Day +3

Unfortunately my mom isn't feeling too great today. She had a methotrexate chemo treatment today so this is probably why she's not feeling well. She was able to shower and eat a little bit though, which is good. Her mouth is becoming sore due to mucositis beginning. The doctor said she is doing well and her blood counts are right where they should be though. Some days will be better than others, but she will get through this!

Day +2

Just a quick update.. My mom had a great day today (as best as could be expected). She was able to walk and eat and talk on the phone. So grateful! Let's hope for a good day tomorrow also. She is starting to get a few canker sores unfortunately but not too bad. They are goin to start her on the IV nutrition tonight because she is losing too much weight. This way they can make sure she gets adequate calories and nutrition.

Day +1

Well today is not a great day for my mom unfortunately. I guess these are considered the "icky" days. She has been throwing up and has a stomach ache. My dad is there with her now and she has been sleeping mostly. She hasn't been able to eat anything. The doctors came in and reassured her that this is very normal and is from a variety of things--antibiotics, chemo, stem cells, etc. Hopefully she will feel better soon.

Day 0 (again)

I guess today is considered the actual Day 0 since she didn't receive the stem cells until 2:30 am. As expected, it was very uneventful (thankfully)! Em is headed to the hospital and the rest of us will go in a little while. My mom said she is tired today, but she was up late getting the cells. The side effects will most likely begin tomorrow or in the next few days, but will be similar to all chemo side effects she has already experienced. Here is a picture of the stem cells and the prayer that the chaplain said before my mom received them.

Day 0

Today is the day that my mom will receive stem cells from a complete stranger! They should arrive around 6pm and she will probably receive them around 8 tonight. Her doctor says the process will be very uneventful, with a small chance of chills or a slight fever, but this is very unlikely. My mom is feeling pretty good. She has been able to eat and laugh. We are hoping the mouth sores don't come so she can continue to eat.

I can't believe we are finally at this point. While I try not to think of the past few months, it's hard to forget how I felt when my mom was first diagnosed. Our lives changed so much in October. Hearing the oncologist's plan for my mom seemed overwhelming, impossible. I pictured our family standing at the bottom of a huge, rocky mountain looking up. How would we ever get to the top? I had to stop focusing on the top and the future, and focus only on each day, each step to the top of that mountain and put it in God's hands. I think that is a lesson that everyone needs to learn at some point, because we really only have today. Not a single one of us is guaranteed a tomorrow. We can only focus on today and enjoy each hour we have together. Of course it is only human to worry and wonder about the future, but when I find myself worrying I remember the bible verse Matthew 6:27, "Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your lifespan?" We can't! Each day the peak of that mountain seems closer and closer, and today it feels reachable. I picture us reaching that peak soon, in a few months when things begin to feel normal, and then hanging out there for a while, enjoying the view!

I am so thankful for every little miracle God has given us to help us climb this mountain. He has put a selfless donor who is a match for my mom on Earth. He gave my dad a job in NH, where we have access to some of the best healthcare in the world. He gave my best friend Kellagh (and really one of my parents' best friends also) a job at the same hospital that my mom has spent so much time in so that we could have someone to help us stay positive and bring my mom breakfast in the mornings. He put us in contact with David, who also had double hit lymphoma and a stem cell transplant and was treated at Dana Farber, to provide us with information and so much hope. He put my mom in contact with Marie, a woman in our town who had a transplant a few months ago and has been in touch and offered advice to my mom about the transplant procedure, and made her feel like it wasn't so bad. And He gave us wonderful friends and family to make this process easier. There are so many more little blessings, really too many to list!

Thank you all for your continued support and love! My mom is almost to the top!

Day -2

Hi everyone! My mom is doing much better today, although I have to tell you she was freaking me and Emily out telling us about her hallucinations last night. She still thinks there really were "little bugs with glowing lights making elegant arrangements for themselves in the trees" last night. She also had some visitors from "transformers." Poor thing, my dad got here this morning and she had the iPad next to her and had googled headlice. My dad doesn't seem to think much of the dream, he just goes along with everything she tells him. Emily and I said if my mom were in college and told us about her hallucinations, it would sound like she had a good night! LOL!

She is still somewhat nauseous but is up and reading all of the kind emails from all of you! Thank you to all who sent them! Know that she is reading them. They took the patch behind her ear off and think that's what was causing the hallucinations. It's nice to hear her talking. We know she is definitely feeling better. Today and tomorrow will be resting days and the donor's cells will be here Friday or Saturday. They will fly in to Logan airport in a red cooler. Pretty cool! I pray for the donor and that the donor's cells are good, strong and healthy and will take over my mom's immune system and fight whatever bits of cancer might be left! We don't know really what to expect after the transplant. Everyone responds difficulty. Hopefully my mom will have very few side effects. David has been amazing trough this process. I text him daily to ask if things are normal and if he had the same side effects. We are meeting him for lunch today because he is here for his biweekly check up. Thanks David!!

