Laurette Hollywood

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.  In November 2006 I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia or CML. 
CML is a slow progressing uncommon type of blood-cell cancer that begins in the bone marrow. Over  the course of eleven years my cancer was successfully managed by a drug called Gleevac. In September of 2017 I started exhibiting signs once again of CML.  After blood testing and a bone marrow biopsy my oncologist confirmed my cancer had relapsed and I was now in the aggressive borderline blast phase of CML. 
My medication was immediately changed to see if the cell blasts could be significantly reduced and managed.  Unfortunately the new drug didn't show signs of managing this new phase of the illness. In December 2017 I met with Dr Negrin chair of the bone marrow transplant unit at Stanford Hospital. I was informed my only course of treatment for a prolonged life was to undergo a bone marrow transplant. In order to receive a transplant Stanford would first need to locate a donor match for me. Ideally a sibling would be the best match however two of my siblings were tested and found not to be matches. Stanford moved on to the national donor registry and successfully located five perfect donor matches. The selected donor is a 26 year old male European. I am thankful beyond words for a second chance at life and hope in two years to meet my donor in Europe. On March 6th I will begin approximately a thirty day stay at Stanford commencing with intense chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow transplant on March 14th. The chemo will strip my immune system completely to allow for new donor cells to grow and give me new hope at a long and healthy life. For the next 6-12 months my body will be adapting to the new donor cells. I anticipate a challenging road to recovery but intend to kick cancer's butt.  Because of my suppressed immune system visitors will be limited but I will always appreciate a kind message here and there from family and friends throughout my journey. Until we see each other again please keep me in your prayers. Love Laurette