New Years Resolutions

I always make New Years resolutions and never follow through with them. This year I have decided to make resolutions that I know I can keep.

1. Run a 10K (Cowtown in Febuary)
2. Raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (Required to raise $500 for Team in Training)
3. Follow a budget (Self imposed starting Jan. 1)
4. Get a stamp in my passport (Trip to Rivera Maya in March)
5. Read at least 6 new books  (This is the only one I could possibly fail at)
6. Cook my way through the Pioneer Woman cookbook

I'm excited to celebrate my first New Years with Kason. We have reservations to eat at Del Friscos and we will ring in the New Year there with champange and a kiss at midnight. The next day we are headed to San Antonio to cheer on the Red Raiders at the Alamo Bowl. What a great start to a brand new year!

Love,
Sam

Goodbye 2009

I know I have been bad keeping up with this blog. I sit down and start to write something and get stuck and give up. I had 4 blogs that I never finished so I will finish and post this one done or not. 2009 has been a great year for me. I met my boyfriend in January of 2009 and because of him I have done more this year than ever. Here is just a little of what we did this year.

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo

Texas Tech Football

The Alamo

Tech vs. Baylor @ Cowboys Stadium

Durango, Colorado

New Orleans

2010 will hold even more memories. We already have a trip to Rivera Maya planned for Spring Break. January 2010 will also mark my 2 year anniversary of my stem cell transplant. To celebrate I have decided to train with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training to run my first 10K. My goal is to raise $500 to help promote the mission of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's of finding a cure for all blood cancers and improving the quality of life of patients and their families. I'm not a runner, but with the help of the trainers and my dedication to the Leukemia Society's mission I will be able to complete this goal I have set for myself. Please visit my Team in Training webpage if you would like to help me reach my fundrasing goal. http://pages.teamintraining.org/ntx/cow10k10/sgalpin

If there is anyone still reading this blog I wish you and your family a healthy and prosperous 2010.

Love,

Samantha

Happy

Time sure flies when your having fun. Only 5 more weeks left of this school year then it's Vacation Time! Of the 4 years that I have been teaching, this is only the second year that I have taught an entire school year. I love being a teacher and working with my 3-5 year olds. They make me crazy and happy at the same time. I hope that I can continue teaching and making a difference in my students lives.



I have been dating this wonderful guy for the past 4 months and I am so lucky to have him in my life. We have done so much together since we have started dating. We have gone to the Main Street Arts Festival, ate at Lonesome Dove, gone to Jazz Fest in New Orleans, went to a Nickelback concert, seen the Texas Rangers play, gone to a Stars game, seen a concert at House of Blues. We have had so much fun together. After living at home with my parents for the past 2 years I am finally moving into my own apartment. I am excited to have my own place again. I have so much stuff in storage so it will be like Christmas when I unpack. Living on my own is a big step because that means I don't need anyone to take care of me anymore. I can now take care of myself.





It's been over a year since my transplant and the last time I went to see the doctor I talked to my transplant coordinator. I would love to get to meet my donor so I released my information so that I could be found. To meet we both have to agree to be found. Well they have had trouble contacting my donor so if she does not agree to release her information then I will never get to meet her. It makes me a little sad that I will not know the person that gave me the gift of life, but on the other hand maybe she doesn't want to be recognized as being a hero. I could never thank her enough for her gift. To do something like that for a perfect stranger gives me faith in others.

Life

I thought I would do a non cancer related post since there is a lot going on in my life that doesn't revolve around cancer (finally)!

My dad has been in Iraq since the 5th of January. Since he is a jet engine mechanic in the Air Force he is safe on the base. We are able to talk to him a few times a week, but he is not very talkative about what is going on over there. The one thing he does say is he is ready to come home. It looks like he will be home the first week of March. I try to deny that I am not like my father, but I know I am. Since he works a different schedule than me I wouldn't see him until the weekend, but I have missed him since he's been gone.

School is getting busy. I teach an integrated 3 year old class in the morning and since Christmas I have added 3 new kids bringing the total of students to 16. 9 of them are teachers kids from the daycare and 7 have special needs. It is a busy class and I am very glad to have the help of my assistant. I couldn't do it without her. My afternoon class is self contained meaning these kids have high needs and are not ready to be integrated with their peers. I have 9 of them. 8 boys and 1 girl. The girl gets a lot of attention from the boys. I have to keep them from kissing her! I can't believe there is only 4 more months of school left. I have been extremely lucky to have made it this long without catching any little bug that my kids have had. These past few weeks I have had 2 kids come down with the flu. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't catch it next. I am looking forward to the summer. Right now I don't have any plans, but I would like to take a trip. I have a friend in Hawaii that I would like to go and see. Then I know someone in Singapore. I want to get my passport so I will be prepared if I ever need to make a quick trip out of the country!

