Morgan Updates

Morgan continues to progress. Summer is just about over, so I'm not sure when she'll be back in school, but she's over the worst of her GVHD and is applying her improving energies to artwork. I should be so smart. Her hair is starting to grow back, and she continues to have "play days" with friends and family members.

I recall hearing from R2D2 that she had to be very careful about going out in public for fear of compromising her immune system...this included a variety of precautions that had to be taken with food and the vessels it was presented thereon. Cancer is not a normal condition, and it causes one to appreciate "normal" for the gift that it is. It also is truly a miracle of this age that we now have cancer survivors, something that was all but unheard of only decades ago.

Morgan Update

Morgan is home now and well enough that her mom managed to get out of town to Atlantic City for a couple of days. That's a major deal, because I know from watching my sister (or, heck, my mom) that parents just can't stand to be away when their little ones are sick. But still, it's good to know Morgan got to the point of being out of imminent danger. However, the graft-host disease (GVHD) experience was not good. Morgan's mom explains it thusly:

It honestly was the worst experience/nightmare I never want to repeat. To not have any control to fix Morgan’s hurt was paralyzing. The doctors feel we are on the other side of the “major” danger zone of GVHD, so I am beginning to breathe again. Doesn’t hurt that Morgan’s appetite is back with a vengence, and I am once again Julia Child, constantly cooking for the little princess, who gained back 4 of the lost 12 pounds so far.

Still, this line offers hope, and probably made Ame's week:

I lost my voice somehow over the weekend, but probably would have anyway when Morgan announced to me last night while we got ready for bed - “Mom, you know what? I’ve never felt better!”

Wow. Great. I'm sort of looking forward to Ame posting that Morgan has gone back to being a nutty, noisy, pain-in-the-neck eight-year-old, but all things in due course. After an experience like this, I don't think Ame, Morgan, or anyone in her family will take "normal" for granted anytime soon.

More from Morgan's World

GVHD (Graft vs. Host Disease) is still not for sissies. My little e-niece Morgan appears to be coming through her latest ordeal by leaps and bounds. Huzzah! Keep those prayers coming...

GVHD--Not for Sissies

So while I've been wrestling with various crises large and small at work, my little buddy Morgan has been undergoing some nasty side-effects from her "graft vs. host disease (GVHD)." Her dad described them thusly:

Rashes, boiling skin, severe pain, inability to walk, talk, eat or drink, fits of rage and anger have all been a part of Morgan’s daily experience for the last few days.

On the plus side, Morgan seems to be recovering from this craziness as well. Hang in there, kiddo!

Updates on Morgan

While I was out of town, Morgan has been experiencing something called GVHD ("graft vs. host disease"), which is where the cancerous bone marrow of the leukemia patient sort of dukes it out with the new bone marrow from a healthy donor. Morgan's side effects include a nasty rash on her face, feet, hands, and lower extremities and a great deal of pain. After some time out of the hospital, she is back in. Sheesh. Poor kid. When is enough enough?