Momentary Break

On Saturday, Papa and Lisa took the kids up to visit Nonnie for the day. When they went out to lunch in Westlake Village, the girls talked Papa into getting them a UCLA sweatshirt. They both sported their new gear around the hospital and gained a ton of fanfare from the students and staff!

Papa spent the night at the hospital with Nonnie as she completed her last chemotherapy treatment that evening. The kids all came back to our house and rented some movies for their sleepover. In the morning, Papa had a huge surprise for the kids.... Nonnie was discharged to go home for a few days until her counts begin to drop.

She has a home health nurse coming by each day to take blood and monitor her status. She will likely return back to UCLA later in the week until her counts are at a desirable level. At this point, she is still in remission as confirmed by the recent bone marrow biopsy done last week. Praise God for the miracle He is working!

Happy New Year

Today marks the 5th day for Nonnie being in the hospital. Later tonight, she will get her last chemotherapy treatment. She is feeling well and began her walking routine this morning with her friend Tammy.

Nonnie has been reading a really good book that deals with the grieving process, and is encouraged that in time, the healing process will begin. Papa, Lisa and I are very excited, because we are taking the kids to UCLA in the morning to visit Nonnie!

Her levels are slowly beginning to drop, and will drop steadily through the end of next week. Lisa is bulking up on her iron intake, and has been eating her daily "Cream of Wheat" so she can give platelets once needed.

Round 2

Nonnie is finally all situated in her new room. The PICC line procedure yesterday went very well, and only took about 20 minutes to put in. The nurse that put it in has been working there for 30 years! Dr. Paquette took a bone marrow biopsy and they are still waiting for the results from yesterday.

She is currently halfway through the second dose of chemotherapy, which changes out at approximately 11:00 P.M. each night. Nonnie took a bath this morning and is feeling good. She tells me it is quite the process because she is connected to all types of tubing and machines. I bet it feels good to be in her fresh jammies!

Papa is on his way to pick up Blaine and Kylie to go back to Riverside. They are going to see a movie with a group of friends this afternoon. Nonnie plans on spending most of her time catching up on thank you cards and getting her rest.

Back At It

As you can imagine, this Christmas was a bitter-sweet time for our family. We all got together and went to Disneyland for the day on Christmas eve, and spent Christmas in Riverside. It was particularly difficult for Nonnie, knowing that she had to return to the hospital for another treatment.

This morning, Nonnie and Papa brought Blaine and Kylie to our house so they could get checked in at UCLA. There were several patients being discharged this afternoon, which delayed Nonnie from getting into her room until late this afternoon. She is becoming an old pro at this routine!

Within minutes, she was in a hospital gown and giving blood to check her admission levels. The team that inserts the PICC line will return tomorrow to give one to Nonnie. Until then, she has an IV that will be used for the first dose of Cytarabine starting tonight.

Nonnie told me that there have been so many hospital personnel stopping by and offering their condolences and words of encouragement. I think of them as additional "support crew members" that we all know she needs! Her direct telephone number is (310) 267-6148.

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

757 Westwood Plaza

C/O Linda Asam, Room 6137

Los Angeles, CA 90095

December Update

There are no words to describe the loss and depth of sadness that our family has endured over the past 4 weeks. We give thanks to all of our friends that have overwhelmingly given their support and prayers. You will never know how much we appreciate knowing that you are with us, and appreciate all that you have done.

We are anticipating a difficult holiday season, but we know that God will give us the strength to move on. Blaine and Kylie are living with Nonnie and Papa and have returned to school. They are blessed by a huge support group in Riverside from their school and church.

Nonnie is going back to UCLA on December 28, 2009 to continue her treatment, with one more remaining afterwards. We wish you all a Merry Christmas.

Thank You

On behalf of our entire family, we would like to thank each of you for everything you have done to show your love and support to us at this difficult time. There have been countless phone calls, flowers and personal visits along with an unlimited supply of food and beverages. It has been especially comforting knowing that we are included in your prayers! Our family is relying heavily on our faith in God, and we are confident that He will help us through these next days, weeks, months and years.

The services for Mike, Shannon and Brennen are scheduled for Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 10:00 A.M. The Grove Community Church is located at 19900 Grove Community Drive Riverside, CA 92508. A reception for our guests will be provided immediately after the service.