We got 2 big meals, panera bread, and a beautiful cake from our favorite pastry shop from Dani's school nurse today. It really made my and Emily's day! Thank you Mrs. Sheehan!!

Day -2

Hi everyone! My mom is doing much better today, although I have to tell you she was freaking me and Emily out telling us about her hallucinations last night. She still thinks there really were "little bugs with glowing lights making elegant arrangements for themselves in the trees" last night. She also had some visitors from "transformers." Poor thing, my dad got here this morning and she had the iPad next to her and had googled headlice. My dad doesn't seem to think much of the dream, he just goes along with everything she tells him. Emily and I said if my mom were in college and told us about her hallucinations, it would sound like she had a good night! LOL!

She is still somewhat nauseous but is up and reading all of the kind emails from all of you! Thank you to all who sent them! Know that she is reading them. They took the patch behind her ear off and think that's what was causing the hallucinations. It's nice to hear her talking. We know she is definitely feeling better. Today a tomorrow will be resting days and the donor's cells will be here Friday or Saturday. They will fly in to Logan airport in a red cooler. Pretty cool! I pray for the donor and that the donor's cells are good, strong and healthy and will take over my mom's immune system and fight whatever bits of cancer that might be left! We don't know really what to expect after the transplant. Everyone responds difficulty. Hopefully my mom will have very few side effects. David has been amazing trough this process. I text him daily to ask if things are normal and if he had the same side effects. Thanks David!!

Day -3

My mom seems to be feeling better today. She is still throwing up but is able to talk a little bit. She is still sleeping through the day. She decided she would rather have the nausea than take the Ativan again because it gives her horrible dreams and hallucinations. The doctor said she should be feeling better by tomorrow.

Special thanks from the Spicer girls to Mary, Lyn, and St. Chris school community for the food you have made for us! It makes things so much easier to not have to worry about grocery shopping and cooking.

Day -4

Today has been another rough day for my mom. They finally got her nausea and vomiting under control. Yesterday she was pretty much throwing up every hour. If she wasn't throwing up, she was sleeping and not able to talk much. She finally said she would try Ativan, which she previously thought she might be allergic to. It helped a lot with the nausea though, and she didn't throw up again after. They also used a patch behind her ear to control the nausea. I just talked to my dad and he said she just threw up again because they hadn't given her the Ativan since last night but just gave it to her again. Unfortunately, although it helps a lot with the nausea, it makes her really groggy and out of it... She has been saying things that don't make sense. The nurse said if my dad leaves they have to put her on bed alert so they know if she gets up. This might not be the worst thing since she most likely will not remember today.

The good news is that today is the last day of chemo. I'm guessing she is receiving the last bag right now. Then she will have 3 days to recover. Hopefully the mouth sores don't come, but she hasn't been able to keep up with the mouth care these past two days. I don't know that it honestly helps that much anyway. They seem inevitable. The donor's cells will arrive on Friday. Keep praying for a smooth transplant process!

Day -5

My mom is still getting chemo each day and is starting to feel the side effects today unfortunately. She has some nausea and a stomach ache. Yesterday she got moved to a bigger room and thankfully it has a view of the sky and gets a lot of sun. That was the one thing she hoped for. Getting a room with sunlight is difficult to do here! Not much other news. I think she will spend a lot of the day sleeping today.

Day -7

Chemo has begun. She will receive 2 bags of chemo for the next 4 days. Not much action here today though. We will be hoping she does not get any nausea. Emails are welcome, as she is pretty bored!! Juliespicer17@yahoo.com she's been sitting around on her computer today. She's also trying to get in touch with the lady in the room beside her who is going through the exact same process. We are so thankful to people like David and Marie who have been through the transplant process and are always ready to answer our questions. Thank you!!!

Day -8

To be spiritually minded is life and peace.
     Romans 8:6

Today is considered Day -8 because it is 8 days before my mom receives the donor's cells. The day she gets them is called Day 0. She went in today to have a Hickman placed in her chest. It is a type of port that is placed in the chest, under the skin. It will be used to infuse the donor cells and also if she needs IV Nutrition if she is unable to eat. Her surgery went well and she is now going to her hospital room. Tomorrow will be day 1 of her 4 days of chemo. Then she will have 3 days off and will receive the donor's cells on the 24th. The purpose of the chemo is to knock her immune system so low that it can be replaced by the donor's. The side effects will unfortunately be similar to the ones she has had before. Mouth sores and nausea are common.

The doctor decided to go with the 26 year old donor because she had  a few things that matched better (nothing crucial). There were very few differences between her and the 19 year old. We only know her age and that she is from Europe. We are so grateful to her!!! Her cells will be collected from her arm and shipped to the US immediately where my mom will receive them. The transplant itself is very uneventful. It usually takes about 1 hour and is pretty much the same as a blood transfusion. Who would have known?! After that, the donor's cells should begin to engraft in my mom's body over the next few days/weeks and start to build all new blood cells. The stem cells know exactly where to go (inside the bones) and what to do once they are placed in the body.

