[Lori Patrick]

Hi all. It is spring like here and I love it! I am at day +72 and I feel almost as good as I did pre-transplant. I am seeing my dr every month now but have labs every 2 weeks pursuant to the trial I am on. I received the ok from my dr to ride on the motorcycle and to go to our campsite rv trailer! I was afraid of the campsite but the dr said to just stay our of the main stream of smoke if others have camp fires. I am so happy to be able to plan a week trip to our rv to just read for a week. I have not been able to focus enough to read since the transplant but the rv is an environment that is condusive to reading since that is what I always have done while there. I had a bit of kidney fits while on gen graf but they have now changed me to a new drug and all is well.

I continue to take morning naps but have begun getting bored in the afternoon. (good sign!)

I do have another challenge hitting me since my 27 year old daughter and mother of my 1 year old granddaughter was diagnosed with stage iv estrogen based breast cancer a few weeks ago. She has a large tumor in her breast and one in her spine. She is undergoing chemo weekly for 6 months and then they will radiate her back. There is a pill she can then take that will hopefully prevent the cancer from going to vital organs. The Dr told her the life span is 3 years. I hate it when they do that. I have every reason to believe she will make it much longer than that since we believe it has been on her spine for a couple of years and has not moved. I will be helping her and my granddaughter so it is timely that I am feeling better. God knows what he is doing.

Please pray for my family; for my continued success and my daughter. Hugs to all, Lori