Arrangements have been made...

Services for my father will be this Thursday, June 4th in Lumberton, Texas. A rosary will begin at 9:30 followed by a mass in his honor at 10:00. It will be at Infant Jesus Catholic Church.

Following the mass a private burial will occur at Veteran's Memorial Cemetary in Houston as per his wishes.

My dad was very specific in his wishes following his passing.

Thank you once again to all of you for your continued thoughts and prayers.

God bless each and every one of you,

-Natalie

Dad passed away today.

I was hoping that I would not ever have to post this to this blog. But today my dad and best friend passed away. At about 3:00 he was deemed terminal by the team of doctors due to the returning leukemia and the pneumonia. He passed away peacefully at about 6:00.

Thank-you once again for all of your thoughts and prayers.

Please continue to pray for my father's soul. And also pray for strength, comfort and peace for my mom and me.

God bless all of you,
Natalie

An update

I am in Houston right now with my mom and dad. As of yesterday the doctors were not hopeful. My dad has orders that if he is deemed terminally ill that he does not want extraordinary measures made for his life. Yesterday the doctors were pretty certain that his lungs were filled up with leukemia that is back though the only was to find out for sure would be another bone marrow aspiration or a biopsy of his lung which would involve a surgery. It would be difficult to find a surgeon who would open him up while on a venilator though. My mom and I had some tough decisions and things to discuss yesterday. I spent last night with him and not much happened overnight though I had some strange dreams about him. When I got up this morning at 6 (they wake you up at 6 because there are no visiting hours from 6-8) his oxygen level was at 50% which is great considering that when I got here yesterday he was at 100% (meaning that the machines were giving him that much oxygen). At 50% he is holding his own; the respritory therapist also adjusted his pressure (we are shooting for a 5 on this one) and when my mom and I left at lunch time he was at a 8 (down from 12 yesterday). The doctors met with us this morning and said that his lungs appear to be better today and he hasn't run any fever in a day and a half. So, though we are at a crossroads on decisions to make right now his body appears to be healing though really slowly. God's will will be done; just as dad would want it. We just don't want him to have to suffer any more that he already has had to. His doctors also mentioned that the longer you are on a respirator the harder it is to get off of it. He has been on for 7 days now. We are on our way back up to see him.

I know that my mom has talked to most of you and if she hasn't please keep praying.

Pray for strength, comfort and peace.

God bless all of you,
-Natalie

Please pray ...dad is in ICU on life support
Hello everyone. I apologize for not posting sooner but things have been crazy and this was the last thought on my mind. This week has been bad. Dad was doing some strange things like talking to himself, slurring his speech and acting confused since Monday. They thought it was his meds. On Tuesday he went for his daily blood and blood work and his oxygen level was 90% so then transferred him to the ER and kept him on oxygen until they got him a room. He finally got a room Wednesday night. He had a rough night that night and on Thursday morning he stopped breathing. They called a code blue and took him to ICU. He has been there ever sense. I got her Thursday at about 12 and spent last night. At first his heart was having some issues. beating out of sync. That did straighten itself out but now his lungs are in bad shape. When we left last night he had gone from 100% to 60% oxygen. When my mom and I got there at 8 this morning they had bumped him back up o 80%. We met with the doctors and his lungs are filling up with fluid and white blood cells. He is on anti fungal, anti viral and anti biotics to fight whatever kind of infection is in his lungs. He is sedated and has been since they took him to ICU. He also had a procedure to see if there is blood in his lungs. Preliminary reports were that he did not. I stayed they day with him and they did an ultrasound on his arm and he has a blood clot in it but since his platelet count is so low they can't do anything about it. The doctor said they are scared his lungs will begin to fill up with blood since his count is so low. I am in the process of finding out if he can get my platelets. I know that will help. To be completely honest it does not look good. We are waiting to see if he is responding to the medications and if his lungs hold out. Right now the machine is doing all of the breathing for him. My mom and I had a priest come today and bless him, anoint him with the oils of the sick and give him absolution.I am about to leave to spend the night at the hospital (right now I am with at their appointment because there are no visiting hours from 6-8).Thank-you for all of your thoughts and prayers. Dad has fought a long and hard battle and God will do what is best with him. I am trying to remember that. If you would like to email me at nfikac@yahoo.com my iPhone does work there at the hospital (I don't have my laptop) and I can let you know how it is going.Thanks.-Natalie

