Our Thoughts and Prayers...

I just wanted to post about two things that are important to Dad. First of all .Trent Duvalthe little boy that has inspired Dad so much passed away last week, our thoughts and prayers are with his family. If you haven't read this little boy's blog and some of his entries are truly inspiring.
Second of all Dad's niece Michelle has recently been diagnosed with a tumor and she has a blog for any of those who would like to visit and send their well wishes. Our thoughts and prayers are with Michelle, John, Dee and Anita and their entire family.
To update Dad is doing well he is still getting his platelets checked regularly and as of late they were about 90,000 which is pretty good. Sorry about so long between posts but right now no news is good news! At this time of year we are very grateful that Dad is with us and we are enjoying every minute.

A request from Clair

Hello Everyone, I wanted to put a link to this blog Trent Duval is a little boy who has AML Leukemia also and is from the Sandy/Draper area and has been through every treatment possible to no avail and now has been sent home. His grace and spirit are amazing and Dad was really touched by his story. I would ask you to go to his blog and read this little boys sweet story. Jessica called and told me about and I have been crying now since I read it. They do have a trust fund set up for him, but most importantly just reading about this little boys strength is life changing! Dad continues to feel well and I will update more as soon as we have news.
Thank you all for your support.

Update

Dad went to the hospital yesterday and he found out that his platelets are continuing to go down, but he is still feeling good. They are working on how to get them back up. The good news is there is a definite fuzz to Dad's head right now and it is coming back the same color! YEAH!!

Slide Show

This is a slide show of pictures from a recent family party. Gina and Mel got together and decided we should have a family party while Dad is feeling good right now. Well, it was a wonderful evening full of memories, laughs, tears and lots of love. So here is some memories for anyone who would like to share. And I know all of the family would like to send their prayers and love to Michelle and John in St. Louis, we are praying for you and we hope you are comforted at this time.
As far as an update Dad continues to feel well, we will post anything as soon as we hear. So for right now No news is good news.

Make a Smilebox photobook

Attention anyone who wants to be on the donor list for free!!

I just wanted to let everyone know that right now September 7-22 NASCAR is sponsoring a bone marrow registry drive. You can get on the registry for free and you can do it from home!! Just go to this link http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Events/NASCAR/index.html and you can sign up and do a short medical history and NASCAR will cover the cost of the kit $52. If you were interested in getting on the registry but like everyone else money is a little tight, this would be a great option. Take Care ALL!!
I'm sure Gina and Mel would like me to remind all the family about the birthday party/family picture/potluck day next Saturday at Mom and Dad's church.
Love to you all!

A little post...

So Dad went to the hospital just recently and they told him...See you in thirty days!! Isn't that awesome!!

An Update and an apology...

I wanted to update you all on Dad's condition, things are going really well his platelets have risen to 60,000!!! on their OWN!! He went to go to the hospital about a week and a half ago and they sent him home and told him see you in two weeks! Very good news! We are so grateful for all the thoughts and prayers that have been offered on behalf of Dad. They are obviously working. I apologize for not updating sooner. I have been getting ready to start teaching at the kids school and have been very busy getting everything I need. I will update as soon as I have more info. Thanks again. Bankhead Family.

A side post

This is from Jamie Dad's grandaughter, I talked to Dad about some of kids getting tested and he actually hadn't even thought about it. And when I mentioned this he thought it was a good idea regardless. So if you want to you can contact Jamie to get the details. Here is the post from Jamie.

As much as the doctors say that Grandpa's children and grandchildren are unlikely to be matches, stranger things have happened. I work in organ donation where organs are allocated every day based on many aspects, one of which being antigens. I'm not saying I am an expert by any means, nor am I saying that I know more than the doctors BUT since I work in this field every single day I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of what we are up against. It is my feeling and belief that anyone in the family who wants to be tested as a donor for Grandpa ~or~ to be a donor for someone else in his same situation (believe me, they are out there), I would encourage you to do so. The cost to be tested against Grandpa's antigens alone and done locally in Utah is $355. The cost to join the National Marrow Donor Program to be among the 12,000 U.S. donors is $55. I know money is tight for everyone right now but I can't think of anything that is more important to me. I don't know if anyone reads these comments and I would hope that I haven't offended anyone, I just feel such desperation to find someone to help Grandpa

Not so good news...

