Today was a good day. Zevi had a check-up at OHSU when no blood was drawn. The first poke-free visit there. I don't think the poor guy believed that he's gonna get away until we got to riding the cable car. The visit went well - the docs did a physical exam and found Zevi to be doing fine over all. The spleen may have gotten a touch larger, but not in any way that is concerning. The important thing is that Zevi seems to tolerate 6MP and the drug just might be helping. He is eating more, clearly has more energy. So far so good. (t'fu-t'fu)
Also, our transplant coordinator shared more encouraging news. The second of her most most promising donors made contact and scheduled a blood collection in a week. We should have their results in two. Meanwhile the blood work results of donor 1 are due mid next week. Here is hoping. Also, three promising cord blood units have been reserved for Zevi and are being tested.
Where does this leave us with all the testing many folks have kindly offered to get tested? At the recommendation (urging, really), of our transplant coordinator we are going to suspend rapid testing of people for now. Those willing to sign up for the registry please, please do it. It is a kind thing to do. Since we do not know yet how all the testing is going to turn out - please do consider yourselves in Zevi's "strategic reserve", for now placed on stand-by. I will keep everyone posted.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
December pics
Trying to restore some chronological order... Here is December 2013, Benjamin at the New Year morning kids activity, a.k.a. "Utrennik"
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| Benya looks rather skeptical at first... |
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| ... but rocking out with Rafi is fun! |
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| Naturally, we gotta hit on some girls |
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| And here is the New Year tree! |
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| Benya got a cool gift - a mechanical bug |
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| with grandpa Misha |
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| Enjoying some ice cream after |
Monday, June 2, 2014
Boat trip on May 24th.
The Sunday before we took a ride on a boat (thank you Kristi for an awesome idea!). Here is the evidence
Later on we stopped by Bridal Veil falls
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| Brothers on the boat |
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| I think he likes his dad... |
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| If you don't hug yourself, who will? |
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| Safe to say those two like each other |
Later on we stopped by Bridal Veil falls
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| Not gonna give you! |
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| Benya scores a hug |
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| Zeva, dad, and the waterfall |
A bit of hopeful news. 6MP.
Of the five people OHSU has identified as potential good matches one has made contact. What this means is that the person agreed to come in for a blood test that provides more detailed genetic information (and, hopefully, confirms them as a donor) and checks their present state of health. At this point we wait some more.
In the mean time we are continuing to test related donors. A related donor - a cousin, for example - might be a slightly more favorable match than a completely non-related donor. A large national campaign is still an option, should we need it, yet we are reluctant to start immediately.
People related to Zevi by blood, should they choose to get tested, are requested to contact me for an expedited process. We have an account set up at a testing facility right here in Portland.
Those who wish to be added to the registry - maybe to help Zevi, maybe to help someone else - please, please go to bethematch.org and sign up. The test is free and easy (though processing time is not terribly fast). Alternatively you may choose to work with giftoflife.org, a Jewish registry. Ultimately, all data is pulled when a search is performed. Whatever organization you work with, you do a great thing.
In the mean time Zevi was started on very low dose of a drug called 6MP. It is a chemo drug, but Zevi gets it in very mild amounts. Hopefully Zevi will tolerate it and, in turn, the drug will make him feel better. So far it as has gone "OK" - the drug is not much good if it is thrown up. One day at a time.
In other news: I am resolving some of my personal IT problems and cute pictures should resume shortly.
In the mean time we are continuing to test related donors. A related donor - a cousin, for example - might be a slightly more favorable match than a completely non-related donor. A large national campaign is still an option, should we need it, yet we are reluctant to start immediately.
People related to Zevi by blood, should they choose to get tested, are requested to contact me for an expedited process. We have an account set up at a testing facility right here in Portland.
Those who wish to be added to the registry - maybe to help Zevi, maybe to help someone else - please, please go to bethematch.org and sign up. The test is free and easy (though processing time is not terribly fast). Alternatively you may choose to work with giftoflife.org, a Jewish registry. Ultimately, all data is pulled when a search is performed. Whatever organization you work with, you do a great thing.
