I mentioned earlier in this blog that Dave and Kristine's friend, Hayato Yuuki, had purchased 200 Leukemia Awareness wristbands which he will be using to raise funds to help cover Kristine's medical costs and daycare expenses. Hayato is asking for a minimum of $10 per bracelet or more if willing and able to do so. Our cousin, Tim Seifert, in Florida also purchased 200 wristbands to help raise funds on the East Coast. Many have voiced or emailed an interest in these wristbands and wanted to know how to get one. You can get them several ways: You can contact Hayato Yuuki via facebook or by calling 714-924-5268. Or you can contact Tim Seifert via facebook or by calling 386-689-1557. Or you may simply mail a check made payable to Kristine DuFrene. Mail the check along with a note stating the number of bands you would like to:
Kristine DuFrene
c/o Deb Smith
34 Dragonfly
Irvine, CA 92604
Deb Smith is Kristine and Dave's neighbor and a close personal friend who is helping out the family by coordinating the distribution of the wristbands to those interested in making a donation by mail.
Another close personal friend of Dave and Kristine's, Dee Pernesky, is also coordinating the distribution of the wristbands at the Albertson's store in Irvine on the corner of Jeffrey and Roosevelt where Kristine used to work. Please feel free to stop by this store of Albertson's to obtain your wristband through Dee.
Please utilize any of these people to obtain one of these wristbands to help this cause.
One more thing... I heard some people thought Kristine was cured. This is not true. Kristine is not yet cured. Kristine underwent chemo to try to kill the leukemia (cancer) cells that were in her blood. The chemo worked and killed the cancer cells. However, now we have to see if Kristine's body can make new cells without the cancer cells coming back. Ultimately, Kristine will need a bone marrow transplant in order to be completely cured. While we are all elated that the chemo did it's job, that was only phase one of many more phases to come. Kristine's road to a hopeful cure is a long one. Please do NOT stop your prayer circles around the world just yet... we still need you!
DuFrene Family
Such a beautiful family!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Day 16
I had a sleepover with Kristine last night. Upon arrival, I was pulled aside by the charge nurse and notified that Kristine would be changing rooms that evening. I was surprised given the hour, it was eleven o'clock. So away I went, packing up everything in Kristine's room for her to be transferred somewhere else in the Oncology unit.
Apparently Kristine's room was the only room in the hospital that was equipped and properly ventilated for a person with a communicable disease, like tuberculosis. There had been an individual admitted into the ER who required Kristine's room. So arrangements were made and patients played "musical rooms" to the chiming of the midnight bells.
It made for a late night for Kristine and I but we got her mostly settled by 1:30AM. She is now housed in room 239. We curled up in our blankets, she in her bed and I in the makeshift hospital converter chair. We both had a decent amount of rest though we were anxious for morning to come with the news of her test results.
Morning arrived with a visit from an old friend. Kristine and I were slow to reach the full upright position, but eventually did so and enjoyed our visit with Scott. Dave soon arrived as did our dad, with breakfast in tote. Kristine had a good appetite and ate her french toast. (Thanks Momma, it was yummy!!!) A headache soon followed and we all did what we could to help ease her pain.
To pass the time as we awaited Dr. Jacoub's arrival, I continued to organize Kristine's room. The hours passed one by one. My dad and I expected the doctor to arrive between ten and eleven. Dave said he probably wouldn't arrive until possibly twelve or one. By 2pm, we started to let our minds wander as to why he hadn't come to tell us the news yet. Was he busy planning Kristine's next form of treatment? Was it going to be another regimen of chemo? Or was it going to be a treatment to help her bone marrow start producing blood cells?
Around quarter to 3pm, I called Dr. Jacoub's office to get an estimate on his ETA. He immediately rushed over to Kristine's room and gave us the news -- perfect. Yes, that's what he said, "Perfect!" Kristine's test results had come back showing no leukemia cells. The chemo had worked. We all let out a sigh of relief and tears welled in our eyes. Kristine had just overcome one HUGE hurdle in this journey. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS!!!
Though this was GREAT news, we knew Kristine would still have long road to full recovery. Now she will begin her treatment which will come in the form of injections to induce her bone marrow to start manufacturing her own blood cells. This process will approximately 7 to 10 days. After this time, if things go as planned, Kristine's blood levels should reach a normal level. Kristine will undergo evaluation for her the next step in her treatment which will be at either Cedars Sinai or City of Hope. Assuming she's a good candidate for a bone marrow transplant which is what Kristine's needs as a cure to her leukemia, my sisters and I will then be tested to see if one of us is a match.
At this time, Kristine has absolutely NO IMMUNE SYSTEM. She has no way of fighting off any "bugs" she is exposed to. Dr. Jacoub said it is imperative Kristine does not develop a fever. Dave is asking she have no visitors until her blood levels reach a normal level. However, he encourages you to call her with well wishes, but please try to keep the calls fairly short as she is still weary and continues to suffer the effects of chemo.