Well after having visited with Dad yesterday, the news is not so good. Apparently on top of having unique good looks, Dad also has unique antigens in his blood and they having only been able to find one donor in the world that's right world. It came from Southern Italy and they cannot find this person right now. I offered to go looking for him but no deal. So Dad has said that he is pretty disappointed, he says he feels like in the beginning the doctors really tried to sell him on the bone marrow plan and Dad felt good about it, and now they have for the last week been trying to talk him out of the bone marrow. So we are in a holding pattern to see how he does, his platelet counts are not going up like they have hoped but he is able to get them outpatient at Mckay Dee. He did say he will need to go in next Friday regardless of what happens. But we would ask for your continued prayers. Also even though in the heat of this summer it is hard to imagine but cold and flu season is right around the corner and now more than ever, Dad cannot get sick so please keep that in mind when visiting. Also something to remember is even though it is so natural for all of us, if you could think twice about shaking Dad's hand or even just a put a glove on before you do, (there is some right by the front door and masks too!) It is just such an easy way to pass germs. Thank you again for all your love and prayers and thank you so much to the members of the Layton Hills Stake I took up the guestbook letters and Dad just loved them. Keep them coming he really does appreciate it. Thanks a ton!

Dad is home!

Dad came home today, I don't have much information, but I will update as soon as I see him tomorrow. I am sure he is very glad to be there it has been a while. Thank you all for your comments on the guestbook, I know he appreciates them.

More Update!

Well, Dad is still in the hospital and the word yesterday was that the earliest he could leave was about four days, His platelets are not coming up the way they want them to. Dad has started to bribe and harass the nurses to take him home, but so far they haven't complied. As far as the donor goes, last week someone or somebodies were tested and we are waiting to hear. Dad is still in good spirits as always but he is getting tired of the hospital as we all would. Family members I am sure Gina would like me to remind everyone to not forget to check on Mom, and everyone thanks for everything!! Update more as soon as we know more.

just so you know,

Dad is back in the hospital to get more platlets, the expected stay is 3-4 days, so any of the family remember to check on mom even though she would disagree. I am not sure of Dad's room number but I am sure it is on the 8th floor. Take care all

Platlets

Dad is now being checked daily for platlets (sp?) But he is now able to go up to Mckay Dee to get them, which he really appreciates, he levels were getting down to around 70,000 but they are keeping an eye on him and have it in control. No word yet on a donor but we are still praying it happens soon. Because as Dad says I don't have time for this nonsense in the fall! (Classic Dad!) He continues to feel good so we are so grateful for that. I will update more as soon as we hear anything. Dad was thinking he might have to be admitted at the end of this week.

And Back Home Again!

Clair is back home, probably short term until they check his blood levels again. But we love to see him come home as much as possible. And we know that he is happy to be home. Take care all!

Back to the Chemo!!

Well Dad is back in the hospital for another round of chemo, he is in room 844. They are hopeful to find a donor soon, they are looking for an outside donor. So if you are in the area stop by and see him. He has said in the last couple of days, that this is the best he had felt in months. So that is definitely good news! Thanks to you all!

Happy Fathers Day

I just wanted to post a picture and give a quick update on how Dad is doing. He went into the hospital this week for more tests and thought he was going to stay, and they checked him into a room and then quickly checked him out and he was able to come back home! So we hope that means he is doing well. He seems to be well and his spirits seem to be up as long as he gets to come down to the farm once in a while. This picture was on Father's day I thought they were so cute in their matching masks.

Feeling Better

This week Dad is back in the hospital, but feeling much better than he was the week before. He even said how much better the food tasted. We were wondering if the chemo makes the food taste funny to him. We don't think its a different chef at the hospital. Anyway he should be able to come home this weekend and that always makes him very happy. Thank you to everyone who has left guestbook signatures we try to give them to him as often as we see him. Thank you for all the love and prayers!

