False Alarm for Snail

Valerie's high WBC count is just a "blast", a delayed reaction to that fabulous $4k shot she had last week. Her oncologist ran some tests which showed that her leukemia is not back and as usual her numbers are just higher than they are used to. Go Snail!

The Snail says Happy Halloween to everyone!

The Storm Round 2

Monday: Valerie's WBC's 0.5

Valerie was feeling pretty weak so after she morning check up and afternoon appoinment with her doctor we went home and watched movies. After a fabulous showing of Sex and the City Valerie took a turn for the worst. I have always written this blog/emails with Valerie in mind. What would she want to read later on, what would she mind that I shared with everyone we know. With that in mind I can say honestly the next three days were awful. A horror to watch as Valerie went from perfectly fine to crying out in agony. It is hard to explain what kind of pain it is but she says it is like all of your bones are being crushed at the same time. Her deep bone pain makes her unable to move her limbs by herself and stiff like someone with really really bad arthritis.
Tuesday: Valerie's WBC's 1.1
We had a feeling that the pain was from her making WBC's but it does not make it feel any better. I had to leave for Denver today and honestly can say that leaving her was the hardest thing I can ever remember having to do. I almost changed my ticket but Mom, Dad, Brent and Vanessa are there so she is in good hands. Before I left we met with the social worker and transplant coordinator. I think the meetings went very well, we had already welcomed Ursula our transplant coordinator to Team Snail and it was great to meet Pamela, our social worker and welcome her as well. These two women are a very important part of our team, they coordinate all of the information and move along the process for Valerie from here on out. We were thrilled to learn of the extra help Valerie can receive and different paperwork we needed to complete to make sure she was covered. The time line is looking very long and terribly complicated for all of this but we are confident in Ursula and Pamela to show us the way, Quickly! By the time we were leaving the meetings Valerie was in so much pain that she went straight to the hospital for IV pain killers and a stronger prescription.
Wednesday: Valerie's WBC's 4.3 RBC's 8.4 Platelets 29
(her RBC's must stay above 8 and platelets above 15 or she needs transfusions)
The pain is continuing so much that she spent most of her day in a private room at the hospital. I don't have details but I can imagine. The pain killers make her sick but without them it is intolerable.
Thursday: Valerie's WBC's 29
No, I am not missing a decimal point. Bad news is we don't know what this means. It could mean a lot of things, worse case the leukemia is back again already. This would make the decision about whether or not she needs another consolidation chemo round before the transplant. It could also mean that she is reacting to that $4k shot she got and this is just a spike. Let's pray for that one, only time will tell. Good news is she finally turning a corner today. She had more energy and was making lists of things that need to be done etc. The time line was laid out today and I know we don't understand it all but it seems so far away! Today and tomorrow Valerie has tons of additional tests. They will start tests on Vanessa on the 10th of November because that is how long things take to cook so to speak. After all of the tests Vanessa will be started on the Neupogen to build up the WBC's on the 19th and then they will start harvesting the stem cells on the 23rd and 24th of November and then the mega chemo round starting after that. Then the transplant.
Prayer requests: Valerie's pain remains tolerable and the spike in her WBC's is just that.
The medical group and insurance company approve the transplant asap!

The Calm Before the Snail Storm

My family and I went to San Diego for a long weekend to visit Valerie. No pictures of Valerie but I though I could show you about her weekend with pictures I took of the rest of us.

Friday: Valerie's WBC's 0.5
A quick trip to the bay after an morning of lounging and Battleship in Auntie Valerie's family room.

The pumpkin patch in PB to get Valerie some neutropenic pumpkins! Go Chargers!

Saturday: Valerie's counts WBC's 0.5, RBC's 8 and Platelets 15. Valerie needed both RBC's and Platelets which can take 6-7 hours so we took the boys to Sea World since they cannot hang out in the hospital. We sent Valerie pictures on her phone all day so she saw what we saw.
Pumpkin carving time! Brent and Wilson helped the boys carve pumpkins for Aunt Valerie since she probably should not handle knives right now.
Sunday: Valerie's WBC's 0.5 We took the boys to Valerie's favorite spot in the morning to see the seals while she went in for her daily check-up.
The boys decided they needed a beach with sand so back to the bay we went, Valerie and all. Valerie layed under a tree in the shade and watched the boys play in the sand. Good medicine if you ask me!
We found a few tiny little Snail shells.

