Fourteenth Trip to the NIH

It's been a week since Dan and I were in Bethesda for my NIH 21-month evaluation, and just over a month since we enjoyed a visit from Brianna and her family. Nothing but good news on both occasions! A crazy thing happened though. I mixed up my appointment schedule,flying all the way across the country and showing up for my appointment a week early. True to form, everyone was wonderful and accommodating, making our trip a success.. Lab results were great, with only the absolute lymphocyte count and the Beta-2-microglobulin being slightly elevated. Ibrutinib, now called Imbruvica, my trial drug, was approved for patients with MCL (mantle cell lymphoma) a few months ago. On Feb. 12 of this year, it was also approved for patients with CLL! What a welcome breakthrough! I wondered how this would affect the trial, and thank goodness, it won't. Dr. Farooqui said that study of the long-term effects of the drug are still needed, and that I can continue on the trial for as long as I want to. Oh yes, oh yes, I want to! Good news all around for me, and for many, many others.

It took two expensive tries, but Brianna's parents were finally able to gain permission to enter the US from China, to visit her. They were constantly surprised at the cleanliness of the air, homes, restaurants, and public bathrooms. They even want to move here permanently now. As they walked around Seattle, they marveled at how few people there were to be seen out on the streets. In China, the streets and businesses are always teeming with people. Little 15-month-old Jayden and his grandparents bonded quickly, and Jayden still calls for them even though they returned home several weeks ago. To our great excitement, they made the long drive over the snowy mountains to pay us a visit as well!

I made breakfast and dinner, and Brianna's mom and dad made lunch each day during their stay. Yum, authentic, homemade Chinese food! Actually, anytime I was cooking, they were right there with me helping out. Brianna's dad was my right hand man when I was making cheesecake stuffed strawberries for Valentine's Day. We all thought they were a hit, and they wanted the recipe so that they could make them for their friends at home. All I did was wash and hull the berries, and mix up the cheesecake filling. Her dad did the cutting, and stuffing. Since he loves to sing, we had a karaoke party just for him. Everybody took at least a turn or two, except for Jason and Dan, but they made for an excellent audience, so we let them off easy. Thanks to Colin and Macey for making the karaoke party work out for everyone! And big, big thanks to Jason and Brianna for bringing a weekend full of joy into our home!

This boy wouldn't keep his eyes off Brianna's parents.