In the mean time Zevi was started on very low dose of a drug called 6MP. It is a chemo drug, but Zevi gets it in very mild amounts. Hopefully Zevi will tolerate it and, in turn, the drug will make him feel better. So far it as has gone "OK" - the drug is not much good if it is thrown up. One day at a time.
In other news: I am resolving some of my personal IT problems and cute pictures should resume shortly.
.jpg) |
| Zevi at the second visit to OHSU, late April 2014 |
Thursday, May 29, 2014
a few small updates
We now know that neither Benjamin nor Rafi are matches for Zev. Of the 5 potential donors found so far three, in fact, are in the US and two are foreign. That is all we know at this point. The situation is neither great nor dire. At present the 5 have been contacted with a request to go into the hospital for a blood check. We do not expect news on that front for at least two weeks.
Over the next few days we will start a large donor drive to try to find more matches, provide more options. Even one more option can help. All we need is one, good one.
Please hang in. We are still working out the logistics of how to organize the testing in the most expedient manner.
In other news: Zev spiked a fever, was taken to the hospital, given a dose of antibiotic and a fever suppressor. Pneumonia was checked for and ruled out. We were sent home. The change in the kid was remarkable - he went from clingy and thoroughly miserable to rather engaged and lively. He is still not eating almost anything, however. The plan is to start him on a very low dose of a drug called 6MP (mercaptopurine). It is a chemo therapy drug, but given in very small doses should reign in the rampaging white blood cells. If Zevi's system responds well, he will likely feel better, might get higher platelet counts and even might have more of an appetite. This is by no means a cure, but a stopgap measure to make the wait for the donor easier.
For the last two days Benjamin has been staying with his grandparents, spending a lot of time with cousin Rafi and aunt Victoria and uncle Misha. He is doing well, adjusting to kindergarten. He misses, but he is being a trooper.
The last bit of news. Today was the last day for our nanny Aunt Olga (Tetya Olya) with us. She is moving to another state to be with her kids, to rest a little and help with the newly arriving grandkids. Tetya Olya, you are amazing and we will miss you. Good luck!
Over the next few days we will start a large donor drive to try to find more matches, provide more options. Even one more option can help. All we need is one, good one.
Please hang in. We are still working out the logistics of how to organize the testing in the most expedient manner.
In other news: Zev spiked a fever, was taken to the hospital, given a dose of antibiotic and a fever suppressor. Pneumonia was checked for and ruled out. We were sent home. The change in the kid was remarkable - he went from clingy and thoroughly miserable to rather engaged and lively. He is still not eating almost anything, however. The plan is to start him on a very low dose of a drug called 6MP (mercaptopurine). It is a chemo therapy drug, but given in very small doses should reign in the rampaging white blood cells. If Zevi's system responds well, he will likely feel better, might get higher platelet counts and even might have more of an appetite. This is by no means a cure, but a stopgap measure to make the wait for the donor easier.
For the last two days Benjamin has been staying with his grandparents, spending a lot of time with cousin Rafi and aunt Victoria and uncle Misha. He is doing well, adjusting to kindergarten. He misses, but he is being a trooper.
The last bit of news. Today was the last day for our nanny Aunt Olga (Tetya Olya) with us. She is moving to another state to be with her kids, to rest a little and help with the newly arriving grandkids. Tetya Olya, you are amazing and we will miss you. Good luck!
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
As promised, a few pics. Badly out of date, but them is the brakes...
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| Aunt Theresa gave us balloons! Epic! 4/17/14 |
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| Balloons away! |
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| Zevi trying out a balance bike. 4/30/14 |
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| A water feature and ice cream. What can possibly go wrong... 4/29/14 |
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| They may be washed in fountain water, but at least the hands are clean. The rest of the boys is a different matter... |
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| And now that we are wearing the ice cream, let's show rocks into the water feature as uncle Maks looks on. |
A very nice weekend, a trip to San Francisco
As promised, here is an update. The weekend was great. We took the boys, along with Katie, for a paddlewheel boat (called "The Sternwheeler") ride in Cascade Locks and they loved it. Some nice picture to follow.