Because my mom basically will have no immune system, only immediate family can visit her in the hospital room, and we will have to wear gloves and masks. She is only allowed to eat food from the hospital or microwavable meals (no fruits or veggies). Everything also has to be individually wrapped because once it's open it has to be thrown away. The doctor said if you can go to a grocery store and blow the dust off of it, she can have it. The more preservatives the better apparently. Seems strange to us but there can be no risk of bacteria or food-borne illness. The restrictions lessen after 100 days and we can cook certain things for her once she comes home.

I will keep you all updated (hopefully everyday). I have become so appreciative of every second we get to spend with one another. My mom is doing really well and is laughing and joking all the time! My dad is pretty comical, so how could she not? We will take it day by day and be grateful for even the littlest things each day. I bought my dad a devotional this Christmas, and while feeling low today looked at the entry for February 16th. I thought it was worth sharing because it reminded me to stay spiritually-minded and to think positively. We can't change the circumstances, but we can change our response and attitude!
"Spirit-filled men and women are not isolated from what's going on around them... They experience hurt and disappointment like everybody else. What sets them apart from the rest of the world is their response. When circumstances wreak havoc with the peace of the Spirit-filled people, there will be some downtime. But they won't stay down. They refocus their attention on the big picture, acknowledge the truth that their peace is from the Lord, and then move on... They know that 'the mind set on the things of the Spirit is life and peace.'"

Feb 12

Just a quick update... My
Mom is feeling pretty good and has gained about 6lbs in a little over a week!! Those milkshakes and waffles have really been working! That gives her some relief about the transplant because she feels like she is healthier and has some extra weight on her now. Her spirits are really good also. She's laughing and up and moving. My pop-pop has been helping us get things clean before the transplant. We had to wash all curtains and box up things that collect dust. We are all just enjoying having my mom home. We will keep the blog updated more when she has the transplant. Keep praying!

Doctors feel very confident that Julie is in complete remission based on her blood levels and ct scan. Five days till we get results on biopsy but again 95 percent sure she is in complete remission. They actually have two donors from Europe ( Germany ) with a complete work up. Ready to donate on the 24th of February. Both girls have the same cells for Julie so it doesn't matter what girl. O...ne 26 the other 19. We know God will choose who will be best. Doctor said he never saw this before that two donors had complete work ups this far along. Just another way to show that God has been with us every step of the way.. One doctor gave us a thumbs up on Julie's overall success. The oncologist said she is in the best possible shape to be in going into transplant not showing any signs of lymphoma. Julie starts the transplant procedures on the 16th. Four days of intense chemo. Three days of rest than a small bag of cells delivered from Germany ( the same day it's taken the same day it's giving ). There can always be complications and life threatening results. Julie and my family remain positive with our trust in the Lord but we are scared. I know Julie is not looking forward to the unknown. But this is where God tests our love and trust for him. We still have many challenges to hurdle with a long road ahead. Thank you all for your support love and prayers.

Feb 1

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

     1 Thessalonians 5:18

We are happy to say that my mom is finally coming home today! They thought the antibiotics might have been the cause of her fevers, so once her white blood cells were high enough, they took her off of them and watched her for 24 hours. She still had a slight temperature but nothing compared to the 101-103 degrees she had been running before. The highest it got was 100.4. If it reached 100.5 she wouldn't have been discharged yet. So thank goodness!

We also received more good news today. Because of fevers, they did a CT scan to look for any source of infection. Based on those CT scans, her oncologist said he doesn't feel that they need to do a PET scan (which shows if there is any active cancer cells in the body) because he strongly believes she is in remission! That means no tumors on the lymph nodes-they are all significantly smaller. This is great news!

So the next steps are to have a bone marrow biopsy (to check if the cancer is out of her bone marrow) next week and to meet with the bone marrow specialist to discuss the transplant. The donor has not been medically cleared yet. I guess it takes a while for all of the testing for the donor. We do know that her donor is now a 19 year old girl. I guess something fell through with the 22 year old. Luckily, the 19 year old is the same type of match and has 7/8 of the matching characteristics that they look for.

For the next few weeks, we will be helping my mom to gain some weight and also to build some muscle back. It is really important that she goes into the transplant strong and healthy. Having extra weight will help her to fight infection. Since her chemo has been so harsh, she has lost about 20 lbs and a lot of muscle from not moving around too much. So hopefully the weather will be nice enough that we can go for walks outside. Ideally, she will put on about 10 lbs. She has requested blueberry cobbler with ice cream or banana pudding tonight and Emily's fried eggplant with pasta. The dietitian at the hospital gave us some tips on adding calories to food. We will be adding butter to everything she eats!

These trying times make us all so thankful for each good day. I know this stay has been tough for my mom because she has wanted to be home so badly. I give her so much credit because as hard as it is, she tries to find little things to be thankful for each day. She has a lot of anxiety about the transplant, but she is doing a good job of taking everything day by day and focusing on small goals like coming back home.Please keep praying for a smooth bone marrow transplant and strength, both physical and mental, for her!