You will not want to miss the Traveling Books Next Stop...

One AMAZING Young Women

One AMAZING Story

No greater way of GIVING BACK!!

Meet

Susanne Whitcomb

With this book I have tried my best to give back.  Give back with my story to help people with what I needed help with during my journey, give back to charities that help everyone suffering with this disease, and give back by sharing the traveling book around the world to spread the word and hopefully cheer even more people who need it.  BUT, I could never give back as much as Susanne Whitcomb!

First let me tell you a little bit about Susanne.  She is a beautiful young women, who is athletic; rides bikes, does marathons, is supportive, a good friend and a great cheerleader (she came every year along with my Mom and brother Steave to cheer on my Dragon Boat Team in the Long Beach Race), she created my Facebook Page for the Traveling Book just because she was so supportive and above and beyone that...is now a Med School Student at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska!  Wow!  Just with all this she is some impressive young lady!

But let me tell you more.  Susanne being the unselfish person that she is, signed up for the National Bone Marrow Registry and just became a match for a little boy from Orange County, California wtih Acute Myclogenous Leukemia. After a few weeks of paperwork, physical test, etc Susanne got the "good-to-go" and was granted the opportunity to donate peripheral blood stem cells giving this young man a 50% chance of FULL recovery!! Again....WOW! After getting permission from the school, as we all know it is very difficult to miss any med school, and with the support of fellow students/friends/family, Susanne went forward with her journey.

In order not to miss anything and to make sure I get all the information correct, I am going to quote Susanne from her journal (I will add a few things here and there as well):

(Susanne) "I donated stem cells via Apheresis - they stimulated the bone marrow to make an abnormally abundant amount of white blood cells over a five day period. Then, they hook you up to an Apheresis machine and take out blood from one arm (taking what they need - white blood cells, and platelets just go naturally) and putting back the unneeded red blood cells/plasma into the other arm. Supposed to be 4 hours.

I received a shot of Neupogen in both arms for four days preceeding the collection day. It makes you feel like you're sick, like you have the flu.

(Regina) I just want to add here that I had Neupogen Shots during my chemo.  I can remember my first one.  The nurse told me that it would feel like a very LARGE bee sting.  The nurse was fussing a bit and taking her time and I was wondering what the reason for the delay was, when I went to ask the nurse "why the delay" she was crying.  Not knowing that it had anything to do with me, I asked what was wrong? To my amazement she was crying because she knew it was going to hurt and she said I never complained and she just felt bad about giving it to me (nurses really go through the hard stuff, really!  And they deserve all the credit in the world)!  We got through this and the nurse gave me the shot...and I am here to tell you that was an elephant disguised as a bee!!  Not only did the elephant sting me, it sat on my arm for a bit and later on my body!!

(Susanne) When we got to the Apheresis Center at the hospital early on Valentine's Day morning, they tried to find a vein in my right arm for the return blood.

(Regina) ...Can you believe Valentine's Day.  What a gift!  Far cry from flowers and candy!

(Susanne) They poked and proded to no avail (probably from being NPO night before and Neupogen), so they had to surgically insert a central line in my neck. And then they were able to take the blood that way - very direct and fast. The anticoagulant they use in the process was a little strong for my dehydrated body, which made me feel sick (but I didn't throw up) and made all my muscles vibrate due to calcium depletion. A little challenging. I had to stay overnight due to the central line, and they weren't able to get quite enough stem cells.



A friend of mine and fellow med student, Kayla, was so sweet. She went with me and stayed with me pretty much the entire time, even overnight. She caught up with studying late into the night. So I wasn't alone, and had someone to help me move around and get me water, and talk to (and laugh with). That was a huge blessing, and a comfort. She was my angel and cheerleader.



Susanne's Cheerleader....KAYLA!!



Kayla and Susanne!



The next day went by incredibly smoothly, and I felt none of the effects. That was a blessing. In fact, I had many cheerleaders - received so many emails, texts, cards, calls, from students and faculty who had heard about what I was doing, and were supporting me. In all honesty, I can't take complete credit for giving the stem cells, because it was the collective support that got me through it and gave me the courage to do it!



Go Gal Go!!

(Regina) Please pay close attention to the next paragraph....

(Susanne) And I rested a few days, and now I'm feeling great! And so very, very glad I was able to do it! I am going to be working with a couple of students and faculty in the area to promote bone marrow registry within the community. There are many people, especially within the inner city, who have misconceptions or have not heard of bone marrow donation. It can save patients from suffering and pain, and extend or even save lives. And it's so worth it! I'm so grateful I was able to do it."

(Back to me) What an amazing story, an amazing women and I for one feel grateful that in a few years she will be a Doctor with the ability to see both sides of a patients journey!  Both sides of helping and being helped!  We are truly blessed to have her in our world and I am TRULY blessed to have someone so caring, so giving and so kind, sign the Traveling Book!!  Words can not express!!  I will be sending Kayla a Cheerleading button as well for being such a good friend and supporter and taking care of our beautiful Susanne!!

For those of you who would like to help or learn more and follow in Susanne's foot steps:

National Bone Marrow Donor Program

Also stayed tuned for the books next adventure at
St. Joseph's Hospital
Colorectal Cancer Support Group
Very Inspirational!