*click* *click* Who can we help?

Joe's counts are still lookin' good according to today's results. Also, Albert's home for a few days! We got to hang out with the family tonight. Good day. :)

Today, I'm posting some fun ways to help people...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. One way to help is to click your way over to The Breast Cancer Site and click to fund free mammograms! The pink ribbon challenge is on, so your click is worth double!

While you're at it, you can help feed the hungry, fund healthcare for children, fund books for kids, preserve endangered land, and fund food for animals!

If your a Steelers fan, fight hunger with Click for Cans! (i guess you ou can also help if you are not a Steelers fan...)

Thanks to Caryn I learned that you can send Bounty cards that count! "Bounty® will allocate donations based on the percentage of e-cards sent in support of each charity. " The charities are American Cancer Society, Make-a-Wish, and National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.

And finally, ways to help dear Alivia, and others searching for a bone marrow donor!
Just click here. Maybe your business can help with a donation. If you are in Lancaster, Hershey, or Harrisburg you can participate in a fundraiser that involves FOOD. And there will be a drive in Lancaster at the end of the month...and this one isn't even minority based!!!!! Again, click here for all the info.

Don't forget about Christine and Jeremy and their food fundraiser!

There you have it. Fun ways to help. Fun, because a lot of amazing people have already done the hard stuff. :)

Much love to everyone. A lot of times I feel like I'm such a nag, "do this, do that, help with this, help with that..." I hope you know that Joe and I appreciate all the ways so, so, SO many people have helped us and people like us. I will say it forever, because I mean it. Thank you.

Thank you to Hannah for the fun card! Clifford is really great. :)
Thank you to A.M. and A.D. for the very cool card. I loved everything about it!

Thirty isn't too bad...

Yes, it's true. I turned thirty on Saturday. It actually wasn't so bad. :) I'm a very spoiled girl. Joe, being the wonderful husband that he is, spoiled me as usual. It's not like he didn't have other things he could be worrying about (as you all know). Knowing that he married a person who is absolutely a kid at heart and has a passion for (not to be confused with a talent for...) all things artsy and crafty my husband got me a craft table on Friday. It sounds silly, but I love it so much.

On Saturday morning, he managed to surprise me with a box of paints, colored pencils, and oil pastels. Where they came from, I have no idea. I do know I'll be having a lot of fun!

All day Saturday I was greeted with cards and phone calls and birthday wishes. It was so sweet, and made me feel quite loved. I really am spoiled.

In the afternoon, Joe's best friends Mike and Jay came to visit. It was really great to see them again! We all went and had dinner with Joe's parents. Joe's parents brought a yummy cheesecake for dessert! Then the boys and I headed home and it seemed the day was winding down. The guys watched some t.v., and I waited for Sheena who said she was going to be dropping something off for me. Sheena stops by and informs me that we're going to have a girls night and hang out. So off I go. We decide to go get coffee, and Sheena whisks me off to a Starbucks that is a million miles away. Really. Then Sheena gets the bright idea to visit some guys from church, just to say "hi!" Okay, off we go...only to show up and realize that it was a big surprise party!!!!!! Even Joe, Mike and Jay were there - which is why Sheena had to find a coffee shop a million miles away. The sweetest part of all, was that Sheena was one of the main party organizers - and yet she was surprised too!!!!! Sheena is an October baby as well, so the party was for both of us. WOOHOOOOOO!

I received a total of four cookbooks. This either means that people secretly think I don't know how to cook, or I'm expected to host a lot of dinner parties! Either way, I'm really excited, because I LOVE cookbooks!

Yet again, I was spoiled at the party with love and gifts and cake! The one who stole the party though was host Patrick's mascot, Mr. Beaver. Quite a party animal. Quite a cutie. Quite a photographer.

On Sunday, Joe hung out with the boys. They played some golf and watched the Steelers WIN!!!!!!! GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!! I was able to hang out with Sheena for awhile. Always a fun time!

By today, Joe and I were BEAT! It's been awhile since we've had such excitment. Fun excitement too! This evening was very nice. Jennifer, Joe, and Gabe had us over for dinner and we had so much fun. Jennifer made the best ribs in Pittsburgh. So yummy. Jen's Joe was making us laugh with all of his stories. And Gabe is the most well behaved almost-one-year-old. What a super cute and friendly kid! Good times.

My Joe is still doing well. He was so excited to see Mike and Jay this past weekend. Actually, this past weekend, we were supposed to be in California at Joe's 10 year Stanford Reunion. Our plans changed after Joe's diagnosis and the start of chemo and such. Being able to see his buddies from elementary school definitely made up for missing the reunion. Plus, Joe heard from Jim, Yang, and By who were at the Stanford reunion.

Lots of thanks. Thank you to my awesome cousins, Lilly, Sandy, Osamu, I-ju, David, Li-Ming, and Pei-chen...my "big" auntie and uncle, 2nd auntie and uncle, 3rd auntie and uncle, brother Victor, Indiana parents, and Monroeville parents...Pastor Jim, Kathy, Angela, Rachel, Katrina, Jessica, Jeremy, Colm, Lauren, Caryn, Joanna, Gretchen, Jocelyn, Nancy, Evan, and Cousin Van for showering me with love.

