Update

Good evening all:

The kids are enjoying a late night of movie watching and I figured now was about as good of a time as any to send out a quick update. The past week went much more smoothly than last--thank goodness. I still need transfusions about every other day, but I was able to have 'off' on Tuesday and Thursday. To celebrate I worked 8 hours from home both days!

I've started to get a little more brazen when it comes to my son's baseball team. The parents are having fun watching me have difficulty staying away during the games. I gave in and actuallly participated in practice on Thursday evening. This is happening with the blessing from the care team at Hopkins (or at least they haven't openly condemned it). Being able to participate in some way makes all the difference.

Of course there is peril in all this--I have no white blood cells and, if Monday's bone marrow biopsy is any indication, I actually don't have much in the way of marrow still. No one on the care team seems terribly concerned and so I suppose they are simply looking at my body's willingness to be a blank canvas as a positive sign for the success of the bone marrow transplant (or at least that is how I like to look at it). You should see me approach one my 9-year old players to give them a high five for an inspired pitching performance and make them stop about 10 feet away and answer whether or not they have a cold.

I'm sure that everyone is getting a little bored of the update posts. I promise that I have something a little more 'substantial' brewing in my head. For those who are paying attention, you'll be happy to hear that I am not talking about the minor sinus infection that had the doctors a little worried a bit ago. I'm talking about an observation that I have made over time that I've been wanting to describe. Perhaps tomorrow there will be time to type it out.

As always, thanks for reading.

--Russ.