Anthony’s (Pookie’s ) Road to Recovery from AML

Anthony (Pookie) was admitted to Smilow Hospital in New Haven, CT on Saturday August 22nd, 2020. On the 23rd, the doctors were able to diagnose Anthony with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. For those of you unfamiliar, AML is a type of blood cancer. It starts in your bone marrow, the soft inner parts of bones. AML usually begins in cells that turn into white blood cells, but it can start in other blood-forming cells, as well. 
Because acute myeloid leukemia moves quickly, it’s important to begin treatment right away.  Anthony has a fighting chance due to early detection and his good overall health. 
Currently, with visitation restrictions allowing only immediate family, Pookie’s beloved wife Dila and daughter, Lexi, have both had the opportunity to see him. Although his appetite has been curbed, Anthony is still eating, thankfully. Exercising also, both Dila and Lexi were able to get Anthony to do a couple laps around the ward which is excellent for chemo patients.
Now for the not so fun stuff. Anthony’s blood Hct/Hgb dropped therefore the doctors are looking at a blood transfusion. Also possible down the road is that Anthony may need a bone marrow transplant, which is sometimes called a stem cell transplant. A bone marrow transplant is a procedure that infuses healthy blood-forming stem cells into your body to replace your damaged or diseased bone marrow. Goals of a bone marrow transplant depend on your individual situation, but usually include controlling or curing your disease, extending your life, and improving your quality of life.

GOAL: We would like to help raise money for Pookie’s procedures and treatments which will be quite expensive for the family.  In this way we can alleviate some of the burden and stress on the Fonda’s.

While all of this sounds super scary the doctors, Pookie, Dila and the family remain positive. Dila tells us that Pookie is feeling the love and support from everyone. Let’s  continue with positivity for Pookie and his family. Prayers are always welcomed as well.❤️

BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS ***If you are interested in finding out if you are a match, please consider getting a free test delivered to you. The link is: https://join.bethematch.org