Dennis was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma), a type of blood cancer in July, 2012. He received a bone marrow transplant in November of that year. If you would like to read the story of Dennis' diagnosis and his experiences during the first bone marrow transplant, you can find that here:
Hammer Online.
The cancer is back. Chemo began again in July 2014, a different type of chemo series than prescribed the last time. It wasn't exactly the summer we had in mind, but the fight is on! Dennis has responded well to treatment, and a second bone marrow transplant has been scheduled.
Because they are now certified to perform these transplants, the insurance company has approved Spectrum (Butterworth) Hospital in Grand Rapids as the provider. We are happy that the kids and our friends will be close-by and that the 6-months of follow-up appointments will be 20 minutes, and not 3 hours, away.
Dennis has had all of his preoperative scans, x-rays, and the bone marrow biopsy. We are planning a December 29 admission date, when Dennis will receive his PIC line and a very strong chemo treatment. The transplant will be performed on December 30. As last time, we expect that Dennis will be in the hospital for 14-21 days.
I have created this web page so family and friends will be able to read updates and/or leave messages for Dennis during his recovery. Use the tabs at the top of this page to locate the topic you're looking for. Also, you may read any updates you might have missed by selecting the posting date to the right. If you would like to receive updates about Dennis' progress through email, enter your email address in the space in the top right column.
We really appreciate the support our family is receiving from friends. Thank you so much.
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