Update

Just to let you all know, Dad returned to the hospital on Tuesday the 20th for another round of chemo, and then was able to come home today the 26th. Dad has said that this round has been a little harder on him, he has had a slight fever and not felt quite as good but as he said, lots of people would love to feel as bad as he does. Please continue to keep him and mom in your prayers. Dad will return to the hospital at the latest Thursday the 29th or as soon as his blood levels drop. Dad said today he is concentrating on quality of life and making the most of the time he has at home. Sorry it has been so long between posts I will try to update more often. Thank you all!!

Update!!!

The following is an update from Karen for those of you who did not recieve the email.

Dads visit to the hospital went very well, his blood counts were right where they should be and he had the biopsy done. The first results will be in on Monday which is when the team of Dr's plan to have a meeting regarding dads case. Dad will check back into the hospital on Tuesday afternoon for a round of consolidation therapy (chemo) he will be there anywhere from 5 days to 1 month. Some patients go home after the therapy but have to return a week later when the counts start to drop, others go home and stay unless they develop a fever or infection others (usually older) stay in the hospital the entire time.

Lois Fay is a match for the transplant but they are looking at all possibilities and pros and cons of using a related donor versus someone else. Lois Fay will still have to pass the physical and family history prior to the transplant if they choose to use her. One pro of using an unrelated donor is the chance of it coming back is lower than when a related donor is used.

You can't keep a good man down!

In true Clair Bankhead fashion, Guess who came down with Dan on the farm today?? You guessed it that's right Dad was down here gloved and masked but here all the same. He claimed it was the best therapy he had. He told us he was having a pity party (I thinks he's allowed) but coming down to the farm helped him. The grandkids were excited to see him too, and he was excited to show them his bald head. It was so good to see his spirits up! It's funny what cows and kids can do for a man!!

Good News

Dad is coming home today, Amazing, we thought it would take much longer. However, Dad is a little hesitant about going home though he is worried that he will get sick again and be in worse shape than he is now. So we do still need to remember to be very careful, children and sick adults are still not a good idea. We can still send our love however especially because now Dad has the internet at home. (See what happens when you go in the hospital for a couple of days...mom goes high tech:) ) So he will be able to read the guestbook signatures right from home. Here is the latest picture of dad with a fancy hat that a neighbor made for him. Thank you for all the prayers and support, they must really be working for him to be going home so soon!!

Info on Bone Marrow

The following is information given by Jamie, (dad's grand daughter about bone marrow donation for those of you who are wondering. Thanks Jamie!

Many people have asked me if the office I work in handles bone marrow transplants and unfortunately the answer is no- we do organ and tissue donors & transplants. But I have been able to put together some information about bone marrow transplants (BMT) for those of you who have questions. This can get a little complicated and I’m going to try to explain it the best I can, in as basic terms as I can, so bear with me.

The best news I have is that you do not need to have the same blood type as Grandpa (that’s what he is to me so that’s how I will be referring to him here) to be a bone marrow donor. That said, it is highly unlikely that any of us (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren) will be compatible matches. Siblings are likely to be the best matches, but another relative matching wouldn’t be unheard of. Now for the not-so-exciting part; a bone marrow donor needs to match exactly 10 specific human leukocyte antigens (HLA). An HLA is one of a group of proteins found on the surface of white blood cells and other cells that play an important part in the body's immune response to foreign substances. Let me give you an example: in organ donation, when we match kidneys to recipients, we look at certain HLAs. If a donor and recipient match the 6 antigens that we look at, we call it a “perfect match” or “zero mismatch”. It is not necessary in kidney donation for all 6 antigens to match in all cases in order for the body not to reject that kidney (through the use of medications and the knowledge of which antigens are compatible with other antigens and such). The majority of organ transplants are not perfect matches. So, as you can see, finding a donor who has all 10 matching antigens is going to be quite a feat…but NOT IMPOSSIBLE!

I’m not sure how Grandpa’s doctors plan to go about testing as I am never there when the doctors come in because (knowing me and my outspoken personality) I’d be all over them like white on rice. I’d like to find out how many family members can be tested by the insurance & what criteria they need to meet before testing could even be started. I wonder if any of the family members, who wish to, could be tested at their own expense if the insurance will not cover it. I suggest none of this be done until Spence & Lois Fay are tested because the doctors believe they are the best chances. After that I believe that anyone in the family who wants to be considered should be able to in some way or another. We just need to discover how to go about doing that.

