COOKIE - A Star is Born

Dearest Friends and Family,
Well, we've settled in and we're still enjoying each other's company....THANK GOODNESS! Sister and brother have completely reacquainted and it's business as usual. We've been so busy getting used to our new routine that I don't even check email on a daily basis!

Here's another lesson in Bone Marrow Transplant 101........Before the transplant, they tested COOKIE's DNA. Of course, they also tested the cord blood's DNA. About two weeks ago, they did another DNA test on COOKIE to see how much of her blood is composed of her "old" DNA or the NEW cord blood. We've been very anxious for the results. She's 95% CORD BLOOD!!!!!!!!! THAT'S PERFECT!!! IT KICKED BUTT ON HER "old", leukemia cells and she is FULL of NEW DNA!!!!! We're very excited! The day of the transplant, she was SO wise in her statement that it was the "last day of her life with cancer".

COOKIE gets new platelets and red blood cells about every week to 10 days but it's getting longer in between. Her little body is working very hard to do all of the right things it needs to do. Every other Tuesday she gets a special tranfusion for the graph vs. host disease. The doctor's expanded her diet a little. She can now have oranges, as long as we scrub them thoroughly and peel them before we cut them. She felt like she had a FEAST, eating an orange yesterday afternoon! COOKIE is still banned from restaurants or shopping. She can go to the store at odd hours when less people are there but not the grocery store. Too many germs and bacteria. ALL she really wants to do is see Pirates! We're waiting another week and then we'll go in the evening. She'll have to wear a mask but she doesn't care. Whatever it takes to go see the movie!!!!

COOKIE goes to UCLA twice a week and Home Health Care comes to the house twice a week. Shelee has spent the last 3 weeks trying to get all of COOKIE's medications straightened out. There was a mistake made on two of her meds and it's taken 3 weeks to get it rectified! It can be a little frustrating. Of course, it's nothing in comparison to what they've already had to do so it's onward.......as usual.

Last night, on Wheel of Fortune, they played a rerun of a show that was aired two weeks before COOKIE's transplant. The star named Jack Wagner, from "The Bold and the Beautiful" soap played for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He and his partner won $143,000 for the Society. We had been invited by the Leukemia Society to attend a dinner where Jack presented the check to them. He's a very nice man and was very attracted to COOKIE. We met his brother, Dennis, who is fighting a good fight against Leukemia also. Anyway, our neighbor's friend called her yesterday from Florida and said she saw COOKIE on TV. They were playing the rerun of Wheel of Fortune where Jack won all of the money and showed Jack and COOKIE at the end! Aunt Shannon, in Palm Desert and Grammy in San Diego both watched the show an hour before it's aired here in Torrance and called us! They were SO excited! We watched it here at 7:30 last night and it was THRILLING to watch it on TV!!! So, I included the picture of Jack and COOKIE for all of you to see!

I hope this finds all of you safely tan and having a wonderful summer with your families! We're enjoying every minute we can! Until next time.......Hugs and much love to all,
Cookie, The Grandma