URGENT: Please help save my cousin's life

[armstrong]

My cousin Christine in the US is battling cancer, and urgently needs to find a bone marrow donor. Unfortunately, finding a perfect match for her bone marrow type is particularly difficult. This is hard enough for the average person; there are over 20,000 types of bone marrow, so the average person has a 1 in 20,000 chance of finding a match. These numbers are even worse for Christine. Because she is Filipino, she needs to find a donor of the same ethnic background, and there are hardly any Filipinos on the US National Registry.

Right now is our best chance of having the Bone Marrow Transplant work. Each day's delay decreases her chances of surviving. Please contact your Filipino friends or relatives in the US, and ask them to contact their friends. Anyone you know who is all or part Filipino and between the ages of 18 and 61 is a potential donor. The system is nationwide, so it doesn't matter where they live. Signing up on the registry is easy and painless. All it requires is a simple blood test. Some hospitals charge a small fee for this blood test, however the fee is routinely waived for minorities, and often for Caucasians as well, especially if you are willing to donate a pint of blood.

You can find a registration center by selecting your state on the map on this website. These centers can refer you to bone marrow drives in your community.

http://www.marrow.org/cgi-bin/NETWORK/map.pl?ctr_typ=DC

There is also a wonderful organization in Los Angeles that arranges free registration for Filipino donors.

www.asianmarrow.org

If you have trouble finding a site in your area, have any trouble finding a place to donate for free, or have additional questions, you can reach Christine's boyfriend Jacob at this email address:

info [at] christine.site.ph

You can reassure your friends that signing up for the registry does not require donating any bone marrow. If it turns out they are a match, they will be contacted, and can make the decision at that point about becoming a donor.

There are lots of misconceptions about donating bone marrow. The procedure is considered minor, simple and safe. You will be anesthetized the whole time, so you will not feel anything. When the procedure is over, you may have some soreness in the area for a day or two and you may feel a little tired. That's it. The bone marrowyou donate is replenished within 3-4 weeks. And again, you will only undergo this procedure if your blood sample shows that you are a match and you decide to donate, in which case the slight soreness you'll be feeling will be saving someone's life.

All medical expenses for the donor will be covered by Christine's insurance.

You can find out more about the registry and the donation procedure at this website:

www.marrow.org

Thank you!

Apollo a.k.a. "armstrong" :hearts:

 

[namenut]

I'm going to go wake my daughter up and hug her until she makes me leave.

God bless you all.

namenut

 

[ultranet]

good luck. We wil pray ....

 

[Kenny]

I'm going to go wake my daughter up and hug her until she makes me leave.

God bless you all.

namenut

That one made me yelp.
Yea man .... perspective.

 

[B33R]

I'm going to go wake my daughter up and hug her until she makes me leave.

That sounds good, I really hope you did and continue to do so...

I'd love to bring you an update but there isn't one. No news is good news, I guess!

Peace!

 

[B33R]

November 6th - :tu:

EVERYBODY!!!!!!

I am between hospital appointments but I have to share this right now. Remember how I said that life can be sudden and unpredictable?

Bad news: The sample from my bone-marrow biopsy (that contained the info that I've been biting my fingernails about for the last two weeks) somehow got LOST. The lab doesn't have it and no one can find it. That's why the results seemed to be taking so long. No test was ever done!!! My blood counts may be low, but they are hanging in there, so the doctors do not feel it is necessary to do another biopsy. (whew!) Instead, we drew blood for an HLA test today. Results to come next week.

Good News: After 134 days, I am finally breaking out of this cocoon and GOING HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (As soon as tomorrow!!!!)

Better News: I am going home a HEALTHY and happy cancer-free girl!!

Best news: It's an effin' MIRACLE!!!

Look out world!

More later.

Love, Hugs & Kisses too!
Christine

November 1, 2006: (I just noticed this one too - it's kinda long!)

Wow. I've been in the hospital for 129 days. Holy peach pits. That's longer than a
semester in college. That's longer than it takes to write a Hollywood script (based on a
best-seller). That's longer than Boy George's much-buzzed-about musical "Taboo" played
on Broadway. That's longer than the ENTIRE official NFL season.

Life is always in transition and in the 129 days that I have been sequestered away, so
much has happened.

Some of us joined into marriage to begin a new life, some of us moved to another state to
start all over. Some of us were devastated with the loss a loved one. While quite a few
were blessed with a baby boy or girl. (One of us, who was told she could not have children
because of her marrow transplant, is now pregnant with twins!) Some hearts were broken
and some new loves were found. Some of us traveled far to walk through ancient ruins
and bask in exotic suns. While some of us focused on the nest and re-discovered
ourselves. The home of one my family members burned to the ground. While another
friend built his dream second home in the mountains. In 129 days, at least two friends
who were of my greatest cheerleaders, supporters and activists were suddenly and
unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer. They lived the last weeks of their lives fully,
grasping every moment, not withholding words of love, holding the hands of those who
loved them, those who stayed at their side every step of the way. In the time they had left
on earth, they lived a much-lived life. With grace, they stepped up, faced forward and did
not run away from their fears.

