3 February 2018
Dear Friends,
I have some difficult news to share with you. I was recently diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). I'm still in shock and integrating this information.
This may have begun only 6-8 weeks ago, and it may have been preceded by myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). In any event, it is an aggressive, rapidly developing, potentially fatal kind of leukemia. My white blood cells are behaving abnormally, which means that I am susceptible to infection. My bone marrow is not producing adequate red blood cells and platelets, which means that I have limited energy and I am at higher risk for bleeding. You can find more information about AML at lls.org (
http://lls.org/).
I will be starting treatment on Thursday, February 15 - combining chemotherapy with an antibody that is a part of a clinical trial at OHSU. My oncologist hopes for me to achieve remission in 3 or 4 months with this strategy.
I will be in Portland for at least the next month and probably longer. I plan to stay at my sister Linda's initially, with her housemate Lynn as an additional support. The mailing address there is 6023 SE Stephens Street, Portland OR 97215.
My friends in Eugene have put together a support team and we will keep them posted as we learn more. You can leave messages here, or please feel free to email Lori Maddox at: lorikathome@gmail.com and she will either respond or forward your message to someone who can.
Of course, your prayers, the prayers of your friends and church members, chants and any other invocation for the best outcome possible are welcome and appreciated. Please feel free to share this information with anyone else you want to.
I am sorry this is in the form of a group email and that I am not writing to you each individually to tell you especially what you mean to me. Maybe another time. . . . I love you all very much and hope I will be able to spend some festive times with you in the future.
Until then, take care of yourself, love those you love and let the rest go.
Hugs and more love, Anita
p.s. We understand that the Caring Bridge site may ask you for donations-- we apologize if you find this intrusive. It is optional.
