Sunday, Day 10

I dropped in on Christi at about 1:00 today. I had called before I left the house, so she was awake sitting on the edge of the bed when I arrived. If it wasn't for the sores that line her throat and mouth, I think she would be feeling a little better today. She is only able to talk at a very light whisper, and it's painful, so she communicated by writing on a note pad. This is the seventh day since she has had any food or drink by mouth. She is able to take small sips of water, but she can't swallow it. She can only sip to wet her mouth, but then has to remove the water from her mouth with a suction tube. The soars are very painful, but she now controls her pain medication by pressing a button. The pain drug is a strong narcotic that knocks her out and affects her memory. One of her doctors told a nurse that he expected the sores to gradually improve over the next few days, and he hopes she can start taking small sips of water in about four days.

She is frustrated that she can't remember what day it is, or have any concept of time. She knows it's the drugs causing all this, but it's still frustrating. I told Christi to keep her thumb on the pain button, and just sleep off the next few days, and I think that's her plan... sleep for four days and wake up to a big gulp of cold water.

Gary Holt

Saturday 8 o'clock goodnight call

I called Christi to see about her day. She said that Rick and Julia came up and she was able to walk to the family room to visit awhile. She said that she had lost a lot of hair. Rick and she will again have the same "head do". No hair just head.
She said that she could talk better today and she sounded a lot stronger.
Gary and Penny will probably visit her tomorrow evening.
Melba

It is about nine o'clock on Saturday morning. I "communicated" with Christi by phone and she could talk just enough to let me know what is going on. They are going to feed her today and I said"swallow" and she said "No, tube". I suppose it will be IV. I asked her if it would be steak and potatoes and she said"No, Mexican food". She also said that she was better today, so maybe the steroids helped to heal some of the ulcers.Rick and the girls were going up today, so it will be "snuggle time".
Melba

I got a pretty cute picture of her via my cell phone. She has a new hairless doo, so now she and Rick are twins, minus the beard...
Marci

Day +8 after Christi's transplant

I spent Wednesday and Thursday nights with Christi because she was unable to communicate with the nurse when her IV pump needed attention. She is experiencing lots of pain throughout her torso region...lots of sores in her mouth and esophagus. She hasn't eaten in about six days nor has she drunk any liquid in four. She places liquid in her mouth and then
aspirates it with a device similar to that used by the dentist. She is producing lots of mucous so she uses lots of kleenex.
I asked her today if this was worse than ICU and she said "no way". She didn't feel as if she were going to die every minute.
Dr. Fay decided that since Christi was feeling so badly that he would wait until Monday morning to do the bone marrow biopsy.
Christi seemed relieved.
They have Christi on two medicines given simutaneously that prevent nausea and relieve the pain. She eagerly awaits the mail as she can now read the cards and appreciates all the prayers and good wishes. I gave her a note pad and she can now write a note to let me know what she needs or what she is thinking. She is so shaky that it is difficult for her to text on the phone, but that is improving.She cannot talk on the phone.
Her hair started falling out today. She had hoped it wouldn't, but this chemo was just too strong. We are curious about the color it will be next time. It may be straight instead of curly. It may turn out to be really blonde and someday she will look cute in pig tails.
We remember every hour of each day that we have come this far by the grace of God and the prayers of all our family and friends.Now we are praying hard that the leukemia cells are gone from the bone marrow and that the tiny stem cells have started to grow and multiply.
Melba

a post by Melanie

I was in Dallas today, so I stopped by the hospital with Marci, Mitsi, Lincoln, and Lexi (my mom, sister, son, and daughter respectively) but we were unable to visit with Christi. She was sleeping quite soundly in her room, so we just hung out in the family room with Mom-Mom and Dan-Dan. Lincoln was a little sad about not being able to visit Christi (which he probably wouldn't have done even if she had been awake). I think he was looking forward to wearing a mask as much as being able to actually see Christi! :)

Lincoln "worked out" on the stationary bike in the family room.

