11 Oct 2006

To All,

On Monday, we met with doctors at the University of Minnesota Medical Center and they left us with 6 options, in order of preferred treatment.

• The first option is known as a Donor Lymphocyte Infusion (DLI) - which according to the Doctors would be most preferable in Cheryl's case. In addition, they were certain that this procedure could be performed at Madison.
  
• The next two are variations on the same treatment known as Killer Cells. Which is only available in Minnesota.
  
• The fourth treatment is with the use of an Isotope type cell that (radioactive) that is infused, which the cancer cells respond to by ingesting. Once ingested the Isotope will kill the cancer cells
  
• The fifth treatment is modifying Cheryl's immune system, or re-educating, to recognize the cancer cells and kill them.
  
• The sixth is to do nothing at all. This would only be a matter of time as to when the cancer returned.

The treatments listed above, the first five involve various forms of additional chemo therapy. The first one is less invasive than the rest. The second and third are current clinical trials, but are very hard on the body. The fourth and fifth are experimental and the doctor wouldn't really recommend them.

The doctor told us that with the exception of the last option, the chances of successfully curing Cheryl are between 20% - 30%. The doctor wasn't certain Cheryl could handle treatments 2-5 as her body has already been through a great deal and may not handle the additional strain. In addition, the one thing that all the doctors agree on is that in order for the treatment to be successful, Cheryl must experience some Graft versus Host disease, which she didn't on the first transplant. Graft versus Host disease can be as mild as a rash or fevers or as deadly as major organ damage.

Tuesday, on the way home, we stopped by to see the doctor in Madison. She is confident that they can perform the DLI at Madison, but needed to talk with the doctor at UMN medical clinic to make sure she fully understands his recommended treatment. We should have a plan of how we will proceed by the end of the week.

To be honest, we are uncertain of the proper course and location of treatment. Please pray in the following areas:

• That by the end of the week the right treatment and location will be known - both doctors agree that time is of the essence
  
• That God continues to place his strength and healing touch on me and the rest of the family
  
• That what ever treatment is determined to be the correct action, that I can handle both the physical issues and the hospital stays.

Love in Christ

Cheryl and family

5 Oct 2006

To All,

We know it has been a while since our last update, but we wanted to wait until we had some truly remarkable news to share with you. We know that you all have been praying for us, as the following results have come about from your prayers and God's blessing me:

1. The insurance company wanted us to get a second opinion on what the continued treatment should be and recommended we go to Minneapolis, MN to the University of Minnesota Medical Center, which comes highly recommended by our current Doctor in Madison.
   
   • (quote from their web site - Blood and Marrow Transplant Services at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview has been at the forefront of blood and marrow transplant (BMT) advances since performing the world’s first BMT in 1968.)
   
   
2. That my body is finally recovering from all the treatments and, even though I am still well below normal, as of today, my body is making it's own platelets enough that I will not need any transfusion in the near future.
   
   • The normal human body has between 160,000 - 375,000 platelets, I am currently at 12,000 which is much better than the 3,000 I was at about three weeks ago.
   
   
3. That the Bone Marrow Biopsy that they performed two weeks ago showed me to be in remission at this time with no sign of the cancer cells.

Please pray for us in the following areas:

1. On Monday I will be going through a full day of tests at the Minnesota Medical Center to determine what the next step should be - pray that God gives then clear direction and that they can start and finish treatment(s) soon - I am growing very weary.
   
2. Pray that if I am to be treated up in Minnesota (MN), that the love of God will sustain my children in my absence and that God will not allow me to be away for to long.
   
3. As Gene and I travel and/or stay in MN for a period of time at the medical center, pray that we will both be a strong witness of Faith, Love and Grace of our Lord Jesus.
   
4. Pray that the cancer cells continue to remain in remission until final treatment and then will be gone for ever.
   
5. Pray for a safe journey to and from MN.

First and foremost you should pray for and believe in Divine intervention and healing as God truly does have the power.

We will send out an update sometime next week when we know more.

Love in Christ

Cheryl and Family

19 Sep 2006

Dear friends and family,

Praise The Lord! I am finally home. I arrived home about 6:00 Monday night. What a blessing to be home with my children.

I slept so well, since I wasn't awakened in the night to be weighed and temp. taken and all that jazz.

I have an appt. on Thurs for more platelets and whatever else I need. I have an appt. Tues. for another bone marrow biopsy (required by insurance) to make sure the leukemia is still in remission so we can move forward with the stem cell transplant (provided that it is approved by insurance).

Thank you for all your prayers, cards, e-mails, meals etc. We are so appreciative.

I have little to no energy and am tired most of the time. It is very hard for me to accept that I just can't do what I used to do, I keep telling myself "The most important thing is to get well"
My family is so supportative, doing the laundry, fixing meals, doing the dishes. It is great!

Here is a list of prayer requests:
1. The platelets will be readily availabe, since I have to have a special match now
2. The bone marrow biopsy will show I am still in remission
3. Acceptace of my current abilities
4. Strength for Gene, Michael and Emily

Thankyou so much for praying,
Cheryl for the Cummins family

15 Sep 2006

To All,

Well, here it is halfway through September and I am on my 22nd day at UW Hospital, this stay. I think if I added all the time up that I have spent here since last October 14 it would be somewhere around 6 full months.

Anyway, I am still in the hospital due to the continuing fevers and the fact that the doctors have not been able to identify and eliminate the source.

Despite this fact, our wonderful Doctor is pressing to continue on to the next leg of this journey by going through with a second stem cell transplant. As you would expect, there are a great many hurdles to clear in order to accomplish this - most of which deal with the insurance and their approval, the other minor hurdle is that I stay as healthy as I am currently.