Now remember I said the calm before the storm...

Valerie

How do you describe sunshine? Valerie Gail, named after two amazing women she has always embodied their strength and kindness. The baby of three sisters she is the peace keeper and the favorite. No one would argue this point because it is completely justified. She has a sweetness that is unlike any other and her smile lights up any room she is in. A certain peace is felt when Valerie touches your hand reminding you instantly that you are lucky to know one of the few angels God has put on this earth and how truly loved you are. She is a woman of many talents and uses them to light peoples lives through the small things she does for them. Those that know Valerie have surely received a friendly call, card or trinket just because she was thinking of them. Those that live near her have surely been to one of her fabulous dinners or been the recipient of her baked treats. Even for those that Valerie does not know, she is the type of person who would stop and help you on the street if you needed it. She has a childlike side that believes that Disneyland IS the Happiest Place on Earth and that Dreams Do Come True If You Just Believe. She shares favorite movies with her adoring nephews because who could not love movies about dancing and surfing penguins! Normally if you are looking for her; she is on the beach or giggling over girl talk or having a glass of sangria on a girls night out or curling up with the love of her life. She believes in Karma, freedom for all, being good to each other and the environment and above all God. How intelligent she is almost shocks you when her sweet voice and modesty is taken over by the need to make a point for something she is truly passionate about. She is a fantastic sister, aunt, daughter, granddaughter, niece, friend and cousin. Now this sounds like she is perfect but every human has their faults, when I find hers I will let you know. Quite literally she is the sun to her family and friends.

Snail Socks

Our cousin Katie made Valerie the most adorable sticky socks for her next hospital visit. We are so blessed to have such a talented family!
Thank you Katie, they are perfect!

Snack for the Vampire Snail

Valerie got a transfusion today of platelets and RBC's so she is feeling fabulous (well, you know) tonight. She spent 6 hours in the hospital today so she requested homemade GF pizza and Bogurt Yogurt tonight. Vanessa arrived and brought her fabulous stem cells with her!

1st String Team Snail

This picture is sadly without Brent, he has been working a TON and we were loosing our light. I think everyone knows how fabulous he is for our little snail by now. :)

A Peek Out of Her Shell

Valerie had a sleepy day with just enough energy to go to the bay for a quick bit and let the boys collect shells for her. Her numbers were incredibly low but not quite enough for a transfusion. Sleepy, Sleepy Day with long naps all around. The boys went to the pumpkin patch to get Valerie a pumpkin that Brent will carve tomorrow.

VANESSA IS A PERFECT MATCH!

Valerie had a great day yesterday which was only made better with the phone call that Vanessa is a perfect match! The test showed that she is so close to Valerie and yet just enough different for her stem cells to see the bad leukemia cells and attack them! She is indeed her twin! From here on out there is a lot of protocal and I am sure red tape. We all have a meeting with Pamela, a social worker, on Tuesday at 11. A stem cell transplant is very special and you actually have to be excepted into the program. This includes Pamela signing off and stating that Valerie is mentally prepared and educated on the procedures. Valerie has been studying all of the books, brochures, and binders she was given on the whole process. I am pretty sure she did not study this hard in college! Transplants are not perfect, a lot can still go wrong and again a strong support system is key. I think TEAM SNAIL is ready for the challenge!

Prayer requests:

This weekend her numbers will drop really low before going back up again on Sunday. Pray the side-effects and effects of having really low numbers will be tolerable. She got a new anti-nausea drug yesterday to try (sample from the doctor which is worth $800) which is supposed to be better than the Zofran. Her headaches are already pretty bad but could get worse with her numbers lower.