Well my life is good right now. I enjoy my job, I am planning on moving out of my parents house and I am dating a great guy. I am very lucky to have this chance for a fresh start.

Scategories

I was reading Camille's blog and I thought this little game sounded like fun.

Scategories Rules: IT'S HARDER THAN IT LOOKS! HIT FORWARD, ERASE MY ANSWERS, ENTER YOURS, SEND IT ON TO 10 PEOPLE INCLUDING THE ONE THAT SENT THIS TO YOU. USE THE 1ST LETTER OF YOUR NAME TO ANSWER EACH OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. THEY HAVE TO BE REAL PLACES, NAMES, THINGS.NOTHING MADE UP! TRY TO USE 2 DIFFERENT ANSWERS IF THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU HAD THE SAME 1ST INITIAL. YOU CAN'T USE YOUR NAME FOR THE BOY/GIRL NAME QUESTIONS

1. What is your name? Samantha
2. A 4 Letter Word: sand
3. A Boys Name: Shawn
4. A Girls name: Stephanie
5. An Occupation: Senator
6. A Color: Scarlet
7. Something you wear: Socks
8. A Beverage: Sprite
9. A Food: Spaghetti
10. Something found in the bathroom: Shampoo
11. A place: Spain
12. A Reason for being late: Slept late
13. Something you shout: Shut up!

Prayer

On the day of my transplant the Chaplin read this prayer before I received my stem cells. I wanted to share it with you. I cry every time I read it.


We come today to celebrate a new beginning.
We feel afraid and anxious about the unknown, while we also feel excited and hopeful as we look forward to new possibilities.

The cells we bless today offer new possibilities for Samantha's healing.
These cells, as tiny as they are amazing, are a gift from the Creator of all Life.
Thank you, God, for the gift of life and for this transplant as a means of using the gift for healing.

Gracious Giver of Life, we thank you for these cells.
We are especially thankful for the courage and compassion of Samantha's donor.

Spirit of all grace and mercy, bless these cells for Samantha's healing according to her deepest needs of body, mind and spirit.
May Samantha feel your healing power flowing through every cell, bringing a new day of health and joy and creative energy.

Loving Creator and Friend, come with us now on our journey into the new.
Lead us forward with your vision of abundant life, and help us to continue to become all you created us to be in your divine image, now and forever.

Samantha, may Divine Love and Wisdom "be healing to your flesh and marrow to your bones" (Proverbs 3:8)

1 year ago today

I am amazed that one year ago today I was in the hospital recieving my stem cell transplant. This picture is from my "birthday party" I guess today is my 1st birthday.

I am suprised how fast this year went by. A year ago I was at my lowest and now I am feeling great and back to my "normal" life. I never expected that I would have gone back to work only 8 months after my transplant and not be completly exhausted. Don't get me wrong, I am tired and somedays I need a nap, but I feel 100% better than I did a year ago. I still make monthly trips to Dallas for check-ups and I still have a few issues that we are trying to resolve with the right medication. I am so lucky that I found the perfect donor and I have not had the complications that I could have that would make my life difficult. Now that it's been a year I am able to release my name to the donor center letting them know I am interested in being found by my donor. It is up to her if she wants to be found. I would love to meet her and to let her know how grateful I am for her selfless act. Without this transplant I would not be here. She is my angel and I hope to meet her one day.

This picture was taken at the State Fair a couple of months ago. Look how much hair I have!