Please pray ...dad is in ICU on life support

Hello everyone. I apologize for not posting sooner but things have been crazy and this was the last thought on my mind. This week has been bad. Dad was doing some strange things like talking to himself, slurring his speech and acting confused since Monday. They thought it was his meds. On Tuesday he went for his daily blood and blood work and his oxygen level was 90% so then transferred him to the ER and kept him on oxygen until they got him a room. He finally got a room Wednesday night. He had a rough night that night and on Thursday morning he stopped breathing. They called a code blue and took him to ICU. He has been there ever sense. I got her Thursday at about 12 and spent last night. At first his heart was having some issues. beating out of sync. That did straighten itself out but now his lungs are in bad shape. When we left last night he had gone from 100% to 60% oxygen. When my mom and I got there at 8 this morning they had bumped him back up o 80%. We met with the doctors and his lungs are filling up with fluid and white blood cells. He is on anti fungal, anti viral and anti biotics to fight whatever kind of infection is in his lungs. He is sedated and has been since they took him to ICU. He also had a procedure to see if there is blood in his lungs. Preliminary reports were that he did not. I stayed they day with him and they did an ultrasound on his arm and he has a blood clot in it but since his platelet count is so low they can't do anything about it. The doctor said they are scared his lungs will begin to fill up with blood since his count is so low. I am in the process of finding out if he can get my platelets. I know that will help. To be completely honest it does not look good. We are waiting to see if he is responding to the medications and if his lungs hold out. Right now the machine is doing all of the breathing for him. My mom and I had a priest come today and bless him, anoint him with the oils of the sick and give him absolution.

I am about to leave to spend the night at the hospital (right now I am with at their appointment because there are no visiting hours from 6-8).

Thank-you for all of your thoughts and prayers. Dad has fought a long and hard battle and God will do what is best with him. I am trying to remember that. If you would like to email me at nfikac@yahoo.com my iPhone does work there at the hospital (I don't have my laptop) and I can let you know how it is going.

Thanks.
-Natalie

FANTASTIC NEWS!!

Sorry that it has been almost a week since I have posted. A lot has happened. In my last post I mentioned how terrible my dad was doing; well since then he has had a turn around!! His WBC count is now as of this morning up to 1.5!!!! He is set to go home tomorrow!!! WOW!! His new bone marrow is engrafting and this morning he had a bone marrow aspiration as is protocol every thirty days.... not really sure why though. He is feeling well and his spirits are high. He is a little bit weak and tired but that is definitely expected. On Mother's Day we went to Houston to see my mom and we spent some time with dad... he looked pretty good and his spirits were high! When he is released it will be difficult as well. He will come to MD Anderson every day for 4-6 hours to take blood and possibly get blood products..... every day since he has been in he has gotten whole blood, platelets, plasma or gamuglobin. This is normal.

So, THANK-YOU to all of you for your daily thoughts and prayers,,, they are working!

Please continue to pray for strength for my mom and dad, healing and remaining healthy!

God bless all of you!

-Natalie :)

A Few Bad Days and FINALLY Another Good One

Well, the past few days have been really bad for my dad... he has been dizzy and very out of it. He hasn't felt like doing anything.... and when I have spoken with him he has was slurring his words and not making a whole lot of sense. Yesterday the nurse walked with him and he said that he felt a lot better. And, his white blood cell count went up to .10 which is great!