Tonight we have returned from SF where we saw a few great docs at the Benioff Children's hospital. The trip did not provide any epiphanies, but did yield new (to us) information and food for thought. In short, the doctors there agree that Zevi meets the criteria for JMML. Some more genetic testing will be conducted, but at this point it is all but superfluous. The path forward, it seems, is with the bone marrow transplantation (HCT).
One mutation they are testing for is CBL, sometimes associated with JMML resolving itself. In likelyhood Zev does not have that - and that is a good thing. While CBL does indicate a chance of JMML going away, it comes, instead, with a plethora of other problems, both immediate and long term. One of the physicians, essentially, told us that given the choice, we'd prefer taking our chances with JMML. Enough said.
While the mechanics of the transplant are straightforward, the procedure before and after is anything but. There are decisions to be made as to the choice of a location as well as the drug regimen. Of course, this will be influenced by Zev's condition and our options for a donor.
The first news on the donor match front. Neither good, nor bad. The US-only search revealed 5 candidates with "10 out of 10" gene matches. Several more with "9 out of 10". To, be clear, this does not mean we have 5 good matches. Each donor will be screened again, this time via a blood collection, to verify match and current health. There is also one cord (one set of cord blood) in the US that has a "6 out of 6" genes matched. Many more that are "5 out of 6". At this point we will continue to wait for Benjamin's results, Rafi's results, and the results from the international registry search. Should the results not improve, I am going to initiate a targeted donor drive. Not at this point, not yet. A few more days to know where we are.
Tonight we have returned from SF where we saw a few great docs at the Benioff Children's hospital. The trip did not provide any epiphanies, but did yield new (to us) information and food for thought. In short, the doctors there agree that Zevi meets the criteria for JMML. Some more genetic testing will be conducted, but at this point it is all but superfluous. The path forward, it seems, is with the bone marrow transplantation (HCT).
One mutation they are testing for is CBL, sometimes associated with JMML resolving itself. In likelyhood Zev does not have that - and that is a good thing. While CBL does indicate a chance of JMML going away, it comes, instead, with a plethora of other problems, both immediate and long term. One of the physicians, essentially, told us that given the choice, we'd prefer taking our chances with JMML. Enough said.
While the mechanics of the transplant are straightforward, the procedure before and after is anything but. There are decisions to be made as to the choice of a location as well as the drug regimen. Of course, this will be influenced by Zev's condition and our options for a donor.
The first news on the donor match front. Neither good, nor bad. The US-only search revealed 5 candidates with "10 out of 10" gene matches. Several more with "9 out of 10". To, be clear, this does not mean we have 5 good matches. Each donor will be screened again, this time via a blood collection, to verify match and current health. There is also one cord (one set of cord blood) in the US that has a "6 out of 6" genes matched. Many more that are "5 out of 6". At this point we will continue to wait for Benjamin's results, Rafi's results, and the results from the international registry search. Should the results not improve, I am going to initiate a targeted donor drive. Not at this point, not yet. A few more days to know where we are.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Trying times ahead. JMML.
There is no good way to say it, so here goes...
Several days ago Zev was diagnosed with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML). It is a very rare and a very dangerous form of leukemia. Let me answer a few questions as best I can at present...
Is Zev in immediate danger?
Not as of this morning. His platelet, white blood cell, and red blood cell counts are being monitored regularly. A bone marrow sample (second one) was collected today. I will update the blog once I know more.
When did you learn?
First observation of unusually low platelet count was over a month ago. JMML was identified as a possibility for several reasons, but up to recently we have not been sure.
Are you sure now?
JMML is a strange disease in that it can masquerade as several viral infections. There is no single test but rather a checklist, an elimination of other possibilities. While some genetic tests are still on-going, Zev, unfortunately does meet the clinical definition.
How is Zevi feeling?
Right now he is battling a virus on top of everything else. Mostly he feels OK, though he is not eating well at all. Grandma Rita continues to perform miracles in that department.