Long overdue update

I decided to change the name of this blog because I feel since I have been in remission for 10 months I no longer have leukemia. I am now living my life after having leukemia and dealing with the changes in my body since the transplant. I still go to Dallas once a month for check-ups. I don't see that changing for a while since I am dealing with some issues in my mouth that make eating difficult. We are trying to figure out what is going on and what medications will help fix the problem. I can no longer eat spicy or salty foods because they tear up the insides of my mouth. I am sad that eating french fries is no longer a joy. I can deal with not having hot sauce because I usually over do it before my food comes anyways, but I miss my french fries. Other than my mouth issues I still have problems with chronic dry eye and my skin texture is just not the same. I also now have allergies that I can thank my donor for. Unfortunately those are common side effects that I'm not sure will ever go away. I am having to get use to a new "normal." I did finally write my donor a thank you letter and sent her a small gift to thank her for her selfless act of donating bone marrow to a complete stranger. Hopefully in January I can sign a release of information to hopefully get the chance to know her name and meet her in person. It is funny that I like things that I didn't necessarily like before. I now eat yogurt. That is something I wouldn't touch unless it was mixed with granola because I hated the texture. I also like to eat tomatoes. I eat more eggs and drink more milk that ever before. My hair has also grown in curly. I would just really love to meet her and thank her in person for what she did for me. I can't believe that this time last year I was bald and sitting at home waiting to hear if a donor had been found. I look back at pictures for then and I am amazed at how much has changed in less than a year. When I feel down all I have to do is look at where I was last year and realize how lucky I am to be where I am right now.

My mission moment

This morning I delivered the mission moment for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training's (TNT) Saturday morning team run. My friend Carlo is a trainer and introduced me to the team last Saturday. I have wanted to get involved with TNT for a while, but I just never did. There are 25-30 people that get together to train for various races and raise money for the society. Each week they have an honored hero come and share their story with the team as inspiration. I was honored to be asked to do this. I am not much of a public speaker, but I felt it was important for me to share my story with people that are dedicated to raising money for the Leukemia Society since I have benefited so much from their financial assistance. I practiced what I wanted to say because I know when I get nervous I draw a blank and forget everything. As soon as I started talking I started to tear up. I get emotional when I talk about what I have been thru, but it is important for me to share my experience with others. I am very fortunate that I am doing as well as I am only 5 months after my transplant. Since I started working at the YMCA I have been working out and I feel that my strength and energy level is back to where it was before the transplant. Things are finally starting to look up for me.

I can't believe how bad I am at keeping this blog updated. I would be surprised if anyone still reads this. Well I am doing really good 4 months after the transplant. I still go to Dallas every other Monday for check-ups. About a week ago I started to get a GVHD rash and my doctor put me back on my steroids. I am not having the problems that I was having since I was taken off them. About a week after I stopped taking the steroids my joints started to feel stiff. I really thought I was starting to develop arthritis. As soon as I went back on the steroids I felt so much better. I guess I will have to be on a low dose for a while until my body can adjust itself.

About a month ago I started working part-time at the YMCA near my house. Since I am feeling so much better and have more energy, I decided it was time for me to get out of the house and get back to work. I plan on going back to teaching in August, so I thought this was a good way for me to ease back into working. So far I really like working at the Y (day camp hasn't started yet!). I have met lots of great people and I have been able to catch up with friends that I haven't seen in years. I have decided that this is the time that I need to make a change and start working out regularly. I have read a lot about how diet and exercise can help reduce your cancer risk. Since I am already at risk for developing other cancers I figured this is a good time for me to start an exercise routine. I feel so much better about myself after I work out. Since the transplant I have lost about 20 pounds. My appetite is back now that I am back on the steroids so I have to start working at keeping the weight off that I have already lost.

I am still amazed that I had a stem cell transplant 4 months ago. I never thought I would be feeling this well so soon after. Every time I go to Dallas and see people that have just had their transplant I realize how far I have come in such a short amount of time.

One Word Answers (only)

I got this from my friend Camille. It's hard to think of only one word answers. Have fun and play along.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your significant other? somewhere
3. Your hair? growing
4. Your mother? loving
5. Your father? handy
6. Your favorite thing? i-pod
7. Your dream last night? strange
8. Your favorite drink? tea
9. Your goal or dream? travel
10. The room you're in? bedroom
11. Your kids? none
12. Your fear? relapse
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? settled
14. Where were you last night? Walmart
15. What you're not? competitive
16. Muffins? banana nut
17. One of your wish list items? furniture
18. Where you grew up? Benbrook
19. The last thing you did? drink (water)
20. What are you wearing? clothes
21. Your TV? on
22. Your pets? Marley
23. Your computer? HP
24. Your life? blessed
25. Your mood? happy
26. Missing someone? yes
27. Your car? Element
28. Something you're not wearing? shoes
29. Favorite Store? Target
30. Your summer? hot
31. Like someone? yes
32. Your favorite color? pink
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? yesterday
35. The person who sent this to you? Camille
36. Who will/would resend this? unknown
37. A good book? Notebook
38. A good movie? Enchanted
39. A good song? Rockstar
40. One word to share? Love

Update

I have been really bad about letting everyone know what is going on with me. I don't know how many times I have sat at my computer and stared at the screen not knowing what to write. My head was in such a fog for a while, it was hard to put my thoughts together and then try to make them make sense.