Well, today is a much better day for him. I have spoken to him several times and each time he sounds better and better. The doctors have ordered a bone marrow aspiration this week IF his white count does not come up anymore. In previous posts I gave wrong information. A normal white blood cell count is between 4.0 and 7.0 . And today his went up yet again to .2!!! YEAH!!! I truly feel like the reason that he felt so crappy the past few days was because his new bone marrow was grafting with the old and his body was just working overtime to accomplish just that! I hope that I am right anyways. He told me today that when he gets to 2.0 he may get out of the hospital. Each patient is completely different as our bodies are such awesome machines we all react differently to different things. His is just taking a little bit longer but it will be worth the wait for sure! He is remaining positive and has made the comment to me the past two days that he is ready for whatever comes... if God wants him to stay here he is ready and if God wants him to come home he is ready. This of course was unsettling to me since I am selfish and want him to stay right here. But, I do find peace in the fact that he has found peace.

I love my dad very much and will continue to pray vigilantly each day.

Thank-you to all of you for your thoughts and prayers.

God bless all of you!

-Natalie :)

Playing the Waiting Game

Well, we are now still playing the waiting game and thank goodness dad is feeling somewhat better! He is eating and walking which are the two most important things right now... besides the fact that he is not running any temperature!

This is GREAT news for him and from his doctor! His spirits are high and he is ready for his white cells to go UP! They crept up to .02 a couple of days ag0 (2.0-4.0 is normal) but they went back down... this is normal according to the doctor though.

PLEASE continue to pray for healing, peace, serenity, and hope! With these four things I know that things will continue to improve each and every day!

Go bless ALL of YOU!!!

Have a great weekend !

-Natalie :)

Wednesday Update

Well, today has NOT been a good day for dad.... I talked to him this morning and he was pretty out of it... said that he was really weak and loopy. He said this is the worst day yet. I didn't talk to him long because he was slurring his words and I didn't want to confuse him or upset him anymore that he already was.

But, this afternoon I talked to my mom and she said that this afternoon he was asleep when she got there but he had eaten a little bit because his stomach is beginning to settle. She said that he was still in pretty bad shape though.

At least in my conversation with him he said "I am giving it all to the Lord, that is all that I can do... better days are coming".

Please continue to pray for him, I have a feeling the en grafting has begun and it will be rough for several more days for him.

Thanks to all of you again!

-Natalie :)

Tuesday Update

I apologize for not posting before today but once again life has been busy!

When I saw dad on Sunday he was not doing so well, wasn't feeling well, still had diarrhea; wasn't eating and thus he was weak. At this point it had been three days and nothing to eat (beyond the fluids he is getting in his IV). Spirit wise he was good; not down and out; just longing to feel better after his new bone marrow grafts with his old bone marrow.

Yesterday he had a much better day; he got up and exercised three times and went to PT. His spirits were really high and I believe that he ate some jello and soup. He also had a "normal BM" which was a real plus for his stomach pain and feeling like he was finally on the upswing.

Today was another story.... he is weak because he has eaten in so many days and his diarrhea has returned. When I talked to him this afternoon he was out of it from a pain pill they had given him his stomach pain (due to not eating) but he did say that he had exercised today. His white blood cell count is still 0.0 which tells us that the new bone marrow has not grafted with the old yet. He has been getting neupogen shots several times a day to help with the white blood cell growth promotion.

One thing that I did learn this weekend is that when he gets better he will have to have all of his immunizations again as if he is a new born baby because his immune system is starting over. He is VERY concerned about the swine flu right now; he said that when he was younger and was in the military he got the swine-flu immunization but now he does not have the immunity for it since he is starting over.

Thank-you once again for all of your thoughts and prayers.

Please continue to pray for my parents.....I am sure that my dad just wants to feel better and he is growing impatient.

God bless all of you!
-Natalie:)

Today is Dad's 62nd Birthday!

Well here I am sitting in my parents' apartment in Houston. I spent most of this afternoon/evening with dad for his birthday! He was feeling pretty average and I enjoyed our time together. As of today his white cell count is 0.0 which means that he is EXTREMELY susceptible to any type of illness. The doctors are waiting for his white cell counts to go up when his new bone marrow begins to "graph" with his old bone marrow. He really looked great... his color was good and his spirits were even better. He still has an upset stomach and some sort of bladder infection. But, he feels "okay". The next few days could be rough since the "en graphing" is taking place. One thing that I can say about my dad is that his mind is perfect.... he is still smart as a whip and able to discuss very deep things.