Pray the appointment goes well on Tuesday. Let the social worker and the transplant team feel the love and support that Valerie has. Let them feel great about signing off on her to join the program so we can move onto the next step.

Many hands make light work, isn't that the saying well, let the work be light and move quickly so we can get everything set before the 2 week deadline so she does not have to have another consolidation chemo round.

Lots to do!!

On a side note: for those of you who may not know, Vanessa's nickname is Shrew and Valerie's obviously Snail and finally I have one to: I am the Chipmunk! I know what you are thinking and it is not just because of the cheeks! I apparently move quickly and always have something to do. Thank goodness for Vanessa's imagination, it is great comic relief sometimes.

My boys, Valerie's nephews arrive today and with the doctors permission are going to be allowed to see her. I think that Alex's laugh can cure anything so I am sure it will make Valerie feel better. Lukas is practically Valerie's clone so he will know just what to do even if it is just to curl up next to her.

Update from Momma Snail because Michelle is packing!

Valerie was very happy to wake up at home today!!!!! She did however have to go to out patient early so your Dad and I did "the divide and conquer", we will do a lot. He took her to hospital and I went to grocery store and spent a fortune stocking this place up, and tried to organize. There are too many people and too much stuff for this little apt. Good thing Kristy is understanding! Last night Valerie was hungry so we decided to take advantage of the rare event and give her the best. I got her a Filet Mignon and a salmon steak (actually for all of us) and fresh veggies steamed really well, rice pasta and garlic toast. She said she ate like a pig instead of a snail I was so happy she loved it!!!!! Tonight request I will start in a minute, GF lasagna!!!!! I made her a BTA sandwich for lunch and she ate it too!!!!!! She said she has to store up while she can swallow! Thank goodness for the anti-nausea meds, so far it just comes in waves. Pray it continues to work she is said to be going down until Fri then hopefully back up! Tomorrow she will be happy to see her sister snail with Swedish stem cells. She starts at out patient at 7AM, they are booked solid so they are fitting her in early before it gets busy and full of sick people! She is hoping she won't need blood until Friday so she can spend most of day at home with Michelle. ME TOO! She asked me to make a list because she came home with so many meds it is confusing. She said it must be confusion from chemo, but I told her no I need list too. Bless her heart she is a bit confused and dizzy a lot from meds but considering all that is in this little snail she is doing amazingly well, I continue to be in Ahhhh of her. She is so amazing!!!!!!!! Cant wait to see her her "baby snails" and Wilson too!!!!!!Love you! Momma-snail

Snail's 14 days out

The 14 day clock started ticking yesterday afternoon. We have 14 days to find out if Vanessa and I are a match and start the transplant or Valerie will have to do another round of consolidation therapy. The irony is that the transplant office received my kit yesterday and it takes 14 days to get results. Valerie got a $4k shot yesterday that will keep her WBC's high enough for the 2 weeks so they let her go home! She celebrated with Taco Bell and a long nap!

Happy Snail toes in the sun.

The Original Snail

A treat for all of the blog readers. This is the original picture of how Valerie got her nickname. The boy in the picture will someday become Vanessa's husband J.P and this was taken sometime in high school. Vanessa remembers the whole story but this is just hilarious.

Snaky Snail- Finishes Round 2!!

Valerie is peeling all over like a bad sunburn we aren’t sure if she is a snaky little snail or just a peely little snail but rash goes with it so she is happy to shed it!!!!!! Valerie was asked to be interviewed by the Hospital regulation and assessment group touring Scripps all week. Valerie generously praised all the nurses and Dr saying that even if she had to have Leukemia she has felt not only in good hands professionally but also cared for and loved by the staff. She said even though I’ve been very sick I can honestly think of much worse places to have to be. She made the nurses cry. That makes 5 times when nurses and one time when Dr have actually cried over her, either because she was in so much pain and discomfort and they wanted to be able to help her more or just because she is so sweet and loving to them all! That’s our little snail killing her zucchini's with kindness! Nobody but Valerie could be so sweet!!!!!!!