Now I am feeling great. It has been 3 months since my transplant and I never expected that I would be doing as well as I am. After the GVHD rash I have not had any more serious problems. I am now seeing my doctor every other Monday and he has started to take me off some of my immunosuppressents. I am completely off steroids which has made a big difference. So far I have not had any complications from reducing my medications. If everything goes well I should be off them before I go back to school in August.

About school I found out that I still have my job for next year. My district has extended my disability leave until August 18th. That is the day the teachers go back to school. I have to be ready to go back and be released by my doctor by July 18th. I don't think there should be any reason that I can not go back to work. I have been in physical therapy for 2 months and I am feeling like I am getting stronger and able to do more things without getting tired. I know the kids will wear me out, but I am fortunate that I will have an assistant with me and that will be a tremendous help.

Last night in Benbrook was the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. This relay celebrates cancer survivors and their families. I participated last year when I was living in Taylor. It is so nice to see everyone that comes out to support the Cancer Society. I decided to go without my hat since I wasn't worried about people staring at me because they have been thru it. Well I was the only one there that had no hair. I was proud to show my bald head and several people came up to me and told me about their experience when their hair grew back. Some had curly hair or it grew in a different color. I'm not sure what to expect. Since I have new DNA I'm not sure if my hair will grow in like my donor's. Right now I have some fuzz growing, but it's still to early to tell what color it will be. I am excited it's growing back, but I'm not looking forward to having to wash and dry my hair everyday.

Here are some pictures from the Relay

7 random things about me... tagged by Camille

1. I never spent a night in a hospital until October 19, 2005. That's the day my life changed.

2. I was born with a lazy ear. Kids use to tease me about it and one boy told me I should sleep with silly putty in my ear and that would fix it.

3. On the first day of kindergarten I walked into the room and said "What the hell are you doing in here." That was my first and last time in the principals office.

4. I still hate needles.

5. I love to hear the jets fly over my house.

6. I do the People crossword puzzles every week. It's the only crossword puzzle that make me feel smart.

7. I read the large print edition of Readers Digest. I hate looking at magazines that you have to use a magnifying glass just to read the words on the page.

Getting better everyday

Everything is looking good according to my doctor. My GVHD rash is almost completely gone so that means we can start lowering my steroid dose. Once I am off the steroids I will be able to get back to my "normal" self. I never realized how much steroids affects your mental state. That has been the hardest adjustment. Once I am off the steroids things will get a lot better. I am still weak, but I am getting out of the house and walking more. I am going to start physical therapy so that should help me a lot to regain my strength. I have been keeping myself busy by knitting hats. I am getting pretty good at it. Now I need to learn how to make scarfs. I am 40 days post transplant and I can't believe it's been over a month since I got my new stem cells. I will say it has been a hard 40 days, but I think things are finally settling down and I am starting to recover from the transplant. Thanks for checking in on me and keeping me in your prayers. I know that is what is helping me get thru this.

Love,
Sam

Doing much better now

Sorry it's been so long since I have updated. For a few days last week things were a little difficult. Last Monday my doctor started to decrease my steroid and I think that really affected me. At night after I took my meds I started to get really confused. This went on for another day and finally by Wednesday night I told mom we needed to go to the hospital. They ran a bunch of tests and keep me overnight for observation and I got to come home on Friday. While in the hospital they adjusted my medication and that seems to be helping. My GVHD is so much better. I think we are finally over that hurdle. Other than that I am doing more. I am getting out of the house and going out to eat with my family. It feels great to get out of the house. I feel like I am getting better everyday.

