Linda's Life in Pictures

Linda Ann McDonald - a memorial to her life
July 11, 1945 - August 22, 2011

The girls and I went through boxes of photos to find some for the memorial service. Here are the photos selected showing various times in her life, her travels, family and friends. It was very therapeutic for us to reminisce on the great times and memories we had with our dear wife and mother.

Linda was the most beautiful woman I ever met. I was so blessed that she chose to spend her life with me. As our life together progressed, I learned that she was even more beautiful inside as she showered her family with so much love, caring, and affection. She was my soul-mate, best friend and lover for 40 years. We had a magical relationship. The whole was many times greater than the sum of the parts (1+1 = 15).  Many people have told us that they could just see the amazing love for each other as they watched us together.

The intense love we had seemed to bubble forth from her and was extended to people who were lucky enough to know her. I know of at least 6 people, outside her family, who consider her to be their best friend.

Here are the few we found of her from before we were married.

Linda and her father

Linda age 10 with her parents

Linda - late teens or early 20's
Everyone says she looks like Elizabeth Taylor in this photo

We met in Toronto in 1970 when I was doing my internship. Like a fairy tale, we fell instantly in love. We married November 6, 1971 - the happiest day of our lives. As we went along in the journey as a couple, we were amazed how similar were our tastes. We would order the same thing in a new restaurant. We liked the same decor, antiques, art etc. It made it very easy to agree on a new purchase, buy a new house etc.

Our wedding

Linda & David with my brother Bruce as best man and Linda's aunt Gwen McGrattan as maid of honor

We had a 5 day honeymoon at a B&B outside Kingston, Ontario called Pine Ledge Inn. It was a beautiful old stone mansion along the St Lawrence River.




Linda at Pine Ledge Inn



After internship, I set up my family practice in July 1971 in Trenton Ontario, a small town on Lake Ontario 100 miles east of Toronto. We bought a small 1200 sq ft split level house. I don't have any photos of that house, but a couple of years later we moved to a larger 2 story. Linda loved to decorate and furnish our houses. When you see all the snow, you know why I love Houston Texas, heat and all!

Trenton Ontario - house #2

Linda had done some modelling as a teenager and she was always dressed smartly. She loved stylish clothes, jewelry and furs like her favorite movie star - Liz Taylor. As her friend since kindergarten, Sharon Marynick, said 'She loved beauty' (art, antiques etc). I just loved buying her the things that gave her pleasure. She deserved to be spoiled. She truly was my angel on earth. Our first Christmas, I gave her a mink coat.

Linda modelling new mink coat - Christmas 1971

I adopted Linda's 2 beautiful girls,Sascha and Chantel, from her first marriage. Here they are on our first Christmas together.

Chantel, Linda, Sascha - Christmas 1971

We had several nice vacations those years in Trenton. Also, my parents had a cottage on Golden Lake in northern Ontario where we spent a lot of time.

Club Med - Guadeloupe West Indies

Busch Gardens - Tampa FL

Busch Gardens #2

Sascha became interested in horses and wanted to learn riding. So, we found a riding stable near Trenton and we all ended up taking lessons. About 1975, the stable closed and we, in our infinite wisdom, bought the 2 horses that we had been using for our lessons and had become attached to. The only problem was what to do with 2 horses. Thus, we bought our 3rd home in Trenton, a 130 acre farm with a 1900 era old house. We ended up running a boarding stable with 17 horses. Linda had a 'new' old house to renovate and she redid the living room, dining room, kitchen with relish. She even had French suede wallpaper in the living room - beautifully done. It wasn't much to look from the outside, but it was cozy inside. She always made a house into a home.

Farm House Trenton

 I have only 1 photo of Linda on hoseback from the farm.

Linda with Pete our helper with the horses

With a large barn etc, the kids had all sorts of animals (horses, dogs, cats, rabbits) and Linda loved them all.

Linda and David with Remy - a spaniel someone dropped off

We lived in Trenton from 1971 to 1977, when we emigrated to the USA. We had met an July 4th, 1970 and we arrived in the Houston area July 4th, 1977, so something told me that the USA was in our future! I went to work at Bayshore Medical Center in Pasadena Texas. We purchased a home in El Lago that belonged to astronaut Fred Haise of Apollo 13 fame. It was about 3000 sq feet. Linda enjoyed redecorating it. The move was hard for her, to be so far from her parents, as she was an only child. However frequent visits from our families to Texas and back to Canada gradually eased this burden.

111 Woodland Drive, El Lago - after a rare snow fall


In Canada, summer beach weather is only 6-8 weeks, so it was a novelty to go to the beach in February. We were amazed that locals abandoned the beaches by Labor Day just like in Canada. Of course, as we became Texanized, we gradually adopted the local ways.

Galveston Beach - Feb 1978

Many of the photos were loose and undated, so exact times are unclear. We were in that house from 1977 to 1997.

Linda and her aunt Gwen McGrattan in the kitchen - probably late 70's

Linda always enjoyed decorating for the house for Christmas. She would change the theme of the Christmas tree every few years.

Linda showing off her tree with bows - late 1980's

 Here we were dressed up to go to a party

Linda & David going to a party - probably early 1980's

 She always made events special for the family and friends. Here is a meal in our dining room with table cloth, good china, flowers etc all just for the family.

Another special meal from Linda for her family - late 1970's

I bought her, her first 'special' car in 1985, a Porsche 944. Linda loved that car. At Christmans 1986, I gave her a cell phone to put in it.

Linda was proud of her hot red Porsche 944

Chantel went on a high school trip to France in the summer of 1988.

