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Summary


Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) was the diagnosis I received on November 1, 2005. I went into the clinic three months earlier because of a tightness in my chest, left side, resulting even from a short walk out to my car. Then the week before diagnosis I went in because of a strange bulge in the left side of my abdomen, felt when lying in bed on my back. Turned out to be a rather large spleen, later measured at 11cm below the rib cage.

Since then, my family and I have been through some trying times. And as a Naval Officer stationed overseas in the UK and with family and friends living throughout the world, including the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Japan and Australia, I decided early on that it would be easier to update everyone via a blog than by email or phone.

I tried, and resisted, Gleevec. I also tried Sprycel but I proved intolerant to it because my counts dropped as soon as I took more than 50mg daily (standard is 100 to 140 mg daily). So I turned to a bone marrow transplant, which I underwent November 31, 2007 at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA. I have since been dealing with chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD) issues with my GI tract (resolved), eyes, mouth, and now my lungs. The lung problem is pretty bad as I hve been diagnosed with bronchial obliterans and now have only 42 percent lung function and am on oxygen a great deal of the time.

But not to fear; I am hanging in there, keeping my spirits up and continuing with my life. Through this blog, people have followed my treatment plans through success and failures, various types of medical appointments and procedures, my fluctuating counts, etc. Besides information detailing my own experiences, I also try to include general aspects of CML, various forms of treatment and the experiences of a stem cell transplant.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Kareem Abdul-Jabar joins us with CML

As said as it is, NBA's basketball star Abdul-Jabar was diagnosed last December with CML and is apperantly a paid spokesman for Swiss Pharmasutical Novartis. Now why didn't they offer me that gig a couple of years ago?

Read more about it at FoxNews.com.

Good luck to Kareem and the rest of our CML patients and their families.

~David


P.S. Thanks to my brother Daryl for the article.

Posted by David Cox

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

God luck Kareem!
But lets not over simplify what people like David live through EVERYDAY of their lives and what their families have gone through and continue to go through.

Great news about wonderful targeted therapies out there- but unfortunately both David and I know too many brave souls that have lost their battle to CML and it was not because they did not take their pills on time, or fight hard enough, or have loving supportive/friends and family and see the best doctors out there.

These drugs can be amazing and work for so many. But lets not lose site of the many moms, dads, sons, daughters, and friends that we have lost along the way and they fought just as hard to stay alive to be here for this holiday season but are not with us.

There is hope and progress which I am grateful for but there is a long long long way to go. I am happy he is doing so well and has had a year to compose himself as a spokesperson.

David, you are my hero. You and your family that live with GVHD and have fought so hard. You are my spokesperson and warrior along with your wife and family/friends.

Keep on truckin!
Lea

November 11, 2009 8:29:00 PM PST
sionito said...

Amen Lea. My feelings exactly. In addition to all our gratitude for drugs and therapies that work, there are still many CML survivors who are not so lucky as Mr. Abdul-Jabar.

Perhaps the quote that really pierced my soul was something like 'CML hasn't altered my day to day routine/schedule.' Wow, I can't imagine how that's possible, but ok. Certainly my schedule may be closer to the way it was than those of you going through transplant, but nevertheless cancer and CML has stolen LOTS of hours/days/moments and let's not talk about the money.

No where in Mr. A-J's commentary did I see anything about the high costs of the drugs, or any side effects, or a notion that the drugs don't work for some folks.

Agreed... Good luck to Mr. A-J, and to us all. It's my cancerversary season, and I know the anniversary of your transplants. You remain on my mind as your journey continues to require stamina and strength.
Peace,
Rhonda
www.Rhondaradliff.blogspot.com

November 28, 2009 7:22:00 PM PST

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