Jen Update - August 7th

Hey everyone....needed to pass on some news. As I said, Jen was admitted again last Monday. She actually didn't have a good week. The bladder infection that led to the bleeding left her in immense pain, and the fungal pneumonia we had been battling for some time had reared its ugly head again. By the end of the week, the bladder situation had stabilized, but she began to experience difficulty breathing. She went on oxygen masks, but her lungs began to work overtime, leaving her exhausted. The only good news to come out of the week was that it appeared Jen had a Grade 1 case of the GVHD that we needed. Grade 1 is not treated, as it affects the skin only. My visit on Sunday was a see-saw....she would get bad, get better, back and forth. I left that night, as she seemed comfortable and resting easy. However, at 4:00 AM, the doctor called to tell me that Jen was having more trouble, and had tried to use the BiPAP machine she had been on previously, to no avail. The last option was to intubate her with a breathing tube. The thought was that by helping her breathe, the body could focus on taking care of the infection in her lungs. I jumped in the car and headed back up to Baltimore. She had the tube inserted with no problems. She had to be heavily sedated though, leaving her unable to speak or communicate with anyone. Jen's mom came into town around 2PM....the news had been positive, and Jen seemed to be breathing comfortably. Around 5 PM, the doctors pulled Jan and I out, and gave us the devastating news. Jen's white blood count was beginning to elevate, and 90% of the cells were abnormal leukemia cells. The doctors said we had two options. Leave her sedated and comfortable, or try to treat, most likely leaving her miserable and in pain. Needless to say, both of our options have the same end result...Jen will not be coming home again. We want to keep her comfortable and give all those that love her the chance to come say their goodbyes. We are not real sure what type of time frame we have...needless to say, the sooner you make plans the better. Please keep Jen in your thoughts and prayers, and be sure to tell your loved ones how much you care about them. You never know when God will take them back. Love everyone....

Jeremy