Linda & Chantel at the airport

In 1988, we bought a condo on the beach in Galveston. We both loved the water and spent every other weekend there for the next decade. We had a balcony right on the beach and would enjoy having our meals and wine while gazing at the mesmerizing waves. We participated in the Galveston events - Dickens-on-the-Strand, Historic Homes Tour, art walks and especially Mardi Gras. Linda's mother knitted us matching Mardi Gras sweaters. We always were asked where we bought them. We sold the condo in 2001.

Decked out for Mardi Gras with the sweater her mother knitted

One year she decided that she would like to try a hot air balloon ride, so I gave it to her for her birthday.

Linda at the hot air balloon base

Linda maintained a lifelong friendship with her kindergarten classmate Sharon Marynick. When we were in Canada, we saw them periodically. But once in Texas, our visits were rare, but Linda and Sharon kept in touch by phone. Linda was almost psychic. She would tell me that she had a dream about Sharon and would call her. Often, Sharon had a problem at the time and was wanting to talk! She and her husband made it to Houston only once, in 2003. However, Sharon came to Houston for a week in February 2011, when Linda was first ill and again on the day of her death, she was able to say her goodbyes.

Sharon Marynick with us - 2003

 When we arrived in Houston, our first friendships were established with other doctors and especially the large contingent of Canadian doctors in our area. Rick and Liz Loynes, and  Ross and Barb Webster we had known in Canada.

There was a group of the doctors wives who would dress up and go for lunch once a month.

Connie Lopez, Linda, Liz Loynes, Barb Wellman

We were honored that Rick and Liz Loynes asked us to be Godparents for their first child, James. It was a privilege to participate with their family in James milestones in life - graduations, wedding etc



Linda with James - 5th grade award



David, James & Linda at his high school graduation ceremony - 2000

David, Linda, James Loynes at his high school graduation party

Linda, David, James Loynes at his graduation from Texas A&M Galveston 2004

Another example of Linda's unconditional giving of love and support was a mentoring group we organized after the 1992 LA riots. 3 white couples started talking about the tragedy of single black mothers trying to raise sons by themselves. We wondered if it might be possible for white couples to help mentor black boys. We each approached a black couple we knew and asked if it sounded like a possibility. Our friends Dorsey and Charlotte Williams were our couple pair. The whole group got together and hashed out ideas and decided to try it. We contacted schools etc to find some deserving black mother with one or more black sons. Our family was Sharon Wright of Dickinson with her 2 boys, Bobby and Anthony. The group was called SALT (Serving and Learning Together)

The idea was to take the boys for an outing once a month and the whole group would do big events - a day at the beach on Galveston, Thanksgiving party, Christmas party etc. This was to be an ongoing process for many years if it worked. Also, it would expose the children to things that they would never experience. We went to the circus, a pops concert at Jones Hall etc

The group lasted for about 6 years and then disbanded as some people moved away. However, we have kept in touch with the families even afterwards. I saw 2 of the 3 families at the memorial service. We definitely made a difference in the lives of the children and the mothers, as well. Our group of adults also got new friends, so it was a win-win all around.

SALT party - Charlotte Williams, Linda and Tonya Moore(one of the mothers) 

We moved to Friendswood TX in 1997. Linda had become tired of the house and had been looking at houses intermittently for several years. One day in early 1997, I got a call at the office "I found the house". I met her there after office and it was perfect. We bought it and now Linda had her 'castle' as she told Sascha. Never was a woman more deserving to finally get the home she ultimately desired. I'm just glad that I was able to provide it for her. It was just shy of 5000 sq feet on 1.5 acres She had a ball decorating it. Even though it is large for the 2 of us, she still manged to make it cozy and warm.

Friendswood house 1997 - 2011

We have travelled extensively the last 30 years. Overseas, we went to London 4 times, including once when we took her mother, after the death of her father. We went to France twice including a marvellous trip in 1992 with both our girls. We only went to Asia once. It was for our 25th anniversary in 1996. We went to Thailand and Bali. She regrets that she never got to Ireland where her father was born.

We went to Mexico a few times, but the squalor and poverty upset her. Thus for winter vacations, we started going to beautiful Hawaii - late 90's and early 00's. Eventually she tired of the long flights, so we tried Florida in the last 5 years.

In the USA, we went to Colorado in the summer, Seattle, Vancouver and Whistler.

Hiking in Colorado

Hawaii

Butchart Gradens - Victoria BC

However, we were like homing pigeons to California. We discovered Carmel on a trip to San Francisco in 1982. A friend told us that Carmel was beautiful and we should drive down to see it. Well, we fell in love instantly and have vacationed there ever since. I suppose that we may have spent almost 1.5 years there, a week at a time. I would suggest in January to go back to Europe. Linda would say maybe, but lets wait a while. Then by May, it was 'Oh lets just go back to Carmel'. It was easy and restful. Carmel contains great restaurants, antique stores, good quality shops, and loads of art galleries. The scenery along Big Sur south of Carmel was spectacular. It became our second home. We loved it so much, we took my parents on a trip, and Linda's mother another time. Both our girls loved Carmel, as well. Sascha and Scott went there for their honeymoon, and now they are also hooked.

Carmel always has beautiful flowers - early 80's

Morning coffee

Nepenthe Restaurant - Big Sur

Morning routine - walk on the beach with a large java

Lunch at Nepenthe - Big Sur with David's parents

We met several of the artists and became friends with them. We would go out for dinner or be invited to their houses for drinks. It was really like a 2nd home. We took this artist, Christine Rosamond, out to dinner. The next day she signed one of her prints for us. We have the print in out breakfast room. 2 weeks later she was swept out to sea and drowned by one of those mystery waves that can occur along the Pacific coast.

Christine Rosamond - 2 weeks before her tragic death in 1994

The family loved Carmel so much, that we spent New Year's 2000 there.

