T + 11 Months

I’m sorry that it has been a month between updates. The Best’s have been busy. We had a terrific vacation to Maine in mid August. Thankfully we missed the hottest week of the year in Savannah and had highs in the low 80’s in Maine. See pictures from the trip in the entry below.

Karin is back at Coastal Middle School. She is teaching 8th grade physical science. She has also been named athletic director. Softball tryouts were this week and she has been quite busy.

Bennett began 2 year old pre-school 3 days a week at our church. Wilmington Island Presbyterian Preschool (WIPP). We think that he is enjoying himself. It gives Gran and PaPa Wilson a small break during the week. I was able to take him this week to school as I was working 2nd shift. I was also able to spend my off days at home with him.

This weekend was a busy one for us with the Leukemia Cup Regatta (part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society national fundraising)at the Savannah Yacht Club. Karin sailed Saturday with Bob Hastie (a good friend from church) and his crew, and they won their class. I was the Honored Hero at the event and was able to speak briefly at the awards dinner for the many functions (golf tourney, tennis tourney, inshore fishing tourney, regatta, other fundraisers). Since I worked Friday and Saturday, I was not able to attend many of the events. There was $250,000 plus raised this weekend and the event in its 11 plus years topped $ 2 million for blood cancer research and patient aid.

Today, both Karin and I sailed with Bob Hastie and crew in the Wausau Cup Regatta. We took 1st place in our class for the 2 races and we finished ahead of some boats in the higher classes. What a workout…we are both sore, especially our hands, and we are off to bed soon.

Next weekend, Karin and I will drive to Atlanta on Sunday for my one year follow-up testing scheduled for early morning on Monday, September 24th. I will have a Pet-CT scan and a bone marrow biopsy (not looking forward to that one). The trip fits in my scheduled long weekend off before I start Midnight’s on Tuesday. We will return to Atlanta the following week to meet with my physician and PA and get the results of my tests. I will be able to begin repeating my childhood immunizations soon.

To prep to speak at the Regatta, I looked back through my blog to see what I was doing this week a year ago. We had packed up the the house, family, and dogs and moved in with my in-laws in Atlanta. I had the triple lumen catheter implanted in my chest. I had for my mobilization chemo 8000 mg of cytoxin in one dose, compared to 750 mg of cytoxin for 6 doses in Savannah. I was taking Neupogen daily to grow my stem cells for transplant. It was the first of 2.5 months in Atlanta.

Take care,

Mark