So many things seem out of whack in life, and yet there is so much hope, so many new beginnings, so many people doing wonderful things, that I find it absolutely necessary to concentrate on the good things - like this nest full of Robin's eggs. It's hope, new beginnings and just beautiful.
And that brings me to the article in the link I have pasted below, about yet more hope in the fight agains CML. One day there will be yet another wonderful breakthough in the treatment of this disease.
Here is the website link: http://www.dailyrx.com/news-article/chronic-myeloid-leukemia-may-be-stopped-combo-therapy-18412.html
"Since the advent of targeted therapies, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has become easier to treat. And while the drugs usually put people into remission, the disease can return with full fury.
Using a combination of Gleevec (imatinib) and another targeted therapy, researchers have discovered a way to halt CML in mice. If this work translates to humans, CML may be wiped out totally."
Whooo hooooooo! Read more here... http://www.dailyrx.com/news-article/chronic-myeloid-leukemia-may-be-stopped-combo-therapy-18412.html
Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia affects 20,000 people in the United States, but about 4,500 are newly diagnosed each year. It is the result of a genetic mutation that causes white blood cell production to increase out of control.
At first, during the chronic phase, the body produces too many white blood cells. If untreated, it progresses to the accelerated and then blast phases, where the production of immature, non-functioning white cells overwhelms the body, leaving patients susceptible to infection, anemia, and death. The chronic phase may be asymptomatic, with diagnosis being made from a routine blood test. Symptoms of the accelerated phase include night sweats, fatigue, easy bruising, fever, and infections.
Treatment is with drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (Gleevec, Sprycel, Tasigna), and recent statistics show an 89% five year survival rate from their use.
It feels so good to have people working on this disease, working on getting rid of it.
May it happen soon.
love and light
Annie
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5 comments:
Annie...I just found your blog. I will be reading all of your earlier posts to see how things have progressed for Steven and you.
I was just diagnosed on April 2 with CML. It has been a very strange couple of weeks. This was a shot out of the blue for me. I didn't and don't have any symptoms and it was found at a regular check up with my PCP. I will be starting treatment this week when the pills arrive. I think I will be on Sprycel.
I have still not really embraced the fact that I have this disease but I suppose that I will need to very soon.
Good luck and my thoughts are with you all..
Tom
http://cmlanewchallenge.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/cml/
I asked our own doctor about the stem-cell research after I had been reading about it, and was quite deflated when he said he didn't think there would be any major breakthroughs in the forseeable future; I decided to ignore his opinion!
Great news this week when my son's 9-month results showed MMR - but I want it all to go away, it shouldn't have happened, to my son, or to yours........
Hi.. this is Des!
I read your message just now and I got interested to share with you my boyfriend's life being a CML patient for 3 years now. I know how hard to deal with this kind of cancer for seeing our love ones suffer is much more painful on our part. But throughout our lives as partner, i never give up giving him hope to survive. We are so thankful to his Novartis foundation for supporting his first & second med all throughout his life. We're not rich people who can afford to extend life by money for medication. But God is so good that he provides us with something that, if it can't cure, at least it can extend his life for more and more years. He had Glivec for 2 years and a half, but his medication needs to go higher for his cancer cells develop rapidly. For months now, he's taking Tasigna. I never fail to ask him how he feels everyday. He said, " I always have routine check-up for blood count." But so far, he's feeling better now, his blood count jumps down to normal, yet he has to endure headache every time he takes the med. As a testimony, those medication, Glivec & Tasigna are really wonderful discovery for CML.
Right now, with God's help, he's still pursuing his dreams. Thank you Lord.
ON the other hand, I have a friend who's diagnosed in March to have Leukemia as well, (but I'm not sure what type was it) who passed away just this month. It was so sad that she wasn't have the chance to take Glivec or Tasigna. May her soul rest in peace.
Now, I'm abroad, but I left my boyfriend with great strength and faith in his heart that God will give him more and more years to be alive, to be with me when i return. He's still 27. We have lots of dreams we still want to do together. I love him so much.
I hope there will more discoveries to really cure cancer without taking med for a lifetime.
Please pray for us as well as we want to pursue our dreams together.
Hope those who have these people suffering with this cancer, you can lift their souls to fight, and to be more hopeful. God will not leave us, nor forsake us. We should be strong for them.
Thank you Annie for being an inspiration to me. Because of your blog, i'm encourage to write and share my bf's life as well.
Thank you so much....
Tom - I am going to read your blog now. I hope you are feeling good and that Sprycel is kind to you - and WORKS! Take your time with embracing CML - its a biggie and not that easy to just accept. Good luck and Take care. Annie
Maureen - this is not the information one needs re stem cell research. I also ignore those opinions..... It really is great about the MMR! I hope he feels great and that sometime they will find the cure for all our kids, for everyone!
Des - I am glad your boyfriend is doing better now and getting on with his dreams - thats wonderful!
How sad about your friend who passed away. With such great treatments available these days, I am sure you and your boyfriend will get to pursue your dreams together. Never give up and dont lose hope - there are so many people working on the treating and the cure for this disease.
And I am so glad you are going to share your boyfriends experiences too... It really helped me reading other people's blogs about CML and it is wonderful to know that now there will be another - yours! Great!
Take Care - Annie
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