Join Connie's Crew of Hope at The Light the Night Walk

Each year, in communities all across the United States and Canada, families, friends, neighbors and teams from local businesses and national companies come together for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS’s) Light The Night Walk events to bring help and hope to people battling blood cancers.

Light The Night Walk events are evenings filled with inspiration. Carrying illuminated balloons – white for survivors, red for supporters and gold in memory of loved ones lost to cancer – thousands of walkers – men, women and children – form a community of caring, bringing light to the dark world of cancer.

Whether you’re a cancer survivor, supporting someone who is battling cancer or have lost a loved one, please join us and help Light The Night.

http://pages.lightthenight.org/wa/SeattleL11/ConniesCrewofHope

Where Has Connie Been?

Where has Connie been?  If you asked me that last week I would have had to tell you she was back in the hospital, which some of you knew and some of you did not.  Today I can tell you she is back home.  Yeah!!

In my last update I had told you that Connie was struggling on her road to recovery.  Well on April 29^th, a Friday afternoon, the doctors decided she needed to be admitted to the hospital and Connie did not put up a fight.  It had been a long couple of weeks at home and her road was getting bumpier as the days went by.  So once again in the hospital they ran her through the full gauntlet of tests, upon tests.  Of course they started her on treatment right away and started feeding her meals by IV.  She was having severe digestive issues and was rapidly loosing weight, had no appetite and could not keep all her medications down.  The doctors were able to rule out most things so knew is was the post transplant ‘graft vs host’ rearing its ugly head.  Her steroids were increased again and with the loving care she was given, she was released after 8 days – going home on Mother’s Day this past Sunday.

So again Connie is continuing on her journey, she is hopeful there will be no more bumps in the road, or detours she has to take.  She is now back to daily visits to the clinic until she is stable enough to be seen less frequently.  She is still being supported with units of blood & platelets and a continual balance of medications.  We cannot say enough good things about the care she has received, the nurses, doctors, PA’s & PT’s all have been amazing.

I would like to ask all of you who are able to donate blood and platelets to do it as often as you can.  Every person who receives a bone marrow transplant only lives because others are willing to donate their blood to support them through their treatment, you are literally saving lives every time you donate.  We have so many people to thank for Connie’s donations, not just her bone marrow donor but all those she receives blood & platelets from.

I really think Connie is up for some phone calls, don’t hesitate to give her a call.  She may be at the clinic and be hard to catch but keep trying.  She is tired of being sick and needs some normalcy in her life.  I know you will be understanding if you hit her at a time when she tired and not up to talking also.

Be on the look out for an email from Stacie very soon for this year’s ‘Light the Night’ walk to raise money for the fight against Leukemia.  Connie’s team raised the 10^th highest amount in the walk around Greenlake last September, I hope we can do as well or better this year.

I thank you all on behalf of Connie & Ron for the blessings you are to their lives.

Linda