Thank you to Sheena, Jomei, Sha, Marcus, Mammen, Patrick, Tim, Eric, and the rest of the CrossRoads gang for the party and for spoiling me! I can't believe how many of you showed up!
Thank you to Mike and Jay for going out of your way to come visit us. It was so great to see you guys!

Thank you to Jim, Yang, and By for taking the time to think of Joe and contact him while you were at the reunion!

Thank you to Jennifer, Joe, and Gabe for a great dinner, great entertainment, and great conversation.

Thanks to Kenny for sharing those awesome photos!!!!!

Thank you to everyone for your continued prayers. We truly do feel them and appreciate them. It is always such a blessing, and so amazing to me, to hear that people are still praying and still fighting with us. Praise God for your love and faith.

For you created my innermost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
~Psalm 139:13-14 

End of Round 4!

We didn't get a call today stating that Joe's perfect match was found. We haven't lost hope either. There is always next week!

Today Joe had the last of his injections for round 4. YAY!!!!! I know he is way happy about being done for a few weeks. Me too! The results of Joe's blood draw showed a little dip in his WBC, so they are back to "right under average." Not too bad. Joe's platelets look good. And funny enough, his RBC are now on the high side of normal. Hopefully they stabilize. It seems weird that they suddenly just keep going up.

I snapped a picture of the view from the top floor of the hospital parking garage. Can't tell from the photo that the weather is getting COLD!

Please pray for Christine. I've mentioned her in the past, and posted some of her poems. She is an amazing person, and is very much a poster girl for minorities who need bone marrow and PBSC transplants. We were so excited a few weeks ago when we found out that after a very risky partial-match transplant the marrow had grafted. Unfortunately, this past week things haven't been looking so good. Christine is experiencing many complications. We don't know her, but she has been such a source of inspiration. Keep her in your prayers.

On the same note, there will be a fundraiser and bone marrow drive in LA, in Christine's name as well as her friend Jeremy. Click here for more info.

And of course, lest you think I've been slacking! I have more bone marrow drive info from CLLF!

Friday, Oct.20
11am-6pm
Drexel University
Creese Student Center
Philadelphia, PA

Mon, Oct. 23
11am-4pm
John Hopkins University
3400 Charles St.
Baltimore, MD

Wed, Nov 8
11am-5pm
Virginia Commonwealth
011 College Ave
Richmond, VA

Tues, Nov 14-15
10am-8pm
Virginia Tech
Williamsburg Room of Squires Student Center
Blacksburg, VA

Spread the word, spread the word, spread the word!!!!!!

Thank you to Yi-Ting and my 3rd auntie and uncle for the sweet cards. You are the best!
Thank you to hubby Joe for the second best gift ever. (You being all better will be the BEST gift ever! Of course, if we want to get all technical and sappy, you are the best gift ever.) I'm praying for you always!

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life - in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
~Philippians 2:14-18

Just one more day.

Joe had his 4th day of Vidaza. Today's injections were not fun at all. They were injected very slowly, and really burned going in, and so Joe was in some extra pain. He still keeps saying that all is well, and he's doing fine. I know Joe was exhausted today though because he kept falling asleep. He took 2 or 3 naps today. Poor guy.

There is a potential donor who went forward with the extra testing to see if he is a match for Joe. We're supposed to find out very soon. We're praying and praying and praying that it's a perfect match. There is only one thing that I'd love more - and that is that Joe would be perfectly fine and not need anymore treatments of any kind. That possibility passed long ago though...so I'll take the next best thing. A perfect match, and a perfect transplant. Maybe tomorrow will be the day. Friday the 13th can be as blessed a day as any other!

Lots and lots of things to be thankful for today!!!!!

Thank you to Dr. Tabor for donating to AAMDS in Joe's name. It means so very much to us. And Joe is really enjoying the books!
Thank you to Van, Rune, and Hannah for the wonderful gift. I know you must be trying to make us fat, but we love you like crazy anyway!
Thank you to Jen, Joe, and Gabe for the sweet card. We have much to catch up on. We'll be praying for you too!
Thank you to Mr. Christopher for planning a trip to see us. Sorry you ended up feeling under the weather. Hope it didn't last long. Surely there will be another opportunity to get together.
Thank you to Cammy for the cute card. We love you too! You better come back to Pittsburgh!

Happy happy 30th birthday to Heather. Wowie! Hope you're having fun.
Happy happy 2nd birthday to Evan! Thanks for singing to me. It was great!

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
~Philippians 2:12-13

Round 4, Day 3

Joe made it through day three of round 4 of his chemo. Each day he gets two subcutaneous injections. It is pretty quick. Getting his treatments might take a minute, or two at the most. However, we travel about an hour round trip and sit in the waiting room for quite a bit.

As a whole the chemo Joe is getting is very well tolerated compared to other chemotherapies. Still, it is not at all fun. Every round the side effects are just a little bit different. This time around Joe is feeling much more tired than usual. He also gets really itchy at times. Two of the three injections sites aren't as red this time as in the past, but they are still very sore.