I was finally able to get my blood draw yesterday so I could be tested to see if I am Valerie's match. Thank goodness Vanessa's test is about a week and a half ahead of mine! I told Valerie that I was sending a Swedish snack for the vampire snail and my Mom said she hope I have some German "zucchini" eating pac men in there too. Oh dear, I think we are all getting a bit silly now.
She did not get to go home yesterday mostly because the doctor is waiting for the insurance to approve this really expensive shot that she has to have before she leaves. More red tape but at least she is safe. I realize I have not given you numbers for a while so here they are if you are keeping track. At the end of the consolidation chemo round she has 5,600 WBC's, 9,700 RBC's and 238,000 Platelets. This chemo is much different from the last round and all of these numbers are good.
Valerie received a beautiful snail fairy poster but it arrived with no name! She loves it and would like to know who sent it so please email her or let me know.

Doing her Snaily best

This week has been a long one for our favorite Snail. She has had a massive round of chemo that wraps up tomorrow at 10 am and has had so many ups and downs I am sure she would be dizzy even if she was not already from massive medication. This round of chemo is more powerful than the last and can have eye, brain and muscle side effects which was apparent from the major back spasms she was having yesterday. Finally she was given pain meds to make them tolerable and then of course she got a rash again from the meds, just as she got rid of the other one. Tomorrow morning will be a celebration of finishing this round and heading into remission again. Go Snail!

A sunny part of her week: You may remember Valerie gave away all of her flowers last month to people that did not have support systems (that's us) like she has. Well, the nurses did not forget this and brought Valerie a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers to brighten her room! (She is allowed to have them right now but who knows for how long.) What goes around certainly comes around!

Go Team Snail Bracelets!

Go Team Snail bracelets will look like this and are on the way! I am so excited! Joanne has worked so hard on designing these and I think they are fabulous. If you are in California and would like one I will be traveling back to SD on Thursday the 22nd so I am sure I can get one to you. Just send me an email with how many bracelets you need and your address.
We will not take them off until the Snail completely cured!

Team Snail Ideas?

What would you like to see on the Team Snail blog or know about the little Snail herself? Let me know.

Snail Flair

The Snail has her own Flair. If you are on Facebook be sure to add the Team Snail Flair button to your profile! You can search by "Valerie" or "Snail".

Snail Goes Back Into Her Shell

Wednesday:
So just to refresh, this treatment is 6 bags of chemo over 6 days but it is actually 2 bags 12 hours apart one day and then a day off and repeat. She is getting her second bag of the 1st set as I am typing this which is probably why I can't sleep. 1 down 5 to go! Bless Brent's heart, the hospital is so full there are no cots for him so he slept in a chair all night. (For those of you who do not know Brent he is about 6'3") The side effects have not kicked in yet and her swelling and rash have calmed down a bit but not like we were hoping for. The hospital Chaplin visited today and prayed with her about this treatment which helps calm her amongst the obvious benefits. I was able to talk to her today and she sounded pretty good. She was going to try to watch a Friends episode or something. We have found that things that move around a lot like Football (which she loves) and Action movies make her dizzy but comedy's and sitcom type stuff is ok for a while. She requested more GF cheddar crackers from this bakery here in Denver so they will be an the way tomorrow. Her taste-buds are off so a lot of things taste weird and sweet is not going over well but sharp or salty flavors seem to be working for now. It would seem silly to rush ship crackers with any other situation but if she wants crackers from Brazil I would find them right now. Good thing I love Google.