If you wish to make a donation for the benefit of Blaine and Kylie, contributions may be made to:

Blaine and Kylie Asam Family Fund

c/o Varner & Brandt LLP

3750 University Avenue, Suite 610

Riverside, CA 92501

Message From Nonnie

Nonnie and Papa went up to Oregon on Thursday to open up the house for our annual Thanksgiving week trip. Lisa and I arrived late Saturday evening with the kids. We received a phone call on early Sunday morning learning that Mike and his family were involved in a tragic car crash on their way up to be with our family. Sadly, I must inform our family and friends that Mike (41), Shannon (40) and Brennen (14) were called home to be with the Lord yesterday morning. Blaine (11) and Kylie (9) were able to extricate themselves from the vehicle and waited with "Patrick", a Good Samaritan until rescue crews arrived.

Blaine and Kylie were briefly hospitalized with minor injuries and were picked up by Shannon's brother Derek. We all drove home through the night last night until Nonnie and Papa picked up the kids last night. We are safe and well at Nonnie and Papa's house in Riverside. We want to thank all of our family and friends for their support and countless prayers during this difficult time. The services will be held at Grove Church in Riverside on December 5, 2009. More information to follow regarding further details. Our family asks that this information gets disseminated to all pertinent persons. Thank you.

Thanksgiving In Oregon

The timing of all of the recent treatments could not have been any better! Nonnie and Papa are driving north to Oregon as I sit and write this entry. Dr. Paquette removed the PICC line yesterday and gave the "thumbs up" to them leaving town for Thanksgiving. She is feeling absolutely great since being home, and is looking forward to having all of the grandkids together for the holiday.

Nonnie and Papa are going up a couple days early to get the yards trimmed and the refrigerator full. Even though the weather forecast is calling for rain, rain and more rain, all of us boys are bringing our motorcycles to go explore the best trails on Earth! Thanks to everyone for their continued prayers and have a happy Thanksgiving. I will try to post some pictures next week.

She Did It Again

This morning, the doctors reviewed Nonnie's blood tests, and confirmed that her counts have risen above the level that is required for her to be released from the hospital. In fact, her counts are at their highest levels upon discharge since undergoing the initial treatment in April. Her platelet levels were at 95,000! Of course, it took a while for Nonnie to say all of her goodbyes to the staff, but they finally got on the road just after noon.

This is the second consolidation treatment that was just completed. As you could imagine, it takes Nonnie a little while to adjust from being in the hospital room for so long, to being out on the freeways, etc. Papa took Nonnie to Miguel's on the way home to satisfy the her craving for Mexican food. He then went to the store to get a few things for the house, while Nonnie picked up Brennen and took him to Blockbuster to get a movie. Those are the things she misses the most!

The plan is to meet with Dr. Paquette on Wednesday of next week, and then pack up to head to Oregon for Thanksgiving. This will be the first time since August of 2008 that we have all been up there together. This year will be so special because we all have so much to be thankful for!

Happy Birthday

When you spend as much time in the hospital as Nonnie has over the last year, it is very likely that some of those days will be holidays or other special days. Today is Nonnie's birthday, and she actually had a very nice day today! She was moved back to the 6th floor last night, and she is feeling very well. Her counts are on the rise now, and she received both units of Mike's platelets this morning. By tomorrow morning, her platelets will be higher than they have in about a year!

Nonnie received tons of birthday cards and phone calls wishing her well today. In fact, she had to charge her cell phone 3 times because of all the activity! I forgot a cool story from last week....Chuck and Kathy Reid visited the hospital last week. While the girls talked, the boys went to the world famous Jerry's Deli for lunch. Papa always jokes about what famous person he is going to see every time he takes us there. This time, they saw Jerry West.... a Lakers basketball player and coach who is now in the Hall of Fame. Only in L.A!

Nonnie is now in room # 6143 and the phone number is (310) 267-6151. Nonnie and Papa think they should be discharged no later than this Friday. How is that for a sweet birthday present?

Goal Setting

It is hard to believe that 3 weeks have already gone by since Nonnie has been back in the hospital. The last several days have been quite busy. After her move to the 7th floor on Wednesday night, she received blood on the following day. Her platelets have been hanging in there around 15,000 up until Saturday. Unfortunately, she started a fever early yesterday morning which usually affects those numbers significantly.