It is interesting to us that all the nurses have different thoughts about giving the injections. I already mentioned the issue with Bandaids. The other issue is where to give the injections. In the beginning, Joe was getting three injections. Each day the nurses would pick three completely separate locations. (One on either side of his belly, one in a thigh...) Then he had a nurse who gave all the injections in the belly. Then came nurses who gave all the injections really close together. That started to become consistent. Then a nurse who refused to use the belly. And now finally, Joe is told no belly, no thighs...just arms and hips. Joe did figure out that he likes staying away from his stomach. So we'll see how the hip area goes.

After Joe got his shots, we went upstairs to visit Lilly and some of the residents. It is always nice to see everybody!

Happy belated anniversary to...
Emily and James...we are praying for you and Alivia daily.
Ressica Jicketts ( ;) ) and Jeremy...you are so loved!!!!
Holly and Jonathan...let us know when you're back in Western PA. you're missed!
Bethie and Dave...a whole year, can you believe it?

Happy happy anniversary to cousin Van and Rune. You two have much to celebrate. :)

Happy happy birthday to dear Jeannette/Angelica. heehee. You need to come back to PA too!

Thank you to Shelley for the funny card. Your love is very much appreciated...even if you are a Browns fan. :)

*****
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness,
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death -
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
~Philippians 2:5-11

Perfect Score!

Joe had his blood drawn again today. The result? A perfect score!!!!! Everything was within the range of "normal." That shot of Neupogen on Friday really worked wonders. It's pretty temporary, but hopefully the especially low WBC was pretty temporary too. 5 needles down, 7 to go. Joe's arms are sore, but he's acting tough. :)

The weather has been so beautiful, but it looks like tomorrow will be a different story. Joe and I decided to take advantage of the sun and take a walk in the park. We have a lot of friends in the park! I snapped a few photos so you can see for yourself! The tree folk change a bit about once a month. It's really cute and fun.

Thank you to Dr. and Mrs. Borst for the sweet card. We hope you enjoy your time down south!

Another good weekend

Besides the fact that Joe was sore for a full day due to his Friday Neupogen injection, we had another good weekend. Joe's cousin Sandra visited Pittsburgh for the weekend. Joe and Sandra haven't seen each other since Joe was 3 and Sandra was 5! So it was a fun time of catching up. We had dinner with Sandra and Joe's family on Saturday night, and then dinner with both of our families on Sunday night.

This morning Joe started round 4 of his chemo treatments. I can not believe we're on round 4 already. Is it possible? Between the Vidaza and blood draws, Joe gets poked 12 times this week. So 2 down, 10 to go! Fortunately, he gets rewarded for being a human pin cushion, because two of his best friends will be visiting him at the end of the week. Yay! Joe had a short bout of nausea this evening, but he was fine when he sat down to eat. I'm always happy when Joe has a healthy appetite!

One funny thing is that it seems that there is a Bandaid "controversy" in relation to Vidaza. Some of Joe's nurses have adamantly refused to apply a Bandaid after giving Joe his injections. Others say they always give Bandaids. Hmmmmm... Joe hasn't noticed a significant difference either way.

Today's blog features photos from Cousin Lilly and photos from my parents. :)















Thank you to Indiana mom and dad and Monroeville mom and dad for stocking our fridge this weekend, and also for being very generous and loving! Thanks to Sandra for visiting. Come back anytime! Thank you to Louis for the bluebird, jam, and reading. Gotta love the blue theme! So fun! Thank you to my cousin Yi-Ting for the fun earrings and tops.

Happy happy anniversary to Cousin I-Ju and David!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!! And Happy happy birthday to my funny lookin' Latvian friend Mr. Christopher. :) 

Two trips.

We returned to the hospital today. When we met with the doctor, he told us that there are currently 12 "potentials" who will be contacted for further testing. The search for Joe's "miracle match" will likely go on for 1 or 2 months. If we find a miracle match in that time - awesome. If we do not, then we go with the closest match we have. Joe's doctor is confident that the closest match will be just as good as using a "perfect" match, if it is necessary. Vidaza is working really well for Joe right now, but apparently it can lose it's effectiveness by round 10 or 11. So the current plan is to avoid that. While at the hospital, we learned that Joe's counts for today were good except for his WBC which came down to 2.4. After we returned home, we learned that his neutrophil count was below 1000. Joe's still fine, but the "safe zone" is above 1000. Joe is starting round four of his chemo treatments on Monday. The doctor wanted to punch up Joe's WBC's before his next cycle...so...we had to go back to the hospital. (We had a message on our answering machine.) Joe got a shot of Neopogen. He's not confined to the house, but we will have to be more cautious for now.

Cammy passed along some fun photos from this past weekend, so I'm going to share. :)

Cammy and the Lambda brothers.
















Cammy and the Ott family.















Joe, me, and Lisa after the church drive.
















Joe's parents, Joe, me, and Cammy.

This is really silly, but I just found out that I missed Pamela's birthday a couple weeks ago. And since she is so sweet, and family and all. :) Happy belated birthday, BFF!!!!!

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

~Philippians 2:3-4

Google Doodle. :)

I learned today that the March of Dimes is petitioning Google to create a "google doodle" for Prematurity Awareness Day. Since I'm all about spreading awareness about MDS and marrow donation, I think it's only fair that I share in spreading awareness about other things too. So here is the link to sign the petition.
March of Dimes Petition

Also, I've encountered some people who *think* they may registered with the NMDP but don't remember. Others have moved or gotten married. All you have to do is go online to marrow.org to update your information. You can also call 1-800-marrow-2.

