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Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 9:10 pm
by golfnut69
Zack....My and my families prayers are with you and your family...now let's go KICK some Leukemia ass !!!!!

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 9:49 pm
by DrBox
I can't imagine what you and your family are going through. Praying for your son. I wish you and your family the best.

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 10:11 pm
by winwave
Sorry to hear what he's going through but glad to hear he still has his fighting spirit. Take care and know that the prayers will continue with full force.

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 8:50 am
by tpstulane
Keep up the fight Zach! We all are praying for a successful treatment ASAP!

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 9:17 am
by Wavetime
Keep Fighting!!!

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 1:59 pm
by ccap05
Thoughts with you and your family.

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 6:54 pm
by lurker123
tpstulane wrote:Keep up the fight Zach! We all are praying for a successful treatment ASAP!
Ditto and Amen.

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 8:59 pm
by Wave755
Kids are amazingly resilient, I am confident he will beat this thing. A little cousin of mine then age 5 beat it too. Hang tough Zack!

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 9:14 pm
by dpm wave
Lord, I come to You today to ask that Your healing hand would touch the life of this little child. Lord their little body is racked with pain and life has become so difficult, as the cancer is encroaching through their tiny frame. Be close to this little one I pray, and hold them close to Yourself. Lord, I ask that they may be healed and spared any from more pain. Be close to this little one each hour of the day, I pray.

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 9:52 pm
by Robert1969
Sorry to hear that this is getting worse again. God bless and best wishes.

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 10:15 pm
by golfnut69
Dave...May Gods warm Light of Love and Healing, shine bright upon your Family

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:30 pm
by DfromCT
An update for those of you that have been praying and supporting Zach and my family.

Zach came through the "induction" phase of his treatment with flying colors. The "mrd" (measurable residual disease, if I'm not mistaken) was a few digits to the right of the decimal point compared to the first time around. He's now a few weeks into the second round of treatment. Last weekend was high dose Methotrexate (which is followed by heavy IV fluids to get it to clear: this means he was peeing ever 40-50 minutes including overnight, not fun) After getting discharged for 4 days he went back into the hospital Thursday, with me staying there Thursday through 9 PM tonight. This weekend brings 5 days (he just finished day 3) of intense Chemo. He's a trooper. For the most part he's just rolling with the re-admission and going forward. His smile continues to melt the nurses and get him special attention.

My grown daughter (UCF Senior) got into Boston Thursday and will be here through Monday, my sister flew in from California and will leave at the same time Monday. It sucks to have to leave, but I'm on a flight to Dallas at 7:30 AM tomorrow for business.

After this 5 day round of intense Chemo, the next step will include a discharge that could be 2-4 weeks awaiting his counts to recover. He may go home to Stamford, CT but there's complications around his brother, Teddy being in school here in Massachusetts, that have to be resolved. Depending upon the counts, and yet another spinal tap and marrow analysis, they will probably do another complete 25-30 day Chemo cycle that will set him up for treatment transitioning to marrow transplant preparation. If all goes well sometime in November, probably close to Thanksgiving, he will have a transplant with his twin brother Teddy supplying the marrow.

The transfer is no piece of cake, and the ensuing recovery involves a long, long time of isolation and high risk of infection. We have a long way to go, but at least things are progressing as best as we could hope for. When he was first diagnosed three years ago, with the genetic mutation of the leukemia itself, (called the Ikaros deletion) they told us that relapse was not met with a high success rate. At least at this point we have reason to hope.

Your continued thoughts and prayers are VERY MUCH appreciated. Yes, I was able to smile at Troy St. winning in Red Stick tonight.

Dave

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:53 pm
by wavemania
Prayers will be coming your way. Stay strong, God has a plan for that young man.

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:57 pm
by Wavetime
Still Praying!!!!!

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 10:39 pm
by Wave QB
May the Lord bless him and keep him.

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 10:52 pm
by winwave
Good luck going forward. I'll continue praying for him.

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 1:17 pm
by tpstulane
Thanks for the update Dave. Praying for you all.

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 6:48 pm
by DfromCT
Latest update: We had a two hour meeting with the bone marrow transplant (BMT) doctor yesterday. Zachary is tentatively scheduled to be admitted Dec 1st for a transplant that will take place December 8th. His twin (fraternal) brother Teddy will be the donor. Teddy will be admitted the day of the transfer and will undergo the retrieval process, which involves a rather large needle into his hip. He'll be sore for a few days or maybe a week or so, and will stay a night in the hospital. At 5, he's excited about staying in the hospital a night which his brother has been doing for weeks.

For Zachary, the prep and the days/weeks/months afterwards are a lot more scary (for me as well) than the actual transfer. The transfer is very much like when he gets a blood or platelet infusion. It will happen with an IV drip into his veins and the marrow will find it's way into his bones, where it ultimately becomes the "factory" to make new blood. The transfer prep involves some serious Chemo (as did his last cycle) and, for the first time in his life, radiation. Most of the risk involved comes from three areas: the drugs and their side affects, the risk of infection, and the marrow fighting the body it's not familiar with, something called Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD).

There's a whole lot of side affects from the drugs, some of them are short and intermediate term, some will affect him for the rest of his life. It's a tough thing to swallow, but in the end, if successful, Zachary will be cured. Your continued thoughts and prayers and support are appreciated. THANKS.

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 7:08 pm
by winwave
Good luck. Will continue to pray for y'all.

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 7:44 pm
by Houma de Wave
DfromCT wrote:Latest update: We had a two hour meeting with the bone marrow transplant (BMT) doctor yesterday. Zachary is tentatively scheduled to be admitted Dec 1st for a transplant that will take place December 8th. His twin (fraternal) brother Teddy will be the donor. Teddy will be admitted the day of the transfer and will undergo the retrieval process, which involves a rather large needle into his hip. He'll be sore for a few days or maybe a week or so, and will stay a night in the hospital. At 5, he's excited about staying in the hospital a night which his brother has been doing for weeks.

For Zachary, the prep and the days/weeks/months afterwards are a lot more scary (for me as well) than the actual transfer. The transfer is very much like when he gets a blood or platelet infusion. It will happen with an IV drip into his veins and the marrow will find it's way into his bones, where it ultimately becomes the "factory" to make new blood. The transfer prep involves some serious Chemo (as did his last cycle) and, for the first time in his life, radiation. Most of the risk involved comes from three areas: the drugs and their side affects, the risk of infection, and the marrow fighting the body it's not familiar with, something called Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD).


There's a whole lot of side affects from the drugs, some of them are short and intermediate term, some will affect him for the rest of his life. It's a tough thing to swallow, but in the end, if successful, Zachary will be cured. Your continued thoughts and prayers and support are appreciated. THANKS.

Believe me, D, you are in my prayers and Teddy is a Saint! Unless we have gone thru what you are experiencing, we cannot fully understand. But, doggone it, we all can pray to God Almighty, the Great Healer.

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 9:14 pm
by tpstulane
Praying for success! Keep up the fight Zach!

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 9:29 pm
by puffy
Zachary and your family will be in my prayers tonight. I wish Zachary nothing but the very best!!!

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2017 9:51 am
by golfnut69
A Tag team match... Zack n Teddy against Leukemia ! Does anyone have a doubt who the Winner's will be ? ... (note "winners" is posted in plural)...Young Gentleman go out and Kick Leukemia's Ass....'Dave, thoughts and prayers, for all in your Family

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2017 11:04 am
by Wave QB
Prayers up.

Re: Thoughts and Prayers Requested

Posted: Fri Nov 03, 2017 11:28 am
by Wavetime
Thanks for the update.

Prayers!!!