What is the treatment plan?
As of right now the treatment plan is bone marrow transplant.
Is that the only option?
There is a very small chance that Zev has a mutation which has been linked with JMML resolving itself. I am not sure of the likelihood of the mutation, nor of the certainty of the benign outcome. JMML simply occurs too rarely for good statistics. What we do know is that even the spontaneously resolving JMML is not without it's own risks later in life. Genetic testing is on-going to answer that question. For the moment the treatment is bone marrow transplant (HCT).
Do you have a match? Can I help?
We do not know yet, on both accounts. I am not prepared to go into the details of selecting a donor here. Best option would be Benjamin, while Alla and I would be very poor choices, since we share only 50% of Zev's DNA each (more precisely, he got 50% of his from each of us). Next very promising choice would be Rafi, since Victoria and Alla are identical twins. Benjamin has a 25% chance of being a match for Zev. Not sure on Rafi, but cannot be more than that. If neither of those boys is a match we go to the registry of bone marrow donors and registry of donated cord blood. If the registry does not find a good match either, then we will ask for everyone's help. Should you choose to help now: register at
bethematch.org
or alternatively giftoflife.org
For those 18-45 and in good health the registration is free and simple - a swab of the cheek. Those of east-European Jewish descent have a better chance to be a match for Zev. However, everyone who registers has a chance to save a life.
We hope that either Benjamin, or Rafi, or someone from the registry will be a good match. The ultimate decision will be based on the closeness of the match and the time we have to search for a great one, i.e. on how Zev is doing.
What is the immediate plan, then?
For now we keep infections at bay by limiting access to Zev (no enclosed playgrounds, no daycare, strict isolation from anyone with symptoms, washing hands constantly). We have fun with the boys. We will be taking a short trip to San Francisco to see a leading specialist in JMML as a second opinion to the great team at OHSU. Over the next week or so we will know our situation with matches. Beyond that - our oncologist would like to get the transplant done over the next 7-8 weeks.
The blog has not been updated for over six months. Now it will be active once again, albeit somewhat darker in content. I absolutely will continue to post images and stories of both of the boys. They talk now (Benjamin continuously so), argue, amuse, frustrate, charm, and infuriate - typically all in the same afternoon. There is much to share.
Several days ago Zev was diagnosed with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML). It is a very rare and a very dangerous form of leukemia. Let me answer a few questions as best I can at present...
Is Zev in immediate danger?
Not as of this morning. His platelet, white blood cell, and red blood cell counts are being monitored regularly. A bone marrow sample (second one) was collected today. I will update the blog once I know more.
When did you learn?
First observation of unusually low platelet count was over a month ago. JMML was identified as a possibility for several reasons, but up to recently we have not been sure.
Are you sure now?
JMML is a strange disease in that it can masquerade as several viral infections. There is no single test but rather a checklist, an elimination of other possibilities. While some genetic tests are still on-going, Zev, unfortunately does meet the clinical definition.
How is Zevi feeling?
Right now he is battling a virus on top of everything else. Mostly he feels OK, though he is not eating well at all. Grandma Rita continues to perform miracles in that department.
What is the treatment plan?
As of right now the treatment plan is bone marrow transplant.
Is that the only option?
There is a very small chance that Zev has a mutation which has been linked with JMML resolving itself. I am not sure of the likelihood of the mutation, nor of the certainty of the benign outcome. JMML simply occurs too rarely for good statistics. What we do know is that even the spontaneously resolving JMML is not without it's own risks later in life. Genetic testing is on-going to answer that question. For the moment the treatment is bone marrow transplant (HCT).
Do you have a match? Can I help?
We do not know yet, on both accounts. I am not prepared to go into the details of selecting a donor here. Best option would be Benjamin, while Alla and I would be very poor choices, since we share only 50% of Zev's DNA each (more precisely, he got 50% of his from each of us). Next very promising choice would be Rafi, since Victoria and Alla are identical twins. Benjamin has a 25% chance of being a match for Zev. Not sure on Rafi, but cannot be more than that. If neither of those boys is a match we go to the registry of bone marrow donors and registry of donated cord blood. If the registry does not find a good match either, then we will ask for everyone's help. Should you choose to help now: register at
bethematch.org
or alternatively giftoflife.org
For those 18-45 and in good health the registration is free and simple - a swab of the cheek. Those of east-European Jewish descent have a better chance to be a match for Zev. However, everyone who registers has a chance to save a life.