I received my letter informing me that I'm officially listed on the Registry now. Woohoo! It came with a coupon good for one free online registration. If you haven't already, many of you who have registered in the past month or so should be getting similar letters. Make sure you give your coupon to someone who can and will use it! If you don't know anyone who can and will use it, let me know and I'll make sure the coupon is put to good use! Thank you!!!!!!

Joe is still doing great. Tomorrow he gets his blood drawn again, and we have an appointment with the doctor. Next week we should be starting chemo round 4. That seems so hard to believe. Still praying every day for a miracle match.

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
~Philippians 2:1-2

Blood drives.

I realize this is really last minute. I just discovered this information though, and felt it was worth sharing. Just in case. :) (This is for October 4.)

"The Bengals and Hoxworth Blood Center are scoring one for patients in local hospitals today by hosting the Fifth Annual Bengals/Hoxworth Community Blood Drive at Paul Brown Stadium.Presenting sponsor of the event is Champion Windows and Patio Rooms. The Blood Drive will be open until 7 p.m.The event is located in the stadium's East Club area, and free parking is available on the East Plaza level (enter off Elm Street.No advance registration is required, and all donors will receive a free Bengals blood drive t-shirt. Visitors can also sign up to become an organ donors, or to join the national bone marrow registry.Last year's Bengals/Hoxworth Community Blood Drive attracted 436 donors, making it the largest single-day, non-emergency drive in Hoxworth history."

Also...

Blood Drive
Sponsor: Alle-Kiski Medical Center
Date(s): Wednesday October 04
Time(s): 4:00pm - 8:00pm
Highlights: Help your friends, family, and neighbors by donating blood.
Location: Destination Wellness
556 Pittsburgh Mills Circle
Tarentum, PA 15084
Location Contact:Megan Klucinec
724-274-5208724-274-5210
mklucine@wpahs.org


Blood Drive
Sponsor: Alle-Kiski Medical Center
Date(s): Saturday October 07
Time(s): 10:00am - 2:00pm
Highlights:Help your friends, family, and neighbors by donating blood.
Location:Destination Wellness
556 Pittsburgh Mills Circle
Tarentum, PA 15084
Location Contact:Megan Klucinec
724-274-5208724-274-5210
mklucine@wpahs.org

In other news, Joe has been fighting off a cold for the past week. Fortunately, his counts have been high enough that he has been able to handle it. Joe's just been a bit sniffly and stuffy at times.
Yesterday, Joe went to the dentist for a thorough check-up that is required before transplant. It went well for the most part. He just has to floss and stimulate his gums more. :) And just so you know, Joe is normally very good about flossing...he was just getting mixed messages about flossing when he was neutropenic. Fortunately, for now, that is not a concern. Plus, when it comes to Joe's teeth, we trust his dentist. :)
Our buddy Eddie is working with Maria at CLLF to hold a bone marrow drive in North Carolina. Yippeeeee! Thanks Eddie.

Congratulations to Ming-Chen and Bill who are parents of a darling baby boy as of September 21. So many baby boys this year!

I love Joe. :)

Okay, so last year Joe and I celebrated our 6 month wedding anniversary. We figured we were newlyweds, so it was allowed. I decided that after the first year, it would no longer be necessary to celebrate half year anniversaries. Seems a little silly (although, who doesn't love an excuse to celebrate?) However, Joe and I have been through so very much in the last 6 months, I've made the executive decision that we are allowed to acknowledge yet another 6 month anniversary. (And what a great day it was!!!!!!!! see super long post below for proof.)

So let me just say, that I love you dear Joseph!!!!! A year and six months ago, I offered you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promised to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.

In recent months, I've come to realize the meaning of those words more than ever. And guess what? I have no regrets!!!! I am so proud of you. You are strong, patient, loving, and faithful. I'm so very blessed to be married to you. Thank you for loving me so much and accepting me just as I am - silly, klutzy, and with lots to learn! I will love you forever whether you like it or not, and that's a promise. I praise God for you every single day.

[We] can do everything through him who gives [us] strength. ~Philippians 4:13

Love,
Karen

(p.s. to our parents. thank you for knowing better than us and setting us up even though i was being extremely stubborn and resistant.
p.p.s. to any single taiwanese kids out there with crazy parents who like to set you up with all kinds of weirdos. keep an open mind, because sometimes parents can be smarter than we think and actually do a good job. (boy is that hard to admit!) ) 

Amazing weekend.

What an amazing weekend! It was full of praises!!!! On Saturday, Joe and I went to pick up Cammy from the airport. We took Cammy on a mini tour of Pittsburgh. It was fun, because Cammy doesn't usually get to see the cities where she has drives. She just hosts and drive and then leaves. We even rode the incline! After the mini tour, we met up with Pastor Hugo at PCC-Oakland so we could see where we would be setting up the drive. Then we met up with Joe's parents for dinner. It was a great dinner!

