Author: John Loper

Day 8 of isolation; 15 days total hospitalization – 13 days left.

My Mom’s Memorial Service was held today in San Antonio .http://porterloring.tributes.com/obituary/show/Joan-Loper-106513129

Very proud of my sons and grandchildren for attending in my stead!  My wonderful wife also read a tribute I wrote to my Mom celebrating her life. Not a dry eye in the room when she finished.

No fever the last few nights, and treatments appear to be performing as planned. Will get first confirmation with bone marrow biopsy on 11/1/18.

I continue to be very grateful for my Faith, Family and Friends and ask that each of you continue to pray for me!

Please pray also for those affected by the Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting today as well. Synagogue is located within 15 minutes of where Lorraine and I spent the first year of our married life while I was a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University.

Yours in Christ,

John L.

Day 5 of isolation; day 12 of hospitalization! Fever last two nights, resulting in antibiotic IV. They reminded  me that’s why I am in isolation, so they can respond quickly to control  any infections since I essentially have no white blood cells right now.Chest X-ray is clear, and fever seems to break each night.

Dr. Naqvi said today she will leave me on Venetoclax until Day 21 when I get my first bone marrow biopsy following initial treatment. Received kind thoughts and prayers from my friends at Dow today, and my college roommate and fellow Chemical Engineer Dave Cole came to visit me in the hospital. Had a wonderful visit – had a lot of ground to cover since I saw him last at his son’s wedding a couple years ago. My good friend and work associate Dr. John Schell is coming to visit me tomorrow, and Lorraine is coming back down on Friday! Dr. Schell just completed successful treatment for prostrate cancer this week at MDA! He was able to “Ring the Bell” this week announcing his success!

Would also like to give a special shout out to the wonderful nurse who kindly took the time to wash my hair yesterday afternoon. She was a true blessing.

My Daughter-in-Law Cate sent me a nice scripture reminder of where we derive our strength: https://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/16.html/?amp

Continuing down the road to recovery,

Yours in Christ,

John L.

Day 2 of isolation! 19 days left. White blood cell count has dropped to 0.2, so chemotherapy seems to be working as intended. Hopefully all the cancerous cells (blasts) are being killed as well – won’t know for sure until they perform blood marrow biopsy again on day 21 of my hospitalization.

Lorraine stopped by after Church today to visit. A little odd having to talk to her through a glass window barrier with a phone (just like prison I guess), but we still managed to have a good visit.

Started riding the bike today in my room – two, 20-minutes sessions today. Hope to increase tomorrow. Had another platelet transfusion this morning and a slight bloody nose. All part of the program!

It wasn’t pretty, but the Texans won today, and last night our glorious Rockets defended themselves against the scurrilous Lakers! Don’t mess with Texas, Chris Paul or James Hardin!

Blessed to have very supportive family and friends who continuously check in on me and send me supportive messages.

Keep me and my family in your prayers,

Love and Peace,

John L.

Moved up to Protected Environment floor last night into Protective Isolation Room. My neutrophils dropped below 500, and I will be placed in complete isolation tomorrow for 21 days while my immune system is compromised. I met briefly with a Chaplain (Rabbi Daniel Aronson) before I moved yesterday and was very pleased with his inspirational words and prayers offered.

Gayle Macolly-Harris, my Eastman Chemical Client Manager from Anniston, AL came to visit me this morning, and we spent some quality time talking about family, support networks and friends. She successfully lifted my spirits, and I am very thankful to work for some top quality, caring clients.

Also talked to my wife, sons, brother and nephew today and received a very nice note from my former Lehigh University roommate Dave Cole.

Lorraine continues to be my rock and strength and is coming down to see me in the morning before I go into lockdown! I am truly blessed with a supportive family and friends and strong faith in my Savior Jesus Christ.

I will miss my first SAR meeting in quie awhile in Galveston tomorrow, but I know my fellow Compatriots will all be praying for me.

That’s it for now!

Prayers Up,

John L.

Scheduled for 3rd and final Vykeos infusion tonight. Will continue 200 mg/day Venetoclax orally for 16 more days. Received my third blood transfusion today. My Neutrophil count remains above 500 at 980, so I remain in my present ward and avoid total isolation another day. Walked 3 miles today around the ward, earning another flag for my continued physical activity. Catching up on all my continuing education requirements, keeping up on work and staying positive.

Lorraine came to see me this morning and continues to be my hope and inspiration! As a “graduate” of MDA having successfully beat breast cancer, she continuously provides support and encouragement.

God is good, and I continue to look forward to a full recovery!

Keep the Faith,

John L.

It’s a beautiful day in Houston today – The Astros won game one of the ALCS at Boston!

Will have 2nd round of Vykeos infusion later this evening and my oral dose of Venetoclax has been increased to 200mg/day. Likely won’t be moved to “isolation ward” until early this week. So far, I have not had any terrible side effects from treatments, but I realize it is still early. Continue to play the waiting game, hoping that treatments are working in reducing blast levels to below 5% so that I can move toward the next phase of stem cell transplant. Staff here at MDA are exceptional, and I am proud and pleased to be living in an area where I have access to such great care.

I appreciate everyone’s continued support and prayers. At Lorraine’s suggestion, I started a separate journal last night listing things I am thankful for each day. I remain positive knowing I am in God’s hands.

I am not used to being this confined for such a lengthy time period. To overcome my boredom, I am walking laps around my floor three times a day and updating my 8-hour OSHA Refresher training. 15 laps is equivalent to a mile, so I can still get my steps in. Other than that I am watching the Astros playoff games and watching some exciting videos provided by MDA on falling hazards and the “ins and outs” of life on the isolation ward. Pretty exciting stuff! Trying not to drive the staff crazy!