So, on to the next chapter in this saga. I want to apologize for getting this news out to you so late. You have no idea how many times I've tried to finish writing this blog today. Another big thank you to all our prayer warriors out there!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! MUCH LOVE, APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE TO ALL!!!
Apparently Kristine's room was the only room in the hospital that was equipped and properly ventilated for a person with a communicable disease, like tuberculosis. There had been an individual admitted into the ER who required Kristine's room. So arrangements were made and patients played "musical rooms" to the chiming of the midnight bells.
It made for a late night for Kristine and I but we got her mostly settled by 1:30AM. She is now housed in room 239. We curled up in our blankets, she in her bed and I in the makeshift hospital converter chair. We both had a decent amount of rest though we were anxious for morning to come with the news of her test results.
Morning arrived with a visit from an old friend. Kristine and I were slow to reach the full upright position, but eventually did so and enjoyed our visit with Scott. Dave soon arrived as did our dad, with breakfast in tote. Kristine had a good appetite and ate her french toast. (Thanks Momma, it was yummy!!!) A headache soon followed and we all did what we could to help ease her pain.
To pass the time as we awaited Dr. Jacoub's arrival, I continued to organize Kristine's room. The hours passed one by one. My dad and I expected the doctor to arrive between ten and eleven. Dave said he probably wouldn't arrive until possibly twelve or one. By 2pm, we started to let our minds wander as to why he hadn't come to tell us the news yet. Was he busy planning Kristine's next form of treatment? Was it going to be another regimen of chemo? Or was it going to be a treatment to help her bone marrow start producing blood cells?
Around quarter to 3pm, I called Dr. Jacoub's office to get an estimate on his ETA. He immediately rushed over to Kristine's room and gave us the news -- perfect. Yes, that's what he said, "Perfect!" Kristine's test results had come back showing no leukemia cells. The chemo had worked. We all let out a sigh of relief and tears welled in our eyes. Kristine had just overcome one HUGE hurdle in this journey. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS!!!
Though this was GREAT news, we knew Kristine would still have long road to full recovery. Now she will begin her treatment which will come in the form of injections to induce her bone marrow to start manufacturing her own blood cells. This process will approximately 7 to 10 days. After this time, if things go as planned, Kristine's blood levels should reach a normal level. Kristine will undergo evaluation for her the next step in her treatment which will be at either Cedars Sinai or City of Hope. Assuming she's a good candidate for a bone marrow transplant which is what Kristine's needs as a cure to her leukemia, my sisters and I will then be tested to see if one of us is a match.
At this time, Kristine has absolutely NO IMMUNE SYSTEM. She has no way of fighting off any "bugs" she is exposed to. Dr. Jacoub said it is imperative Kristine does not develop a fever. Dave is asking she have no visitors until her blood levels reach a normal level. However, he encourages you to call her with well wishes, but please try to keep the calls fairly short as she is still weary and continues to suffer the effects of chemo.
So, on to the next chapter in this saga. I want to apologize for getting this news out to you so late. You have no idea how many times I've tried to finish writing this blog today. Another big thank you to all our prayer warriors out there!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! MUCH LOVE, APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE TO ALL!!!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Day 15
Kristine had another peaceful night of sleep thanks to a medication called Percocet. :) She's been in a great mood all morning and actually has her appetite back! So I'm off to go grab her some breakfast as she still cannot stomach the hospital food. LOL!!
Earlier this morning, Dr. Jacoub extracted some bone marrow from Kristine. She said Dr. Jacoub took his time and did such an excellent job that it didn't even hurt. The last bone marrow test wasn't done by Dr. Jacoub, so in the future, if she ever needs another bone marrow test, we're going to try to make sure Dr. Jacoub is available to do the extraction.
So now we wait for the news tomorrow. Please keep praying!!!
Earlier this morning, Dr. Jacoub extracted some bone marrow from Kristine. She said Dr. Jacoub took his time and did such an excellent job that it didn't even hurt. The last bone marrow test wasn't done by Dr. Jacoub, so in the future, if she ever needs another bone marrow test, we're going to try to make sure Dr. Jacoub is available to do the extraction.
So now we wait for the news tomorrow. Please keep praying!!!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Day 13 & 14
Most of yesterday was pretty rough for Kristine. She had a terrible night becoming sick to her stomach and suffering from a debilitating headache from 8pm and lasting until 3pm the following day. After a long nap, she felt pretty good and was able to eat a bit and take a shower. The doctor evaluated Kristine's "chart" and believe there is a correlation between one of her antibiotics and the onset of her headaches. So he prescribed something a little stronger than Tylenol which allowed Kristine to get a good night of much needed rest.
