Story
Ways to help quick reference:
Sing up on calendar for:
Help with care for Lochlan (school pickups/drop offs, playdates)
Visiting Kezia at the hospital (boston-Brigham and Women's)
Meals for Mike and Lochlan in Danvers
See wishlist for:
grocery gift cards - we also use Trader Joes and Market Basket for groceries (this site doesn't have those to add to that list)
(also, we have been asked to add an amazon wish list - Kezia will add
soon)
See other ways to support for:
Financial Donations through paypal to help with costs/bills (Got my massHealth back, but have to pay a premium for it out of pocket. Plus need help with bills and other costs during transplant stay and recovery.)
Update about Schedule:
New aphaeresis dates for Kezia - Novembe 12-15
New admission date for start of chemo and transplant - November 18.
Kezia will be in the hospital for 3-4 weeks starting then.
After living with relapsed Hodgkin's Lymphoma for the past 5 and a half years, I found out in June that my cancer is finally in remission. I finished 6 rounds of the chemo combination that helped me reach this milestone, and I have been working with my doctors to navigate and weigh out the next steps of treatment. We have come to the decision that completing an Autologus Stem Cell Transplant is the best chance for an extended time of remission of my disease. This treatment is one I have not wanted to endure, however I know that at this time, its my best chance to get a break from treatment and try and stay cancer free for as long as possible.
This treatment will mean I will be hospitalized for 3 weeks and on very tight restrictions following for 3 months, with additional restrictions for a year. I will be sharing here ways that people can help. Emily Tilley will be helping to coordinate through this website, and will be a good point person to ask questions or offer help. Mike and Lochlan will be balancing school, work and caregiving, and will need some extra support during this time as well.
I am grateful for all of those who have helped us over the years, and are continuing their help and support of our family now. There is a donation link connected here as well that goes directly into my cancer treatment fundraising account.
I will be adding more details and specifics here in the next days, and we will keep this link updated as a way to keep things centralized. I will also try and mirror on my blog so that people can see without logging in, but this site will be the priority.
Thank you all for everything! Let's keep cancer away!
Special Notes
for info on Autologus Stem Cell Transplant and the process, visit
https://sctpatiented.dana-farber.org/ (the password is dfci)
In short, I will get 6 days of high dose chemo that will completely wipe out my bone marrow, and subsequently my immune system. They will then give me back my stem cells to help my bone marrow recover and be able to make red, white and platelet cells again.
MEAL DELIVERY:
Meals for Lochlan and Mike during November/December are greatly appreciated. Please put in individual or small portions if possible as sometimes unexpected things come up and taking out one to two portions is ideal for food safety.
Address for drop off:
8 Ingersoll St
Danvers, MA
Grocery stores we use: Stop and shop, Market Basket, Trader Joe's
DIETARY RESTRICTIONS:
Meals for Lochlan and Mike:
If you would like to drop off meals to be eaten by Lochlan and Mike, here are their restrictions for food.
Lochlan cannot have: red food dye, and doesn't eat too much diary.
He loves fruits, veggies, chicken, rice, beans, eggs, bacon, and meatloaf (he eats pretty much anything and everything- constantly)
Mike cannot have:
raw fruits and veggies, lemon, avocado, apple (of any kind!), watermelon, whole kernel corn (corn meal/oil ok), whole/chunks nuts or seeds (diverticulosis - smooth nut butters/oils and ground seeds/spices ok), and doesn't eat much red meat.
He loves mashed potatoes, corn bread, red beans and rice, ground chicken tacos, green beans, and meatloaf.
Meals for Kezia will be more restricted. If you would like to help with food for Kezia, please consider buying a grocery store gift card for help with supplying groceries that can be cooked safely at home for her compromised immunity. (more info on how to help with food for Kezia will come soon)
Visitors will need to be healthy with ABSOLUTELY NO SIGN OF ILLNESS. Kezia will have no immunity for a sustained period of time during transplant and recovery. If you would like to visit, please text before coming to be sure that there are no status changes on the day. You can text Emily for an update - 978-994-9802
The calendar will help to coordinate meal drop offs, Lochlan's school/activity drop offs and pickups, babysitting when needed, hospital company for Kezia, rides for Kezia when needed, etc. Please sign up through the calendar so that everything is centralized. If you need to change what you signed up for, please also do so through here so it updates and others can trade or volunteer for that time.
Donations can be made through the PayPal link on this site. It goes into a fundraising account specifically separated for Kezia's treatment costs and helping with bills. We appreciate anything - sharing the link included.
Thank you for all of your support. We hope having this all in one place will streamline the process for all of us.
KIND WORDS & COMMENTS