Anyways..the boys spent the afternoon with grannie and she took them bowling and out to dinner. I know that the wore her out but I am sure she enjoyed the break from the monotony. The boys can't see him because no one under 12 is allowed on his floor. Duane made it down this evening to see dad after being in Huntsville for the annual rugby alumni game. Then he took the boys home and I stayed here.

I plan on spending some time with him tomorrow and will write tomorrow night.

Thanks again for all of the thoughts and prayers.... we all feel them!

God bless all of you!

-Natalie :)

Thursday Update

Well, talked to dad at least six times over the past two days but I have been swamped with both school work and work work....and stuff with the kiddos.

I am sorry that I have not posted but the past two days have been yucky for dad! He has had terrible diarrhea and has felt like crud! His nurses suggested the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce and toast) and this will help him to feel better. All of this is very normal with both the chemotherapy and the transplant. Better days are ahead I know that for sure. His spirits are great and he tells me each time that we talk that he is giving it all up to God. I know that will help him for sure!

I will be going down on Saturday after my son's golf clinic for his birthday and will be donating my platelets. There is a shortage and I know that my mom called many people to come and donate. I know that at least five confirmed that they would come down and donate.... maybe I will see some of you on Saturday!

He says that this is just a bump in the road..... I will update soon.... thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers!

God bless all of you!

-Natalie :)

Tuesday Update

Well, it has been exactly one week since the transplant and so far so good..... Easy for me to say since I am not the one who probably feels like I have been run over by a MAC TRUCK! I didn't blog last night because I got home too late. But, I did talk to my dad about three times yesterday and it was an average day for him.... a little groggy... a little out of it.

Today I have spoken to him three times as well and he sounded pretty worn out. He always seems to feel better after he walks and gets his blood pumping and oxygen pumping. He is on lasiks (sp?) and is having to use the restroom a lot, feels pretty groggy and his stomach has been upset... though no vomiting. Today he said was a yucky day.

I am pretty certain that the new cells are trying to mingle with his old cells and they may be battling.... this is normal or so says the doctor. The next few days will probably feel the same for him.

My mom is doing well... brings him lunch and visits him a lot during the day. She is one tough cookie too dealing with all of this has to wear on her spirit as well.

This Saturday, April 25th is my dad's 62nd birthday.... please reign him with emails and emailed cards, I know that he would enjoy that.

I can't wait to see him, they boys and I have a surprise for him!!!

Until next time,

Thanks again for the prayers!

-Natalie :)

Weekend Update

Well, I apologize for not posting yesterday..... but I have news to share today.

I talked to my dad twice yesterday and twice today.

Saturday he was pretty nauseaus and tired... but didn't feel "that bad".

Today we talked for about thirty minutes about lots of things (I can honestly say that my dad is the smartest person that I know) and his mind was just a ticking! We talked a lot about what his body was going through at that moment - basically he said that his white cell count is .2 (normal is 4.0) and that the new bone marrow cells will begin competing with his host (his own)bone marrow cells any time now. He is expecting to feel like he has the flu, high fever, etc. He said his body will try to fight the new cells that are in his body (or that have been in his body for 6 days). I reminded him that this was supposed to begin happening yesterday or today and that it had not started yet.... YEAH!! Maybe he won't react the way that others do.... we can only hope! He mentioned that he had an appetite, was eating, was exercising and walking as he was told. He also said that his arms had blue bruises on them (from low platelets). BUT, he feels good! I know that I mentioned this earlier in the week but that is not a word he ever uses to describe how he is feeling! Thanks be to God! I can only pray that my future posts will have such great news!

I also talked to my mom and she said that he is better than she has seen him in months! She said he looks great, has a great attitude and can tell that he is feeling well. I can sense the relief in her voice for sure.... she has been through so much also! She said that he has had a very spiritual Catholic nurse who said that she felt the Holy Spirit in his room and knew that he was going to be fine.

Thanks again to all of you for your kind words, thoughts and prayers.

