7TH APRIL 2005 to 22 JUNE 2005
22nd June 2005
Last Sunday we had a wonderful afternoon celebrating Kellie's 12month anniversary of her new life. The weather turned out cold but dry and all of the 65 people that attended had a great time. We thanked everyone for the wonderful help, wishes, prayers and support over the past 20 or so months. We had a lovely spit roast and loads and loads of salad, rice and potato bake (with lots left over - not such a good estimator for catering). Some guests traveled great distances including Grahams brother, Phil and his wife Corinne from Wollongong and Gail and Ian Young from Phillip Island along with many of our friends from Rowville, Caulfield Grammar School and our neighborhood.
17th June 2005- my goodness it has been a long time
I apologise for not writing in this diary for some time. I have now gone back to part time employment and my spare time is a little less now. Kellie has just completed all of her exams for this semester and has done very well. Peeta finished her last exam today at uni and is now having a 3 week break. Graham is enjoying work and I have been employed as a receptionist/secretary 2 days per week. We are all healthy except for the typical cough and sniffle that comes with winter. I finally got Kellie’s immune function test results on Tuesday and all is well except the part that fights viruses. It is still lagging behind everything else but Dr. Waters tells me this can be normal for this stage of the game. She worried me a little this week after coming home from school with a headache that just wouldn’t go away and then some petechiae bruising (pin-prick bruising) on her feet. The headache went away after 24 hours but the bruises have stayed, we will only go to the Dr if the bruising stays until Monday or she feels unwell. Her magnesium was a little low last test so to avoid any problems we have started her on 2 tablets per day just in case it decides to keep dropping, it wont do her any harm. Though, after taking so many of them in the past Kellie doesn’t always remember the tablets but if she only takes them twice a week I will be happy. On Sunday 19th June we are having a party to celebrate 12months post transplant and to show our appreciation to all the friends that helped us out over the past 21 months. It is our “thank you” to them. We would have loved to have our dear friends and relatives from NSW but it is a long way to come for an afternoon BBQ so to them we say “Thank you” for your support, love, tears, and words of encouragement, as well as prayers and positive thoughts and we will catch up in the very new future. Unfortunately the weather forecast for Melbourne on Sunday is lots of rain and only 15 degrees, and 70 people in my house sounds a lot. I hope they all bring their coats and are happy to stand around a warm outdoor fire. Kellie has been on the TV again. Before they went on their adventure, Kellie met the three policemen from Victoria that climbed Mt Everest to raise funds for Make-a-Wish foundation. Today they had a welcome back reception and Graham and Kellie went along and Kell gave a speech about her wish. She was a big hit and had them rolling with laughter. She told everyone about her wish and the Bungi Jump/Canyon swing and the adventurous rafting. She was asked what and when her next adventure would be – perhaps climbing Mt. Everest. Her reply “oh no – everyone’s doing that.” Thank goodness I was a little worried for a while there.
Kellie and her friends at a "Pimps and Prostitutes" Party
29th May 2005-Great results
GREAT NEWS- The Bone Marrow aspirate has shown that all is well. The routine blood tests were good just like they have been over the last 10 tests. We will know the results of the immune function test in another week or so. On the 28th June, Dr Waters booked Kellie in for a full pulmonary function test and an echocardiogram. The pulmonary test is to check that there ha been no damage to her lungs and the echo is to check for cardiomyopathy or any other heart problems. We are told these are routine tests for this stage of the game. After all the chemo, radiation and other drugs it will be good to know that there is no permanent damage to these vital organs.
Thank you to everyone that has supported and helped us through the passed 21 months. We have reached another hurdle and passed over it with flying colours.
WELL DONE KELLIE FOR A GREAT JOB GETTING BACK TO A NORMAL LIFE!!! YOUR HAVE
BEEN MY INSPIRATION
WELL DONE PEETA FOR COPING WITH MANY CHANGES TO YOUR LIFE AND FOR SUPPORTING
AND HELPING BOTH KELLIE AND YOUR PARENTS THROUGH A VERY TOUGH TIME.
YOUR HAVE AMAZED ME
WELL DONE GRAHAM FOR SUPPORTING KELLIE PEETA AND I AND FOR COPING SO WELL AND
BEING POSITIVE THROUGH THIS WHOLE ORDEAL. YOU
MAKE US LAUGH. YOU
HAVE BEEN MY CRUTCH.
AND WELL DONE TO MYSELF FOR BEING POSITIVE EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, I HAVE
NEVER DOUBTED KELLIE’S ABILITY TO GET OVER THIS AND TO TAKE EACH STEP IN HER
STRIDE. NOT ONLY HAS KELLIE COPED AND SURVIVED BUT WE HAVE ALL COPED AND
SURVIVED.
I know that this is only the 12 month remission mark but boy it is a great feeling and we look forward to the next five years with the same enthusiasm and positive attitudes towards a normal life and total remission.