There is a national bone marrow registry that you can join to be a donor for anyone nationally who needs a transplant. This will be where they find a donor for Grandpa if one isn’t found in the family. The way you join this registry is by logging online or calling on the phone and paying for a test kit. The test kit costs $52 and is sent to your home. Currently it is a cheek swab that you can do yourself, you send it back in and they are able to determine your HLA type & put you on the registry. Should your HLA match someone in need (like Grandpa) you will be called and further evaluation will be done. 10 years ago when I joined the registry it cost $30 and a vial of blood to join so times have changed but the cheek swab at home is so much more convenient. The website www.marrow.org has a ton of great information about bone marrow donation and is also where the registry is kept if you want more information about it. If any of you have specific questions about any of what I have presented here, feel free to email me at jamienewman79gmail.com. (You’ll have to put the @ symbol in yourself when emailing me- I don’t post my email address as a way to avoid spam). Below is a little info that I pulled of the NMDP website about why bone marrow donors are needed and what the donation process entails:
If you match the tissue type of a patient seeking a donor, additional testing will confirm the results. You will meet with donor counselors at the Blood Center who will help you make an informed decision about donating your blood stem cells.
The marrow collection process usually does not require an overnight stay in the hospital. The procedure itself is painless, because it is performed under anesthesia. But, for an average of two weeks following the procedure, most donors experience sore hips and some must restrict their activities. Even with some soreness, most donors report that donating marrow is a very positive experience and that they would be willing to donate again.
The donated marrow is transfused to the patient, whose diseased cells have been destroyed by intensive chemotherapy. In time, the donated marrow engrafts and begins producing healthy blood cells.

Don't forget to look at the new picture of dad below. Have a wonderful day!!

A big beautiful head!

I just thought I would post a picture of Dad with his big beautiful head!

Good News

We recieved very good news yesterday, Dad got his results from the first round of Chemo and it WORKED!!! Dad has to go through one more round of a less intense chemo and then wait another sixteen days after that round and some more tests he might be able to do a bone marrow. However as of yet we do not have a donor, in the next of couple of days, Dad's granddaughter Jamie will be letting me know what is involved to donate or find out if you are compatible, for those of you who are interested. We have tested one of dad's brothers and he is not a match. They prefer a sibling but from there they will take a child, or a stranger that is a match. So as soon as I get the info I will post it on here. But today is a good day with lots of good news.

Well it happened

Well yesterday Clair got a new hair cut. That's right it was starting to fall out and bug him so the nurses took care of the rest. When asked how he was about it, he replied by saying "I never realized I had such a long skinny head." Overall he is feeling okay, he tends to feel sick when he gets platlets or blood but they have medicine for that and get mad at him if he doesn't tell them when he is feeling sick, (which he has done). So for now on we go, the tests to see if he has to have another round of chemo should be back within the next couple of days.
Also the nurses and doctors have asked us to remind everyone to please not bring children up to see Clair. He is doing really well right now and we just want to keep that going, his immune system is still very weak. I know this has been very hard on my kids and I know it is hard on everyone, we have just told them that if we keep Grandpa well, then we will be able to see him sooner, and we have been drawing lots of pictures and writing letters. Grandpa has a board in his room that we hung up on Sunday, that says 'We Love Our Grandpa' and you can color or write anything for him and he can look at it all the time and feel our love. I will update as soon as I get more news.

A post away from hospital talk

So a couple of days after the diagnosis when things were looking pretty grim I was able to catch a moment between two grandsons of Clair that a thought was worth sharing. Caden and Brody were on the farm with Dan taking care of some of the business that has to happen there and I looked out my window and was able to sneak out and capture the pictures below and the words of Caden that brought tears to my eyes. Here we all are us grown ups feeling helpless on many different levels. And the kids don't understand why or what is happening but out of this was these two little boys who adore their grandpa trying to do something.

As these two were cleaning off the back of the truck, Caden turned around to his Dad and said "Look Dad we are helping Grandpa!" I know that at least at that moment they truly helped me get some perspective and hope! Thanks Boys.

Waiting to see how it worked.