God bless all of you!

-Natalie :)

Friday Update!

Well, it has been raining like cats and dogs here!! And from what my dad says in Houston as well.

I have talked to my dad three times today and each time he sounded great, he said he was feeling "good". He walked three times today (they have to walk around the nursing station a few times each day) and went to his "exercise class". He is eating well. When I spoke with him on the phone he was in good spirits, laughing and his voice sounded great!

My mom called me about an hour ago and said they are trying to build his white blood cell count now with neupogen shots. I asked if he needed white blood cells again (like he did in September/October) and she said that the doctors felt the neupogen would do the trick! What a relief. She also said that he may be getting out in two weeks which was news to me. I am not sure if that is because he is doing so well or if it is protocal? He now needs to build new white blood cells with the new bone marrow and then he is on his way to recovery.

I will update again tomorrow.

Thank-you again to all of you for your thoughts and prayers!

-Natalie

~~~ Thursday's Update ~~~

Today was an average day for my dad. He said that he felt pretty miserable and was just plum worn out when I talked to him this morning. I talked with him this morning and again this afternoon. This morning he was not doing well.....tired and groggy. He did go exercise and said that he felt better afterwards. That was a relief also.

This afternoon he called me and was doing much better. He had taken a nap and was rested. He talked to the boys and was joking around with them which really relieved me. Any laughter at this point is gladly accepted.

Tomorrow he says that he will begin his two days of chemotherapy and anti-rejection drugs. It may be a rough day. I will post tomorrow.

God bless all of you!

Keep the prayers coming!

-Natalie

Wednesday Update....

Well this morning my dad called me at about 7:45 to let me know that he was feeling well and that I did not need to worry. He said that he was a little bit woozy and tired but other than that he was feeling "good". This is a discriptive word that he has not used since September.... WOW!

We played phone tag off and on all day and he left me two voice mails. Finally after school I was able to speak with him and he sounded great! He sounded tired because they had given him benadryl before they gave him a bag of gamoglobin. He said that he has eaten, attended exercise class (PT) and had walked a little bit. I am just so thankful that his spirits are up and that things are looking up!

I will post tomorrow to let you know how he is doing.... honestly I feel that this next week will be a roller coaster ride.... he will have good days and bad days.

Thanks be to God for the good days!

Thank-you again for the prayers!

-Natalie

I got word.... all is well for now!

Well right after I posted my mom called me and I had to head out the door with the boys for baseball practice.

My dad got his four bags and all is well. He was not put to sleep like was originally planned. When I talked to him for a couple of seconds because he was so tired he sounded fine; just tired. He had been up all day awaiting the transplant and didn't get a chance to rest.

I pray that tonight he will get a good night's sleep and wake up feeling like a new man. The doctor says that it will take three or four days before he most likely will feel the efffects and his body may reject it... at that point he gets more chemo..

I will update tomorrow.

Please continue to pray!

God bless all of you!

-Natalie

Today is the day..

Well I am sitting here waiting for the call that all is good. He was supposed to have the transplant this morning, then he texted me and said 12:00, then he texted me and said 2:30. So, I am sure that he is finished but I haven't heard anything.

The four bag drip was supposed to take 45 minutes to complete and he was to be put to sleep for it and a nurse was going to be with him for the time.

I will post tonight about what happened.

Keep the prayers coming please!!!

-Natalie

.....Easter at MD Anderson.....

So, I am here with my dad right now at MD Anderson. He was admitted last Sunday and began chemo on Monday.... so far so good!! He is in great spirits. Today is Good Friday and he has three more days of chemo... then on Tuesday he will get his transplant!!! Thus far (knock on wood and Thanks be to God) he has not gotten sick. He has called me about five or six times a day to tell me how he is doing and this morning at about 10:30 he was a little whacked out. But, he is okay now (and he is sitting next to me) that the chemicals have made their way through his system.

His room is HUGE and the nurses and staff are really taking great care of him. Tomorrow I think will be a bummer for him. Up until now he has had chemo (called Busulfan and Fludarabine) but tomorrow he will get this and ATG (the anti rejection drug for the transplant). I am so glad to be here with him. My mom went to Kerrville to unpack the boxes for their new place while he was here and being cared before. She will probably get back here tomorrow or Saturday. I know that she must be exhausted.

He has enjoyed playing with his new Ipod touch that my mom got him for his birthday (that is April 25th) and can get email, etc. on it. If you email him he will be able to read it on it. Right now he is listening to the Holy Rosary on it. Prayers from all of you have gotten him to this point and will get him through the transplant successfully. Thank-you very much to all of you!!!


God bless and Happy Easter!

He is risen! <3>

-Natalie

~*~*~*The Transplant Is ON!!!~*~*~*~

Once again, my apologies for not writing..... BUT.....

Well, after an emotional and up and down week full of doctor's appointments my dad has an OFFICIAL DATE!!!

