update on fellow s2k owner DOCOFMIND
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From: Nunya
Shalom from Israel!
Hope this email finds you all happy and healthy! I'm writing all the way from Jerusalem to give everyone an update on Sherwin's progress. I'm happy (that's an understatement!) to report that Sherwin has been discharged from the hospital and seems to be getting stronger every day! I arrived in Israel two weeks ago (August 27) at 4:30am and Sherwin's dad and brother were kind and gracious enough to meet me there. Sean had been in town to donate bone marrow to "boost" Sherwin's transplant, and he left to go home to New York that day. Sherwin's dad and I then took a shuttle from the airport straight to Hadassah Hospital so that I could see Sherwin. It was SO wonderful to see him, hug and kiss him and just be in the same room after so much time apart (again, an understatement.) We spent the next week and a half catching up, talking, taking walks around the hospital, and watching DVDs (thanks Mike and Pam!) Meanwhile, Sherwin's parents and I moved our things into a little apartment in a city called Kiryat Ya'Hovel, just about 10 minutes from the hospital. I decorated our room with photos, picture collage (thanks Kim and Krist!), and tokens of love sent from family and friends...and we got Sherwin a "pass" to come home for Shabbat Dinner. The doctors encouraged him to stay out overnight, so he was able to spend the night at the apartment!
The doctors have been positive about Sherwin's progress so far, and confident about the last procedure they performed (they took actual marrow this time from Sean and transplanted it directly to Sherwin's marrow this time, with the hope of further stimulating Sherwin's marrow into producing cells on it's own.) They also presented us with the wonderful news that a biopsy done on a sample of Sherwin's marrow on that day showed a clear remission, with no visible active Leukemia! We now just need his blood counts to increase...he was having near daily transfusions of platelets, and needed whole blood transfused every few days as well; plus injections of Neupogen to increase his white cells. The hopeful news is that his white cells are responsive to the Neupogen and they are of Sean's cell's lineage, so the graft has taken place...just have to get Sherwin's marrow going! As of Sunday (Nov. 6), Sherwin's white cells had stayed above 1.0 for a week (without Neupogen) so the doctors discharged him from the hospital. He is seen in the outpatient cancer clinic three times per week for blood tests and to receive transfusions as needed. So far, his white cell count has been holding, though he's needed platelets every time, and two units of blood on Thursday.
It was difficult for Sherwin the first couple of days outside the hospital room that he's called home for the past 10 weeks, but he's getting stronger and better everyday. He's been having a decent amount of pain and some trouble with eating/keeping food down, but he's taking it all in stride...one day at a time. I am in awe of him: his strength through all of this, his ability to stay positive, his razor-sharp sense of humor. It's beautiful here in Jerusalem...like another world. We spend our days (when we're not in the cancer center) taking walks around the cute little neighborhood (so many stray cats around to see, amazing sunsets to witness, scenery to take in), eating the hearty and delicious food Sherwin's mom cooks up, practicing our Hebrew, and we just got our internet and cable TV hooked up--so we're connected again! When his counts are a little bit more stable, we plan to do more exploring of Jerusalem together. I can't wait to visit some of the historical sites with him. Meanwhile, we take things day-by-day and stay in the moment as much as possible...while still looking forward to the future. Each day, I'm so thankful for this time that we're able to spend together (thanks to my understanding office and our families and friends!) Sherwin is getting stronger, feeling better, having more and more energy and we are so hopeful that he continues to make progress. I know he will. We just keep telling his marrow to wake up and start making more blood!
In the meantime, we know that it is because of our dedicated families and friends that we've come this far. All of your prayers, cards, gifts, love, generosity and kindness have reached halfway around the world and blessed us, carried us through. We can't express our gratitude enough, or tell you all enough how fortunate we are to have each of you in our lives. Please know that Sherwin is making real progress, and that we're all taking care of each other here in Israel. We miss you and love you all! I'll write again soon to update you further.