I've said this before and I'll say it again: Life can be sudden and unexpected and your
whole world can open up or be crushed in a split second. We all live in uncertainty, but it
is in the unknown that ANYTHING is possible. Trust in the uncertain. I think of how
different just my one little life was one year ago, before the relapse. The hopes and
expectations of how 2006 "should" have been. I was excited to start a life anew, but
cancer, for the second time, took that dream away. For a moment, I thought all was lost
and that this story would end dark like a Greek tragedy. I'm glad that I was wrong. I look
back now and see that I HAVE started a new life. Not the glossy romanticized drunken
bohemian picture painted in my head, but one that is true, honest and real, rich and
meaningful. 2006 was not what I thought it should be. It was so much more.

I've spent the majority of the last two weeks in bed. It is taking a long time to get up from
the serious knockdown from earlier this month. I can't believe it's November already. I'm
on even MORE medication, which has turned my brain into oatmeal. I feel like a zombie
underwater. But I reached a MAJOR milestone today. I ate breakfast OUTSIDE. For the
first time, I am allowed out of my room WITHOUT a heavy surgical mask! Yes, under the
trees, in the grass, with nothing between my lungs and the luscious air. Small steps,
though. I still have to wear a mask in the hospital or if I find myself in a crowd. It's flu
season, so we have to be careful: visitors still ought to wash hands and wear masks and I
can't do any huggin' or kissin' until my blood counts get a little higher. Baby steps. It's
so vital yet so torturous!!!

Another wonderful milestone: I can EAT OUT!!!!!!!!! I am no longer on a restricted diet!
Though again, baby steps. I'm now on a "cautious" diet. No sushi, restaurant salads,
medium-rare steaks or buffets. Only thoroughly cooked food in uncrowded restaurants.
But, oh the joy of a fine meal and fine conversation with my beautiful friends!!! I can't
wait!!

At City of Hope, they held a Halloween parade for all the pediatric patients. These sweet
kids and their families gathered at Helford, the main building and then followed a path
around the hospital dotted with candy stops, manned by costumed staff from the many
departments on campus. The little patients looked like any Trick-or-Treaters: vampires,
Cinderellas, pirates, angels and ghouls. The only things that gave away the fact that these
adorable faces were fighting cancer were the wheelchairs and I.V. poles. But their eyes
shone with the same excitement and glee of any child as they would stop at a desk or a
gaggle of nurses and get handfuls of candy. Many of the kids used pillowcases swiped off
their own hospital beds. There was so much love and preciousness in the air. All we
wanted to do was help these kids feel normal. To feel like they were still a part of this
world, this celebration, and this life. It was the best Halloween party I ever went to.

We still have not received the final results of the marrow graft test, but early summaries
have shown that there is NO INDICATION OF LYMPHOMA. Now we are waiting to hear if
the graft is still holding on and how well the marrow is performing. So far, its
performance has been far less than the doctors have hoped for, but they are delighted that
I am still alive and kicking. A miracle. Truly a miracle. Prayers WORK.

I am so happy to be alive and I can't wait to start living again. My desire is to be the
proverbial "bird out of a cage", "first out of the gate", "man with a mission", but I have
been told that going home is merely the next small step in my recovery process. "Whoa,
Nelly" is the message I'm getting from doctors and fellow BMT survivors. There is still that
"50% mortality rate at 6 months" statistic looming over my head. I'm at Day 119. That
leaves another 61 days to go to beat the odds of the next stage. Every day is a coin toss.

Simple pleasures. Soul connection. Meaning. Love, laughter and joy. (And occasional
moments of complete nonsense just to stir things up a bit.) That, for me, is enough for
now. Enjoy this Autumn. Its wonders. Its snap. Its crispness. We are blessed.

Much love,
Christine P

 

[NPQueen]

Oh my goodness... my heart just about burst out of my chest!! I can't believe it, she is going home!! Such amazing news. She truly is an inspiration to me. Never give up... even when there is too much fog to see where you are going!

 

[wmcode]

Really God Bless her...

 

[CrazyTech]

Amen.

The only word that comes to mind right now.

Wooo!!!! :D

 

[Sabre]

That's amazing news

So glad she can finally get back to her family. She is truely an inspiration to us all.

 

[carter15_bebe]

God Bless her.

 

[Keral_Patel]

Thanks God.

Me and Kenny discussed it way before this operation took place. And when that bone marrow was found.

