We can't believe how far we have come and, on this special day, we want to make sure to give thanks. We are thankful for all of you and the blessing of seeing Rita get stronger and healthier day by day. There is no doubt in our minds that the power of prayer has played a key role in this.
Today is day 60 and it also marks another milestone for Rita - she will go off of one of her immunosuppressant drugs. Clinically, its a big step so we pray that she continues to do as well as she has through each of these events. For Rita, it means getting rid of six "honking big" pills each day which significantly improves her outlook on the day. As you know, pill taking is not one of her favorite things. So, step by step, Rita is getting closer to coming home and to a full and complete recovery. Please keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming so that we can all pull Rita through the finish line.
We hope that all of you have a happy and blessed Easter.
Love to all, Rita & Dave
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Day 265 BMT 55
hi everyone! it's lisa.. i'm here in buffalo filling in for dad and spending some quality time with mom for a few days this week... it's so good to be here.. mom's doing amazing and I love being able to see first hand how far she's progressed since the stem cell transplant.
we've been doing a little shopping, a little restaurant exploring and a lot of catching up on the real housewives.. I haven't watched them since august when I was out here for the month, and I'm currently caught up on New York, New Jersey, Beverly Hills and Orange County.. oh and I'm back in the loop with Bethenny also.. while I don't always love the way these women act, mom gets a kick out of them, and at the end of every show we're thankful that we're not rich and famous.. or at least that's what we keep telling ourselves!
mom had an excellent clinic appointment today.. her numbers are exactly where they need to be and she was told today that she only has to come once a week now! she's super thrilled about that one.. more time for shopping, i think..
she reminded the nurse practitioner today that she's going home for memorial day, so she didn't accidently schedule any appointments for that long weekend.. the NP took it well.. and was happy to see mom's determination.
k, off to heat up a flax bag, and watch some quality tv.. wonder which housewives are on tonight!
thanks for reading, praying and sending positive energy our way. chat soon..
love.
we've been doing a little shopping, a little restaurant exploring and a lot of catching up on the real housewives.. I haven't watched them since august when I was out here for the month, and I'm currently caught up on New York, New Jersey, Beverly Hills and Orange County.. oh and I'm back in the loop with Bethenny also.. while I don't always love the way these women act, mom gets a kick out of them, and at the end of every show we're thankful that we're not rich and famous.. or at least that's what we keep telling ourselves!
mom had an excellent clinic appointment today.. her numbers are exactly where they need to be and she was told today that she only has to come once a week now! she's super thrilled about that one.. more time for shopping, i think..
she reminded the nurse practitioner today that she's going home for memorial day, so she didn't accidently schedule any appointments for that long weekend.. the NP took it well.. and was happy to see mom's determination.
k, off to heat up a flax bag, and watch some quality tv.. wonder which housewives are on tonight!
thanks for reading, praying and sending positive energy our way. chat soon..
love.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Day 260 BMT 50
Rita and I want to thank everyone that participated in her benefit last Saturday. According to the information we have received, everybody had a great time and we are overwhelmed by all of your generosity, support and love. We wish we could have been there to enjoy your company and to personally thank each and every one of you.
Sherry and Wayne came out to visit us Tuesday and Wednesday and we had a great time. Now, we are back to our routine and will be back to the clinic tomorrow morning. Rita continues to do well and we hope that we get the same good reports tomorrow that we have been all along. Today is day 50 since the stem cell transplant - only 50 more days to go and we should be home. As the weather gets better, we will be able to get outside some and that will help to make the days a little better. We are really looking forward to being back home and we are starting to feel like it will be soon.
Lisa is coming out on Sunday to cover for me for a few days so that I can get home and spend a few days getting caught up at work and taking care of some household chores. I'm sure that Lisa and Rita will have a great time and that Lisa will give you an update while she is out here.
Once again, thank you so much for all that you do for us - the prayers, cards, support and, most of all, the love we feel from all of you. We are forever grateful.
God Bless, Rita & Dave
Sherry and Wayne came out to visit us Tuesday and Wednesday and we had a great time. Now, we are back to our routine and will be back to the clinic tomorrow morning. Rita continues to do well and we hope that we get the same good reports tomorrow that we have been all along. Today is day 50 since the stem cell transplant - only 50 more days to go and we should be home. As the weather gets better, we will be able to get outside some and that will help to make the days a little better. We are really looking forward to being back home and we are starting to feel like it will be soon.
Lisa is coming out on Sunday to cover for me for a few days so that I can get home and spend a few days getting caught up at work and taking care of some household chores. I'm sure that Lisa and Rita will have a great time and that Lisa will give you an update while she is out here.
Once again, thank you so much for all that you do for us - the prayers, cards, support and, most of all, the love we feel from all of you. We are forever grateful.