Monday night and Tuesday update from my Mom: Back into the hospital for the Snail.
Valerie was up all night, thank God Brent came over from the airport because he wanted to see her. I was so drained from trying everything to help, his just holding her hands helped, go figure. Still we were all up most of night due to it. When we got here today nurse Gretchen said "Oh my goodness" and ran and got Dr Yager, soon after Dr Wu showed up to see based on his phone call, then Dr Bollon-Landa came in all in first 1/2 hour she was here. They started steroids and decided not to start chemo today due to rash and steroids. Maybe tomorrow will see how she is. Dr Balone still to come in later. After steroids and two doses of Benedryl by IV she is finally feeling under control enough to eat. She ate a pretty good dinner and is tired now. She also has a nite-nite med to help her sleep due to rash as well. Unfortunately they are all full up here tonight and there are some people is really bad pain that are really loud, it breaks my heart that she has to hear it all night even though we have compassion for the others! I checked into my (very marginal) hotel and Lysoled it all up. I plan to take Nyquil and hopefully sleep too. Your Dad is going to go to her apt and get the cold stuff for me due to the fact I carried too much and my back is really hurting! Valerie check back in treat was a long over due pedicure with silver toes, sun and stars on one big toe and crescent moon and stars on other. "One More Step" has become our motto to each other, and she is remaining very brave. She thought it was interesting that her rash was so bad she had to go back to hospital so she didn't even have more grief about coming back. As full as they are she got her same room, we got pictures and cards up, her digital photo frame up immediately to help. The nurses could not belive it when they came in and I had it all up right away. There is an amazing colorful sunset tonight she pointed out and said "Look Mom how beautiful!" She amazes me everyday!!!!!! Pray that meds work and she has a restful night!!!!!! Miss you both, Love you, Mom

Snail's day out

Snail had a great day for her last day of freedom for a while. She went to her favorite spot in the morning, Taco Bell and then had a fun afternoon with Danielle. Danielle brought lots of snail presents with her which I know made Valerie smile. She had a "Team Snail" engraved bracelet made for Valerie (my mom's cell phone camera does not do it justice) a snail book and a colorful snail stuffed animal. Valerie really enjoyed the afternoon of girl talk! Last night she packed up things to take to the hospital today. The first thing being her digital frame of everyone she loves pictures. She checks in today to start her next round of chemo and will be in the hospital about 8 or 9 days. That darn rash just will not go away so it may delay her a day because they need to treat it first before starting the next round. I am not so patiently waiting for FedEx to deliver my testing kit and only wish there was something faster than overnight to get it back to the transplant team. Vanessa's results should be back around the 23rd or so and the irony is that I will be back in San Diego then and she is back in Denver. Wow, Frontier Airlines loves us right now!
Please pray she has a smooth transition back into the hospital today and they are able to get that rash to calm down quickly.

Thank you to The Bridal Collection

Thank you to our friends and family at The Bridal Collection. Valerie's story is featured in their store and their blog. Click this link below to see the special post!
http://thebridalcollection.blogspot.com/2009/10/supporting-team-snail.html
We Love You All!

A Snail Weekend

These are Valerie approved photos of her with Vanessa, Mom and Dad at her favorite spot in La Jolla. I think this weekend has been good for her spirit but she is really upset about having to go back on Tuesday. She gets really overwhelmed thinking about the road ahead. At the transplant meeting on Friday the doctor laid out the plan and apparently it can take 8-12 months to go back to work after a transplant and up to 2 years to feel normal again.
Her rash is horrible! It is honestly the most painful looking thing! Please pray it gets better and she gets some relief from it.
Vanessa was tested on Friday to see if she is Valerie's match. Below are their matching arms afterward. It is hard to believe but Valerie is still the tan one! If you can believe this, they are going to FedEx me the tubes and have me go to the hospital, have blood drawn and FedEx it back! Apparently they do this all the time but I think it is weird and cool at the same time.
Vanessa had to come back to Colorado today which brought a lot of tears for both of them but my Mom had a funny story. "Vanessa leaving this morning was very hard for both of them. God always amazes me with humor. I opened the truck to get Vanessa bag out and a bag of groceries transporting from hotel to Valerie house flew out throwing a giant glass bottle of iced tea on the ground (luckily where I was standing Valerie was on curb with Vanessa) breaking it every where and yes cutting my hand as I tried to grab it. I was so busy trying to pick up glass quickly and get the car moved that it diverted the girls attention to the mess and away from the departure of Vanessa. Although driving away Valerie was in tears as she had been most of the morning (and I am sure Vanessa was too) it helped somehow. I mentioned it to Valerie and she agreed it was an interesting diversion. We came back to her house where she requested nachos which she ate pretty good. Oddly enough Mexican food tastes best to her, most other stuff makes her gag. Pretty much whatever she wants is what I make!"
Last day of freedom for a while tomorrow. Pray she has a good day!

