Linda Pohl's Blog

Michael's journey

It's been over a month since my last blog entry. We are trying to stay positive and hopeful despite the news that Michael has a type of acute myeloid leukemia with a very poor prognosis. Tomorrow he will undergo yet another bone marrow test to see if his leukemia is in remission. It is a painful test, but he doesn't complain. He is trying to remain optimistic. Because his type is the most aggressive, he needs a bone marrow transplant. Sadly, his sister was not a match. But, fortunately, one match was found. The hospital is in the process of determining if this person is still available and an appropriate match. One of our daughter's friends has organized 4 bone marrow drives to potentially help Michael or others in need of a transplant. For the moment, he is home enjoying some very special time with his wife and son. Soon he will need to go back into the hospital for another round of chemo. Nothing about their lives is like it was. Everything changed in a heartbeat. For now, our prayers and hopes are with him and with his beautiful little family. And, we continue to hope that tomorrow will bring good news.

Life is Precious

On my son-in-law's birthday, he went to the doctor thinking he had a nasty sinus infection. The antibiotic he'd been given hadn't gotten rid of his symptoms. He was tired, but attributed that to an 8 month old baby and a new job. His nose bleeds weren't out of the ordinary, as he has always suffered from allergies and nose bleeds were nothing new. When the doctor took his blood, she returned and said, "There's no easy way to tell you this. It's bad news. You have leukemia." She gave him a mask to put on and sent him to see an oncologist/hematologist at the nearest hospital. I am still appalled at the insensitivity of how the doctor handled the situation. He was alone, frightened and obviously very sick. He drove alone to the hospital where my daughter met him. There, our worst fears were confirmed. He was ambulanced to a Cancer Center about 1 and a half hours from their home. The diagnosis is acute myeloid leukemia and he just completed his first round of chemotherapy. Tomorrow he will have his second bone marrow test to see if the treatment worked. In the blink of an eye, your life can change. Michael had always been a healthy, strong young man with no health issues. The only positive thing, thus far, is that my husband and I are really getting to know our beautiful little grandson. We have moved in to their home to care for him during this stressful time. Trying to maintain some sense of normalcy in this difficult time. For now, everything is pretty much on hold and we live each day hopeful that things will get better. Every day when I pray that Michael gets better, I stop and think about just how precious life is.