with as long of a life but it might offer a better quality life. 
> As you can no doubt tell at some point I have a decision to make as to which 
> way I want to go.  It is always possible that the transplant could provide 
> both quantity and quality of life if it works at it's best.  If my heart isn't 
> able to withstand the harsh Hyper-CVAD treatment then there will be no 
> decision to be made except for me to begin taking some sort of drug orally 
> to try to keep it from progressing so rapidly.
> 
> 
> 
> Well, there you have it.  That is what we face.  We never thought anything 
> like this would ever happen but it has.  I hope to know the results of the 
> test on my heart very soon.  If I am able to withstand the chemo it will be 
> very hard but at least I will hopefully have a choice after that.
> 
> 
> 
> Take care,
> 
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