68% to 88% Blasts

            Here are the latest blood counts:

15-Apr-2015	67.68	88.5%	2.03	22.70	21.00
16-Apr-2015	47.07	72.8%		23.20	36.00
17-Apr-2015	35.86	80.5%	2.44	22.70	24.00
19-Apr-2015	23.55	84.0%	0.40	26.20	18.00
21-Apr-2015	10.67	88.0%	0.00	25.00	8.00
24-Apr-2015	12.39	68.7%	0.22	25.10	15.00
27-Apr-2015	24.42	86.0%	0.00	21.70	23.00

            To clarify: a normal white blood cell count is 4 to 11. Of course, David’s aren’t ‘normal’: the percentage of leukemic blasts in the bloodstream has remained between 68% and 88% since 10 April. The short-term goal is to keep the white counts low. So far the hydroxyurea has successfully done that, however it does nothing to attack the ‘leukemia factory’ in the bone marrow. We hope for another clinical trial that will affect the bone marrow.

            We had a whirlwind visit from Sam, his intended, Savannah, and her sister, Emma. They flew here, arriving at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday morning and headed west this morning at 7 a.m. in Sam’s new-to-him car (my dad’s 2008 Ford Focus). They plan stops in Palmyra, NY, Kirtland, OH, Nauvoo, IL, and Winter Quarters, NE, all LDS Church history sites. They’ll stay with Charlotte in Chicago.

            David is doing well. We all enjoyed a meal last night at Mario’s, the Italian restaurant in Lexington Center. Jim drove everyone to sight-see in Concord. We also visited the site of Sam’s Boy Scout Eagle project. He organized a team to improve a walking path by laying down ‘crusher run’: stone dust and pebbles of various sizes. Most of the stone has sunk into the ground, but the path is still better than it was before the project. Maybe the town can find another prospective Eagle Scout.

            Spring is slow coming. The forsythia is blooming and my hyacinth are out.