I shared some bad information last week regarding the lifespan of platelets. The actual time frame they need to be used by is 5 days, not 7-10. Since Nonnie's platelets were not low at that time frame, Mike's platelets were given to another patient. At least they did not have to go to waste! Mike went back to UCLA yesterday to give more platelets that should be ready by Tuesday for Nonnie. In the meantime, she is receiving platelets from a different donor as I write this entry.

Regarding the room change, Papa learned that the old hospital had 80 hospital beds in the cancer wing. The new hospital has 41 beds, which is why the demand is so high for a room. Since her fever started yesterday, she is on a list of 10 people waiting to get back on the 6th floor. She spoke with a friend who just came back for treatment, and he is in the maternity ward waiting for a room! I wonder who is getting more rest?

The goal today is to get the fever under control, and then get Mike's platelets in a couple of days. If all goes the same as the past, she might be able to come home later in the week! She would then go back to Dr. Paquette after being home for a week. At that point, she will ask about going to Oregon for Thanksgiving with the family. Is that too much to ask? Only HE knows!

Room Change

Nonnie was informed last night that she will be changing rooms. The reason for the move, is that there are other sick persons waiting to get a room and she was the most well person on the floor. It was encouraging to her and Papa to know that she is doing well and that another patient can be treated by the awesome staff at UCLA! Her new phone number is (310) 267-6249.

Platelets 101

As a refresher, Nonnie receives platelets when her counts drop below 10,000. When she has a fever, she will get platelets when that number drops below 20,000. That is also when the "fire drill" is conducted. This weekend, she did not have a fever, but the donor platelets only raised up to 15,000 and then dropped the next day to around 8,000.

Yesterday, the doctors decided to give Nonnie the platelets that Mike had donated last week. Within an hour of the infusion, her numbers jumped from 8,000 to 44,000. Even crazier, the sores she developed in her mouth were gone before lunch! It is likely that she will need the second and last unit of Mike's platelets by the end of the week, which only have a 7-10 day shelf life. Mike is very excited that he was able to help his mom, and will likely be called on again in the near future.

Kenny and Kathy Winkler came by today for a really nice visit, and they brought a bag filled with activities to pass the time. It included coloring books, UNO, playing cards and a dice game. What great friends!

Speaking of old friends, Judge Ward stopped by the house last week and gave Papa 2 photo albums from his summer trip to Africa to share with Nonnie. Judge Ward is a long-time family friend and is the person who Papa credits his photo album expertise to. Nonnie told me she spent 2 days looking at all of the beautiful pictures and it helped take her mind elsewhere.

Nonnie has had continual support and encouragement from the staff, in fact, they have been giving her the "thumbs up" indicating that they heard about the successful platelet transfusion.

Calling All Platelets!

Last week, Nonnie and Papa were in the waiting mode, watching her counts drop throughout the week. They did not have to wait long...... on Thursday, she received her first blood transfusion, which she did not have any negative reaction to. Starting on Friday, she has received platelets daily through Sunday. Unfortunately, the donor platelets are only slowly raising her levels. The staff has put in a request to the blood bank to find the same compatible donor from last time.

Mike went up to UCLA on Friday morning to give platelets. This is a 2 hour procedure that takes the donor blood and filters the platelets, then re-infuses the blood back into the donor. I hear the time actually goes by pretty quick, because they set Mike up with a movie to watch during the procedure! Papa also sat with Mike and donated his blood that will be used for someone else in the future. What a team!

They plan on using the platelets from Mike as soon as tomorrow, and they generally know within a day how compatible they will be. Lisa is tentatively scheduled to do the same later in the week. For now, Nonnie is feeling quite well and her only complaint are the uncomfortable mouth sores called "Petechia". These are small broken capillary blood vessels caused from low platelet counts.

Nonnie and Papa spent Halloween in the hospital, but the weekend was topped off by a nice visit from the whole Asam clan!

One Of Those Days

After being in the hospital for nearly a week, Nonnie had one of those days yesterday. It began all too familiar with a poor night sleep, followed by general weakness and lack of appetite throughout the day. Fortunately, the fever that began to spike broke quickly and she did not have to do the "fire drill"!

Mike and Mary Carpenter went by this morning for a visit, and they were glad to hear that Nonnie had a great night sleep and she was able to eat her breakfast! Close one. They all had a meeting with Dr. Paquette, and it was decided to have Nonnie stay at UCLA for the rest of this treatment. Her counts are continuing their slow decent, but she has proven that she can handle anything that comes her way!

