This is Neil and Michele.Once again, we can't thank Neil enough for what he has given our son. He is here today thanks to G-d and Neil's bone marrow.
December 6, 1998 December 17, 1998 December 20, 1998 January 28, 1999 March 5, 1999
Day '+317'
Yossi's blood counts continue to be very strong. In the last 2 weeks his Hemoglobin has really become solid. His other counts are very good also and his Liver Enzymes are moving back into normal range. He is getting ready for his trip to Disney World. He is really looking forward to it. He deserves it. Soon it will be one year of remission for Yossi and soon after that it will be one year since the transplant. Yossi has gotten to see his new room at home and has helped to decorate it. He can't wait until he will be able to live there permanently. We are also anxious for that.
Keep praying for Yosef Chaim ben Breindle Leah.
Day '+328'
This has been the most incredible Chanukah ever! First of all, Chai Lifeline took Yossi Chaim to Disney World for a Chanukah treat. He had a marvelous time there. His counselor, Shmueli Mandel came down Sat. night, and then the two of them flew down to Florida on Sunday morning. They went to Sea World the first day. Yossi was a little upset the first night, as some things were not done the way he had expected. But Chai Lifeline is truly wonderful. After one phone call, everything was fixed the way it was supposed to be!
The next day the kids went to Disney World. The kids get pushed around in wheelchairs. This was actually good for Yossi Chaim, cuz he still gets tired out from walking a lot. They were also able to go to the head of the lines. Once again, he had a fabulous time.
The kids were staying in Fort Wilderness. Yossi Chaim said that it was very nice. (He wants us to go back and stay there for 2 weeks.) They have a cook there to prepare all the meals. (Of course, everything is Kosher.) So Yossi Chaim was able to have foods that he liked. Chai Lifeline takes care of every detail. They gave him some spending money, as well as a disposable camera.
The 3rd day of the trip, they went to Universal Studios, and the last day was spent at the Wild Animal park.
Yesterday, Dec. 16, Yossi was due to come home. I got home from school, and there was a message on my machine to call the clinic about information about our donor. It seems that they really wanted to meet us, and they got permission to release the information!!! I got to speak to the most wonderful and giving person... Neil Price. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! This is the wonderful man who gave Yossi Chaim the gift of LIFE! It’s his blood that is flowing through Yossi and sustaining him now. It seems so amazing what G-d and science can do. And this coming up Shabbos we are going to celebrate one year in remission for the Yoss Man.
I want to take a moment to thank all of you who have been praying for him. His fight is still not over, but Thank G-d things are looking so bright. In this season of celebrating miracles, I pray that you all will have good health, happiness, and mazel (luck).
Please keep Chizkiyahu Yoel ben Zelda Yitta in mind. He has suffered a relapse of Hodgkin’s. We pray for his speedy and complete recovery. We also wish Chaya Mintza Kaila bas Miriam and Baruch Yosef ben Adina Batya a speedy and complete recovery, as well as all our cyber friends, Eric, Sarah, Noah and more.
Keep praying for Yosef Chaim ben Breindle Leah.
Day '+331'
Yossi Chaim went down to clinic this past Friday. Grandma took him, since she was off from work this week. All of Yossi Chaim's counts are excellent. His liver enzyme is still slightly elivated. Dr. Yanovich is not that worried about it. It could be a little GvH, but that would be good, as a little bit of GvH helps prevent a relapse G-d Forbid. They are still watching it, but he doesn't have to go back to clinic for 2 more weeks.
We have all had the pleasure of "meeting" the donor on the phone. Neil and Michele have sent us some pictures of themselves, as seen here...
This is Neil and Michele.
Once again, we can't thank Neil enough for what he has given our son. He is here today thanks to G-d and Neil's bone marrow.