Areas for prayer for me and my family include the following:

1. Devine intervention and healing, with or with out the Doctors and medical treatment.

2. If the above healing involves doctors and medical treatment, then prayer that what the doctors want to do the Insurance Company will approve - the insurance company is now questioning the logic of performing a second stem cell transplant and assessing the statistics of success.

3. That God will continue to watch after my two wonderful children in my absence. Many of you have invited them to special events and/or sent cards and more. Thank you so much - you have no idea how much help this has truly been.

4. Praise God for Gene's work place and his work associates who have also been very supportive from the very beginning, with out faltering. In addition to Gene's Army National Guard Unit.

5. Praise for the Church family and my family and friends who continue to shower me with e-mails, cards, letters, phone calls, prayers, humor, meals at home and visits (plus many other things). All of these have helped me to maintain my spirits.

6. Praise God for the fact that even though I have periods where my heart and morale sink very low and I breakdown in tears, there is always a ray of sunshine, a verse, a friend or someone close that helps me to see clearly again that strong faith is the only way.

I don't know what lies ahead for me regarding treatment, but I pray that it will be decided soon so that once again I can go about the business God appointed to me of being a Godly influence to my children and the children at church in Sunday school.

Love in Christ

Cheryl and Family

8 Sep 2006

To All,

I am now working on day 15 of this hospital stay. God blessed me with one night and day without a fever (night of Sept 6th and Sept 7th). Unfortunately, the fevers came back again at 2 AM Sept 8th.

They have started me back on the Nupigen injections. Nupigen is a shot given in the stomach which is used to stimulate bone marrow / Stem Cell growth. They want to see my body start producing it's own cells and get me off of blood and platelet transfusions.

Tonight is Michael's birthday party, it will be the first time I have ever missed his birthday, with God's will it will be the only time.

It will be a great "guy's" party, Order pizza then chase it with lots of sugary cake and ice cream, then have a sleepover-Dad's night for sure.

I feel pretty good most of the time, the fevers wear you out,but I have plenty of time to sleep.

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention that in trying to figure out what was wrong with me (i.e. the cause of the fevers) they did another Bone Marrow Biopsy on 5 Sept. Results came back showing no infection in the Bone Marrow (Another of God's many blessings) and no signs of cancer. The collective group of Doctors concluded that the fevers are most likely caused by one of three things:
1. Allergic reaction to one of the Antibiotics they have me on - they will start switching them around.
Or
2. A virus that has yet to be detected - they will do more testing to try and verify / eliminate this as a possibility.
Or
3. An antibody left over from the Chemotherapy drug that is still working within my bone marrow doing it's job, which could go on for another couple of weeks.

That's all from here in Madison - home of the Badgers.

May God bless you all

Cheryl and family

5 Sep 2006

To All,

Here it is Tuesday - 05 September and I am still in the hospital (going on my 12th day for this session). Thanks to your many faithful prayers I made it through the Chemotherapy without a scratch, however I am stuck here like a derailed train, due to the never ending fevers.

The fevers started out as a bacterial infection in my blood - great they identified them and with the right antibiotic killed them - no more bacterial infection. Yea!!!!

However the fevers still didn't stop. As of today, I think they have checked every inch of my body humanly possible to look for clues as to why the fevers are hanging on to this body of mine. They did another bone marrow biopsy - only this time to look for an infection of some nature hiding in my bone marrow. They got this idea, I think, from the Doctors from the Infectious Disease. I am starting to believe my brother and sister when they say I am just a mutant.

I do know one thing, that this stay has been one of the hardest for me, Monday I even yelled at the Doctors that I want to go home and be with my children. The Lord saw fit to allow those doctors / nurses to treat me with compassion even after a bad day. Today, I was more like my old self - don't get me wrong I want nothing better than to be able to leave this place and go home to my two lovely children whom I miss very much.

However, I realize that until they are able to solve the puzzle of my fevers I would just end up coming back here in short order.

Please pray for us in the following areas:

1. Praise his name that he made the last Chemotherapy session go by so smooth

2. That God would allow the doctors to discover and cure the source of my fevers

3. Or - that he would provide devine intervention and take this illness away.

4. Praise him for the wonderful children he has given to me - that they have been strong enough to carry on.

5. Praise him for all the wonderful people that call, write, visit and perform acts of kindness and mercy for my family.

May God have mercy and blessing on you and your families

Gene & Cheryl Cummins

31 Aug 2006

To All,

Well I'm still here in Madison, Not that I want to be, in fact God and I had a little chat about my attitude this hospitial stay. It helped me immensely!!!

I keep getting fevers of over 104. They don't let you go home with fevers. So we better find a solution.

They called in the infectious diesease doctors to get their opinion of why I am having these fevers. After reviewing my chart, by this time it is about 4 inches thick, they came in and asked me a lot of questions like...
"Where I had traveled recently, that was easy to Madison and back, no camping, no being out in the woods? How about cleaning the chicken coop - uh no I'll pass on that one."

After the interview they determined it might be a drug induced fever, so for now we are going with that theory.

They did a CT scan on my lungs when I first came in and another one yesterday and the one yesterday looked much better than when I first came in. Things are looking up in some areas but I still need to get rid of the fevers. I got my pic line put back in so I can go home and have Gene administer my anti-biotic, when they let me go.

Please Pray:
No more complications
No more fevers
and That God would allow me to be home with my Children SOON!.

Thanks for your prayers, Cards, phone calls and visits.

Love

Cheryls and the rest of the Cummins bunch