We hope that either Benjamin, or Rafi, or someone from the registry will be a good match. The ultimate decision will be based on the closeness of the match and the time we have to search for a great one, i.e. on how Zev is doing.
What is the immediate plan, then?
For now we keep infections at bay by limiting access to Zev (no enclosed playgrounds, no daycare, strict isolation from anyone with symptoms, washing hands constantly). We have fun with the boys. We will be taking a short trip to San Francisco to see a leading specialist in JMML as a second opinion to the great team at OHSU. Over the next week or so we will know our situation with matches. Beyond that - our oncologist would like to get the transplant done over the next 7-8 weeks.
The blog has not been updated for over six months. Now it will be active once again, albeit somewhat darker in content. I absolutely will continue to post images and stories of both of the boys. They talk now (Benjamin continuously so), argue, amuse, frustrate, charm, and infuriate - typically all in the same afternoon. There is much to share.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
just another update
With recent increases in speech - both volume and complexity - came a surprising skill, so far from Benya - singing. Over the weekend Benya treated us to a karaoke rendition of "Пусть бегут неуклюжи" with a slinky standing in for an accordion. Tonight, as I was singing the nightly lullaby, Benya very recognizably sang along for the first two stanzas. And that was in spite of (or possibly due to) a shot of Tylenol before bed.
More complicated structures such as "cars go to Mars in rocket" and "red car for me, green for brother" are pretty standard now. Two nights ago, as I was reading a book that involved a girl flying on a bird, the following exchange took place:
Dad: "And here the girl flies on the bird through the starry dark."
Zev: "Me too!"
Dad: "Zevi, do you want to fly on the bird in a starry dark?"
Zev: "Yes!" After a thought: "And papa."
Dad: "OK, we will fly together." I did not want to leave Benya out: "Benya, would you like to fly with Zevi and I?" However, Benya is not a fan of heights.
Benya: "Me fly? No! Me moon!"
That last bit is all the more ironic, since recently Ben jumped up all the way up our stairs, one stair at a time. Yes, I was right behind him and had his back, you obsessive people! He landed with one foot on the target step, one foot where he started a couple of times, but never really missed a beat. Just hopped all the way up.
Finally, Zev is doing exceptionally well in the swimming class, through no fault of the current instructor, I am sad to say. Due to being rather trusting, Zevi is perfectly OK to be floating on his back with a little support and is perfectly game to try to use his arms and legs as he reaches for toys. I am pretty sure he is well on the way to swimming independently.
More complicated structures such as "cars go to Mars in rocket" and "red car for me, green for brother" are pretty standard now. Two nights ago, as I was reading a book that involved a girl flying on a bird, the following exchange took place:
Dad: "And here the girl flies on the bird through the starry dark."
Zev: "Me too!"
Dad: "Zevi, do you want to fly on the bird in a starry dark?"
Zev: "Yes!" After a thought: "And papa."
Dad: "OK, we will fly together." I did not want to leave Benya out: "Benya, would you like to fly with Zevi and I?" However, Benya is not a fan of heights.
Benya: "Me fly? No! Me moon!"
That last bit is all the more ironic, since recently Ben jumped up all the way up our stairs, one stair at a time. Yes, I was right behind him and had his back, you obsessive people! He landed with one foot on the target step, one foot where he started a couple of times, but never really missed a beat. Just hopped all the way up.
Finally, Zev is doing exceptionally well in the swimming class, through no fault of the current instructor, I am sad to say. Due to being rather trusting, Zevi is perfectly OK to be floating on his back with a little support and is perfectly game to try to use his arms and legs as he reaches for toys. I am pretty sure he is well on the way to swimming independently.
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