On Sunday, I left for the drive. It was really neat to go to PCC Oakland. Everyone at the church just seems so warm and caring. What a blessing to worship with them! I have to confess, even as I was praying for many to register, part of me kept from being too helpful. After all, even though the drive was at a sister church, most of the members had no clue who Joe and I were. We were blessed though, 88 people ended up registering. (Same number as PPC Perry!) So many people expressed concern and love. It was amazing. Lisa, Cammy, and I were busy, busy, busy. I'm SO thankful for Lisa and Cammy. They were such troopers. They worked from 10:00-4:00pm at the church...straight through lunch even. Then we all went to Cammy's hotel room to double check everything. It was a long day. But a good day. It was neat, because we were even going to pack up a little early (around 3:30pm) because the church was suddenly empty. But just as we were walking out, another group of people showed up. Yay!!!!!

Sweet Sheena drove Joe to the drive in the afternoon when we knew it would be less crazy. He looked so handsome! After the drive, we met up with my dear sweet cousin Lilly. She was at a conference in DC for a week, and instead of heading straight back to Seattle, she came to visit for a day! I love my cousin Lilly so much, she's so good to me. So it was great to see her. She let us put her to work immediately, so post-drive work go finished really quickly.

Sunday evening was really fun. Cammy had discovered that she had very close family friends who are relatives of the Ott family! So the Ott family treated us all to a wonderful dinner. We had such a blast. It was really a wonderful time. After we got home, Lilly, Joe, and I had a silly time swapping stories. Joe and I also had the privilege of being entertained by Lilly comparing and contrasting her favorite chips (Snyder of Berlin Bar-B-Q chips) and Joe's favorite chips (Troyer Farms BBQ chips). It was really amusing, and it seems that in the future, Lilly may not be quite as loyal to her favorite!

This morning, Joe got his blood drawn at the hospital. Everything went up except for his platelets. They dropped again...but they are still high enough. So, it was yet another blessing! We also stopped by to see Joe's dad while we were at the hospital. That was fun. And, Cousin Lilly and radiology resident coordinator Lilly got a chance to meet each other. Yay!

We then headed over to the CMU drive. We thought we were going to help. Turns out, our help wasn't needed! Those Lambda brothers were amazing! They had created a shift schedule. They were also recruiting like crazy...in English, Mandarin, and Korean. It was awesome to see. So we got "kicked out."

Joe and Lilly used to take piano lessons at CMU from the same teacher, Mrs. Avery. They decided it would be fun to go visit the building again, and see if Mrs. Avery still used the same office. We were walking around and couldn't tell where Mrs. Avery was teaching. The amazing thing is that we ran into Mrs. Li, Albert's former piano teacher. If we had walked down the hallway a minute sooner or later, we would have missed her! Mrs. Li was so shocked to see the three of us, and immediately called Mrs. Avery to tell her! Mrs. Avery immediately made plans to meet us on campus (we found out she still has the same office.) It was amazing, because Mrs. Avery was just about to head outside to her garden, so the phone call came just in time! Within minutes, Mrs. Avery was able to have a little reunion with two of her former students! Too perfect.

Lilly needed to head to the airport, so after a great time of catching up with Mrs. Avery, we stopped by the area where the drive was being held. Wouldn't you know, they just ran out of swab kits! The drive had to end an hour early. I believe 122 people registered. So we ended up with a total of 210 registrants between yesterday and today. What can I say, praise God! Cammy has promised to come back in the Spring with boxes and boxes and boxes of kits so that even more people can register, and we won't run out of kits!!! Now I just keeping praying that these drives benefit Joe and many others who are searching for a match!!!!!!!

We have so much to be thankful for this weekend. Thank you to Cammy for spending so much time in Pittsburgh and helping us with the drives. Thank you to Pastor Hugo and PCC-Oakland for opening up their church for the drive, prayers, and support. Thank you to Lisa for working all day Sunday and acting as though it was such a natural thing to do. Thank you to Sheena for driving Joe to the church. Thank you to hubby Joe for being so thoughtful and bringing snacks and drinks! Thank you to Cousin Lilly for going out of your way to come to Pittsburgh to see us and spoil us, and help us. Thank you to Louis for helping to coordinate the CMU drive and spreading the word to all of your connections. Thank you to the CMU Lambdas for being SO amazing and energetic about recruiting. Thank you to all the people who helped to spread the news about the drive via word of mouth, fliers, and emails. Thank you to all of the people who registered. Thank you to all of the people who made plans to register but weren't able to because we ran out of swab kits! You are all amazing and beautiful. Thank you to Joe's parents for dinner on Saturday. Thank you to Dr. and Mrs. Ott for treating all of us to dinner on Sunday. Thank you to Gordon and Julie for coordinating the dinner. Thank you to Maura, Lydia, and Abbey for being so fun and entertaining. Thank you to Mrs. Li for taking time out to chat with us and calling Mrs. Avery. Thank you to Mrs. Avery for rushing out to see us! Thank you to everyone who is praying, supporting, and loving us from afar. Every day we feel so blessed and just know that even through the hard stuff God is watching over us. But this past weekend was especially amazing. Thank you, thank you, and thank you again.




Joe, Lisa, and Cammy after the church drive.














Joe's dad, Joe, and Cousin Lilly (Lillian!)

Photos.