Love,
Jenny and Sherwin
Hope this email finds you all happy and healthy! I'm writing all the way from Jerusalem to give everyone an update on Sherwin's progress. I'm happy (that's an understatement!) to report that Sherwin has been discharged from the hospital and seems to be getting stronger every day! I arrived in Israel two weeks ago (August 27) at 4:30am and Sherwin's dad and brother were kind and gracious enough to meet me there. Sean had been in town to donate bone marrow to "boost" Sherwin's transplant, and he left to go home to New York that day. Sherwin's dad and I then took a shuttle from the airport straight to Hadassah Hospital so that I could see Sherwin. It was SO wonderful to see him, hug and kiss him and just be in the same room after so much time apart (again, an understatement.) We spent the next week and a half catching up, talking, taking walks around the hospital, and watching DVDs (thanks Mike and Pam!) Meanwhile, Sherwin's parents and I moved our things into a little apartment in a city called Kiryat Ya'Hovel, just about 10 minutes from the hospital. I decorated our room with photos, picture collage (thanks Kim and Krist!), and tokens of love sent from family and friends...and we got Sherwin a "pass" to come home for Shabbat Dinner. The doctors encouraged him to stay out overnight, so he was able to spend the night at the apartment!
The doctors have been positive about Sherwin's progress so far, and confident about the last procedure they performed (they took actual marrow this time from Sean and transplanted it directly to Sherwin's marrow this time, with the hope of further stimulating Sherwin's marrow into producing cells on it's own.) They also presented us with the wonderful news that a biopsy done on a sample of Sherwin's marrow on that day showed a clear remission, with no visible active Leukemia! We now just need his blood counts to increase...he was having near daily transfusions of platelets, and needed whole blood transfused every few days as well; plus injections of Neupogen to increase his white cells. The hopeful news is that his white cells are responsive to the Neupogen and they are of Sean's cell's lineage, so the graft has taken place...just have to get Sherwin's marrow going! As of Sunday (Nov. 6), Sherwin's white cells had stayed above 1.0 for a week (without Neupogen) so the doctors discharged him from the hospital. He is seen in the outpatient cancer clinic three times per week for blood tests and to receive transfusions as needed. So far, his white cell count has been holding, though he's needed platelets every time, and two units of blood on Thursday.
It was difficult for Sherwin the first couple of days outside the hospital room that he's called home for the past 10 weeks, but he's getting stronger and better everyday. He's been having a decent amount of pain and some trouble with eating/keeping food down, but he's taking it all in stride...one day at a time. I am in awe of him: his strength through all of this, his ability to stay positive, his razor-sharp sense of humor. It's beautiful here in Jerusalem...like another world. We spend our days (when we're not in the cancer center) taking walks around the cute little neighborhood (so many stray cats around to see, amazing sunsets to witness, scenery to take in), eating the hearty and delicious food Sherwin's mom cooks up, practicing our Hebrew, and we just got our internet and cable TV hooked up--so we're connected again! When his counts are a little bit more stable, we plan to do more exploring of Jerusalem together. I can't wait to visit some of the historical sites with him. Meanwhile, we take things day-by-day and stay in the moment as much as possible...while still looking forward to the future. Each day, I'm so thankful for this time that we're able to spend together (thanks to my understanding office and our families and friends!) Sherwin is getting stronger, feeling better, having more and more energy and we are so hopeful that he continues to make progress. I know he will. We just keep telling his marrow to wake up and start making more blood!
In the meantime, we know that it is because of our dedicated families and friends that we've come this far. All of your prayers, cards, gifts, love, generosity and kindness have reached halfway around the world and blessed us, carried us through. We can't express our gratitude enough, or tell you all enough how fortunate we are to have each of you in our lives. Please know that Sherwin is making real progress, and that we're all taking care of each other here in Israel. We miss you and love you all! I'll write again soon to update you further.
Love,
Jenny and Sherwin
Hope to hear that Sherwin is all better soon! 
for fighting hard Sherwin!