Lexi and Mom-Mom had some girl time.

Day 7

Today is pretty much the same as Wednesday. Miserable. BUT she did have a CT scan which told the doctors that her body is in good shape...she just has to heal. I dropped in on her for about 2 minutes, but she was sleeping, which is the best thing she can do right now. Tomorrow's bone marrow biopsy will hopefully give us some good news. Pray hard.

Marci Holt Pair

Mitsi here, reporting in from the Family Sheet.

I think it's safe to say that Christi's feeling pretty beat-up today. The sores in her mouth and throat [resulting of the chemo] are really painful, making swallowing and talking pretty agonizing. They've connected a port in her jugular through which they've been able to give her IV medications (instead of having to swallow pills). She was pretty nauseous throughout the night last night, unable to keep down even liquid Tylenol, so the IV medications are a good change.

We had a pretty quiet day and Christi was able to get some rest in between doses of pain medication. We watched Benjamin Button, but she wound up dozing off part way through. She got one unit of blood today and will get one other tomorrow. Dr. Fay mentioned that the current plan is to check her bone marrow this Friday.

She's really unable to talk on the phone due to the sores in her throat and is sensitive to noises in general. It seems like getting rest is of primary importance right now.

Keep those prayers coming, particularly during this challenging part!

-mitsi pair willard, niece of christi

My Mommy

Hey! My mommy is only fair today, but i think that everyday she gets a little stronger. She is starting to get up a little more often and is hoping she can get out of the hospital very very soon [of course everybody does] She loves when i come and see her and i love when i see her. But the thing i like most is when she smiles!


Julia

FUN WITH MOMMY

I was so very happy that I could spend time with my mom this past weekend. We got to talk a lot (which I REALLLLYYY REALLLYYYYY miss and watch some TV and snuggle. :} We also stumbled upon the scary subject of.... *DUN DUN DUN*....

the future.

Mostly, we talked about what I want to do for the rest of my life. :P I think I have decided to go to nursing school. After seeing what the nurses have done for my mom since October, I have realized that it is what I want to do. I am also good with people and I think that I could be good at it.

My mom is very encouraging and I know she'll support whatever I do. Even if things don't go as planned, I know she'll be proud of me. She is such a wonderful person and a wonderful mom.

Lisle Bleile

Post Transplant Update - Day 5

Christi is feeling a little better than 'okay' today, and as we patiently await her stem cell engraftment, she continues to recover from her last round of chemotherapy. At this point, she has no cancer or leukemia blasts showing in her blood, but the determining factors for actual remission are the results shown from a bone marrow biopsy - although cancer or leukemia blasts do not show in her blood, they may exist in her bone marrow, and have not yet been passed into her blood stream. We assume she will be having a bone marrow biopsy in the next week or two, although a definite date has not been set.
At present, her blood cell levels are very low as the chemo continues to do its job of taking her down to rock bottom. She is very tired, and takes naps quite occasionally, but over time, as her new immune system begins to take effect, she will slowly build herself back up. She was told, prior to the chemotherapy, that she would probably experience irritation and ulcers internally, starting with her stomach, up through her esophagus, and into her mouth, and as of this writing, it is taking its toll on her. She is in a lot of discomfort, and cannot eat any solid food, which she hasn't in about 3 days, although she is drinking broth as much as possible. Sometime today, the medical team will be adding a central line to her PICC line arrangement, to be able to give her all of her medications intraveneously, because she cannot swallow any pills. As grim as all of this may sound, her spirits are amazing, and I continue to remind her that a lot of people are praying for her, which keeps her uplifted. Keep up your strong determination, big girl ! We love you . . . This too, will pass !

