It has been awhile since our last posting. Will’s condition has remained the same. He went back to Public School this past September. He is in 9th grade. Just got his first mid-term progress report and we are very pleased. Tonight (10/7/06), Will attended his girlfriend’s Homecoming Dance. I have posted some pictures under “Homecoming”. His girlfriend is Debra Reynolds. She is very pretty and sweet.
It’s been a long time since our last post. To quickly hit the high points:
Will’s health remains the same (knock wood). Will’s May blood count was in his usual range.
Will went to Florida in May with his class. They visited Kennedy Space Center, Epcot Center, Busch Gardens, & swam with dolphins at Port Discovery.
Will & Bonnie have finished school for the year. They both managed one B and the rest A’s. We’re very pleased, especially considering the year we’ve had.
We have an appointment in NYC this coming Friday. Dr. Boulad intends on working out some of the details of ”plan B”.
Thanks for visting.
The Bloxoms
We have been notified that Will’s 10/10 donor has been permanently deferred for medical reasons. This means that Will will not be going to transplant using this donor. The main reason why we were going to transplant now was because the donor was reaching the maximum allowable age to be a bone marrow donor. Even though Will needs a bone marrow transplant, he is not in any immediate medical crisis. His blood counts are low but stable.
There are other mismatched donors in the registry that could be used if an emergency arose. However, the risks of going to transplant with a partially mismatched donor exceed the benefits at this time. Basically, we will have to wait until Will’s condition deteriorates or until another 10/10 donor is found.
If anyone is interested in becoming a bone marrow donor please click on the link located on the right hand side of this page.
If you or any organization would like to hold a fund raiser or a bone marrow drive for us please contact us using the contact information along the right side.
We will continue to update this journal but not as often if we had been going to transplant. We are going to try to resume a “normal” life (we really don’t know what that is).
Please continue to sign the Guest book. Will and his family enjoy reading your entries. They are very heart warming & thoughtful.
Thanks for checking up on us.
Randy, Nancy, Will & Bonnie
Last Friday night (3/24/06) was the Sock Hop fundraiser for FA in honor of Will. The turnout was wonderful and surprising. We think that approximately $1,000 was raised for FA. Almost everyone was dressed for the 50’s theme. The girls had on their bobby socks, pony tails, and poodle skirts. The boys wore white tee shirts and had their hair greased back. The Dj even played music from the 50’s. There was also food and games. Everyone had a good time. I will load some pictures to the photo album.
A BIG Thank You to everyone involved with this fundraiser and an especially big thank you to Stepping Stones Learning Academy! Thanks for checking on us! Randy, Nancy, Will, & Bonnie
Will headed back to school today for the first time in almost a month. This excitement will not last very long.
Will got an unexpected surprise tonight. Our friends the Bowens (Andrea, Kyle, Kelsey) came to visit. Kyle had bought Will an Xbox 360 ! Wow - what a gift. Will was extremely surprised and happy. We can not express our thanks to Kyle (what a wonderful kid ) and to his family including Frank who was not there ! Thanks for thinking of us ! Randy, Nancy, Will & Bonnie
We headed south to Walt Disney World. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom lodge. The weather was beautiful all week and everyone had a good time.
Thanks for checking on us !
Randy, Nancy, Will & Bonnie
Because of the emotional week we have had and the previous months leading up to this week’s disappointment, our family is in need of some relaxation. We are packing our bags and heading south. We will update the journal when we return. Thanks for thinking of us !
Randy, Nancy, Will & Bonnie
We were just notified that Will’s donor has been medically deferred. This means that the transplant is on indefinite hold until they find out more details as to what is wrong with the donor. We do know that she had her physical last week so a test must have come back negative. We might not ever be able to use her. Needless to say, we are extremely upset. She was Will’s only perfect match. We are thankful that Will is in good health and is not in immediate danger. We will update everyone when we have more information. If anyone wants to become a bone marrow donor I have included a link. You never know….You could be the ONE ! http://www.marrow.org/HELP/join_the_registry.html
Today Will’s donor has her physical exam. We really aren’t sure what else she needs to do but we hope all checks out ok and that she agrees to donate. God Bless her !
Randy, Nancy, Will, & Bonnie
Randy & Will traveled to New York on Sunday (2/26/06) and spent the night at the Ronald McDonald house(RMH). Will was scheduled for a bone marrow aspiration on Monday. By the time, they got done with this procedure the lab was closed so Dr. Boulad said he would call if there was anything abnormal.
Randy is really having second thoughts about the Ronald McDonald house. It is a very old facility and does not appear to be clean or germ free by any stretch of the imagination. It is possible that we could be at the RMH for 5 months or longer and Will will have an immune compromised system. We know other families have managed so we will too.
We appreciate all the love and support we have ! Thanks for checking up on us and please continue to do so…..Randy, Nancy, Will & Bonnie