There was also a doctor from Wisconsin who talked about transplants and transplant treatments. He talked about the use of horse ATG as being superior to rabbit ATG treatments. This guy was really down to earth, if I were a mom with a kid with AA, this would be the doctor I would want. I don't really remember a lot from his presentation because I was just so impressed that he was so human. I was also wearing down by this time.
I did get some information about support groups in the area, so I am going to attend the Baltimore support group on April 21st. I just can't express how excited I am to share my story and to also hear others' stories and to help others where I can.
I lastly went to to the segment on how to beat fatigue. I still occassionally get pretty fatigued and the more my son grows and becomes more mobile, sometimes it is very hard to keep up with him. Pretty much, I learned that fatigue is just a fact of chemo treatment and there really isn't any cure or therapy that can help. The presenter did give suggestions on how to help, such as exercising, etc. I really wasn't that impressed with the presentation.
After that I was just exhausted. I don't know if it was because Kellan didn't sleep much the night before of if I was mentally and emotionally exhausted or a combination of it all. This conference brought up a lot of emotions that I had put aside. I am doing so well, that I forget sometimes that I am still recovering from a bone marrow transplant. I couldn't help but think about the stress, turmoil and fear that I experienced after diagnosis and during treatment. It was almost like reliving those first 6 months after diagnosis and transplant. We didn't stay after that, which I was kind of disappointed about, but I just couldn't do it. I fell asleep almost as soon as we hit the highway, came home and slept for 3 more hours.
I had lunch last Friday with a mother of a 2 year old with AA. She has such an amazing story and is such a strong person for her little girl. I look forward to getting to know her more and to help her out when I can. I also met another person at the conference that has been following my blog since the beginning. She is from Hawaii as well and doesn't live too far away. I look forward to getting together with you Kayni.
If you are in the DC/Baltimore area, please "Get Swabbed" by attending a Bone Marrow Registry event on Saturday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM hosted by my friend. The location is:
8514 Veterans Hwy, Millersville, MD 21108-2569
If you are not in this area, I highly encourage everyone to join a bone marrow registry to save lives. Donating bone marrow for someone that needs a transplant is almost as simple as donating blood or plasma. There are many people out there with cancer and bone marrow failure that need your help!