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At his annual appointment on April 7, 2021, John’s doctor noticed elevated lymphocytes in his blood work. After further blood work, tests, and a bone marrow biopsy, the specialists diagnosed John with an extremely rare, aggressive leukemia called T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (
https://www.lls.org/leukemia/t-cell-prolymphocytic-leukemia-t-pll) (T-PLL).
T-PLL, which is less than 1% of leukemia cases, has limited treatment options and a very poor long-term outlook. With T-PLL, chemo is delayed until the symptoms become unmanageable. The treatment is typically outpatient, lasting several weeks and usually works very well initially. Following chemo, a bone marrow transplant is an option; however, because of advanced age and impaired health, fewer than 50% of T-PLL patients are eligible for it. Concerning the long-term outlook, the 4-year overall survival rate is 42% after a bone marrow transplant. If the bone marrow transplant is not an option, most patients relapse within 2 years. (
https://doi.org/10.1159/000507469) All that to say, the average life expectancy for a T-PLL patient at this time is about 3 years without the transplant and 5 years with the transplant.
We want to glorify God as we journey through this season of life. Whether He heals John here or in heaven, our prayer is that people will accept Jesus as Lord or grow in their faith through our journey.
Thank you for your prayers and support during this season of our lives.
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17 (NASB).