Day +25

Today has been the first time that my mind hasn't been in a fog. I am still fighting the GVHD on my body. My rash is still on my stomach and chest. After going to the clinic everyday for treatment, my doctor decided to try a new drug and give it a few days to work. I am lucky to have today off and I will see my regular doctor on Thursday to re-evaluate my treatment. My doctor is not overly concerned about my GVHD. He says some is good because it shows that my body is engrafting the new stem cells. I have never done anything slow and my body is trying to take over too quickly. With all this medication they are trying to slow down my body to give me some extra time to engraft. All my blood counts are coming back like they should and I haven't needed a blood or platlet transfusion for quite a while. As soon as we get this GVHD under control life will start to get a little easier. I apologise if I don't call or respond to e-mails as quickly as I should. I still have my good and bad days. I do read them all and appreciate every one I get. Thanks for continuing to keep me in your prayers. I can honestly say that this is the hardest part of the entire process and I can't wait to get to the other side.

Home Sweet Home

I can't believe I'm at home! It was 2 weeks ago today that I was recieving my donors cells and look at me now. I am sleeping in my own bed, able to make my own food and sit comfortably in my recliner. By looking at me a week ago you wouldn't think this was possible. I was at my lowest and not sure when I would get to feeling better, but Neupogen is a miracle drug. Since I have been home I feel so much better. I get to see the sun shining in the windows and I know I am more active because I have to move around to get what I need. Being home is the best thing for me. I go back tomorrow for a clinic visit to check my blood counts and make sure everything looks fine. Then I will probably be back in Dallas at least 3 times a week for check-ups. They want to keep a close eye on me so if I develop more GVHD they can treat it quickly. Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm doing great!

This bird is leaving the nest

I have been holding on to this information for a few days, because I wasn't even sure if it was true. Looks like today is the day I get to come home. Yesterday they switched my to all oral pills and I have not run a fever for the past 24 hours. My counts have skyrocked since the Neuopegen. Everyone feels confident and comfortable that I can do this at home. I have been wanting to get out of here, but this is my safety bubble that nothing can go worng. If I need something I have someone willing to give it to be quickly so I can feel better. I know eventually I will have to leave the bubble, but I am leaving 6 days earlier than I thought I would be. So if you want to get a hold of me or come and see me here is my information. I continue to need your prayers because recovering at home is going to be just as hard as being in the hospital.

512-748-5729 cell
817-249-1770 home
1009 Mistletoe Road, Benbrook 76126

I felt your prayers

Thank you for all your e-mails and blog posts. I read every single one of them, but I didn't have the strength to respond. For about 3 days I was feeling at my lowest. The only thing I could do was to get up and go to the bathroom and sit up to take a sip of water. My body was exhausted. I try to keep a positive attitude, but I was fighting to see the light at the end of the tunel. I officially have GVHD (Graft vs Host Disease). It happens when my body sees the donors cells as foreign and attacks them. I started getting a rash and it spread over my face, chest, stomach and back. On top of all this I have not bee able to eat for the past 2 days. All I am able to keep down is water. For the first time today I was able to eat some peanut butter crackers. You would think with as little as I am eating I would be losing weight, but they are pushing so many fluids thru me that it is having the opposite effect. I started Neupogen (white cell booster) 3 days ago and it is working miracles. My white count is 0.6 and I have 174 ANC (fighter cells). I believe because my counts are coming back that is related to me feeling better. I feel like I have taken a turn for the better finally. Thank you for continuing to support me and lift me up with your prayers. I truly do appreciate all that you do.

Love,
Samantha

Finally starting to feel better

Sorry it has taken me so long to update the blog. I was doing well up until Day +4 and then I went downhill fast. The doctors told me that days 3-10 would be the worse and I was hoping that I would feel better for a few more days, but I was wrong. On Day +4 I woke up feeling ok, but as the day progressed I started feeling terrible. By that evening I was runing a fever and they were starting me on heavy antibiotics. I was tired, running a fever that would not go away and my heart was racing everytime time I got up to move. Day +5 wasn't any better. I have to make myself get up and walk so I can be active and hopefully heal faster. It wasn't until today (Day +6) that I needed a blood and platelet transfusion. Since I got that I feel much better. I have more energy and am not dizzy when I take a walk. In 2 more days I will be getting a white cell booster so my white cells can start producing faster. The less days my white count is at zero the less chance I have of getting another infection. By Day 10-14 my white count will start to reproduce and we will be able to see how my donors cells are working in my body. So far I have tolerated this regimine very well. If I can get away with feeling bad for only a few days then I am very lucky. I hope to only have to be here for another 2 weeks. If I do get out of here then I will be going home on Valentine's Day. After I leave the hospital I will be coming back and forth to Dallas at least twice a week to monitor my labs and all my my medications. I will have to be very careful being around people for a while because it is going to take my immune sysyem a while to rebuild.