This week he has had many routine appointments and LONG days at MD Anderson (sometimes more than 12 hour days) including transfusions, platelets, whole blood, potassium and magnesium drips, cat scans, bone marrow aspirations, dental appointments (to check out his teeth before the transplant), etc. etc. He is such a trooper, and my mom is right there by his side for all of this!

On Wednesday we had QUITE THE SCARE!! My dad's bone marrow initially showed that his cancer had returned and they were going to put him back in the hospital on Thursday to begin chemo immediately. BUT after the pathologist looked at his blood more closely (like one milliliter at a time counting his lymphocytes one at a time) they discovered that his bone marrow had not changed. THANK- GOODNESS, it was a very emotional day knowing that his transplant would be postponed yet again (and remembering all he went through since September when he had his last round of chemo we were all stressed!)

IF ALL GOES AS PLANNED AND GOD IS WILLING, he will go in on April the 5th to begin chemotherapy... they want to insure that he has no cancer hiding anywhere in his body... he will be really sick and out of it....pumped full of steroids (which make him really agressive) and other meds to keep him together. Then on April 12th he will have his infusion of bone marrow from the donor. It will be touch and go for lots of days as we wait to see if his body accepts or rejects its new DNA and bone marrow. Some people that my parents have met through this process report feeling wonderful immediately and some have been on the opposite end of that spectrum. In my heart I just know that he is going to feel great! From this point on he will be in a separate ward for thirty days healing and hopefully eating, walking and regaining his strength. Sometime after this he will be sent home ( my mom is getting another apartment in MD Anderson for this period of time ) and will have to return to MD Anderson (which will techinically be there home ) every other day for ???? I am not sure how long. ........

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE continue to pray for my dad! He needs all of our thoughts and prayers. His emotional state is at least half of this battle and thus far he is strong in this area thanks to God and all of our prayers! Please pray for my mother's strength, the donor's safety and health, the doctor's wisdom and knowledge and for his guardian angels (my sister Stephanie is one of them) to be with him at this scary and risky time.

God bless all of you..... Just so you know my dad refuses to look at this blog... he does not want to see the past and how he looked..... he wants to look toward the future....... if you would like to email him and don't know his address it is capt135a@yahoo.com I know that he would love to hear from you!

I will post again soo.... TTYL!!! :)

More GREAT news from the transplant doctor on Monday!

On Monday my dad had an appointment with his transplant doctor and he got more great news!!

He will have his transplant this month on either the 23rd or the 31st depending on when the donor can arrive. I am sure that next week he will have it scheduled!

He is feeling much better, is walking "everywhere" according to my mom.

Yesterday she called me when they were at the grocery store and she said that he was walking and pushing the cart and not in one of those skooters like he has been in the past!

What an accomplishment. I am going to visit them for the weekend and am looking forward to it!

I will post more details as they come available on his transplant.

PLEASE continue to pray for him - pray for his donor to have a safe journey and transplant procedure, pray for his doctors to have the wisdom to do what is right for my dad, pray for my mom to continue to have patience, rest and comfort in the Lord, pray for my dad's body to not reject the new bone marrow, for no side effects from the medications, for him to be free of any infections or viruses while in isolation (and afterwards), for his body to function as it has been (it has been very strong and has withstood A LOT), for his mind and spirit to remain focused on a positive outcome from this process and for comfort and peace for my dad while he endures this very long and risky procedure.

God bless all of you, thanks for caring and praying!

-Natalie- :)

CONTINUATION OF THE POST BELOW............

Okay so I messed up and didn't publish my last post. Sorry...

Hello everyone!

I am very sorry that it has been so long since I have posted, but things in the Fikac household have not slowed down quite yet and I definitely CANNOT WAIT until they do.

I have some great news to share about my father:

*Last week my parents came and spend Wednesday to Friday here. They stayed in a hotel (becuase our home is WAY TOO LOUD for him) and on Thursday my mom drove and picked up the boys so that they could spend the day with them. I am glad that they had that time together. I am so glad that he did not get sick from us since we all felt like crap and the flu is spreading like wildfire here.

*I was shocked by how great my dad looked, he was up and walking without a walker and it seemed odd to see him upright since I have not seen him this way in months.

*This past Tuesday my dad had an appointment with his leukemia doctor (who smiled for the first time for my dad's progress) and his sores are ALMOST COMPLETELY GONE!!!! Yeah for antibiotics!

*He is feeling MUCH BETTER, (though far from great) is laughing and smiling for the first time in months.

*Yesterday and today he drove!!!! I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS, my mom text messaged me in the middle of the day to tell me and I about passed out!

*On Thursday he had his appointment with his transplant doctor and he is now READY!!! The transplant doctor is now shooting for mid March and they have to contact the donor to get everything scheduled! Of course this is pending that he does not get sick between now and then.

*All of these things are truly a miracle! THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU for all your thoughts and prayers!

Until next time ,

Love and prayers!

-Natalie :)

***FINALLY SOME GRRRREEEAAATTTTT NEWS!!!****