Joe sportin' his blue bird in the forest shirt designed by Lisa
and a pink ribbon supporting Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Lilly sportin' her Bravery Bracelet as part of the AA&MDSIF Awareness Campaign.

Cammy sportin' her Carnegie Mellon shirt from the CMU Lambdas!


Joe, Lilly, and Mrs. Li


Lilly, Mrs. Avery, and Joe

Big weekend!

The weekend is here! It is a big weekend. This afternoon, Cammy Lee arrives from New York. We'll be checking out the church, and then tomorrow is the drive at the church! Tomorrow afternoon my dear Cousin Lilly is going to be stopping by for a visit. It will be SO wonderful to see her. Monday is the drive at CMU. Next week is busy too. I can't believe tomorrow is October. That is just crazy.

Congratulations to Connie and Anthony who had a handsome baby boy on the 25th. :)
Happy early birthday to Megumi and Michael.

Happy day!

Updated drive info.

I apologize for taking so long to post this. Somehow, I just got the info today. However, I do believe that the info has been shared with people all over Pittsburgh already. Yay! In any case, here we go!

Sunday, October 1
10:30am-4:00pm
Pittsburgh Chinese Church
Oakland Location
134 North Dithridge St
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
(by the way, if you are interested in attending church service, the service begins at 10am.)

October 2
Carnegie Mellon (Lambda Phi Epsilon)
10:00am-6:00pm
University Center - Outside Tables
5032 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh , PA 15213

As before, the target audience is Asian, but all minorities can register for free. Here is the info you'll need to provide...

All donors will be required to fill out a confidential donor information and consent form. (Donors must be between the ages of 18-60). The form will ask for:
* Name, DOB, Age, Sexm and either SSN or Driver's License Number
* Donor telephone and email information
* Race and Ethnicity information
* Contact info for two close relatives or friends who may know how to reach you if your address changes or you are unable to be contacted. (Different from your contact info)
* A medical evaluation (yes and no questions.)
Donors also fill out a confirmation card.
Then one just needs to do a cheek swab from four areas of the mouth to complete the registration. Remember, even if you are not a match for Joe, you could possibly be a match for someone else who is praying for one.

Spread the word!!! Thank you so much to CLLF, PCC Oakland, and the CMU Lambda Phi Epsilon fraternity for all of your help. We of course have a million other people to thank as well. Thank you!!!!!!

Joe is still doing well. People who see him can not believe how great he looks...especially those who saw him a few months ago. We're in this weird place where having no definite donor yet makes the transplant feel far away and like a bad dream we can just push out of our minds. But when the house gets quiet and Joe and I run out of things to chat about, our minds go crazy. That can be hard to say the least. Fortunately, our faith has become stronger than ever through all of this. God is keeping us strong. All we can do is trust in God's good and perfect will. Praying every day...

Prayers also for Alivia. She's only a year old and her family has just learned that she will need a bone marrow transplant. I've know her amazing grandparents forever. Through the wonders of modern technology, I've also learned that Alivia has amazing parents. Pray she finds her miracle match! If you're registered, make sure your info is up to date. If it isn't go register! Refer to the end of this post to learn the different ways you can help.

Happy birthday Jenny Lin! You have been such an encourager, and we are blessed by that. :)

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
~Ephesians 4:1-6

Beautiful day!

Today was a beautiful day. Joe and I took a walk in the park. It was so nice to enjoy the fresh air, and the weather was just perfect.

Sunday, after church David came over to watch the game with Joe. Sheena also came over...we had a fun time being silly and acting like princesses. :) The outcome of the game was sad...but we did love the photos Kenny! Sunday was also the day of the drive in California! According to Karin, it went very well. Thank you again to Karin, her family, and her church for all of your help!!!!!!

Yesterday, Joe decided he was up for another half day of work. Once again, he got all dressed up and looked so handsome. It makes me nervous with so many colds going around, but I know that the department is taking good care of my Joe! Joe got his blood drawn, and his WBC went up slightly since last week. That was a good thing. His platelets dropped...but they are still within normal range. We're praying they stay where they need to be!

That's it. We're praying every day that Joe finds a miracle match. We're also praying for the upcoming drives in Oakland. It would be amazing if these drives were able to help people who are searching for a match! We are so thankful to everyone who has been jumping on board and helping us to spread the word about these drives and spread awareness as well. To everyone who is thinking about Joe all the time, praying and sending lots of virtual hugs, never forget how much it mean to both of us!

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance. Perserverance much finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
~James 1:2-4

Still doing well.

These past few days have been good. On Thursday, we got to hang out with my mom in the evening while my dad went to a meeting. My dad had a blast with David from radiology. :) On Friday we went to CrossRoads in the evening. It was great to fellowship with our brothers and sisters, and get to know some of the new members. Today we were good and hung out at home. Joe continues to read like crazy!!!!!! Thank you to LihJen for bringing us some food this afternoon!!!! It was sweet of you to think of us.

We're ironing out details for the drives in in the 'Burgh. If you'd like to help by posting a flier, and we haven't already emailed you, contact us and we'll hook you up! I'll post about the October 2 drive as soon as I learn more. For everyone near LA, don't forget that tomorrow is a big day, thanks to Karin and her church!!!!!