In Him,
Rick Bleile

Memorial Day

Today I was at the hospital with my mommy - she has been doing great! My mommy and I went and looked at all of the movies. Unfortunately, we did not find one we liked. My family has been struggling, but we believe that God is taking care of her. When I look at my mom, I wonder how she has been getting through all of this junk. But when I remember that it was God, I almost start to cry. My mom knows that the family loves her very much. She, for sure, loves us too, no matter what happens. She is very strong and is fighting very hard so that she can be home again!

Julia Bleile

Day 3 after transplant

Morris and I drove over to Dallas for a short visit along with Matt, Candace, and wiggly little Layton. Christi and Lisle, who had spent the night with her mom, walked down to the family room to see us all for about an hour. Everyone is being very careful not to touch Christi or breathe/cough near her by wearing masks and using the cleansing foam on our hands. She does not touch anything outside her room. The only difference today is that her "blasts" are all gone, which is a good sign. Otherwise, there is nothing much to report. At this point, it's a waiting game.

Marci & Morris

Saturday May 23, 2009

We went back to Dallas last night to be with Christi overnight. She was still having some nausea and discomfort with her back and esophagus, both chem related we think. We stayed overnight and have returned home to the lake today. She was feeling well enough that she does not need anyone with her at this point. The nurses and doctors are taking good care of her needs.

They gave her a weak chemo treatment which is supposed to reduce the effect of the "graft versus host disease" which is common when the donor's DNA does not perfectly match Christi's DNA. This has been a part of the treatment plan since the stem cell infusion. This will be repeated on days +4 and +6.

The doctors have told her that she should not eat any solid food until they can get her platelet count up. This should reduce the nausea and prevent straining which could cause hemorraging. She is drinking Gatorade and water to keep hydrated, and was given a bag of whole blood and another of platelets today.

They are encouraging her to walk as much as possible, and this morning she walked to and from the family waiting room which is quite a way down the hall. She made that fine, but was a little tired and glad to get back in bed just before we left.

Doctor Fay says she is doing very well, and is pleased with her progress and condition at this point. We are certain that God is watching over Christi, and has His hand upon her through this whole process. We look forward to engraftment of the stem cells which should take place within the next one to three weeks.

Posted by Layton & Melba Holt, Christi's parents.

Day 1 after transplant

I was privileged to be at the hospital for Christi's stem cell transplant along with much of our family yesterday. It was a sweet time for us and mind boggling to think about the potential in that little bag of cells, which included 483 MILLION stem cells, TWICE as many as they needed! We feel certain that "Hilda", the donor, sent her strongest, most potent cells!

I stayed overnight with Christi and she had a rough night, experiencing nausea and pain resulting from her previous chemo, but meds allowed her some sleep. The doctor said that the leukemia situation looks good today and that her blasts are down. Christi had a sonogram this afternoon just to make sure that there are no surprises regarding the pain in her stomach and esophagus. Marcia came back up this morning, and Anna and Sayre visited, too. Christi was able to visit with us and has been pretty comfortable this afternoon, just a little sleepy. After a nap, Christi was feeling pretty well and we took a walk to the end of the hall and got a good view through a window of the outdoors. We sat and talked while waiting on Eugene and Rachel to arrive. After visiting with them for a while, Christi walked back to her room. All in all, a pretty good day.

Looking forward to day 2!
Marianna, Christi's #2 sister

It's a GO!

At 3:50 pm, Christi began receiving the most precious gift that she has ever had or will ever receive. Our family surrounded her and prayed with her, and then Alana, her nurse, hung the bag, and connected it to her PICC line in her right arm. Slowly, the millions of stem cells began their journey into her body where they will miraculously find their way into her bones and attach themselves. The whole process will take only an hour. Over the next 8-28days, these cells will divide and, God willing, Christi will be cured of this horrible disease.I cannot adequately describe this experience.

It's HERE!

The day has arrived. Christi is nauseous again, but we are glad she had 3 good days to get pumped up about the transplant. The stem cells arrived safely, so we are breathing a huge sigh of relief. There's not much for us to do, and there's not much going on, but we are here together for Christi. It is an emotional day.

