Dear friends of Lawrenz, (I hope everyone finds that greeting as catchy as I do.)
Matt was diagnosed with leukemia on Friday, May 5.
For the past several months, he had not been feeling well (e.g., fatigue, fevers, frequent flus and colds). However, nothing major. He was able to go to work and continue with home and garden projects. (For the record: the outdoor pizza oven is done! Finally!)
Last week, his symptoms worsened and he decided to go to the doctor. He got some blood work done and headed out to dinner with Athena to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, a holiday of utmost importance to all loyal Americans.
On the way home, he listened to a voicemail from his doctor--yes, on his flip phone--instructing him to check in to the ER at Froedtert ASAP. (Kudos to Athena for being able to drive him there successfully, no small feat given the circumstances.)
Thankfully, the kids were already at grandma and grandpa's house for a prearranged sleepover. (Shout-out to Pat and Gerasimos Agoudemos and Susan Lawrenz for grandparenting overtime during these difficult days.)
Matt's white blood cell count was through the roof, a sign of leukemia or possibly lymphoma.
In the past few days, the world-class medical staff at Froedtert has continued to run tests to determine the specific type of cancer and to help Matthew recover.
Matt is responding well to initial treatments (i.e., his white blood cell count has reduced a bit) and he awaits further diagnostics in order to proceed with treatment decisions.
Matt and Athena would love to hear from you, so please do leave your notes of encouragement (and humor) on this site and/or by email.
Sincerely,
Amy Buelow (friend of Matt and Athena, Athena's BFF since kindergarten)
CaringBridge is a nonprofit social network dedicated to helping family and friends communicate with and support loved ones during a health journey. Learn more about CaringBridge.