~~~~PLEASE KEEP THE PRAYERS COMING!!~~~~

I once again apologize for not posting, but our lives at the Fikac household have been unbearably busy. A lot has happened since the last time that I wrote when I was at the hospital with my dad:

• When he got out of the hospital he was given three different types of antibiotics to take for the sores that are popping up on him from his blood infection from September. Yes the nasty bacteria and virus are still in his weakened system. One of the bug's name is Pseudomonus and I can't remember the name of the other one. Two of the meds are oral and one he has to give himself through his pickline.
• The two oral meds are Biaxin ( a strong MF - 800 mg twice a day ) and Levoquin ( the meds I had to take after my kidney infection that knocked me on my ....
• The one medicine he has to give himself is through his IV at 6 AM, 2 PM, and 10 PM which means that he has to wake himself up at these times.
• It takes about an hour for the infusion to drip.
• He was VERY sick for about 6 days due to these meds ... but FINALLY his body got used to them.
• They were some rough days there for a little while.. almost more than he thought that he could handle.

He has also been going to MD Anderson on Saturdays and Tuesdays for "Fast Track" blood work where he gets blood taken and then has to wait for the results and see if any of his meds need to change. The past two times he was givena magnesium drip for his infusion becuase of all of the antibiotics he is on.

On Thursday he went for more blood work, to see his transplant doc and his leukemia doc. He got bad news.... the leukemia is back..... which means that he had to start chemo again.

He had been in remission since his first chemo treatment in September but with all of the infections and set backs he was unable to take the oral chemo to keep the leukemia under wraps.

On Thursday he was given a chemotherapy infusion, some pain meds and more oral chemo to take daily and was sent home.

The doctor did not give him a good prognosis from all of this and it most definitely is not what he, my mom or I wanted to hear. He is having a difficult time staying positive. I know that my father is a Godly man and he will take whatever God has in store for him. But, he is not feeling well (and hasn't for a long time) and it has been wearing on him for so long now.