So today has been a pretty good day thus far. Kristine had a nice long visit with our parents, then Kathy and I were allowed to take her for a short walk along the halls of her floor. Kristine has to wear a face mask and gloves to keep the germs away and we give her a blanket to keep her warm. She enjoys being able to get out of her room, though it isn't that often as she has not been feeling well enough to do so.
Tomorrow Kristine will undergo a bone marrow biopsy. Kristine isn't looking forward to the procedure as it is very painful, but she is optomistic that the results will be exactly what we're all praying for. I'll be sure to provide the results as soon as we find out as I know all of you are anxiously awaiting the news just as we are.
Until then, thank you everyone for your warm wishes, loving prayers and beautiful cards. They lift Kristine's spirits more than you know!
So today has been a pretty good day thus far. Kristine had a nice long visit with our parents, then Kathy and I were allowed to take her for a short walk along the halls of her floor. Kristine has to wear a face mask and gloves to keep the germs away and we give her a blanket to keep her warm. She enjoys being able to get out of her room, though it isn't that often as she has not been feeling well enough to do so.
Tomorrow Kristine will undergo a bone marrow biopsy. Kristine isn't looking forward to the procedure as it is very painful, but she is optomistic that the results will be exactly what we're all praying for. I'll be sure to provide the results as soon as we find out as I know all of you are anxiously awaiting the news just as we are.
Until then, thank you everyone for your warm wishes, loving prayers and beautiful cards. They lift Kristine's spirits more than you know!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Day 12
Kristine isn't feeling good at all today as you can see from the Day 12 photo. She's been suffering from more tummy issues, nausea and a severe headache. They believe the headaches are being caused by low hemoglobin so Kristine is receiving two blood transfusions this afternoon. Hopefully this will help as it is so hard to see her so uncomfortable and in so much pain. :(
Today Kristine received some wonderful gifts blessed by Pope Benedetto XVI from her relatives on the East Coast. She sends her thanks and knows these gifts and prayers will help bring her cure.
I'll try to give an update later this evening. For now, let's all pray the headaches, nausea and tummy issues subside.
Today Kristine received some wonderful gifts blessed by Pope Benedetto XVI from her relatives on the East Coast. She sends her thanks and knows these gifts and prayers will help bring her cure.
I'll try to give an update later this evening. For now, let's all pray the headaches, nausea and tummy issues subside.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Day 11
Kristine is having a really good day today, at least, for the most part. She finally ate and her tummy issues are subsiding. Last week, she had been gaining a pound a day, but in the past two days she has lost 20 lbs. Most of it was just fluids, but she is down a little from her normal weight before she was hospitalized. We are hoping we can keep her eating so she can keep up her strength.
However, that can be a difficult task. Kristine doesn't like to eat most of the meals provided to her by the hospital. As most of you know, Kristine is a very picky eater. Thank goodness our mother is in town to make Kristine some of the foods she really enjoys. She's on a restricted diet due to her compromised immune system, so trying to find foods on the approved list that Kristine will actually eat is not easy, especially when she doesn't feel like eating at all.
By the way, Kristine has plenty of bottled water for the time being. Thank you to everyone who brought in her favorite Fiji water. And thank you to everyone who has been sending in cards. She really enjoys reading them. We have them hung up on the wall in her room. It not only brightens up her room, but it also brightens Kristine's spirits.
However, that can be a difficult task. Kristine doesn't like to eat most of the meals provided to her by the hospital. As most of you know, Kristine is a very picky eater. Thank goodness our mother is in town to make Kristine some of the foods she really enjoys. She's on a restricted diet due to her compromised immune system, so trying to find foods on the approved list that Kristine will actually eat is not easy, especially when she doesn't feel like eating at all.
By the way, Kristine has plenty of bottled water for the time being. Thank you to everyone who brought in her favorite Fiji water. And thank you to everyone who has been sending in cards. She really enjoys reading them. We have them hung up on the wall in her room. It not only brightens up her room, but it also brightens Kristine's spirits.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Day 10
First of all, I want to mention that the results from Kristine's spinal fluid test came back today and it was negative. Hallelujah!! No cancer cells in her spine. Thank goodness!! However, Dr. Jacoub said she is nowhere near out of the woods yet.
Me, Dave and my parents met with Dr. Jacoub today. He briefed us on what Kristine's condition was at the time of admission, what her current course of treatment is and what will be happening in the days to come.
Upon admission, Kristine was extremely ill, even though she didn't know it and only thought she was suffering from a very painful sore throat. In fact, had that last doctor she saw on 2/25 not ordered a full blood work up, she probably would have passed away within several weeks. A normal white blood cell count is around 11,500 and Kristine's was at 123,000! This causes the blood's to thicken, it loses its viscosity. Most individuals with a count that high would've been lethargic and suffering from shortness of breath and memory loss (dazed and confused). Kristine didn't present with these symptoms. Dr. Jacoub said it probably has to do with the fact that she is so young and was in good health prior to acquiring the leukemia compared to most individuals who have AML who are typically elderly and not in as good of health. So these two factors are playing in her favor.
