Update Pages
(please click on the link above for info through Feb. 2006 -- the transplant process and beyond)
December, 2005
Ryan George Parker.....Survivor Update
Thanks to all the relatives and friends who've asked about how things have been going, and for all the kind thoughts and prayers. It's been a challenging year, but we've been blessed and fortunate to have received such generous support and encouragement.
Ryan was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease back in April. Chemotherapy treatments began in early May, while he continued to play baseball and complete the first semester of his senior year at Indiana University.
Ryan connects against the Wolverines..... A nice grab & toss for an out against OSU....
Hodgkins is considered a highly treatable cancer, and Ryan's youth and outstanding physical condition made everything look even more positive....and his personal positive outlook made it clear that he intended to be a survivor and more.
The bi-weekly treatments in Bloomington stretched through the summer, and he kept up with baseball by playing with the Delaware Cows in the Great Lakes League. Ryan was originally signed to play with the Harrisonburg (VA) Turks in the Valley League for the summer, but thanks to the kindness of the Cows' organization, he was able to spend the summer at home in Ohio while making the daytrips for treatments to the IMA Center back in Indiana.
All seemed to be going as well as expected, and the oncology staff in Bloomington was incredibly helpful and understanding. Side effects were minimal, and it was difficult to tell what Ryan was experiencing....he even kept most of his hair. Everyone was looking forward to a great end of the story come Fall.
Just before his anticipated 12th and final ABVD chemo treatment, he realized that two of the small tumors had reappeared.....PET and CT scans confirmed that while tumor activity elsewhere had stopped, these two were a different story. After consultation with Dr. Dayton, his Bloomington oncologist, along with Dr. Akards and his colleagues at St. Francis Hospital in Indianapolis, it was decided that Ryan should receive accelerated "ICE" chemo treatments in preparation for an autologous stem cell transplant. He was hospitalized for two ICE treatments at Bloomington Hospital, and the two stubborn tumors did indeed shrink as hoped. So, while Thanksgiving was a bit different than originally expected, the overall news was good.....
Ryan and Ashley relax after turkey dinner....
With that progress, Ryan easily passed the pre-transplant physical tests, and then just before Christmas underwent "mobilization chemotherapy" ....which is designed to make his blood cells more easily "harvested" while also further attacking the tumor cells. Right after Christmas, the type of blood cells that keep his immune system up will be taken from him and frozen....to be later reinserted into his bloodstream after completion of very high-dose chemotherapy during January. This chemo is maximum-aggressive in its attack on the cancer cells, but at the same time pretty much wipes out the body's immune system.
After the transplant cells are returned to him, it will take at least a couple of weeks of relative isolation, while his immune system rebuilds. The transplant process, however, will be done on an outpatient basis, and he'll be living in an apartment near the hospital. The address is.....
Indiana Blood and Marrow Transplantion
St. Francis Hospital, 6 Tower
1600 Albany Street
Beech Grove, IN 46107
We'll keep these pages up to date through the January transplant and beyond, so check back soon.....and thanks for visiting!
Update
December 28, 2005 - Stem Cell Collection
Ryan underwent his first day of stem cell collection, or "harvesting", yesterday. The goal was to collect 5-million cells, and the final total was 8-million. That's considered a "fantastic" result, although a second collection is being taken today for backup purposes. The collected cells are "processed" to ensure that any cancer cells are eliminated, and then they're frozen for re-insertion after the 6-day intensive chemotherapy regimen in January.
Ryan's platelet count is also very high, so we've not had to be concerned about any possible transfusion. His spirit is as strong and upbeat as his physical condition and collection and test results. He'll now also be able to mix and mingle with groups of people again, and ate his first restaurant meal last night in about two weeks. After the mobilization chemotherapy, he had to limit people contact because of the increased risk of infection. Now he won't have to be relatively isolated until his January chemo and the two weeks after the transplant procedure.
Thanks again so much for your prayers, thoughts, and concern. If you have any specific questions about the procedures and such, let us know by writing to doug@ikarensell.com .
Take Care....Ryan, Karen & Doug