David, Linda, Scott Jordan, Sascha Jordan, Scott Campbell (Chantel's boyfriend), Chantel  - New Years 2000

David and Linda on the deck or our B&B - New Year's 2000

Linda loved her pets, especially dogs. We had several dogs in Canada. She liked exotic ones, so we had Afghans and Borzois. However, they were all crazy. She learned her lesson, so in Texas, we just had 2 apricot Standard Poodles. Our current one is Brion and he is a love.

Linda with Brion - Galveston 2006

As we got into our late 50's and 60's, we wanted to get back to the church. God had brought us together, watched over us, and given us the best marriage imaginable. We wanted to be able to express our thanks. Liz Loynes had taken us to Webster Presbyterian Church for special services occasionally. Thus we joined WPC in 2006. Linda became active in several woman's groups, bible study etc. In 2008 she took the training with Liz to become a Stephen Minister. Linda was proud of this accomplishment. It allowed her another outlet to spread her love and caring to persons going through bereavement. Linda's memorial service was at WPC August 27, 2011.

WPC Morning Break woman's group

WPC Stephen Ministers

I was always amazed how well she dressed, kept up on fashion etc. Of course she read Vogue every month. Even on casual affairs she was 'simply elegant'. It was a pleasure to be her husband and be seen with her.

Sailing on Galveston Bay on Loynes boat - Linda looks like she is on a yacht in Monte Carlo

To keep up with her cooking, she always read Gourmet or Bon Appetit. In the last decade, she watched the food network etc.

She would have made a great interior designer or decorator. As well as doing our houses, she was always ready to help friends if they asked. She always read Veranda, Architectural Digest, Southern Accents, Southern Living, Martha Stewart Living etc. We had these magazines all over the house.

Well, that about summarizes Linda's life in photos - family, friends, houses, pets, vacations and church.

Neither Linda or I had ever been sick during our entire 40 year marriage. We had a number of routine operations, but neither of us ever spent a day in hospital for an illness. I had never even missed a day sick from work. So why did she get a catastrophic cancer? When we got the diagnosis in January, we were devastated. But she didn't ask why me? She said why not me. I had hoped that the good love we shared would keep us well, but our luck ran out.

Our family has suffered a great loss with our beloved Linda gone. We want to express our thanks again to Dr Quraishi and his staff, Dr. Brian Bradley, and the nurses and staff of the oncology floor at Bayshore Medical Center in Pasadena Texas where Linda had multiple admissions in 2011 for this illness.

Thanks to friends and neighbors especially Jan and Jim Metcalfe for assisting us in many ways large and small. The family of faith at Webster Presbyterian Church were wonderful  - visiting, sending cards, bringing food etc etc. Liz and Rick Loynes, Pastor Mark and Jill Cooper and Pastor Helen Deleon were always there for us.

Thanks for all the help between the time of hospice and the memorial service. Dr. Ross Webster and his family spent hours with us to keep us company and ease the pain.

Linda, Sascha and Scott, Chantel and David send love and blessings to all of you.

PS - Please leave a comment to express what this remarkable lady meant to you.  It will help the family through the grieving process. We will be able to read them over and over again, for comfort, in the years ahead. Thanks.

Here are the instructions on how to post a comment if it is unclear.

http://lindaslymphoma.blogspot.com/2011/06/lindas-lymphoma-update-how-to-post.html

Linda's Lymphoma update 8-23-11

Linda passed peacefully last night, at 10:35, into the arms of Jesus. She had her family, friends, and pets at the bedside as she wished.

I can't begin to express the emptiness I feel going forward. I have lost my soul-mate, best friend and lover of 40 years. I have a hole, the size of Texas, in my heart . But I do know that somehow she will have Jesus and the Holy Spirit watching over me, others in her family, and all those who loved her, to bring us peace and serenity, just like she always loved and comforted us in this life.


Here is her obituary that will be in the Houston Chronicle and Brantford Expositor.

McDonald, Linda Ann, age 66, of Friendswood TX,  went home to Jesus on August 22, 2011,  after a heroic battle against lymphoma. Linda was born in Brantford, Ontario Canada. She graduated from Brantford Collegiate Institute High School and then went on to Ryerson College in Toronto for secretarial science. She met Dr. David McDonald in 1970. They married the following year and have 2 beautiful daughters. They emigrated to USA  in 1977. They lived in El Lago TX until 1997 and then moved to Friendswood TX.

Linda was predeceased by her grandparents David and Edith Mungall, and  her father Joseph Derby, all of Brantford. She is survived by her mother Dorothy Derby of Brantford, aunt and uncle Tom and Gwen McGrattan of Burlington Ontario, husband David, and children Chantel McDonald and Sascha Jordan and son-in-law Scott Jordan, all of the Houston area.

Linda's passion in life was being a homemaker. She enjoyed keeping a home full of love, flowers, and good food, and decorating with beautiful things. She loved animals and she always had several pets. She also liked to travel, and once we found Carmel CA, we vacationed there frequently and feel that it is our second home.

She was a member of Webster Presbyterian Church. She participated as a Stephen Minister providing love and comfort to others going through bereavement. She found great solace with the outreach and love from all her church friends during her illness.

She had many close friends and she enriched the lives of all those who had the privilege of knowing her.

Special thanks to Dr M. Quraishi, his staff, and to the nurses and staff on the oncology floor at Bayshore Medical Centre who cared so lovingly for her during numerous admissions this year.

Linda wished to be cremated. A memorial service to celebrate her life, will be held 10:30am on Saturday August 27, at Webster Presbyterian Church, 201 West Nasa Rd 1, Webster TX 77598-5207. A reception at the church will follow.

In lieu of flowers, please send a donation in Linda's name to the Webster Presbyterian Church.

Linda's Lymphoma update 8-20-11

Home on hospice....

The battle is almost over. She put up a heroic fight against long odds and incredible pain.

Linda's left leg also become paralyzed the last few days indicating the tumor was advancing aggressively in the left side of her pelvis as well.