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From: Nunya
UPDATE 11/15/05:
Hi Everyone,
Just a quick update to let you all know that unfortunately, Sherwin has been readmitted to the hospital. He had fever and abdominal/flank pain on Saturday, and the doctors asked that he come in that afternoon for testing/imaging. After a CT scan showed a pericardial effusion (fluid in the sac around his heart), he was admitted back into his room in the Bone Marrow Dept. He had the fluid drained yesterday (Monday afternoon), but it got a little bit complicated and instead of a simple needle drainage, the surgeon was forced to open Sherwin's chest in order to drain the fluid. He made it through the surgery ok though, which is the most important thing. Needless to say, Sherwin had a very rough night Monday night...lots of pain and no sleep. We tried to keep him as comfortable as we could, but it is hard to feel so helpless when someone is in such horrible pain. The pain management doctors came this morning and worked out a medication schedule/regimen that seems to be giving him some relief finally. All in all, he's doing alright. He still has a catheter in place, draining the remaining fluid from the pericardial sac. That will hopefully be removed in the next few days. The doctors sent a sample of the fluid they collected for culture, and this will hopefully tell us the cause for the effusion and what steps to take next. We'll know more on that in a few days as well. Meanwhile, a positive note is that the doctors are happy that Sherwin's white cell count is increasing on its own and his hemoglobin is also up. They take it tentatively as a good sign that his marrow is "waking up." Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know the latest news, and assure you that Sherwin is doing better than yesterday...he's actually sleeping peacefully in the bed next to me right now. I'll keep you posted on his progress and as we get more news. Please remember to keep Sherwin in your thoughts and prayers. I know that we're going to get him through this tough spot! Take care and I'll write again soon.
Love, Jenny
Hi Everyone,
Just a quick update to let you all know that unfortunately, Sherwin has been readmitted to the hospital. He had fever and abdominal/flank pain on Saturday, and the doctors asked that he come in that afternoon for testing/imaging. After a CT scan showed a pericardial effusion (fluid in the sac around his heart), he was admitted back into his room in the Bone Marrow Dept. He had the fluid drained yesterday (Monday afternoon), but it got a little bit complicated and instead of a simple needle drainage, the surgeon was forced to open Sherwin's chest in order to drain the fluid. He made it through the surgery ok though, which is the most important thing. Needless to say, Sherwin had a very rough night Monday night...lots of pain and no sleep. We tried to keep him as comfortable as we could, but it is hard to feel so helpless when someone is in such horrible pain. The pain management doctors came this morning and worked out a medication schedule/regimen that seems to be giving him some relief finally. All in all, he's doing alright. He still has a catheter in place, draining the remaining fluid from the pericardial sac. That will hopefully be removed in the next few days. The doctors sent a sample of the fluid they collected for culture, and this will hopefully tell us the cause for the effusion and what steps to take next. We'll know more on that in a few days as well. Meanwhile, a positive note is that the doctors are happy that Sherwin's white cell count is increasing on its own and his hemoglobin is also up. They take it tentatively as a good sign that his marrow is "waking up." Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know the latest news, and assure you that Sherwin is doing better than yesterday...he's actually sleeping peacefully in the bed next to me right now. I'll keep you posted on his progress and as we get more news. Please remember to keep Sherwin in your thoughts and prayers. I know that we're going to get him through this tough spot! Take care and I'll write again soon.
