Dean March Update

Hello friends and family-

Here is a long-overdue spring update about how Dean is doing…

First, thank you (many times over) to all of you for sending emails, cards, care packages, leaving phone messages, dropping off food- all of these expressions of love have meant so much, to Dean and to me.

Thank you.

We are still in the thick of it, but the news at this point is almost all good.

Dean had his 6-month post-transplant bone marrow biopsy two weeks ago. A bone marrow biopsy is not a pleasant experience (it hurts a lot), but it allows the BMT doctors to take a look at what is going on in Dean’s bone marrow on a molecular level.

All of the results were great (!); as Dean’s doctor put it, “Your bone marrow looks beautiful.”

There is no evidence of MDS (the blood disorder that made it necessary for Dean to have a bone marrow transplant), there is no evidence of lymphoma, and Dean is 100% donor.

This is incredibly good news. It essentially means that things are all moving in the right direction.

So I’ll pause here for a moment to say “thank you” (THANK YOU!!!) to the Universe for this kind of healing.

Dean still has a long ways to go in his recovery.

The medications being used to treat the GVHD are hard on Dean’s body- they make him very tired, and at the same time, make it difficult to sleep. Dean still needs to be very careful about infection- his immune system is basically being dampened by the drugs being used to treat GVHD. These medications will gradually be tapered down, allowing his new immune system time to acclimate to his body…but it’s a long, slow process.

For those of you sending prayers, visualizations and healing energy our way, please send extra good energy to Dean’s digestive tract – asking that all of the cells in Dean’s body, particularly in his digestive tract, can coexist in harmony.

I think the other thing that is quite difficult now is how freaking long this has gone on. Dean doesn’t get to take a vacation from this process, not even for a moment- and right about now it feels like it has gone on forever. I wish I could lift it all away, just for an hour or a day, to give him a respite.

That being said, Dean continually amazes me with the way he is supporting his own healing. Walking, meditating, playing music- helping himself to heal.

Our mantra right now is “one step at a time.” So that is how we are doing this.

There is my update-

Thank you for all of the love you pouring Dean’s way/our way-

It is impossible to tell you how much it matters.

Love and peace,

-Megan