Tests have been run on Dad to see how the chemo worked, they have to wait nine days to test it and see how the cells are growing, Please don't quote me on any of this but I think that it is the jist of it. Dad still feels okay not great but just a little ill and he STILL has his HAIR!! I should tease him that he needs to get sick or lose his hair so I would have something to post on here. But really I am happy he is doing so well. He was a little hoarse yesterday, probably from yelling at the Jazz.
Also some of you have wondered if Dad has seen the blog or the guestbook we are printing off the guestbook signatures once a week and taking them to him. Also his daughter Karen was going to take her laptop up to the hospital so he can see the blog. And it just occured to me if anyone in the family has blogs or family websites, I would love to post them at the bottom of this blog in an attempt to help keep the family close and informed. I know Jamie Newman has one and I will post hers and mine but that is all I know so far, I will also put on there how you are related in the family i.e. Clair's grand daughter, Dee's daughter etc., so don't be shy you can email me the address at shannon@bankheadwoodworks.com Love to you all and thank you for all your prayers.

So Far So Good

Well Clair finished his first round of chemo last night and stills feels pretty good. We are all hoping that it last and as of last night he still had a full head of hair, but as I am writing this, this morning he might be waking up to no hair. But he is in good spirits and except for getting tired he feels good I told him to do something so I could post more, but as of right now No news is good news. Keep those prayers coming it is definitely working.

Who Needs HAIR???

Well Clair is doing really well, all things considered. He feels really good considering the chemo is pumping through him constantly. He has not however felt sick at all. He tires easily but he says he feels good right now. However, that big beautiful head of white hair is about to leave him shortly. They told him that Tuesday or Wednesday it would start falling out and they will take care of the rest for him so he doesn't have a bunch or stragglers. So here is our chance to give him some cool hats, his niece Michelle already sent a ST. Louis baseball cap that I'm pretty sure Dad could use if he ever takes up a Rap star career. Anyway Dad really appreciated and got a kick out of it. He also is getting quite a few pictures from grand kids and great grand kids. Thank you for all of your well wishes and prayers. We know that is why Dad is doing so good so far. I took him the messages from the guestbook today and he really loved reading them.

A very special visitor

Clair had a visitor today that truly touched his spirit.... of course how could you not be spiritually touched by Henry B Eyring, he talked with him and expressed the love of the prophet to Dad. What wonderful men these men are to stop in and look after our Dad. Plus anyone who sees Dad in the next week will hear this story I PROMISE!! Anything to lift his spirits right now.

Moved to the Penthouse

Clair was moved today from one room to another and the nurses told him, that it is the best in the whole unit. Nothing less for our favorite guy!! He said that he feels pretty good and hasn't felt any side effects yet. Hopefully this will continue. The new number for his room will be,
801-408-3854. Be sure to drop him a note in the guestbook if you would like to.

Chemo here we come!

Clair has decided to go through with the chemotherapy and will start it immediately. This is a very aggressive chemotherapy and will likely make him quite ill, so please keep that in mind when visiting. He will also be very prone to infection which is really not good for him. If you would like to send a message to him or let him know how you feel you may sign on the guestbook to the right of this screen and we will print them off every couple of days and take them to him. I am sure he would love to read and hear them. We really appreciate all the love and support we have recieved thus far to Clair and Mary Jean and the family. We continue to hope and pray and ask you to do the same.

Update

I know many of you were waiting to hear what Clair had decided yesterday but they are still collecting information on his condition, he has some lumps in his face and neck which has somewhat stumped the doctors, so he doesn't feel confident in making a decision until he has all the facts. And in true Clair Bankhead fashion he would never rush into anything and make a hasty decision. So as soon as we know more I will update the blog. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, it really does help.

Waiting to hear.

I wasn't going to post anything yet but I just thought I would do a quick update on what is happening for those that are wondering. Dad has to make a decision about how he wants to deal with the disease. So we are at a wait and see period. For the rest of you who are wondering Mom is doing okay right now, well as well can be expected and she is a true blue awesome woman that she is, we are all in a state of shock right now, because as my daughter put it, "Grandpa was just feeding cows the other day?!" I will update as much as I can. Keep praying!