God Bless, Rita & Dave
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Lovely Rita Benefit 4.09.11
Wow.. what an amazing day yesterday was. We couldn't have hoped for a more beautiful day, to celebrate a more beautiful person. We saw people we haven't seen in years and though time has passed, we were able to pick up right where we left off. Matt, Amy and I tried to get around to each and everyone of you to personally thank you for supporting mom, but I am sure we missed many. The volumes of people and generosity is completely overwhelming and has left us feeling so thankful to have you all as friends. Thank you to all who volunteered, baked, created baskets, donated, and attended the benefit for Lovely Rita. It was a wonderful day, filled with love, friendship and support. We can never express how moved we are that you are all out there supporting, praying and encouraging Rita each and every day.
With much love and gratitude, the Briggs' family
Friday, April 8, 2011
Day 254 BMT 44
Great news!! We got the results today regarding the percentage of donor cells in Rita's bone marrow. The results revealed that 98.8% of the cells are of male orgin. Many of you may remember that Rita's donor is a male. That means that the stem cell transplant has take root and that Rita's immune system is being suported by the new donor cells. In other words, the transplant is working!! I can't begin to tell you how excited we are. This is what we have been praying for. So, here is Rita's status - less than 0.8% blasts - no evidence of leukemia and a new immune system that is being supported by donor cells. When we first met with Dr. Wetzler back on July 26, 2010, while we didn't totally understand all that was involved in the process, we did understand that a successful stem cell transplant was going to be key to a successful recovery for Rita. Here we are almost 8 months later and we have such positive news to share with all of you. We are not out of the woods yet but indications couldn't be more positive. We are celebrating this news and giving thanks for renewed hope.
I know that many of you will be participating in Rita's benefit tomorrow and I want to thank all of you, not just for tomorrow, but for all of the support you have given us all the way through this journey. Believe me, your presence has been felt every moment - especially through the tough times and now, I hope you can feel the joy that we feel as Rita continues to progress to a full recovery.
Thank you & God Bless, Dave & Rita.
I know that many of you will be participating in Rita's benefit tomorrow and I want to thank all of you, not just for tomorrow, but for all of the support you have given us all the way through this journey. Believe me, your presence has been felt every moment - especially through the tough times and now, I hope you can feel the joy that we feel as Rita continues to progress to a full recovery.
Thank you & God Bless, Dave & Rita.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Day 251 BMT 41
We are back from the clinic where we got an excellent report from Rita's bone marrow biopsy. While not all of the results are back, the parts that are indicate that Rita is still in remission and that there is no evidence of leukemia. Her blasts are at 0.8% (anything under 5% is good) and all of her other numbers continue to improve. While they don't have the results relative to how much of her bone marrow is from her donor, they feel positive about the indications that they do have. They said it might be another week before we get the rest of the results so, we'll let you know as soon as we do.
So, we are extreemly happy with the news we have received today and are thankful that all of the prayers continued to be answered. We still have a ways to go but we are getting there. Rita is feeling great, eating well and excercising daily. She is sleeping better and her energy level continues to improve. Step by step, she is getting closer to normal and staying focused on being home within 100 days. She hopes to beat that number too and be home for Memorial Day weekend, We'll see - I wouldn't bet against her.
So, that the good news for now - more to come when we get the rest of the biopsy results. Take care, Dave & Rtia.
So, we are extreemly happy with the news we have received today and are thankful that all of the prayers continued to be answered. We still have a ways to go but we are getting there. Rita is feeling great, eating well and excercising daily. She is sleeping better and her energy level continues to improve. Step by step, she is getting closer to normal and staying focused on being home within 100 days. She hopes to beat that number too and be home for Memorial Day weekend, We'll see - I wouldn't bet against her.
So, that the good news for now - more to come when we get the rest of the biopsy results. Take care, Dave & Rtia.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Day 247 BMT 37
Hello,
We did not get the results of the bone marrow biopsy today so I don't have any information regarding that to share with you. Our visit to the clinic this morning was uneventful which is a good thing. Rita continues to do well and the BMT team changed her clinic visits to twice a week so we will now go on Tuesdays and Fridays. That means that we probably won't have the results of her biopsy until next Tuesday. If we do get any information before then, I'll be sure to update on the results. In the mean time, we are happy to have the time between visits to clinic lengthened and we take that a a good sign.
So, for now, there is not much new to report. We look forward to a weekend with appropriate amounts of exercise and rest. We hope that you all enjoy your weekend and we'll check back in when we have more information.
Take care, Dave
We did not get the results of the bone marrow biopsy today so I don't have any information regarding that to share with you. Our visit to the clinic this morning was uneventful which is a good thing. Rita continues to do well and the BMT team changed her clinic visits to twice a week so we will now go on Tuesdays and Fridays. That means that we probably won't have the results of her biopsy until next Tuesday. If we do get any information before then, I'll be sure to update on the results. In the mean time, we are happy to have the time between visits to clinic lengthened and we take that a a good sign.
So, for now, there is not much new to report. We look forward to a weekend with appropriate amounts of exercise and rest. We hope that you all enjoy your weekend and we'll check back in when we have more information.
Take care, Dave
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