With both legs paralyzed and her being unable to even sit up, the transplant was no longer an option.

We all decided last night and this morning to go on hospice for the few days she might have left.

Linda wished to die in the house she loved and the loving home she made for us.

Fortunately, hospice was able to get everything in place and she will be home this evening.

The hospice nurse said she might last a few days, but at this stage I just don't know.

Thanks for all your prayers and help that assisted us through this journey.

Linda's Lymphoma update 8-18-11

Linda got out of ICU 2 nights ago and is back on the oncology floor Rm 218 at Memorial Hermann Southeast.

Her WBC is still very low (less than 1000). That new chemo 3 weeks ago was really strong. I hope it does as well on the lymphoma as it is doing on her bone marrow. She continues to get the daily Neupogen shots, and since the radiation, they haven't been causing nearly the amount of pain as before. That's a tremendous blessing.

The main problem now is the profound weakness as she has been flat in bed for 4 weeks now. PT got her into a chair for an hour today and hopefully she will get stronger so she can get home. She cannot stand on her right leg due to the paralysis of the hip and knee muscles. Bu if she could get her left leg strengthened to stand up, she would be abe to transfer from bed to wheelchair or commode and back.

She can have visitors at this time, to answer one of your comments.

Thanks for all the prayers. At least we seem to have the pain problem almost solved. Now we need the mobility problem solved.

Linda's Lymphoma update 8-15-11

Another setback....

She had been doing rather well since the radiation treatments ended on Saturday 13th.

However, she has also been having elevated sugars 200-300 due to the steroids she was getting to help control swelling and pain in the leg. She has needed some insulin to cover that. She was able to sit in a chair for 3/4 hour Saturday as well.

Then last evening, Linda's pulse suddenly went up to 150. She was found to be quite anemic. Her WBC is still 800 and the platelets are about 30,000. The blood was thin from the Coumadin for the clot, so she may have had some bleeding and blood loss internally.

Anyway, she was transferred to ICU to monitor her and given 2 units of blood overnight. Her oncologist called 15 minutes ago and she is currently stable.

We have to continue to be optimistic. But realistically, I don't know how much more her body and mind can take. We almost lost her in May when she was in ICU for a week. She has been bed ridden in hospital for a 4 weeks now.

Keep praying for a miracle. She needs it. I'll update the blog more frequently as her condition warrants.

Linda's Lymphoma update 8-11-11

We are seeing some progress with the radiation to her right thigh.

The severe pain in her thigh has been reduced by at least 75%. When she started, she had to have 2 or 3 pillows under her right knee to keep the thigh flexed at about 45 degrees to alleviate the pain. Now she can have her leg out straight in the bed.

Most of her pain now is in her back, as she has been flat in bed for 3 weeks.

There is some improvement in the weakness of her right thigh. She can flex it a little bit (perhaps 20% normal strength). The weakness was expected to take longer to recover than the pain relief. So this is normal.

She developed a fever Wednesday morning and IV antibiotics were started and cultures were obtained. The WBC had dropped to 1400 from the chemo 2 weeks ago. She is still getting the Neupogen shots to boost the white count.

She has been getting physio to help her sit, stand etc, but so far, she hasn't been able to stand. She finishes her radiation series on Saturday. I'm not sure whether she will be strong enough to go home. It will also depend on the results of the cultures and the infection. Although she seems to be better in that regard and hasn't had any more fever.

She has been in hospital for 3 weeks now and we all want her home for a while. Her next chemo would be next week, but it should be only a 2-3 day hospital stay.

Thanks for all the prayers, visits etc. They are keeping everyone's spirits up.

Linda's Lymphoma update 8-3-11

More problems.......

Linda was walking with the walker 2 weeks ago before getting admitted, but the right leg was weak and had been slowly getting weaker over the last 2 months. Well, after admission it has become so weak that she can't stand or use the potty chair. Her right hip and knee are paralyzed. The lower leg muscles are fine. A series of 3 MRIs ordered be the neurologist showed the tumor pressing on the femoral nerve in the groin as well as being wrapped around the nerve in the thigh.

A neurosurgeon was consulted about possible surgery to free up the nerve but he said the tumor was so extensive that surgery couldn't be done. This was last night.

This morning, the oncologist called the Methodist Hospital transplant doctor. He said to try radiation to the area to shrink the tumor and relieve the pressure. If it works, it should also relieve some of the disbling pain she has. But, I spoke to him as well, and he said it is imperative that she be ambulatory for the transplant as the risk of pneumonia etc is much greater in a bed ridden patient. Also, regular exercise is precribed after to buiild the patient back up. He said the mortality from transplant was at least 10x higher in a bed ridden patient.

So Linda was transferred to Southeast Memorial Hermann Hospital (room 224) this afternoon to start radiation tomorrow. She still needs lots of pain medicine as the right leg is essentially useless and when it rolls to a different position, the pain can be extreme.

Needless to say, she is scared and anxious. I spent the night with her in the hospital last night for support and I'm sure I will be doing this frequently in the days ahead. It is discouraging when she just can't catch a break without the boom falling down the next day on some other problem. She will be in for a week for radiation and PT to try and get her good leg strong enough to get out of bed. The it will be time for chemo again. A never-ending roller coaster.

This has been her longest admuission to date (2 weeks today) and she will be in a while longer.

Pray for the success of the radiation so she can walk again and get some pain relief. Thanks.

Linda's Lymphoma update 7-30-11

Great news to report! This is really a wild ride!

The night is always darkest just before dawn. Last weekend things were looking bleak as a CT scan showed enlarging lymph nodes in the abdomen. We started the new chemo Wednesday and she has completed the cycle.

The oncologist needed to do a bone marrow to assess how it was responding to the 3 or 4 courses of the second chemo drugs. The beginning bone marrow had 80% of the cells were lymphoma. After the first chemo course of drugs (6 treatments), the bone marrow was down to 40% lymphoma cells.