When I talked with him this morning he and my mom were at MD Anderson waiting for the blood work and he said he felt about 50%. Almost every day he tells me this... ranging from 40% to 60%. I know that he is sick and tired of being sick and tired. He was nauseous from the chemo and is not eating again. It was his last day for the IV meds so maybe he will be able to get some peaceful rest. The doc gave him some pain meds this AM for his leg pain - from the sores.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR HIM.... PRAY FOR PEACE.... PRAY FOR COMFORT....PRAY FOR HIM TO BE OF RIGHT MIND TO PRAY.... AND PRAY FOR A MIRACLE.... GOD GRANTED HIM A MIRACLE ONCE HE CAN DO IT AGAIN WITH THE HELP OF OUR PRAYERS....I WANT MY DAD TO GET STRONGER EACH DAY AND I WANT HIM TO GET THE TRANSPLANT AND BE CANCER FREE.....

God bless all of you.....

**We are back at MD Anderson**

This is Trey at the New Year's Party in Smithville. Sorry it is sideways, I can't get it to turn!

This is Dustin with the splint before the cast came on.

This is a picture of dad tonight, he looks great!!

Hello everyone! I am sorry that I have been a stranger on here, but the Fikac household has been VERY busy. And as someone emailed me about my dad : "No news is good news".

Well I am here at MD Anderson right now on Saturday night with my dad. He was admitted really late last night because the doctor's appointments that he was having weekly weren't "cutting it" to get all of the work done. He spent all day on Thursday here and was unable to see all of the doctors that he needed to see. So, the docs decided to admit him to get all of this procedures done. He was supposed to have two of his sores that are still popping up under his skin lanced and biopsied, get a new pick line put in to give him higher dosed antibiotics since the oral ones are not helping with the sores, and get a bone marrow aspiration. But, after the surgeon, internal medicine doctor and infectious disease docs came in and looked at his sores (that are shrinking - thank goodness!) they decided to not risk it by opening him up and posing the chance and risk of more infection. He has been there and done that and it was not fun, dad is still recovering! He did get his pick line put in and we are praying that it won't get infected like the last two have. So, basically this is really not too bad of a trip for him!!! YEAH!! He will hopefully get out on Monday and return to their apartment right down the road. My mom used this time to take care of some things in Kerrville with their house. Since, she has not been able to leave him since November this was a good chance for her. So, once again thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers!!!

At the Fikac household we have been REALLY busy, with getting ready for the boys to take the TAKS test, basketball for Erik, basketball for Dustin, basketball for Duane, my college classes at Sam Houston, Dustin breaking his arm, Trey running around like a wild child (LOL), we are not home a whole lot. This past week we had basketball seven days out of the week. Dustin will get his cast off in another two weeks (he fell and broke it two weeks ago in the first minute of his first bb game in Bremond) and he will be able to play at least four games this season! Thank-goodness! Duane is excited, yesterday his team upset Mumford ranked 3rd in the state! Before we know it bb season will be over so I guess we should all enjoy it!

Thanks again to all of you! :)

Good News From the Transplant Doctor Today!!!

Today my dad spent the day at MD Anderson visiting with his transplant doctor and getting the routine blood work done. He saw the doctor this morning and the doc was impressed with my dad's blood work from Christmas Eve. He said that they had located a donor and that the donor was ready to go. He also said bone marrow transplant would occur "in a few weeks". This was news to my mom and myself especially since my mom was just told it would be summer time before he would have the transplant. I do know that my dad is still really weak; every day he is either vomiting or having diarrhea. I hope that he will be ready in few weeks though I am sure that the doctor would not put him in any danger if he didn't think that he was ready. I guess that the next few weeks will be critical for his healing. Please continue to pray for him to gain strength and begin to heal. After this appointment my mom and dad had to wait at the blood bank for my dad to get his blood work completed. Apparently it was filled with about fifty leukemia patients bundled up and in wheel chairs; coughing and feeling crappy. I am sure that it was unnerving to see for my parents.

I apologize for not posting as often as I know that I should but even though I was off of work for two weeks, the boys kept me really busy.

God bless all of you who read this and keep my parents in your thoughts and prayers. It means a lot to us.

Until later, I just know that 2009 is going to be a better year for us than 2008!!! My dad is going to be healed!!!