Sunday, September 24
12pm-3:00pm
Evangelical Formosan Church East Valley
20625 La Puente Rd
Walnut, CA 91789

If that's not convenient, no worries. There are more bone marrow drives in the area! I'm posting them here, so no excuses. These are drives that are being held in the next week. Show up and register if you're in the area, or help and SPREAD THE WORD!
These drives are being hosted by A3M:

Sunday, September 24
5:30pm-7:00pm
Ascension Ministry
LA KUMC
7400 Osage Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90045

Monday, September 25
8am-11am
Monterey Park Fire Department
Station 1 Headquarters
350 W Newmark Avenue
Montery Park, CA 91754

Saturday, September 30, 2006
11am-5pm
Phil-Am Expo And Auto Show 1
Los Angeles Convention Center Booth 536
1201 Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Saturday, September 30
2pm-7pm
Moon Festival S. Pasadena
South Pasadena High School
1401 Fremont Avenue
South Pasadena, CA 91030

Saturday, September 30
5:30pm-10pm
Los Angeles Korean International Film Festival
Laemmle Sunset 5 Theater
8000 Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90046

Saturday, September 30, 2006
6 pm - 8 pm
St. John the Baptist Church
1015 BakerCosta
Mesa, CA 92626

Sunday, October 1, 2006
11 am - 5 pm
Phil-Am Expo And Auto Show 2
Los Angeles Convention Center Booth 536
1201 Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015


Sunday, October 1, 2006
4:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Los Angeles Korean International Film Festival
Laemmle Sunset 5 Theater
8000 Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90046

Here are drives hosted by AADP in Northern California:

Sunday, September 24
3pm-7pm
Shri Swaminaryan Mandir
1425 W. Pine Ave.
Fresno, CA 93728

Sunday, September 24
11am-3:30pm
San Francisco International DragonBoat Festival
Treasure Island
San Francisco, CA

Tuesday and Wednesday, September 26-27
11:30am-1pm
Pacific Gas & Electric
245 Market Street
San Francisco, CA
Day 1 - Atrium /Day 2 - Campaign for Community Kickoff
Auditorium Lobby

Saturday and Sunday, September 30 and October 1
11am-3:30pm
Moon Festival of the Silicon Valley
Cupertino Memorial Park
Stevens Creek Blvd. @ Mary Avenue
Cupertino, CA

And for the East Coast, in case you don't feel like scrolling down. :)

Sunday, October 1
10:30am-4:00pm
Pittsburgh Chinese Church
Oakland Location - held at North Dithridge St(Previously New Hope)
134 North Dithridge St
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

October 2
Carnegie Mellon

September 26-27
11am-4pm
Binghamton University
New Union Room

September 29-30
NYU Asian American Health Conference
NYU School of Medicine
New York, NY

In case, these drive postings are getting boring...well, I must say that I'm sorry...but I'm not really that sorry. :) For obvious reasons, this is a cause that Joe and I have become very passionate about. Because of this, we're going to be spreading the word, spreading awareness, and posting about drives until we're blue in the face and every person even remotely affected by our story can't help but spread the word as well. It is totally cliche, but it's true...if only one person shows up to one of the above drives because of this blog, my efforts were still worthwhile. After all, that is one more person who is on the registry and has the potential to save a life. Please help in some way if you can. I was sharing with the girls in my fellowship yesterday that it made me sad to know that I didn't register until someone so very dear to my heart was affected - my husband. I honestly have no clue how many posters and signs I've walked past and ignored that cried out, "Help save my husband, sister, mother, daughter..." This hurts my heart. But now my eyes have been open to realize that thousands of people are searching for a miracle donor. So I will continue to shout from the rooftops. :) SPREAD THE WORD!

Happy birthday to dear sweet Sara (23rd). And a very happy first anniversary to amazing Lisa and Andrew (24th).

Thank you so much to 2-degree Louis who will be "Running for Joe" in November. Hope it's not too cold!!!!

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in
difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
~2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Real shoes!

This morning, Joe decided he wanted to spend a few hours in the radiology department. He has been feeling a lot better, and he just wants to keep his feet wet as for as radiology goes. So Joe made the announcement that he was going to drive to the hospital by himself and stay for a few hours. Joe then proceeded to put on a nice button down shirt, slacks, and dress socks! When he got to his shoes, he said, "Wow! I'm wearing real shoes!" (He's been living in sneakers and flip-flops.) I'm not a parent yet (although, I pray that Joe and I have that privilege someday.) but I felt like I was sending my boy off for his first day of school!!!! For the past three months, Joe and I have spent most of our time together. People love to ask if he's driving me crazy yet. Joe can be silly and crazy, and I sometimes joke around and call him a slave-driver. But honestly, I LOVE spending time with him! Sappy me can't get enough of him. I'm just speaking for myself though. I'm too smart to speak for Joe. :) You'll have to ask him yourself if I'm driving him crazy!

Joe got his blood drawn. His hemoglobin and platelets continue to be within normal levels. His WBC was just below the normal range before, and today's results showed that they went down more. He is still in the "safe" zone, but we have to be more cautious now just in case they drop more. The first week after chemo is always when there is a possibility that his counts will drop. This is the lowest his WBC has been in several weeks though. We pray it is just for this week, and then they'll go back up again!