Love, Jenny
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From: Nunya
UPDATE VIA JENNY (Sherwin's GF) as of 11/21/05:
Hi Everyone,
Hope that you're all doing well, and preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday. I just wanted to give you a quick update on Sherwin's progress. He is recovering well from his surgery, though still having some substantial pain. The good news is that the cultures and studies done on the fluid collected from around his heart have come back negative for any sort of infection. (Though he is still receiving the remainder of a course of antibiotics for a staph infection they isolated from a blood culture.) He had also developed fluid in his pleural spaces (around his lungs), and also in his extremities and abdomen. They did some more imaging of his heart and concluded that he has suffered some decreased function in two chambers of his heart. The damage is considered mild and is most likely due to the cardiotoxic drugs they had to use to treat his leukemia. It also seems to be the likely cause for the buildup of fluid around his lungs and in his extremities. They put him on a couple of new heart medications and increased his diuretics (to flush fluid from the body) and it has seemed to help a lot. They had originally planned to perform a procedure to drain the fluid from around his lungs, but decided to hold off...so far, the docs have been pleased to find that there is less fluid compared to previous studies. Hopefully, they won't need to perform the procedure at all!! Right now, things are definitely looking up, and Sherwin hopes to be discharged from the hospital soon. The great news is that his white cell count seems to be climbing pretty steadily (he's at 3.2 today!) without the aid of Neupogen, and his hemoglobin and platelets seem to be holding. The doctors are pleased with his progress despite this last (albeit scary) complication.
So that's our most recent news! I want to thank all of you for sending me such kind and encouraging replies to my last email, and those who also sent emails of rejoice when you heard of his previous discharge. Again, I can't thank you all enough for your constant support and prayers...and for taking the time to read my updates and continue on with us in Sherwin's journey to restored health! You mean the world to us!! Even though I will be far from home this Thanksgiving, I don't need turkey and pumpkin pie to celebrate all that I'm thankful for...my family, my friends and the opportunity to share this time with Sherwin here in Israel. I miss you all!! I'll be in touch soon...
Love,
Jenny
Hi Everyone,
Hope that you're all doing well, and preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday. I just wanted to give you a quick update on Sherwin's progress. He is recovering well from his surgery, though still having some substantial pain. The good news is that the cultures and studies done on the fluid collected from around his heart have come back negative for any sort of infection. (Though he is still receiving the remainder of a course of antibiotics for a staph infection they isolated from a blood culture.) He had also developed fluid in his pleural spaces (around his lungs), and also in his extremities and abdomen. They did some more imaging of his heart and concluded that he has suffered some decreased function in two chambers of his heart. The damage is considered mild and is most likely due to the cardiotoxic drugs they had to use to treat his leukemia. It also seems to be the likely cause for the buildup of fluid around his lungs and in his extremities. They put him on a couple of new heart medications and increased his diuretics (to flush fluid from the body) and it has seemed to help a lot. They had originally planned to perform a procedure to drain the fluid from around his lungs, but decided to hold off...so far, the docs have been pleased to find that there is less fluid compared to previous studies. Hopefully, they won't need to perform the procedure at all!! Right now, things are definitely looking up, and Sherwin hopes to be discharged from the hospital soon. The great news is that his white cell count seems to be climbing pretty steadily (he's at 3.2 today!) without the aid of Neupogen, and his hemoglobin and platelets seem to be holding. The doctors are pleased with his progress despite this last (albeit scary) complication.
So that's our most recent news! I want to thank all of you for sending me such kind and encouraging replies to my last email, and those who also sent emails of rejoice when you heard of his previous discharge. Again, I can't thank you all enough for your constant support and prayers...and for taking the time to read my updates and continue on with us in Sherwin's journey to restored health! You mean the world to us!! Even though I will be far from home this Thanksgiving, I don't need turkey and pumpkin pie to celebrate all that I'm thankful for...my family, my friends and the opportunity to share this time with Sherwin here in Israel. I miss you all!! I'll be in touch soon...
Love,
Jenny
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From: Nunya
will do! don't forget you can send him messages to his hospital room via:
http://www.hadassah.org.il/English/Eng_Sub...end+a+Greeting/
under "hadassah" choose "EIN KAREM"
under "Departement Name" choose "Bone Marrow Transplantation"
make it out to SHERWIN PORAT
http://www.hadassah.org.il/English/Eng_Sub...end+a+Greeting/
under "hadassah" choose "EIN KAREM"
under "Departement Name" choose "Bone Marrow Transplantation"
make it out to SHERWIN PORAT