[Greg H]

Hey Lori!

Good luck on the upcoming hospitalization. Some of the info from the organizations I mentioned is really good for sharing with family members who may not quite be clued into the process.

There are some great video and slideshow webinars and webcasts on the AAMDS site here that you can take a look at if you have internet in the cancer center. On the other hand, while you are experiencing the rigors of chemo may not be the most fun time to watch stuff like that.

Thanks for asking about my status. Half my chromosomes are warped, but I actually went eight weeks (instead of the usual six) without a transfusion last time, so I am feeling optimistic. I'm going up to NIH at the end of the month to see if I can participate in a clinical trial they are running on a drug called Campath that seems to work pretty well for folks with my profile. If that doesn't pan out, I'll be looking at some Vidaza in preparation for transplant at some point. I'm not sure when. When you have lower risk MDS and it's not playing havoc with your everyday life, it's pretty hard to decide to go for a transplant.

Again, the best of luck. I hope the chemo treats you well and you are able to update all of us from the hospital. Either way, we will all be rooting for you.

Cheers!

Greg