A bone marrow was done Monday just showed necrotic (dead) cells. So he did 2 bone marrows on Wednesday - one from each hip. The reports from these today were that they were perfectly normal. No lymphoma was detectable in either! We need less than 5% in the bone marrow to qualify for the bone marrow transplant.

So why are the lymph nodes enlarging if the bone marrow is cleared? The oncologist thinks it is a second clone that has developed resistance to the second chemo series.

Linda is still in hospital as she has a little pain, but her right leg is weak and she cannot stand and get to a bedside commode. It appears that the tumor in the right thigh is compressing the nerves to the thigh and hip muscles as she cannot lift her right leg off the bed. She can move her right foot and toes normally. We are getting MRIs to assess this. A biopsy was done on this tumor and it also appears to be all necrotic as well.

Next week, the oncologist will contact Methodist Hospital about the bone marrow transplant as she is now ready! Hopefully, she will get a little more mobile and be home in a few days.

We can see the light at the end of the tunnel finally.

Thanks for all the prayers. THEY ARE WORKING!

Linda's Lymphoma update 7-26-11

We have a Plan C - praise the lord! We have hope again.

The oncologist did his research overnight and found a chemo drug that had positive data in a limited Phase 2 trial. There were otherwise only Phase 1 trials which aren't helpful. He checked with the oncologists at the bone marrow transplant centre and they also suggested this drug.

The drug is bendamustine (trade name Treanda).

In a group of 26 patients who had failed previous chemo of 1 or more regimens, it had a 60% response rate and 20% complete remissions. There were elderly (75 years) and had failed 1-4 previous regimens and 4 patients had relapsed after bone marrow transplant.

The drug is currently used for less aggressive  small cell lymphomas and has become the drug of choice, but this is the first trial in large-cell aggressive lymphomas.

She started the treatment tonight. It will be given over 2 days every 3-4 weeks for 6 months or more.

Keep up the prayers. This one will work!

Linda's Lymphoma update 7-24-11

Devastating news...this chemo isn't working.

On Friday, Linda (still in hospital) was in horrible pain in her right leg. Then she noticed that it was so weak, she couldn't lift her leg off the bed. A neurologist was consulted and thought that she had some nerve compression causing both the pain and muscle weakness.

A CT scan of her lumbar spine late yesterday showed many new swollen lymph nodes in the pelvis and around the spine where the nerves exit.

This is really bad. She has a very aggressive tumor and it is resistant to the second chemo after only 3 treatments.

All tumors tend to develop resistance to the chemo drugs, and that is why they tend to use them several at a time to try and kill it before it can get resistant to all of them.

The first set of drugs - Plan A - cytoxan, adriamyin and vincristin gave a partial remission in 6 treatments.

Plan B drugs - ifex, vf-16 and cisplatin haven't done a thing after the 3 treatments.

Tomorrow, when the oncologist is back, we'll see what, or if there, is a Plan C.

We have to get rid of it all before she can have a chance of the bone marrow transplant.

Keep praying for her! She really needs it. Thanks.

Linda's Lymphoma update 7-20-11

Bummer....

The pain was almost the worst ever overnight and we had to have Linda readmitted this morning.

Fortunately the pain was relieved after some IV meds and she is comfortable now.

This is all from the Neupogen shots. The WBC is normal, so she may not need anymore this trip.

We'll have to wait and see when she can get off the IV analgesics, so that she can return home.

Linda's Lymphoma update 7-19-11

Short stay.. Yeah!

Linda got home at noon today..2 days only. There was no serious infection, but she did get blood and platelet transfusions.

She still has some pain, but the pills are controlling it. She has her final Neupogen shot for this series tomorrow and then hopefully the pain will subside.

She is still on schedule to go back for chemo next Monday. She will get another bone marrow to see how the chemo is working and if she is ready the the bone marrow transplant.

Thanks for all the prayers, cards, comments etc.

Linda's Lymphoma update 7-17-11

No such luck!   : (

Linda developed a fever this morning and with her low WBC, she had to be readmitted for possible sepsis.

As we got into the hospital, the pain came on with a vengeance, so we would have had to go to the hospital anyway.

She is terribly discouraged, but the pain relief available in the hospital is a godsend.

The rate at which the chemo decimated the bone marrow is amazing. The lab work this afternoon showed the WBC to be 400. Last Wednesday (13th) it was 2200. The platelets were 8,000 today vs 102,000 4 days ago. She was very weak this morning and the Hemoglobin was 6.6 vs 9.6 on the 13th.

She is on 3 antibiotics pending results of the blood cultures as well as getting platelets and blood transfusions.

We are praying for a short stay again this trip.

Linda's Lymphoma update 7-16-11

So far, so good.

Linda is doing well and tonight marks 1 week since discharge from hospital. This is the longest that she has been home for a long time.

She is eating well. She has no pain or nausea.

The Neupogen shots which normally cause her to have severe pain so far are OK after 7 shots.

She is scheduled to go back in for the next chemo on Monday July 25th. So I hope that she won't have a recurrence of the pain and will be able to stay home next week as well.

Thanks for all the prayers, cards, visits and help.

Linda's Lymphoma update 7-9-11

She's home and well!

Linda finished the chemo at 6:00pm this evening and I brought her home. She is doing great - no pain, no nausea, good appetite - pizza and Hagen-Daaz bar for supper!

Tomorrow she starts the Neupogen shots, but this time we decided to keep her on steroids throughout the course as this seems to prevent swelling in the bone marrow and thus the severe pain she gets after 8-10 shots.

I'm hoping she will be home right through, until it is time to do the next chemo (2 1/2 weeks)

Thanks to Helen and Liz and Rick for in hospital visits this past week.

