Day Forty-Two: October 13, 2009

5:05 PM phone call yesterday from Dr. K (Kovacsovics) (Yeah, say that name five times very fast!) at Oregon Health Sciences University.

“We have the best possible news on Reid’s latest bone marrow biopsy. He is in complete remission.”

Whoa! WOW! big, Big, BIG WOWOWOWOWO! Cue: Happy dancing and tears simultaneously.

Next step: We learn about consolidation chemotherapy, which is most likely to be the next phase in Reid’s treatment. For those of you still looking to learn about this process, I’ve included a clipping below from the National Bone Marrow program’s website

An appt. in Portland later this week with the medical team will reveal more. Preparations for out patient treatment in Medford are underway and sources of alternative health support here at home continue to emerge. Many blessings.

It’s a long one, but our young man is on the healing road. And if you see this tall thin handsome guy around Ashland - with eyelashes to envy and a brilliant smile - give him a (flu-free, please) hug!  (:

We are profoundly grateful for the support you all continue to offer Reid - as well as the rest of the wild Honeywell-Phelps-Cotton-Davidson-Kane-Friedl families.

~ And all WILL be WELL, Martha

P.S Reid Support Team - Fundraising Meeting at Tease restuarant tonight at 6:30 PM RSVP to Julie O. 301-5234

taken a few days before discharge from OHSU - Reid and his sweetie, Emily

Induction chemotherapy

For most patients, the standard first phase of AML treatment is induction chemotherapy. The goal of induction chemotherapy is to bring the disease into remission. Remission is when the patient's blood counts return to normal and bone marrow samples show no sign of disease (less than 5% of cells are leukemia cells). 

Induction chemotherapy is very intense. It usually lasts one week, followed by three or more weeks for the patient to recover from the treatment. 

If one week of treatment does not bring a remission, treatment may be repeated once or twice. Induction brings a complete remission in: 

• About 70% to 80% of adults under age 60.
• About 50% of adults over age 60.
• More than 90% of children.

Successful induction chemotherapy destroys most of the leukemia cells, but a few will be left in the body. If these cells are not destroyed, they can cause a relapse of the disease. More treatment is needed to destroy the remaining leukemia cells. The next step may be consolidation chemotherapy or a transplant, depending on the treatment plan.

Consolidation chemotherapy

The second phase of chemotherapy is often called consolidation chemotherapy. The goal of consolidation chemotherapy is to destroy any remaining leukemia cells.