Updates: The updates are basically the reality of this week. Things are moving very quickly, and Makoto will be home this weekend! There are very good signs that Makoto’s donor cells have engrafted, and now we will be on the lookout for Graft Versus Host symptoms, but this is a huge huge huge positive step….
Author: Aaron
Rock Bottom どん底
Updates: It seemed to take a long time, but Makoto’s counts have finally reached their nadir. Her platelet counts were low enough yesterday morning that she received her first transfusion of platelets. The doctors have all said that she is right on course and now we wait for the graft to take over and her…
End of the Beginning 始まりの終わり
Updates: It’s a pretty small bag for all that fuss, but here are the magic cells. It was, as the nurses and doctors described, somewhat of a non-event. The cells arrived and they infused them with some other fluids. Makoto was watched very carefully for another hour and then everything went back to normal, or…
Modern Wonders 現代の奇跡
Updates: Somewhere in Japan, maybe yesterday, maybe today, a person is taking time out of their daily life to go to a medical clinic, probably near a major airport. They will be hooked up to a machine that will sort through the different cells in their blood and filter out the stem cells, the special…
First Day 初日
After a long wait and weeks of preparation, Makoto is now in the hospital and ready to start treatment. The day was extremely full with tests, paperwork, and the placement of a special kind of line that allows chemotherapy, medication, and blood to be given/taken easily. After the placement she is a little tired and…
Getting Real いよいよ現実に
Updates: We wanted to update everyone quickly on the date that Makoto will start treatment. Makoto is trying to wrap up her work, socialize as much as possible, and get mentally prepared. It’s becoming very real to us, and the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. Thank you everyone for your continued…
The Only Way Out Is Through やり抜くしかない道はない
Updates: Nearly all AML patients get a Stem Cell Transplant. They are so common that during Makoto’s initial treatment it was assumed that she would get one and much of the groundwork had already been done, including testing her siblings for compatibility and reaching out to five potential unrelated donors to see if they were…
Eye of the Storm 嵐の目
Updates: Up until now, everything has been completely fine and normal. Makoto has become strong and healthy, her blood counts have normalized, her tests have been completely clear. Our masks have generally come off, we have traveled, worked, lived, and moved forward. But every few weeks or months, we did our scan anxiety dance and…
In The Waiting Line 待機中
Updates: It’s safe to say that the events of the last year or so year have caught up with me, and I have generally put down anything that isn’t work, family, friends, and leisure. Emphasis on leisure. Consequently, it has taken me a bit of time to write this. We had also been waiting for…
Sushi For Dinner 夕食は寿司
Updates: It always seems to be the case that the first blood parts that return to full strength after treatment are the white blood cells and the neutrophils. These are the main immune cells, and thankfully their return means that Makoto is now less compromised and can return to some normal habits. The first thing…