4 Down, 1 To Go!

It is Friday night, and Nonnie is almost due to get her last chemotherapy bag hung! She will be done with her treatment in just over 24 hours. If you remember prior to her going back to the hospital, her counts were higher than they have ever been throughout this process. The current treatment has lowered her counts to about half of what they were since Tuesday. What this means for her, is that her counts may not be low enough for her to stay in the hospital after the treatment (insurance issue). Usually, her counts are so low that she stays in the hospital until they come back up to an acceptable level.

This time, she may have to go home for a few days until they start to drop, or until she gets a fever. This sounds alright, but she would rather stay in the hospital for the entire time for a couple of reasons. First, there is the likelihood that there will not be a room available for her, so they would need to go to the UCLA in Santa Monica. This would be a matter of getting used to a new routine at another facility. Secondly, she is anxious about being at home and away from doctors should she have a fever or not feel well. I can certainly understand her concern!

So far, she has not had any significant issues, and she has not needed any blood products. Mike and Lisa are getting prescriptions next week to see if they might be a match.

Typical Tuesday

The kids wanted to call and talk to Nonnie this evening to get her up to date on their school work for the week. It was so cute to hear them talk to her as if she was here in person! She is doing very well, and things are going as expected. Papa went out to see a movie this afternoon, while Nonnie took her daily walk. Nonnie starts her 3rd treatment tonight and will finish on Saturday night. What an incredible woman!

Here We Go Again

Nonnie and Papa made their way back to UCLA yesterday, and were greeted by many of the same familiar faces they have become so accustomed to. They love their new room.... first of all, it is larger than the last room and it has new curtains and a freshly polished floor. The best part is the ocean view overlooking the Pacific Ocean! The weather was so clear today, that they were able to see Catalina Island from their room.

The nurse that started Nonnie's PICC line did so with precision. She started her first round of Cytarabine at 10:00 P.M. last night, and will continue each 24 hour dose for a total of 5 times. When I spoke to her this afternoon, she had just returned from a 30 minute walk while Papa was doing his loop around the campus.

Her spirits remain high and she appreciates all of the cards, phone calls and especially those prayers! She can be reached at (310) 267-6154 or at the address below.

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

757 Westwood Plaza

C/O Linda Asam, Room 6149

Los Angeles, CA 90095

Sources of Strength

The road trip up to Oregon is just what Nonnie and Papa needed! They returned last week feeling rested and re-energized in preparation for the upcoming weeks. Her blood counts remain strong, and she feels great.

When they were in Oregon, they visited the new cancer center that recently opened. A friend of the family works there, and asked if Nonnie would meet with the volunteers at the American Cancer Society office that opened that week. As you would imagine, she made a lasting impression with the staff! The volunteers directed her to several bins of reconditioned or donated wigs for cancer patients. She took advantage of a couple that look really cute on her.

The whole family spent the day together at their house yesterday for the first time since early summer. We celebrated Blaine's 11th birthday and the girls entertained us with their dance routines and cute antics. In typical Papa fashion, he made us a BBQ dinner that rivaled any restaurant!

The timing of being able to get everyone together this weekend was perfect! Spending time with all of her grand kids is what N0nnie needed to get the strength she needs to fight her next battle. Nonnie and Papa are going back to UCLA in the morning to start the next round of treatment.

Just Like Old TImes

Last Tuesday, Nonnie and Papa made it safely up to Oregon by early evening. It has been nearly a year since they were up there, when Nonnie actually started feeling some of her early symptoms. I can just imagine their emotions driving over the covered bridge and rounding the corner by the swimming hole, as their house came into view!

As if waiting, the house had all of the lights on, with the smell of home cooking as they walked in the door. Aunt Kathy (Dave's sister) went up to the house to do some dusting and light cleaning in preparation of their arrival. The crock pot was on the counter with a yummy vegetable soup and a loaf of Trader Joe's bread. The air outside was chilly, but the floorboard heaters were also on prior to their arrival. What an awesome sister!

Jack had the yard mowed before they got there and the grass is green as ever! Papa has been putzin' in the yard....which has always been his therapy. The wildlife is in full form up there. Just the other day, there were 7 wild turkeys and a mommy deer with her 2 babies that make their daily appearances. When I was on the phone with Nonnie, the 3 deer came out from the creek and before we got off of the phone, there were 8 deer in the yard as she looked out of her kitchen window. No wonder they love to spend time there with family and friends!