They have been doing chromosomal testing on the cancer cells to determine the specific subtype of AML Kristine has which will help determine her course of treatment moving forward. So far, the testing has resulted in a normal 23 chromosomes from mom and 23 from dad, XX (girl) with no extra chromosomes. More sensitive testing is still being completed.
Kristine underwent 7 days of chemo which began March 1st. Then they wait seven days and do a bone marrow biopsy. We want the test results to reveal a cell count of less than 5%. If so, they will then treat her to get her marrow to start making blood cells again. Hopefully she will go into remission and no more cancer cells will develop.
Assuming all goes well and Kristine does go into remission, Dr. Jacoub will consult with his colleagues at Cedars and they will determine whether or not she is a candidate for at-home chemo maintenance or a bone marrow transplant. If she's a good candidate for a transplant, siblings make the best donors. Luckily there are 3 of us AND Dave and Kristine had Logan's cord blood collected and stored. It appeared as if Dr. Jacoub was pleasantly surprised by this news. He explained that though there isn't necessarily enough cord blood to make up for a larger body mass of an adult vs a child, the stem cells in the cord blood play an important role in the production of new, healthy blood cells.
Now, if her marrow test comes back with a count higher than 5%, then she must undergo a new regimen of chemo for seven days and the process starts all over again.
So we all need to focus all of our positive energy and prayers on a cell count of less than 5%!
Kristine had a pretty good day today. She still has a touch of upset tummy and she is very tired. She is resting now. Hopefully I will be able to take her for that walk she wanted to take earlier. We ended up having to wait because her blood pressure dropped (85/45). She was also running a low grade fever earlier which has gone away -- thank goodness! We cannot have Kristine get any infections!! They gave her some fluids to help bring her pressure back up so that's good news too. It's nice to see Kristine getting some much needed rest.
Me, Dave and my parents met with Dr. Jacoub today. He briefed us on what Kristine's condition was at the time of admission, what her current course of treatment is and what will be happening in the days to come.
Upon admission, Kristine was extremely ill, even though she didn't know it and only thought she was suffering from a very painful sore throat. In fact, had that last doctor she saw on 2/25 not ordered a full blood work up, she probably would have passed away within several weeks. A normal white blood cell count is around 11,500 and Kristine's was at 123,000! This causes the blood's to thicken, it loses its viscosity. Most individuals with a count that high would've been lethargic and suffering from shortness of breath and memory loss (dazed and confused). Kristine didn't present with these symptoms. Dr. Jacoub said it probably has to do with the fact that she is so young and was in good health prior to acquiring the leukemia compared to most individuals who have AML who are typically elderly and not in as good of health. So these two factors are playing in her favor.
They have been doing chromosomal testing on the cancer cells to determine the specific subtype of AML Kristine has which will help determine her course of treatment moving forward. So far, the testing has resulted in a normal 23 chromosomes from mom and 23 from dad, XX (girl) with no extra chromosomes. More sensitive testing is still being completed.
Kristine underwent 7 days of chemo which began March 1st. Then they wait seven days and do a bone marrow biopsy. We want the test results to reveal a cell count of less than 5%. If so, they will then treat her to get her marrow to start making blood cells again. Hopefully she will go into remission and no more cancer cells will develop.
Assuming all goes well and Kristine does go into remission, Dr. Jacoub will consult with his colleagues at Cedars and they will determine whether or not she is a candidate for at-home chemo maintenance or a bone marrow transplant. If she's a good candidate for a transplant, siblings make the best donors. Luckily there are 3 of us AND Dave and Kristine had Logan's cord blood collected and stored. It appeared as if Dr. Jacoub was pleasantly surprised by this news. He explained that though there isn't necessarily enough cord blood to make up for a larger body mass of an adult vs a child, the stem cells in the cord blood play an important role in the production of new, healthy blood cells.
Now, if her marrow test comes back with a count higher than 5%, then she must undergo a new regimen of chemo for seven days and the process starts all over again.
So we all need to focus all of our positive energy and prayers on a cell count of less than 5%!
Kristine had a pretty good day today. She still has a touch of upset tummy and she is very tired. She is resting now. Hopefully I will be able to take her for that walk she wanted to take earlier. We ended up having to wait because her blood pressure dropped (85/45). She was also running a low grade fever earlier which has gone away -- thank goodness! We cannot have Kristine get any infections!! They gave her some fluids to help bring her pressure back up so that's good news too. It's nice to see Kristine getting some much needed rest.
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