From Mama Snail

I just wanted to thank everyone who is Team snail from afar!!!! Valerie and I appreciate every moment you pray, Team Snail walk, or otherwise send love to her (and me)!!! She is an amazing, strong, precious young Christian woman with the toughness of a shark when needed and sweetness that can be only uniquely hers. Everyday brings new challenges that she faces with determination, grace and dignity. We see Gods hand in everything, he is truly in control. She teaches me every single day. Never have I been more proud to be her Mommy. Thanks for every prayer we feel them and need them so keep them coming please!
Loving you all, Sherry

Where in the world is Snail?

Click on this snail to print out for your own Snail pictures
or
this one for T-shirts!

Snail's Check-up

Valerie had her check up with her Oncologist today and he was very happy. Her bone marrow biopsy was back and it had less than 5% bad cells which they consider none. On Tuesday the 13th for 8 days. This will include the "consolidation" chemo which is 6 bags in 5 days and then 3 days after to keep an eye on her. She will be able to go home after that but she will need to go to the outpatient clinic every day to get blood, tests and platelets. They have a new kind of WBC grower to give her that should keep her even for 14 days. The plan is that right after her consolidation chemo she would go to UCSD for the next step, transplant. This brings me to my next topic. Vanessa will be tested tomorrow at Valerie's 3pm appointment with her transplant doctor. They will also finally find out if I need to fly to SD to get tested or if they can do it here in Denver. Please pray one of us matches! If we do match they could do the transplant as early as the end of October but if we don't it could mean more rounds of chemo while we wait.

Snail Visitors?

The Snail, aka Valerie is taking some visitors this weekend before she goes back into the hospital. Visitors will have to be one at a time and only if you have not been sick at all and not around anyone who is sick! This is extremely serious so please just give her a call if you want to say hi but unfortunately cannot come over. She is very very tired so she may cancel or not be able to see people for as long as she would like. Please call her cell or my Mom's at 303-598-9124 to schedule a time to see her. Sorry for the office like approach but she has doctors appointments etc that we need to schedule around. Please, Please do not be offended if she cannot see you or is not feeling up to it. Today she was completely exhausted but we never know what tomorrow may bring!

Snail's Beach

Valerie got to go to her favorite beach yesterday! All bundled up to stay out of the sun but she sat in her favorite spot and watched the water for as long as she could. The trip exhausted her but I hope that it gave her some peace. The top picture is the one Vanessa sent me from her phone to let me know they were there and the other are some that we have taken on other trips but I wanted to show you why this cliff in La Jolla is so special!

Only this beach cliff could have wild daisies!

Her favorite seals in their natural habitat.

Just breathtaking!

Snail Mystery Solved!

You may remember that a few days ago I posted that I was looking for the mystery Team Snail at the Denver Race for the Cure. Well I found them! Or rather they found me. My Dad's friend JoAnne and her family walked in Valerie's honor this past Sunday and the little member of the team was her grand-daughter Hayley. Thank you so much for your love and support!
Joanne had a brilliant idea and has ordered bracelets with "Team Snail" and then the snail itself on green and white rubber bracelets. (Like the Live Strong ones) JoAnne and her family plan on wearing them until Valerie is completely healed and I think this is a great idea! Please let me know if you would like a bracelet and I will send one to you as soon as they come in. Just send me an email and include your address please. Thank you so much JoAnne, I can't believe I did not think of this!

A beautiful prayer from Amber

Dear God:
The lady reading this is beautiful, classy, strong and I love her.
Help her live her life to the fullest.
Please promote her and cause her to excel above her expectations.
Help her shine in the darkest places where it is impossible to love.
Protect her at all times, lift her up when she needs you the most,
and let her know when she walks with you, she will always be safe.