Joe attended conference today and then spent some time in the department. I don't know how much work he got to do, but at least he was able to spend some time with the residents and attendings! Thanks to Dr. Tabor for giving Joe some good reading! He's already started.

Today I'm actually going to post about a fun event for those in the Philly area that has absolutely nothing to do with drives or MDS or hospital stuff. Imagine that!!!!! I have a friend I met in high school at PGSA ( Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts). He is an incredible saxophone player, and an all around cool guy. Well, his quartet is performing this weekend at the Philadelphia Museum of Art! So a shout out to Jaleel Shaw!!!!! (I have his CD, and it is amazing!) Here are the details.

Hosted By::Philadelphia Art Museum
When:Friday Sep 22, 2006 at 5:00 PM
Where::Philadelphia Art Museum
26th st. and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19130

Jaleel Shaw Quartet:
Jaleel Shaw - Alto Saxophone
Aaron Goldberg - Piano
Joe Martin - Bass
Greg Hutchinson - Drums

The show is Free with a paid adm. to the Museum ($12)

Hospital-free. :)

Yesterday Joe and I were so pleased to have a hospital free day!!!!! We picked up Joe's car from the car doctor. She's as good as new now! Then we actually ventured to the newly remodeled Sam's club, figuring Monday would not be a very busy day. It wasn't. Joe loved being able to go out and do some shopping, even if it was just for Kleenex. :)

We returned home to find a lovely surprise. A package from Mike and Amy! We love all things crafty, and crafty plus Steelers is a super plus. Thank you so much!!!!!! You two are too sweet.

Today we had a lovely visit from Pastor Jim! It was wonderful to just sit around and chat. Pastor Jim even brought over some yummy brownies that Angela made. (We gobbled them right up!) What a treat! Joe and I feel so blessed to attend a church with such a great Pastor. One of our fondest memories is of Pastor Jim showing up for a BBQ we held for our fellowship, and staying all night to play Cranium with us! How cool is that?

In the evening we had a surprise visit from Julie and Gordon. They brought over some entertainment and some yummy goodies that we dug into immediately!!!! Thank you!

Yeah, so we're feeling pretty loved this week. Joe looks amazing. Anybody who saw him a couple months ago can attest to that. It's funny, because sometimes when I walk around I feel like I must have a sign on my head that says, "my husband has MDS," and Joe has a sign that says, "I have MDS." But the world continues to revolve...and not around me...not even around Joe! People still cut me off when I'm driving. People still shove in front of us to get on the elevator. People still smile and nod and go about their daily routine. It's just funny, that to people who don't know us, now that Joe has no mask or triple lumen, we just look like any old couple. For now that feels good. At the same time, it also makes me more aware than ever that I never have the right to judge another person. You just never know. You just never know.

Moving on. :) Mark your calendars!!!!! For everyone who was begging and pleading and wondering about a drive in Oakland, it is now OFFICIAL!!!!!!! There will be not one, but TWO bone marrow drives in Oakland. So spread the word, and SHOW UP!!!!!

October 1
Pittsburgh Chinese Church
Oakland Location - held at North Dithridge St
(Previously New Hope)
134 North Dithridge St
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

October 2
Carnegie Mellon

I'll post more details as I get them, and I'll be contacting many of you to help post fliers and spread the word!!!!!

Here are more drives that are coming up. Please share with people in the area and ask them to register! I know it's so easy to ignore these postings and go on with your life. But you could be SAVING a life. It's just as important to register (Thank you to everyone registered!!!!) as it is to share with others and promote awareness. I realize that begging isn't becoming, but I'm trying to be very nice about it. :)

September 24
12pm-3:00pm
Evangelical Formosen Church East Valley
20625 La Puente Rd
Walnut, CA 91789

September 26-27
11am-4pm
Binghamton University
New Union Room

September 29-30
NYU Asian American Health Conference
NYU School of Medicine
New York, NY

October 6 and 13
11:30am-4pm
SUNY Albany
Patroon Lounge

October 20
11am-6pm
Drexel University
Creese Student Center

And now a couple cute pictures.


Joe and his parents.














Joe and Pastor Jim.













Camille celebrated a wedding anniversary this week. Happy anniversary!
We love you. :) All of you!

:)

I was able to attend church again this Sunday. It was great to be able to catch up with some people and bring back fun stories for Joe!!! Besides being sore, Joe is feeling great. Praise the Lord! In the evening we were both able to join Joe's parents for dinner. That was a fun treat.

Today was the day of the bone marrow drive in Philly. I'll post more about it as soon as I hear! Thank you to everyone who played a role in making it a success. :)

And now it's time for those in the LA area to get ready!!!!!!

September 24
12pm-3:00pm
Evangelical Formosen Church East Valley
20625 La Puente Rd
Walnut, CA 91789

As always, SPREAD THE WORD, SPREAD THE WORD, SPREAD THE WORD!!!!! I also heard from Karin that A3M hosted a succesful drive at a sister church recently - Evangelical Formosan Church Irvine. YAY!

I know so many people are praying for us each day, because we can feel it. Really we can. Thank you. Along this whole journey we have felt so very blessed. It's our prayer that others facing challenges of any kind are finding blessings as well.