18th May 2005 – ONE YEAR AFTER TRANSPLANT. STILL IN REMISSION AND TIME TO CELEBRATE
3rd May 2005-Day +350
Kellie
and her favourite doctor, Dr. Waters (19/4/05)
The count down has started. Only 15 more days and it will be time for an anniversary we never thought we would be celebrating 2 years ago. Yes it is the 1st anniversary of Kellie's life saving stem cell transplant. She is so well. In fact she is away on camp with school as a camp leader for a group of year 5 children, some thing she has been waiting and wanting to do for quite a while. Dr. Waters saw Kellie on the 19th of last month and said her blood test results were all normal. He has scheduled her for a bone marrow aspirate on 24th May to make sure she is still in remission and an immune function test to check that her immune function is where it should be, then she will start her immunisation against all those horrible child hood diseases. Triple antigen, polio, whooping cough, etc ., etc. (just like a new born). Kellie had a wonderful trip to New Zealand and deservedly so, and now her friends Hamish and Elle are getting the chance to go on a trip to America with Challenge, the cancer support group that took Kellie to the Logies last year. What a great charity, they are bringing joy and happiness to these children that have had to endure such of lot in such short lives. Go for it Hamish and Elle - congratulations on being selected for this wonderful journey.
7TH APRIL 2005 -DAY +324
We it's been a long time since I wrote in this diary. Maybe that's because everything has been just great. Kellie only visits her doctor once a month and is off all medication (almost - today she finishes taking the acyclovir which prevents her from catching chickenpox again). All blood test results have been excellent. Kellie is looking terrific, feels great and has not missed any school, even though she does sometimes get very tired.
Not long after Kellie was diagnosed with AML we received an application form from the "Make-a-wish" Foundation. A Charity which grants the wishes of children who are terminally ill or experiencing a life threatening illness, and Kellie wished to Bungi Jump. Because they couldn't grant the Bungi Jump due to dangers and age limits, insurance etc., they granted Kellie and the whole family an adventure holiday in Queenstown and they told us if she wanted to Bungi they were sending us to the right place and we could organise it ourselves as an extra. We have just returned from New Zealand, where we went for Kellie's wish. Kellie's specialist wouldn't allow the Bungi jump because of the shock on her system and retinas so she did a Canyon Swing instead (no boyng factor). I have added a page of photos and I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as we enjoyed our adventure holiday.
Now from experience, I suggest you never fly over mountains half covered in snow in a very small six seater one engine airplane. We flew to Milford Sound in this and I have never been so scared in my entire life. Free falling 50 metres and continual turbulence just about blows a plane like that out of the air. I screamed and cried most of the way and then refused to make the return journey by plane so we had to endure a 4 hour coach trip instead of one hour flying. I did us all a favour because the scenery from the coach was brilliant. Don't worry the girls were scared too. I wasn't the only wimp.
This is our itinerary:
Day 1 Fly to Queenstown via Christchurch - NZ all cloudy - didn't see any scenery - plane circles over Queenstown twice before breaking through the clouds and finally landing on airstrip between cloud covered mountains.
Day 2 Queenstown Duck - land/water vessel tour of Queenstown. Interesting tour giving us a broad overview and layout of the town. Kell gets to drive on the water.
Day 3 Shotover Jetboat ride (wet and thrilling) -360 turns at very high speed in river canyon; Scary helicopter flight through Skippers canyon (turned sideways a few times .... frightening but OK, because only lasted for 6 minutes); whitewater rafting down Shotover River (fantastic, thrilling, Kell got thrown out of raft at worst rapid - panic by all - >9degree water, 30ft deep and vicious rapid called the "Toilet"....Kellie got back in the raft very shaken and looking forward to a very hot shower - only 20 minutes down river and only 4 or so rapids and one tunnel away!!!)
Day 4 Canyon Swing - both Graham and Kellie did this (Kell twice...second time in a chair backwards) It is very hard to watch your child and husband jump off a platform 109m high above the river, fall 60m and then swing 250m across a canyon. I think I screamed the loudest; Gondola ride up the mountain for views over Queenstown, Luge ride (had tickets for 2 rides but a storm came in and it was too foggy to see so the ride was closed), then a Kiwi Harka show - Graham was picked as the King of the audience and the Kiwis screamed and jumped at him with spears and then presented him with a peace offering of a leaf branch), then we had a beautiful buffet dinner at the Skyline Restaurant.
Day 5 Jetboat ride on the Lake Wakatipu and Shotover River .. snow on mountains overnight - very cold/raining - like needles piercing your skin when traveling over 95km per hour on the water; 4WD adventure along the Arrow River - very narrow track up and down river canyon (bit of a goat track), through and beside the river - crazy driver- very adventurous.
Day 6 Fly, cruise, fly to Milford Sound - very, very, very scary flight - lovely cruise, nice bus ride home to Queenstown - views spectacular - the enormity of the whole place is mind boggling.
Day 7 Rest before flying home the next day. Bus to Arrowtown, old gold mining town, ate homemade pies and cream buns and bought lots of olde English lollies.
Day 8 Fly back to Australia absolutely exhausted. The sun is out and the views of New Zealand from the plane are amazing.
Spent the following two days being lounge lizards at home in Melbourne. We were all exhausted.
That was our adventure holiday and it was great. Thanks to "Make-a-wish Foundation" and Kellie wanting to Bungy jump. They gave us all a wonderful holiday and an experience we will never forget.