We are hoping that during winter break that Yossi Chaim will be able to come home. His room is ready and waiting for him. We put Jets borders up, and he has a cool NFL blanket that Bubby bought him. If no one gets sick, the Yoss Man will return home for a week, maybe longer. So keep all my kids in your prayers. Wow, the chance to be a family again... the hear them playing (and fighting! Who would ever think that would sound good???) and being together... I CAN'T WAIT! - Mommy
Keep praying for Yosef Chaim ben Breindle Leah.
Day '+370'
Well, this is the first update of the new year and the first in over a month. A lot has gone on since the last update. Yossi was scheduled to come home for a week towards the end of December and sleep in his brand new room. BUT, the rest of the kids got sick and then PAPA got very sick (thanks to the rest of the kids) so the plans were put on hold. Finally, he got to come home one week late. This was only the 2nd time since January 1998 that he spent a night at home. He stayed for a week and had a good time. It was nice to have him home, but it was a little bit hard on all of us. Hopefully he will be home for good soon and we will all get used to it again.
A week or so after he was home, Yossi got a very bad cough and cold. We were very worried about that and he was given an antibiotic in addition to his regular one. His body's immune system must be working at least a little bit as although it took over a week, he got over it with no major problems. Then, in an ironic twist, Grandma and Grandpa got sick. We have all tried very hard for over a year to keep Yossi well, and then he made them sick. But, they are doing ok now.
This past weekend we all got to meet Yossi's bone marrow donor. He came for a visit and he is very nice, in addition to donating the marrow for Yossi. At the same time Yossi had his one year anniversary of his transplant. Yesterday, he had his bone marrow checked for the first time since September. The results were that there are NO blasts in his marrow, and the biopsy was normal. That is great news. The same Pathologist told us that he uses a picture Yossi drew of his bone marrow (with the good and bad cells fighting it out) in his lectures. He said it was the best picture he could find of a leukemia patients marrow.
Yossi has to stay on his 2 remaining medications for another month or so and then he will begin his immunizations. They want to be extra careful with them since last month his liver enzymes were elevated and they think it may have been a touch of GvH (Graft vs. Host Disease). Things are going very well for the Yossman, but there is still a long way to go, unfortunately. So, please keep up the good wishes for him.
Below is a picture of Yossi's donor in his secret identity and a picture of him in his everyday identity with Yossi...
Day '+406'
The YossMan continues to do great! He feels fine. He is down to only ONE medication and that will be stopped shortly. What a relief not to have to take so many pills each day, and not to have to remember all of them. Today, he will be starting his immunizations. Yossi has not really been looking forward to that, but it is necessary and an important step in his continued recovery. He is like a newborn baby and has to get all of his immunizations over again. The reason he is not so happy about it is that he doesn't like shots. Most all of his intravenous medications since he became sick have been through one of the three different central lines he has had. And for that, he uses Emla cream, which numbs the skin. But, an immunization shot must go into the muscle, rendering Emla innefective. He is being brave about it, though, and Papa promised him a SMALL present for it. He hasn't seen too much of Mommy, Papa, or his siblings lately, as all of us have been sick this last week or so. Everyone is on the mend, so that should change soon. His Dr. has finally seemed to ease up somewhat on Yossi's restrictions. Right now, it looks like Yossi will come home in June. Hopefully for good, but we will still have Grandma and Grandpa's as a 'Safe House'. And, it looks like school next year is a strong possibility. It will have been 2 years since Yossi could attend school. He has done very well with his tutors, and shouldn't have any trouble picking up where he left off.
Click Here to go to the DX-Ball homepage. This has become Yossi's (and Papa's, Grandpa's...)favorite computer game. It is extremely addictive and fun to play. Yossi, Papa, and Grandpa are in constant competition to get the highest score. Currently Yossi holds the family record, but Papa is in furious pursuit. Yossi has used some of the cheats to run through all of the screens, but that is NOT an official record. The game is free and is available for download on the homepage mentioned above. Have fun!
Keep praying for Yosef Chaim ben Breindle Leah.
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