Bart McPhail

We are using CaringBridge to keep family and friends updated in one place.  We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.


I had an ear infection about a month ago and didn't think much of it.  A physician prescribed medication and it seemed to get better.  However, I just wasn't feeling like my normal self.  My energy was low and just over a week ago I noticed bruising on my legs that wasn't going away.  Ronda and Lindsey hounded me to see a doctor so I made an appointment last Friday to have my labs drawn.  Surprisingly, I found out on Saturday that my labs were critically low and went to the emergency room for admission.  


I was admitted to the ICU at Holy Cross where they continued tests to determine the cause.  I found out Monday that my symptoms were directly related to leukemia (blood cancer).  Doctors started treatment immediately.  On Tuesday doctors were able to diagnose the exact sub-type of leukemia, which is known as acute promyelocytic M3 leukemia (APL).  We continued treatment (ATRA + arcenic injection) for several days however, last Sunday 4/23 my oncologist realized that the drugs were not as effective as they should be. After further review of the original biopsy, they noticed that there was an additional chromosomal translocation that would not be responsive to the prescribed treatment.  


Our oncologist had already been communicating with Dr. Gary Schiller at UCLA and decided it was best to have me transferred to the Ronald Regan Medical Center at UCLA for further treatment. I left Providence Holy Cross Monday 4/24 via ambulance at 1am and got settled into my new home at UCLA for the next month or so. 


Doctors here are running a new set of tests and planning to start a heavy dose of chemotherapy 4/25 where I will remain for the next 10 days before having a stem cell transplant. 


Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. I can feel the love and greatly appreciate your support. Ronda, Lindsey and Ryan are planning to update CaringBridge frequently to keep family and friends updated with my progress. 


Please note: Bart does not have a fund setup with CaringBridge so any donations in the 'tribute' section go directly to the site and not Bart. Your messages and well wishes are support enough :)