Thanks to everyone for prayers, cards comments and help.

She really is better than she has been for the past 3 months. The prayers are working.

Linda's Lymphoma update 7-6-11

2 days down and 3 more to go.

So far, this has been the best chemo course of the 3 in hospital.
Probably it has to do with her being in better shape before starting the chemo.
Linda is eating well, has little pain, and is getting PT to keep up her strength for walking.

If all goes well...home Saturday. No more updates unless she has a setback or until she is home.

Thanks Helen for your visit to Linda yesterday. Thanks Jan for looking after Brion.

Linda's Lymphoma update 7-3-11

A great weekend so far. Linda came home Friday July 1st.

The pain is under control nicely and she is able to enjoy reading, family, pets, food etc like a normal person.

She will be readmitted on Tuesday 5th for next 5 day chemo course.

Have a happy 4th everyone and thanks a million for everything you are doing for us.

Linda's Lymphoma update 6-29-11

No luck this time. The pain came back Monday night, but was controllable with the pain meds. It got worse last night and I thought we would be making a hospital run, but we made it through the night.

Today by noon, the pain which started in her ribs and chest, moved to her low back and then finally to her right thigh (which always has been the worst). Despite pain pills and patch, she was miserable with the pain 7-8 on a scale of 10. So we decided to preempt and go to the hospital during the day instead of at night.

Good idea! Linda was so disappointed as she wanted to stay home, but by supper, the pain was back to a 10 despite the meds. She's in Room 3017 again, same as last week.

Hopefully this will be a 2-3 day stay and she will be home for some of the July 4th weekend. This roller coaster ride has been going on for almost 7 months now and we are all getting weary. While she is in the hospital getting cared for, the family can catch our breaths and catch up on sleep for the next go round.

Keep praying, it is working. She is much better now than she has been for 3 months. Thanks.

Linda's Lymphoma update 6-26-11

Back home again! Yea

After 12 units of platelets and 3 units of blood, Linda came home after lunch today.

Her WBC is finally starting to rise (1300) today from 500 yesterday. Thus a few more Neupogen shots and hopefully she will be to 3500 - the number where she is no longer susceptible to infections.

She still has no pain. Her appetite has returned, even to eating meat (ribs for supper). As you know, she loves to cook and eat. So when she won't eat, we know she is sick. This sudden urge to eat everything is a great sign and cause for hope. She has to eat well to get her strength back, resume walking etc.

Likely, her next chemo will be next week - July 5th for 5 days.

This is a one day at a time disease, but we hope she will be home for the long weekend (July 4th).

Thanks for all the help, food, cards, comments, and prayers.

Linda's Lymphoma update 6-24-11

I'm back in the saddle hospital again!

Yes, that's right! After the good news yesterday on the blog, Linda awoke choking early this morning (2:45 am) on a lot of phlegm.

When we turned on the light, it was blood. She had a severe nosebleed that we couldn't control with pressure, so I called the oncologist. Her platelets were 38,000 on Monday and she was also on Coumadin for a blood clot in her right leg. So she likely had no clotting ability at all.

The doctor told us her platelets were likely extremely low. For non-medical people, the normal platelets level is 140,000 - 400,000. These little guys in the blood help us clot wounds, cuts etc. They are made in the bone marrow and are affected by the chemo. Usually people are OK until they get below 10-15,000. After the last chemo when she was so ill and in hospital for 11 days, the count was 5,000 but she didn't bleed anywhere.

So he sent us straight to the hospital and she was admitted by 4:00 am. They started platelet transfusions and by 8:00 am, the bleeding had ceased. Her count was 4,000 - lowest I have ever seen.

She is doing OK now, and will be home tomorrow. She still feels well and is pain free, so this is just another speed bump on the road of life.

This chemo is crazy stuff. The number of different complications that can crop up is bewildering.

Linda's Lymphoma update 6-23-11

Wow - what a week!

Linda continues to improve. She is up more, eating better and feeling stronger. Today she got dressed in street clothes for the first time in 4-6 weeks (I can't remember it has been so long). She had tacos for lunch and a hot dog for dinner (first meat she has eaten in weeks). She is getting around on the walker and is going to the bathroom rather than using the bedside commode.

She finishes her 10th Neupogen shot on Saturday. She is having some back pain and pain in her hip, but I think it is due to her activity level rather than the shots or lymphoma. It doesn't require any pain pills. In any event, if she gets through the weekend without a recurrence of the severe pain, it will be a milestone.

Her WBC is very low (500) on Monday's blood work, so we have to protect her from germs. The blood was drawn again today, and hopefully it will start coming back up.

Dr. Quraishi is very pleased with her progress on the last bone marrow (10 days ago). She appears to be responding well to the new chemo.

Thanks again for prayers, cards, comments etc etc.

Linda's Lymphoma update 6-19-11

Linda's home again. She came home Thursday evening after completeing chemo and getting some PT to help her to walk with a walker.

So far, she isn't having any pain and is just using the patch. Because of that, she is much more alert, and able to eat some and drink fluids to prevent the dehydration.

She has had some vomiting, which is a late side effect of the cisplatin drug. Thursday night, she vomited twice despite medication and went in for IV fluids Friday morning (outpatient). The vomiting seems to have passed now (fingers crossed) as the last episode was Saturday afternoon.

She is getting the Neupogen shots (4 already). Hopefully, she won't get the pain back next weeknd which is the usual schedule she seemed to be on.

She is getting around the house with the walker better, but still has severe fatigue and she tires easily. She has been out on the patio in the evening.

Overall, this is the best she has been in well over 2 months. Maybe things are looking up. I hope her strength continues to improve.

Linda's Lymphoma update 6-15-11

Linda finished the 5th day of the current chemo course tonight.