Please continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I can feel the strength your good wishes bring and appreciate all of your support.

Peacefully yours,

John L.

After a brief delay waiting for a room to open up for the last day and a half, I am finally checked in to MDA Hospital for treatment. They are inserting my PICC line this evening, and I will start my first 90-minute Vyxeos infusion at 9:00 p.m. tonight.  I will also start the Venetoclax pills tonight. While I was very frustrated playing the waiting game, I am pleased that I can finally start down the treatment road. I will be on the general treatment floor for 5 days and will be then moved upstairs into the “isolation” ward for the remaining 23 days to prevent against infection. During that time period, I will not be allowed to have any visitors.

All of the hospital staff are very friendly and extremely professional. Lots of poking and prodding, but all for the greater good. I am very fortunate to have access to MDA and the Leukemia Center and to be surrounded by loving family, co-workers and friends.

Keep the prayers coming, and I will try to keep my blog updated, avoiding the “gory” details,  as I proceed through treatment the next 28 days.

Working at developing more patience and staying positive!

Peace and Prayers,

John L.

We met with the MDA doctors today and learned the following:

• I have been approved for bone marrow stem cell transplant if and when my AML goes into remission (blast level at 1 to 2%; currently at 25%).
• Medicare and our UHC coverage should cover all of the costs of my chemotherapy and pending stem cell transplant.
• I will start my hospitalization for chemotherapy tomorrow evening. In addition to IV treatment with VYXEOS, I have been approved to take VENCLEXTA orally. This additional drug, generically known as venetoclax, is a second line treatment to help assure the efficacy of primary treatment drugs. 

My Doctor at MDA called me late this afternoon to report that my bone marrow test results from last Friday showed a dramatic increase in my blast level, indicating that my MDS has transformed to Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). As a result I am being removed from the study I wrote about last week and will be placed in a more aggressive treatment program. They currently anticipate that I will start aggressive chemotherapy starting as early as this Friday. The first cycle of application will occur by IV on days 1, 3 and 5 and will be supplemented by additional oral medication for 2 weeks. They anticipate that I will be hospitalized for 28 days, but still remain optimistic that I can receive a bone marrow stem cell transplant when the AML goes into remission.

The primary chemotherapy drug they intend to use via IV is known as VYXEOS. This drug is a liposome consisting of daunorubicin and cytarabine applied by IV as chemotherapy used for treatment of certain types of newly-diagnosed AML, including patients who previously had MDS. We are still scheduled to meet with the Stem Cell Transplant Group this Wednesday and remain optimistic about a positive outcome. Just a minor variation in my path toward a cure. I never have taken the easy road in life and know I will meet and beat this challenge. With a little help from my friends, family and a lot of prayers I will return to full strength and be ready to ride in another MS-150 bike ride soon – maybe an excuse to buy an electric bike!

Thanks to all,

John L.

Dear Friends and Family,

As many of you are aware, I was recently diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome with multilineage dysplasia and excess blasts – MDS-EB-2, a form of blood cancer. I have been more tired in recent months and consulted my GP in the Methodist Hospital system in July who subsequently referred me to a hematologist. After multiple rounds of blood work confirming anemic conditions (e.g., low red blood cell counts, low hemoglobin levels, low platelet count), I had a bone marrow biopsy performed which confirmed my diagnosis. I have since become a patient in the MD Anderson (MDA) Cancer Center here in Houston, and they have confirmed my diagnosis following additional testing, including a second bone marrow biopsy. I am considered a “high risk” patient due to the % blasts that were found (15%), but have been informed that my MDS should be fully treatable with several months of chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow stem cell transplant. This is wonderful news, only exceeded by the news we got this week that I have been selected to participate in a clinical trial with an exciting new capabilities.

the primary drugs used to treat MDS are known as hypomethylating drugs, either azacitidine (Vidaza) or decitabine (Dacogen). Both have traditionally been  supplied via IV injection in multiple cycles, i.e. repeated cycles of 5 to 7 days of injections followed by 21 to 23 days rest/recovery. the purpose of the treatment is to kill the blasts and allow for a subsequent stem cell transplant. Both drugs have shown high efficacy levels and success. The positive part of the study I will be participating in is that MDA has developed a new drug combination of cedazuridine and decitabine that will allow for oral ingestion rather than IV injection of the active treatment chemical. The cedazuridine effectively ties up a digestive enzyme that would otherwise make the decitabine ineffective if given orally. This new drug combination is entering Phase 3 testing for FDA approval and I will be part of its success. Results during Phases 1 and 2 have been excellent.

I expect to begin treatment the week of October 15. Initially these drugs will significantly affect my immune system (by design), but will ultimately kill off my bad blood cells allowing for replacement of my bone marrow stem cells and effectively creating a brand new factory for my red and white blood cells and platelets. It will be a fairly long road, but one with a very positive ending. At the end of the treatment I will fully recover and all MDS concerns should be fully eliminated. I will have to restrict my travel during the treatment period due to concerns about my depressed immune system, but otherwise expect with your full support to continue all work, family and recreational activities that I now enjoy and thrive on. I have established this blog to provide weekly updates of my status so that you can be kept informed of my status and progress and share my healing process as I proceed through this.

I am forever grateful for my wonderful family and friends who have always stood beside me through all trials, tribulations and moments of joy and look forward to your continued support.

Keep me in your prayers,

John Loper