Kenny was very depressed and It was me who told him that Nothing can come upon christine if God is standing beside her. Not even cancer. At that time I knew my wordings sounded hollow.

This surely makes my heart cry. Long live christine. You are a very brave girl. I would have shot myself if I had been through all this.

 

[rahxephon85]

She is one lucky girl... god bless her :D

 

[Rudy]

She is, indeed one very blessed girl. Praise the Lord for the miracles He has done in her life, and how he has used her to be an inspiration to so many. I know that this past college semester has been a killer for me so I haven't been able to think a lot about Christine. But when I did, I continued to say a short prayer for her. I will continue to do so.

Thank you, B33R, once again for keeping us all up to speed on this. Let's not forget to continue to do two things:
1) Praise the Lord
2) Continue to pray for and encourage Armstrong & his cousin, Christine!

 

[armstrong]

I just spoke to Christine ...

She just got back from the latest round of tests. The good news is that her platelet count is up to 106! Normal minimum is about 150. And as far as we know, there is no bad news.

I'm trying to convince her to start and manage her own myspace account, so she can provide more frequent - and public - updates about her situation, which can serve as inspiration to others facing their own often (but not always!) less daunting trials.

Christine's birthday is coming up on the 26th of this month. Just after her transplant, she was told that she had even odds of surviving til that date. But with that day less than 3 weeks away, it would be foolish to bet against her! I'm thinking of sending her something special. Ideas, anyone?

 

[stscac]

Great to hear! Wish her the best for me.

Whats going on with savechristine.com? Haven't seen anything going on there for a while.

-Steve

 

[B33R]

Great news! Thanks for the update, Apollo.

I have no idea what you could get her. It has to be something REALLY special!

We should've all got her a big card and got as many of her supporters as possible, around the world, to physically sign it. Kinda like a big congratulations but also recognition for her courage and bravery. Proof the world is still a caring place. Maybe spur the cause along for other people and raise awareness too.

 

[Dave_Z]

I'm thinking of sending her something special. Ideas, anyone?

A full print-out of this entire thread. :D

That's great news, Apollo!

 

[armstrong]

After the server crashed, savechristine.com was simply neglected. We waited it out for a while hoping that serverwizards can rescue the hard drive. Unfortunately, her website was not part of my backup routine, so we basically lost everything. By that time, she had already undergone her transplant, so there was less pressure on her website support group to get things moving again.

As I said above, I'm trying to talk Christine into maintaining her own myspace account. Then I can just forward savechristine.com to her myspace url.

 

[weblord]

thanks for the headsup, and welcome back

 

[armstrong]

We should've all got her a big card and got as many of her supporters as possible, around the world, to physically sign it.

I like that idea! Perhaps not for this year, but for next. It could be a Guinness record ... the most-signed and most-travelled get-well-card in the world!

But how do we keep the card from getting lost en-route? Mails have a small chance of getting lost. Send it often enough, and it would be a certainty.

 

[weblord]

why not make it a get-well card soon flash card and hosted on a server?

I like that idea! Perhaps not for this year, but for next. It could be a Guinness record ... the most-signed and most-travelled get-well-card in the world!

But how do we keep the card from getting lost en-route? Mails have a small chance of getting lost. Send it often enough, and it would be a certainty.

 

[Kenny]

why not make it a get-well card soon flash card and hosted on a server?

William.... you got it going on. But we can still make it a Birthday card too, and I think we could find a prog that will allow access to the card and digi sign it. MS Info Path, anyone know if that would work? Like email ppl and have them sign and then merge it into the Doc/Card?
This is cool.
And Great news!!!!!

Thanks for the update bro.

 

[B33R]

I love the real card idea but just imagine what a logistical nightmare it'd be... Not only bad postal services but the time it'd take to send it just between a few countries/people. It'd take months if not years just for a few hundred people.

It could be a Guinness record ... the most-signed and most-travelled get-well-card in the world!

I like your way of thinking!

The chances of it getting lost or inadvertantly sent to the wrong person (like someone who'd ruin it or destroy it just for kicks) are probably too high. As with many good ideas involving people in multiple countries or just large numbers of people in general.

An ecard of some sort is definitely the way to go, not quite as good or meaningful but much safer.

 

[swimjenni]

I'm glad Christine is doing better!

Everyone could sign using their mouse in Microsoft Paint or whatever program they want/have and then save as an image. Then email all the images and place in word. Print out and its very long signed card. Just an idea...

 

[weblord]

something like this will do
http://bravenet.com/webtools/guestmap/
but remotely hosted and people from all over the world can just sign in ..

William.... you got it going on. But we can still make it a Birthday card too, and I think we could find a prog that will allow access to the card and digi sign it. MS Info Path, anyone know if that would work? Like email ppl and have them sign and then merge it into the Doc/Card?
This is cool.
And Great news!!!!!

Thanks for the update bro.