Julia and Lisle did not go to school today so they can be with their mom. We hope to see the treasured stem cells around 2 or 3 pm. I just wish "Hilda" from Europe could be here so we could thank her...

A stem cell transplant is nothing more than hooking up the bag to her PICC line just as an IV. The stem cells must find their way to her now-dead bone marrow and go to work. It is one of God's miracles, and we are thankful for the doctors who enable this to happen.

Upside Down ??

WOW !! is the only way that I could think to start this entry ! It has been 7 months and 11 days since that fateful day in October, when we found out that Christi, the love of my life, had gotten AML, or Acute Myeloid Leukemia. We would immediately embark on a journey that we thought, at the time, would turn our lives upside down. The darkness of what may lie ahead of us was unprecedented to anything we had seen before. We knew that our future endeavor wasn't going to be easy, and as Christians, placing this situation in God's hands and praying hard was, what we felt to be, the only choice we had.
As I sit here, a little more than 7 months after this began, and 1 day before her stem cell transplant, I can honestly say that I am in awe of what the Lord God Almighty has done to bring us to this point along the roads we've traveled. Christi and I have always thought that this situation has been put in our lives for a reason, and we have found many along the way. I praise Him for everything He has done to keep our lives intact during this whole adventure. He has taken us over the highest of mountains, and through the lowest of valleys. He has held our hands through the storms we battled, and comforted us during the calm. He has placed a countless number of people in our path, that can only be known as true 'Prayer Warriors' of faith, to help us fight this battle. He put people there, that were blessings to have, in the right time and the right place, to help us overcome one obstacle or another. There have been blessings that took place, that could not have been a matter of coincidence and were clearly a sign that He was watching over us. And there have been blessings that we think were intended to happen at the onslaught of this whole encounter with crisis. I am one of them! Was MY life turned upside down ? Nope, just turned Right Side Up, and I have never been more faithful that everything is going to be okay !

Stay tuned for His next miracle; it's going to be a big one !
Christi's Loving Husband,
Rick

Tuesday, May 19

I arrived this evening and found Christi to be her old self again! Wow, but it's been a long time since she looked and felt this good! She says that she feels normal but just really shaky and weak. We discussed what she might/might not feel during the transplant process, and she's hoping to feel just like she does now. That would be amazing!
So we sat here and ate my chicken salad and pasta salad while watching the Dancing With the Stars finale. Tanesia, her nurse, is really nice and attentive. Her room has a special HEPA filtering system to help prevent germs and other creepy crawlers from climbing into her PICC line.
This morning they started her on anti-rejection medicine which she will take for at least a year, but she's finished with chemo...hopefully forever.
I'm happy just to be here with her all alone, laughing, talking, hoping...

Marci

The Countdown continues...

I visited with Christi again tonight, and all is still well. She finished the last bag of chemo that she must have before transplant day on Thursday. She starts her anti-rejection drugs tomorrow. She looks beautiful, and the new nausea medicine seems to be magical. As an observer, she seems to be moving through this stage of the ordeal in great shape... just good 'ol Christi. I don't think anyone can predict how her body will react to the chemo and the bucket full of drugs she takes every day, but she has a "let's get in on" attitude. Christi said that some of her nurses were not familiar with the new anti-nausea medicine she is getting, and just maybe this drug will keep doing the job. Prayers are working, folks. Thanks to all of you who are contributing to her recovery. Be sure to remember her donor, the East German, female arm wrestling champion whom we have named "Hilda." She's not much of a looker, but she's got some bad **s stem cells on the way. Let's get it on!

Gary

Super Sunday!