Finally, a cause was found for the pain in her right thigh. There is a large deposit of lymphoma along the femur. This will be dealt with by the chemo or other ways at a later date.

She still has trouble standing on that leg, but hopefully with PT she'll be home tormorrow or Friday.

Her appetite is fair, and she is still drowsy at times from the meds given along with the chemo (benadryl, reglan IV). This evening, she wanted fried shrimp and cole slaw, so I went to Red Lobster and bought her a dinner. She ate about 1/3 of it, but this is the best in several days.

Anyway, she looks good when not drowsy from the benadryl, phenergan and pain meds.

Looking forward to getting her home for the weekend and feeding her whatever she desires.

Thanks again for cards, comments, prayers, meals, and help at home.

Linda's Lymphoma update 6-12-11

How much better pain relief is!

Linda is doing better in the hospital as the controlled IV doses can give her almost 100% pain relief. With the pain relief, she can eat her meals as well. She had a whole sandwich and apple sauce tonight for dinner when I was with her.

She is on her 2nd day of this chemo round.

The pain in her left thigh is puzzling. It seems to be muscular, but is so severe, that she cannot stand on it. I think she may have pulled or torn a muscle last week, when her platelets were so low, and may have a big bruise in the muscle causing the pain. An xray was normal. Today she had an ultrasound of the thigh, but no report yet. If still no info, then maybe she'll need and MRI.

In any event, she is a real trooper. I don't know how she keeps her optimism up when she has had so much pain for 8 months.

Keep praying. It works. Thanks.

Linda's Lymphoma update 6-10-11

Three steps forward and 2.9 steps back...

Linda had a wonderful day at home on Thursday. She was getting stronger, eating rather well and basically in minimal pain.

Today at noon, her pain in the right leg and abdomen returned with a vengeance and by 10:00pm was back to a 10 on a 1-10 scale despite maximum doses of narcotics.

We had to call the docotor and get her directly admitted again for pain relief. She's in room 3037 at Bayshore Medical Center.

She is so disappointed not to be home for the weekend as she was looking forward to it.

All is not a waste of time however, as her blood work on Thursday showed she was able to have the next course of chemo (5 days in hospital), and that was scheduled for Monday. So we will save some time and begin it this weekend, so she'll be home hopefully by next weekend.

I was planning to have her write this entry on her blog...but not to be.

Thanks Jill for your help with Linda at home on Wednesday and Thursday.

Thanks again to all for cards, comments and especially prayers.

Linda's Lymphoma update 6-7-11

HOME AT LAST!

We brought Linda home from Bayshore Medical Center at supper tonight. She ate a ham sandwich for dinner, the first solid food in 2 weeks. She can walk 20-30 feet with a walker and help.

Kudos to Bayshore Medical Center and her physicians for the excellent care. We are all deeply appreciative of the love and caring showed to her during the 12 day admission.

She is still very weak, but the home environment and better food, now that she can eat a little, will help her to get her strength back quickly.

She will have to go back in hospital next week for the 2nd of 3, 5 day chemo course. So the respite at home is a blessing.

We has some very good news prior to discharge. A bone marrow was done 3 weeks ago prior to the last chemo and the report finally came back. The bone marrow was free of cancer and even the flow cytometry (a special test to identify cell types) was normal. No cancer cells were seen. This is fantastic as she has to have a clean bone marrow prior to getting the transplant!

Thanks to Jill Cooper and Jan Metcalf for volunteering to come to the house and help Linda during the next few days while I'm at work. You gals are GREAT!

Also, here is a better link to take you to the latest post on the blog, rather than a specific date....

http://lindaslymphoma.blogspot.com/

We are 7 months into this trip and have another 2 months or so to complete the bone marrow transplant. Linda is a real trooper. We are all still positive about achieving a cure.

Thank for all the cards, blessings, prayers and comments. It helps us all to get through this.

Linda's Lymphoma update 6-5-11

Linda had a good day today (best since she went in 10 days ago). She was able to sit up for an hour as we played Scrabble on my iPad.

The WBC is normal, but the platelets are still very low (20,000) vs a normal of 150,000 - 400,000. They should recover as the bone marrow recovers. However, the next chemo course will have to be delayed until the platelets are normal (3-5 days).

She is eating some - fruit, applesauce, yogurt etc but her appetitie is still poor.

She may get home on Tuesday while she waits for the platelets to recover, but this will be a nursing challenge for us.

Thanks for the comments. Obviously everyone was blog challenged!

Keep up the prayers. IT HELPS immensely.

Linda's Lymphoma update - how to post a comment!

Several people have told me they can't figure out how to comment, so I checked today and figured it out, as I don't have to comment myself.

1. Click on 'comments' in blue under the text. This will open the comment box.
2. Write comment in box and sign your name so she will know who sent it.
3. There is a 'comment as' pop down list - just use 'anonymous', as you have already signed the comment in the box.
4. This is important part. Click 'Preview'. It will show the comment, and a word verification. Type the large blue italicized letters in the box provided. Then click 'Post Comment'

Good luck. It does work.

Linda's Lymphoma update 6-3-11

Linda continues to make remarkable progress. Thanks for all the prayers. They are working!

She went out to the regular floor yesterday (Rm 3039, Bayshore Medical center, Pasadena TX). Finally, the WBC is back to normal with the Neupogen shots. She started to eat a soft diet today at supper.

She is still extremely weak and is getting physio - moving legs in bed, sitting in chair etc.

With any luck, she can come home Monday for a couple of days before going back in the hospital for the next 5 day chemo course on Wednesday 8th.

She has her work cut out to get her strength back, start walking etc. This can continue through the chemo next week.

So far, she hasn't had the severe pain from the Neupogen this time around. Thanks be to God.

Her attitude is very positive and she will see this treatment through, including the transplant in late July.