Tired Sunny Snail

The prestigious (we are told he is famous!) Dr Gonzalo Ballon-Landa, Diplomat of the Subspecialty Board of Infectious Diseases came into Valerie's room today and said, “Your still smiling, where ever you are its sunny. You bring Sunshine to everyone around you Valerie!” That is the single best compliment I think she could receive considering everything! He went on to say, “You have something so special, we love to see your smile”. WOW! Our Dad and Mom were so proud of her, she just humbly said thank you and smiled. He asked for us to request him when we check her back in he wants to continue with her, that is a blessing and a big deal we are told. Wt count 6.7 Red10 (just got blood) and platelet’s, 132k wow.

Valerie had another bone marrow biopsy today but her reward was getting to go home for a few days! She had a hard time when she left the hospital, getting over stimulated by everything and crying most of the way home. She says she is just completely drained of emotional and physical strength. Please pray that she stays well enough to stay home until the 13th, she can be rejuvenated and the upcoming appointments with the transplant team go well.

She still can't have a lot of visitors because her immune system is not up to snuff. She still has to have 24 hour help and now watched even more carefully by whoever is watching her. Hopefully she will be able to have some peace and relaxation this week. She cannot be in direct sunlight but if she is covered up she can go sit on her favorite spot on the beach.

Snail On The Move, Slowly Of Course

Valerie gets to go home tomorrow! The doctors continue to be giddy with Valerie's amazing results and is giving her a little reward. She gets to go home for about 6 days before her next round of chemo starts. She will have lots of doctors appointments still with her oncologist and the transplant team but hopefully she will have some time to relax and sleep without being poked too much. If she is up to it she is looking forward to going to her favorite spot in La Jolla to look at the seals and the water. The snail will have her freedom soon!

Peek-A-Boo Snail

Valerie had a great day today! A little peek of the Valerie we know came out. Her numbers are still making the doctors positively giddy and her side-effects were much better today. She is doing so well that the doctors are probably going to let her go home for a few days before she starts her next round of chemo! A beach trip is mandatory of course and I am pretty sure she would sleep outside if we let her because she has been inside for a month. She felt good enough today to take several walks, eat well and tell everyone how she wanted her room rearranged and cleaned up. Please pray that her numbers hold and her side-effects stay tolerable!My friend Laura is such a wonderful supportive friend, after walking in the Light the Night Walk for Valerie earlier this week, she walked in the Denver Race for the Cure this morning and said that she saw a young girl with Team Snail and a note about Valerie on her back. She said she was probably about 11 years old and with a group of women. I would love to know who this sweet young person was! Of course I would love a picture if there is one but mostly I would love to say THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I am so thrilled that my baby sister is being represented so proudly even when I take the morning off (nasty migraine today)and I am so proud of our family and friends that have supported us in this time of need. Please send me an email if you were part of this amazing group.When I was in San Diego last I went and got a internet thing so Valerie could have real internet and not the wireless issues the hospital has so, you can start sending emails directly to her now. It may take her a while to get to them and she may not respond to every single one but she loves the notes.

Snail-effects

The Yo-Yo continues! Because of the massive amount of drugs Valerie is on her body is trying to kick them out. Who can blame it but this means more high fevers, shakes and itches that are hardly bearable. On Saturday she was up all night with the shakes and during the day her fever spiked up to 104ish again and they had to ice her down because the Tylenol was not working fast enough. Clinically the doctors are very happy because her WBC's, platelets and RBC's are continuing to go up on their own but the side effects are making her miserable. Please pray for the numbers to continue but for the side effects to calm down!

Yo-Yo Goes the Snail!