Christi is having a great day. Penny and I took a chicken pot pie from Jason's Deli. I selected the small size figuring she wouldn't eat much. I figured wrong. She had taken some new drug for nausea, and it seems to be working very well. It's been a long time since I have seen her eat without feeling sick afterward. We stayed a couple of hours, and she seemed well enough that I could have pulled the car around to take her out for a margarita and a movie. I can't wait to do that!

It's very encouraging to see her this well right now. We all know she is going to get sick and weak, but she is in good shape with five bags of chemo down and just two to go. She says her lungs are in much better shape because she can take long, deep breaths with only a little annoying pain. We're in the home stretch to Thursday's scheduled stem cell transplant, but so far, so good.

Gary

Melanie explains comment posting.

hello, all. if you have a blogger account (which you can get using ANY email address) or if you have a google account, you can post comments using that information. if you do not have one of those accounts and don't care to, you may post a comment by selecting "anonymous" in the drop-down selector thingy. my mom (marci) added that she didn't WANT to be anonymous, so i told her to type her name at the end of her comment :)
hope this clears up some confusion!

Gary's Saturday Report

Penny and I visited with Christi for about an hour this afternoon and took her some lunch. She requested a chicken muchaco and cheesecake chimichanga from Taco Bueno. She looked great, and acted liked she was feeling good (relative to the situation). She didn't get much sleep last night because she has a constant I.V. of something that makes her have to go to the bathroom every thirty minutes. If that's not enough to keep her awake, she also has a constant parade of nurses coming in the room to replace I.V. bags, take blood pressure, and fiddle with machines. Sometime the nurses wake her up by coming in the room to see if she is sleeping.

I asked if her doctor has told her what to expect over the next couple of weeks, and she said that she will get very sick, and weak from the chemo. She doesn't seem too worried about the chemo sickness. She said that the scary weeks she had in ICU may have been a blessing of sorts- if she can make it through that, she can deal with the nausea and weakness of chemo. I'm really hoping that the worst part of this experience is behind her, not in front of her. She's got a great attitude, and is ready to get tough. She says the next few weeks can't be any worse than the last few have been. She made it through that, and I think that has given her confidence for this next round.

Now that we know her donor is in Europe, we are picturing a big, strong, East German woman named Hilda with super human stem cells. She has long, blonde, braided hair sticking out from under her Viking helmet. Rick may have to start shaving Christi's back after getting Hilda's cells, but I know he won't mind.

Love,


Gary Holt

Chances of Rain

When one looks at the 20-30% chance of Christi's beating this dang leukemia, it seems that one can compare this to West Texas rain. As our philosopher friend, Curtis, puts it: West Texas gets its best rain when the chances are 20-30%. It's true!
Thanks for those words, Curtis. You're starting to sound like Harry Holt. (no kin to Christi's family)

Marci

Penny's Posting

Hey friends and family,
I just talked to Christi, and she still sounds good and upbeat. She said she had one incident when she was up changing her clothes and ended up having a coughing fit and getting sick. The nurse told her it was from the chemo, and I thought she was going to be on the fludarabine first and then the bulsulfan, but she's on the bulsulfan first. YIKES! (fyi...bulsulfan is some STRONG stuff) Also, she said she didn't know when they will do the ATG, her anti-rejection drug, but they may wait until after the transplant....they sure change things up a lot. Anyway she was visiting with Rebekah, and had a visitor, Robyn Thomas, whom she hadn't seen since she was at Cooper 30 years ago. Gary and I were in the same grade as her older brother Tracy. Robyn also lives in Midlothian.

Love to all,
Penny Holt (sister-in-law)

Thursday, May 14

Thursday, May 14...
Christi and I texted each other this morning. She didn't sleep well last night...something about steroids, maybe? (She may look good with a beard!) She said that she hasn't checked her email in forever, and I suggested that she just let everyone know about this blog rather than try to return the emails.
Otherwise, she is just hanging out in the Collins transplant hospital, Baylor Medical Center. Today makes EIGHT weeks in the hospital!

Marcia, Christi's #1 sister!