As a kid in the 50's and 60's, I remember Walt Disney Presents each week. There were 4 'lands' (Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Adventureland and Frontierland). This wild ride our family is going through I think should be called Lymphomaland. It is wilder and scarier than anything Disney could conjure up. And the brushes with death are very real.

Linda's Lymphoma update 6-1-11

Wow - prayers answered! Linda is doing so much better these last 2 days.

Finally the WBC (white cell count) has come up. Dr. Quraishi (oncologist) said that the nadir for the drugs was 6-8 days post chemo. Monday was the 8th day. After being stuck at 100-200 for 6 days, the WBC was 600 today. When it gets to 1500, she can be out of ICU as the kidney function, BP etc are all OK. The stomach tube through her nose was removed today and she is taking sips of fluids again.

She is still getting IV feedings and those are making her stronger. She will needs plenty of physio to get her strength back and walking aagin, but her attitude is great!

We hope that she will get home for a day or two before the next 5 day course of chemo starts Tuesday next week.

Thanks for the prayers and cards. If so inclined, please post a comment that I can read to her, as she can't have cards, flowers etc in ICU.

Thanks also for all those who give blood, as Linda has used probably 20-25 units of blood and platelets so far in her illness.

Linda's Lymphoma update 5-30-11

Today was a better day! She is still in ICU. Linda is more alert and getting a little feisty - always a good sign in a patient.

The kidney function has returned to normal. BP under control.

The 2 problems now are still the dangerously low WBC (still 200) with the infection risk; and her malnutrition and weight loss.

She is getting the shots to boost the WBC and any day now it should start recovering.

She has had 24 hours of IV feedings by 6pm this evening and it is starting to show in her alertness etc. She is drinking a little despite the stomach tube, but the swallowing is no longer painful, so the fungal infection in her esophagus must be clearing with the antibiotics. Yeah!

She is making a 'Bucket List' of things she wants to do when she is better. I didn't have the heart to tell her that the Bucket List is for when you won't get better. But anyway she is planning for the future and that is wonderful.

Linda's Lymphoma update 5-28-11

Linda continues to make slow improvement, even as new complications crop up.

She was transferred to ICU on Friday so the doctors could give her Dopamine to improve her BP and renal function. She is still getting loads of IV fluids and the Dopamine keeps her BP about 110 systolic.

Another problem has been her profound loss of appetite and weight loss. It was even painful for her to swallow liquids. She likely had a fungal infection in her esophagus from the low immune system, so she is taking antibiotics for that and as of today, she still finds it difficult to swallow. They inserted another central IV line today, so she could start getting IV feedings to regain her strength.

Her main problems and status of them are as follows.....

1. Low BP and dehydration - under control with fluids and Dopamine

2. poor kidney function - much improved with the fluids and Dopamine

3. low WBC - still only 100 today, but the Neupogen should kick in soon and cure this. But until it gets to normal, she is at high risk for any and all infections

4. wt. loss and loss of appetite - being treated as above for fungus infection and IV feedings to begin Sunday

Thanks for all your prayers and thanks to our minister, Mark Cooper, who visited Friday afternoon and gave us communion in the ICU.

Several people have notified me that they cannot leave comments, so I changed the default settings and it should be easier to do now. Thanks for lettting me know.

Linda's Lymphoma update 5-27-11

Linda is back in the hospital and I finally have a moment to update the blog.

The oncologist said this new chemo would be very tough. I can only think of "hell on wheels" to describe it. After a couple days of nausea and vomiting at the beginning of the week, on Wednesday she changed to uncontrolled diarrhea (another side effect). She became so dehydrated yesterday (BP 78/40) that she couldn't sit up or stand, so we had to call an ambulance to take her back to the hospital for IV fluids etc. Her WBC was 200 in the hospital last night with a nice round 100 each of neutrophils and lymphocytes. So she is on prophylactic IV antibiotics as well.

We did get to the consult at Methodist Hospital (Dr. Ram Kamble) on Wednesday for the Bone Marrow Transplant (Plan B - after the failure of the inital chemo). The whole team that we met was wonderful. He described the whole process to us and I'll summarize it briefly. She will need 2 more rounds of this current chemo regimen (Oh joy). Then she will need another bone marrow. The marrow at that time has to be clean (no cancer visible) and then they willl harvest her stem cells from the peripheral blood like a blood donation. This stem cells are frozen.

She will enter the hospital for 3 weeks (mid-July). Week 1 is 'industrial' strength chemo of a new regimen. After the chemo, on day 7 or 8, she is infused her stem cells. Week 2 will be horrible with the WBC at essentially zero while waiting for the stem cells to repopulate her marrow and begin making new blood cells. He said she will have 4-5 days of diarrhea, mouth ulcers and God knows what else. Week 3 she will gradually recover and get her strength back and be ready for discharge. She will be in isolation the whole time, but can have visitors - gowned etc.

There is less than 1% mortality with the treatment (usually infection). If the transplant is successful (45-50%) she will essentially be cured and will need regular follow-up. There will be 2x yearly chemo with just Rituxin (very mild) chemo.

We didn't get into the plan C if it isn't successful.

Keep praying for her to keep up her strength both mentally and physically, and for the success of the treatment. Thanks.

Linda's Lymphoma update 5-24-11

That dreaded nausea and vomiting from cisplatin is rearing its ugly head. According to the oncologist, it may last up to a week after the infusion of the drug.

Well Linda has had it the last 2 days - horrible nausea and some vomiting.

Fortunatley, meclizine and reglan seem to be helping.

She has started the daily Neupogen shots again and has had 2. She is still pain free (thanks be to God), but in previous episodes, the bone pain from the Neupogen starts after about a week of shots. So we will see.

Tomorrow is our consult at Methodist Hospital for the BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant), but because her marrow is full of lymphoma, she will likely get a stem cell transplant. We will find out tomorrow.