Thursday was an eventful day with the biopsy results coming back CLEAN! We also had our Team Snail Light the Night Walk which was fabulous! All of our pictures are added to the Snail Travels slide show below!
Speaking of which, I need snail pictures please! New York and Chicago and beach people I am especially talking to you! I know you can find some clever places for the snail but you are not off the hook Texas, snails like the country too! Valerie's mood has started to take a dive and she loves nothing more than pictures and cards. Thank you so much to her work friends for the posters and video! She loves them! I have attached the snail again :)

This is the update I got from my mom in the afternoon Thursday:
Nice additions to the SD team snail Vanessa and JP arrived early bearing new gifts and GF foods she was so happy to see them, then Kim came by bearing tons of wonderful posters made by all her friends at work enough that they could have wallpapered her already covered walls so she picked her favorite three and they now grace the walls too. He “germinator Dr” came by to show her rash to interns saying it was a very angry rash and fever due to antibiotic she said it sure is angry and hot too so sweet. She has bad shakes from the fever and reaction she hates it, kept her up last night so we passed on a shower so far today hoping it will stay calmer. Great news on the biopsy however kept her going to day hoping to stay on track to the road to recovery as designed right now. Dr said he would try to get her pre-registered so we could start conversations regarding testing and timing with transplant team asap. She is all puffy from reaction and hates her swollen face and stomach she actually gained weight due to water retaining etc this is temporary but she does not like it. Seems to be coughing more but Dr says pneumonia looks the same and is ok (if it can be) Hope the walk goes well and there are lots to represent Team Snail!!!!!!

Thursday/Friday midnight:
Well, really late last night I started getting texts that the doctors were concerned because her WBC's jumped from 200 to 1,200 in one day. They said this could be the leukemia coming back already which would mean more chemo and delay the transplant. We would have to see what would happen in the morning. Overnight Valerie's temperature spiked to 104 and she had the shakes really bad. In the morning her blood tests came back showing a jump to 4.2 WBC's and the fever and shakes continued throughout the day. The doctors were saying the leukemia could be back already even though her bone marrow biopsy said clean; they would need to do another one. The doctors said the fever could be from infection, it could be from the WBC's coming back so fast or it could be her reaction to all of the meds so more tests were ordered!

Friday night:
Finally late last night we had some answers. Here is the update my dad sent me:

WBC's at 4.2 up from 1.2 yesterday

Platelets at 22 up from 16 yesterday (without a transfusion)

Hemoglobin at 8.7 up from 8.5 yesterday (without a transfusion)

Dr Belani was much happier today. With the extreme rise in WBC yesterday he was afraid the leukemia had made a roaring comeback. If this were true, the platelets and hemoglobin numbers should have fallen. Since both rose today he is more confident that the rise in WBC is due to good WBC cells being produced. He has never seen someone with such a quick rise in WBC cells before and was concerned. Another indicator was that the percentage of good to bad cells rose today (so less bad cells than yesterday). The slower rise in hemoglobin is because hemoglobin is just slower to come back.

Other news:

Neupogen injections (to promote WBC's production) stopped today.

Valerie is mostly off her neutropenic diet. She can now eat some fresh fruits and vegetables.

Studies will come back Monday to confirm if the WBC cells are good or leukemic. Val's leukemia has a very specific protein pattern so they will now be able to determine if we should be concerned about her huge rise in WBC cells.

Another bone marrow biopsy will be postponed until next week.

More answered prayers!

Ode to my Valerie- by Tali

Valerie oh Valerie
How I miss you so
I think about you everyday
and pray your white blood cells grow :)
You have shown the strength that you posses
and I am so proud of you
To be your friend and have you for a friend
Means so much to me, it's true.
So be brave and keep fighting on
We are all here for you
Sending strength and positive thoughts
For you and your family too!

Ode to the White Blood Cell

by Daisy and Jessica Mash - recovering from a stem cell transplant
Permission of Rene Marston from Contact magazine

Welcome, greetings little cell
What a wondrous sight you be.
But please go forth and multiply
For more we need to see.

You have a busy time ahead,
To fight the nasty stuff.
So just you go and find some mates
'Cuz one ain't quite enough!

Don your armor, raise your sword,
And into battle ride.
show not faint heart nor weak intent
'Cuz we're all on your side!

And then, victorious may you rise
In a host who's fit and strong.
Then send her out into the world,
She's been abed for far too long!

She just wants healthy bits and bobs,
Her arms, her legs her hooter.
So she can get right outta here,
And ride upon his scooter!