Wed, May 13

Today as we arrived at the hospital, Christi was sitting up in bed as lively and pretty as she could be. She had been so sick each morning, but she believes that it was caused by anti-fungal medicine that she was taking orally. They had to give her so much medicine for nausea and vomiting that it was keeping her pretty well knocked out. They are now putting it in her IV. It takes longer, but who cares?

We met a new doctor who came from Seattle where the transplants were first developed, and he started the transplant unit at Baylor. He is a big man with a very good sense of humor and a great bedside manner. His name is Dr. Fay and he is a partner of Dr. Vance. All the doctors that she had in ICU will be attending her for this transplant: Dr. Ausloos, pulmonary; Dr. Spak, infectious disease; Dr. Holmes, oncologist. Each has come by to visit her since she moved over to Collins and are special to us since they brought Christi through a terrifically difficult time.

Dr. Spak told Rick, Christi's husband, that he had observed that the family has been supportive in taking turns to care for Christi which will play a big role in her healing.

They took blood samples for the Baylor lab, then starting at 10:03, they took blood to send by courier to a lab in Seattle, Washington. They took two successive vials at 11:03 and 12:03 (a courier was waiting at the door of Christi's room to take the vial to another courier) which were also sent by courier to the Seattle Lab. They said there were only two labs in the U.S. that they would send this to. They will have the results tomorrow, and then they will know whether to add or subtract the dosage of chemo. Both chemos are to completely kill her bone marrow...I asked today if all her bone marrow is killed and something happens and the stem cells do not arrive from the donor in Europe, then what is the plan? Dr. Fay said that was a very good question, but he didn't tell me the back up plan. I guess that will be in tomorrow's episode. He did say that had never happened before, but I hope they have a back up in Christi's case.

Christi took a long walk to the family room and sat there for a while and watched tv, then she made the long trek back to her room. She was tired and wanted to sleep, so we returned home tonight instead of staying in Dallas. That was the first time in 9 weeks that she said she felt good and stayed awake all day...

Rick and Rebekah, Marianna's daughter, will be with her tomorrow. Layton and I will drive in about noon.

Love to each of you,
Melba

Chemo Day 1

Thank you for joining us as we report Christi's progress through treatment for Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, which was diagnosed October, 2008. Christi has been in and out of Baylor Medical Center, Dallas, since then and is fighting for her life.

Yesterday, May 12, the doctor gave Christi a 20-30% chance that the stem cell transplant will work. We will take those odds after Christi has come through odds less than that these last few weeks with infection and pneumonia. We will know eight to fourteen days after May 21st if the transplant will work. She is now in the Collins Building Room C 449 at Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75246.

They will take enough for two transplants from the donor, who lives in Europe, on May 18 and 19th. Can you imagine what can happen to stem cells on the way to Dallas? Our Faith relies on many people and many sources with God guiding them all the way.

We are on our way to Dallas to be with Christi as she begins her chemo preparation. Our dear friends, the Lyons have offered their condo to us, for which we are ever grateful. We have used it the past eight weeks that she has been at Baylor.

Many of you have given blood and now we will put it to good use. Thank you for taking the time to give and for those of you who couldn't, thank you for wanting to give. A special thanks to Estella Lyon, Jean Alexander, Debbie Ellsworth;
and Melanie Prebis for organizing the blood drives. Christi has a better chance at life when blood is available. If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, you may go to any Carter Blood bank and give blood under her account number, 047818. If you live elsewhere, give blood anyway, to anyone!

We again covet your PRAYERS: for the donor, Dr. Vance, for Christi, Rick, Lisle and Julia, and pray that those of us who are care-givers will stay mentally and physically healthy.

If you will, pass this need to your churches, your friends, prayer groups, and all who would take the time to pray. Christi and her family will appreciate it.

We are indeed blessed to have each of you in our lives,

Melba and Layton Holt, Christi's devoted parents