Hair Loss
I am thankful for Linda’s ability to be thankful in all things. Last night we had a frank conversation about hair loss. While Linda’s hair has been hanging in there quite well up to this point, lately there has been noticeable hair loss on a daily basis. We’re able to meet with some volunteers in the hospital salon and get a wig, turban, and scarf. It seems like it’s time for that step. Her conclusion to the reality of her hair loss is that she won’t need to take so much time to wash and maintain it. While hair loss is near the bottom of our list of concerns, it is a constant visual reminder of the battle your going through. It’s almost as if people around you are able to forget that you’re going through cancer, but that’s much harder to do when you lose your hair.
Bone Marrow Transplant
For those of you who are walking with us through this cancer journey, we wanted to share with you the next steps in Linda’s treatment. Due to the nature of her multiple myeloma, it has been decided that one intense treatment of chemotherapy is the best method for obtaining long term health and maintenance. This treatment will follow her 4th series of chemo, which is a few weeks away. Because this treatment will be quite intense, they will be harvesting some of Linda’s own stem cells prior to the treatment so that they can, shortly after the treatment, put them back. The actual harvesting of the stem cells will only take one or two days, but the entire process which includes preparation will be about 2 weeks. A couple of weeks after having harvested the stem cells, the plan is to give her a heavy dose of chemotherapy which will prayerfully destroy the cancer cells but will also destroy many other cells. At this point they will replace the harvested stem cells which over the course of the following 10 days will once again populate her bone marrow and begin reproducing the blood cells she needs. Due to the serious nature of this procedure, Linda will need to be hospitalized for about 3 weeks or so.
This is likely the course of action, but we can’t be certain about all these things. We’re still praying they find that all the cancer is gone following another bone marrow biopsy. If this is the course of treatment that we follow, it is likely to unfold throughout the end of February and into April.
Crowdedship 
Always appreciate the clear updates. It helps me understand it so much better. As Always lots of love and prayers to you all.
You will all be in my prayers even more knowing what to pray about. Love you so much. PS I’ll share this with Mary Margaret.
Thanks for posting this. You are always in our hearts and prayers!!!
I echo Janice’s comments…praying with you and for you during this difficult time.
Aaron you are so good at keeping us abreast of how Linda is doing. Thank you! Praying for grace and strength for the days ahead. Love you dearly my sweet sweet friend Linda!
Thank you so much for the update. Now we know specific things to pray for. You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers
Thanks for the update. Will be praying.
Praying dear ones. Thank you for the update.
We love you guys SO much! The Great Physician is still a God of miracles and we are constantly bringing Linda and all of you before Him and begging for a miracle. Wish we were there to help.
We think of you all very often and pray for strength, wisdom, and healing daily. Thank you for sharing clear updates!
Thank you for letting us know what and how things are going. The hair’s the thing that reminds us that we are not finished with this trial. The autogenous stem cell transplant procedure which you have described has in many cases been a successful method to treat cancer. But none of this is easy, nor is it simple.
God, who is always with us, gives to us humans the ability and motivation to do good to others; yet God’s work is often painful and scary. Hang in there! 1 Samuel 12.23a
Aaron, your updates are so well written that I almost feel I can see your heart. Praying for you.
I read and reread every word so that I can earnestly pray for precious Linda and your family. Thank you for keeping us informed of your challenging road ahead.
My heart is heavy, but constantly encouraged by God’s faithfulness and abiding love.
Thank you all for your prayers for me and for my family! That means so much to me. I was listening to this song this morning and desire God’s glory to be my perspective through this journey He has chosen for us. My prayer is that when they do the bone marrow biopsy before the procedure, God will have healed me, they will find no cancer and I will not need to have the transplant. But, if God choses not to reveal His power in that way, I know He will prove His power by strengthening me to undergo the transplant. Either way, I want the lyrics of “As Long as You Are Glorified” to be true in my life!
You are in my thoughts and prayers daily. Just going through all these procedures with my dad just recently and some in the past, I have a newfound understanding and empathy for those going through this journey. I wish I could help in any way.
Always praying. Thankful that our Father knows all.
Praying for you my dear friend. Miss you so much.
We’ll be praying for you, Linda!