As you know, Sarah endured three rounds of aggressive chemo to prepare for her DLI, or donor lymphocyte infusion. This DLI procedure infused the last of her sister Mary's saved and frozen cells into Sarah. This time, however, the procedure was carried out without giving Sarah the anti-rejection meds that she received at her last transplant. The hope is that by triggering more graft vs. host, a graft vs. leukemia effect will take place and destroy any remaining leukemia blasts. The downside, of course, is that Sarah will be sicker this time.
A day or so before the DLI, Sarah had yet another procedure: the placement of a PICC line. This is a type of catheter that runs through the arm into the area near the heart. After two years of being stuck with needles, the last thing Sarah wanted was to have this procedure done. However, her doctor felt that a PICC line was necessary to complete the DLI. So after wiping our tears and offering some prayers, Sarah put on a brave face and said she was ready. As it turned out, the procedure was less painful than she expected and turned into a pretty cool clinical experience for our nursing student! The practitioner talked Sarah through every step and the two of them discussed all of the anatomical and pathophysiological effects as the procedure took place. After it was done, Sarah actually smiled and realized that, once again, she overcame a (legitimate) fear and moved past it. The Lord was with us that day.
The day of the DLI was beautiful. It took place on the same day, at almost the same hour, that Mary was beginning a six-week course of study with the Milwaukee Ballet--a new start for both of them on life's path. The fabulous Sr. Fran Glowinski visited us with both the Eucharist and her gentle but profound encouragement. The Lord was so very present that day.
After a while, Sarah was allowed to go home for recovery. This was not easy, however, since she had developed terrible sores in her mouth, throat, and esophagus--a result of some of the pre-DLI chemo, most likely. Since Sarah was unable to eat or drink anything for a long time, she was hooked up to a battery-operated pump which powered an IV. She received fluids at home this way, and then some antibiotics; she also had to spend each day back at Loyola from 8 am until at least 5 pm. It was an exhausting regimen. We had no recourse except to ask God for strength and perseverance. When I look back on those weeks, I'm not sure how we got through them--except for God's presence each moment of each day.
On one particularly hard day, Sarah received a package from a dear friend from SLU; it contained a beautiful scrapbook with notes and letters of support from all the members of SLU's Relay for Life committee. Sarah and I wept as we turned each page; we could barely take it in. The unconditional love and support that Sarah has received from this group of loyal friends reminded us that God continues sprinkling His love into Sarah's life in unexpected ways.
On Sunday, July 13, Sarah was readmitted to Loyola due to concerns about the extent of the graft vs. host possibly manifesting in her lungs. Today's tests on both her heart and lungs will lead to more procedures and biopsies over the next few days. Sarah has experienced some shortness of breath and difficulty walking more than a few steps. The doctors want to treat this aggressively before these issues can become real problems. And so our brave girl faces a bit more uncertainty with the same faith-filled trust with which she has faced down every other bump in the road.
If you have texted Sarah, or Facebooked her, please know that even if you do not receive a reply right away, she treasures each and every expression of support. Honestly, she feels pretty crummy right now. But tomorrow is a new day, with new opportunities for renewed health and restored strength. Truly, I don't understand why all of this is happening. But I have learned that each day we have a choice: will we thank God--for excellent medical care, for loyal friends, for blessings big and small--and trust Him with our very selves?
Please keep Sarah in your prayers and know how much she cares for you. She will not back down in this battle!
Love,
Suzanne
