Rants from the man who brings you DobberHockey and the Dobber Sports Network
It’s been an interesting last six weeks since the last update, and I’ll summarize it here. Perhaps you, or someone you know, is going through a second bout with leukemia and having a second stem-cell transplant (SCT). Perhaps this helps prepare you for what’s to come.
Continue reading “The Second Stem Cell Transplant Date is Set”
I was indeed diagnosed with cancer again. Leukemia for the second time. These past couple of months have been a whirlwind, beginning with relentless bad that was, eventually, followed by…some good. Hope.
Continue reading “Round 2 Begins”
At five years post-transplant, we’re told that the odds of relapse are quite slim. After two years, in fact, those odds are quite slim. If you make it that far without the stem cells being rejected, or without a cancer relapse, you’re probably going to make it.
I didn’t want to ever write a post in this section of my blog again. But here we are.
Continue reading “New Struggles”
Three years ago on August 30 I received my stem-cell transplant.
Continue reading “My 3rd Re-Birthday”
I am taking a quick moment to update you on my battle with leukemia and my recovery from a stem-cell transplant. I state the words “quick moment” and that’s a good thing. It’s not to gloss over anything that I went through or that others are going through, but to state emphatically that I am better, I am healthy and I am strong. I literally have no news to share, and in this case no news truly is good news.
On August 30, 2017, one year ago today, I received stem cells from a world donor who was found to be a perfect match. Finding a perfect match was extremely fortunate as many people have to settle for half-matches or worse, which decreases the likelihood of successful grafting in your body. In May, 2017, I had been diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), which is a cancer of the bone marrow, and after a month of “lighter” chemo treatments it had expedited to AML (leukemia) and I had to be admitted to hospital.
A year ago, on May 19, I received a phone call at around 4:40 that would change my life. It was Friday of the long weekend and Dr. Crump from Princess Margaret called. He had been monitoring my blood for two years because early on they thought I had lymphoma, but when that was ruled out they just monitored until something changed. I remember Avery answered, and it had to be the first or second time she ever answered the phone. When she handed it to me and I heard Dr. Crump’s voice, that feeling of dread and fear welled up right away. Why would one of the most esteemed lymphoma specialists in the world call me personally? Let’s just say that I knew it wasn’t to wish me a happy long weekend.
The Good…
I got the results back from my bone marrow biopsy. Blast count was at or below 1%, which is excellent (and expected). I don’t have cancer right now.
Dobber's Take 
Things people have said about this, that I don’t care about