Our Story
Monday, June 8, 2015 was our 20th wedding anniversary. I was hurrying home from work to spend a special evening with my wife, but never made it. During my commute home, I phoned my wife, Cathrin, to let her know that I was having difficulty breathing and taking a deep breath was somewhat painful, but that I thought it would probably clear up by the time I got home. Thankfully, she convinced me that we should skip our dinner plans and that I should instead stop off at the ER to make sure it wasn't something serious. Six hours later a CT Scan revealed that the discomfort I was experiencing was actually due to blood clots in my lungs. I was placed on a strong blood thinner, a battery of blood tests were ordered, and I was released from the hospital. Two days later, I received the call that you never want to get. I was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia - Adult Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL), and was instructed to return to the hospital immediately to begin treatment.
Wow - this certainly wasn't part of our family's plan! We were looking forward to seeing our daughter Emma (12) perform with her competion dance team at a national competion in Long Beach the last week of June. I was supposed to be spending quality time with my son Marcus (9), helping him to learn to fly his new RC quadcopter. We were supposed to have an awesome summer going to the beach, hiking, riding bikes, and camping with the beautiful group of friends that have become our extended family.
My Prognosis
The doctors tell me that I'm lucky and that if you have to get leukemia, APL is the form that you want to get. Until the 1970's, APL had a 100% mortality rate. Today, however, APL patients have very good outcomes from treatment with a > 75% cure rate. This is very encouraging and I'm hopeful for a full recovery once I complete the prescribed treatment.
Leukemia is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow which prevents my body from properly manufacturing enough white blood cells to fight infection. It also prevents my body from producing enough red blood cells and platelets. While I am undergoing treatment, I have a high risk of contracting infections, so I'm required to limit exposure to visitors and cannot receive flowers, food, or any other gifts from outside the hospital.
For the next 1-2 months, I'll reside at the Kaiser Permanente Hospital in San Rafael, CA. I receive chemotherapy three times a day, along with a long list of other daily medications. The chemo treatment targets the cancer that is preventing my bones from manufacturing blood components at healthy levels. Once my blood counts have elevated to a less-risky state, I will be released from the hospital to continue out-patient chemo for another 6-8 months. If my body responds to the treatments as planned, there is a good chance that I may be cancer free. So that's what I intend to do.
Impact
Obviously, an event like this is scary on a personal level, but it is absolutely terrifying when you consider the potential impact to our family. As the primary source of income for our family, I need to ensure that my family is provided for. How can I do this from a hospital bed?
We are so fortunate to have an amazing circle of family and friends who have already offered to assist Cathrin while I'm away. We also have excellent medical coverage, so medical expenses should not be an issue.
However, my illness does force me to take an unpaid medical leave of absence and to apply for disability insurance. Although disability insurance will go a long way towards meeting our family's needs, there is still a significant gap between my employment income and the amount that disability income provides. Therefore in lieu of gifts or flowers, please consider making a small cash donation to help us manage household expenses until I am able to return to work on a fulltime basis. I would like to let go of financial worries so that I can focus my energy on getting better.
Thank you,
Brad Bowser
Monday, June 8, 2015 was our 20th wedding anniversary. I was hurrying home from work to spend a special evening with my wife, but never made it. During my commute home, I phoned my wife, Cathrin, to let her know that I was having difficulty breathing and taking a deep breath was somewhat painful, but that I thought it would probably clear up by the time I got home. Thankfully, she convinced me that we should skip our dinner plans and that I should instead stop off at the ER to make sure it wasn't something serious. Six hours later a CT Scan revealed that the discomfort I was experiencing was actually due to blood clots in my lungs. I was placed on a strong blood thinner, a battery of blood tests were ordered, and I was released from the hospital. Two days later, I received the call that you never want to get. I was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia - Adult Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL), and was instructed to return to the hospital immediately to begin treatment.
Wow - this certainly wasn't part of our family's plan! We were looking forward to seeing our daughter Emma (12) perform with her competion dance team at a national competion in Long Beach the last week of June. I was supposed to be spending quality time with my son Marcus (9), helping him to learn to fly his new RC quadcopter. We were supposed to have an awesome summer going to the beach, hiking, riding bikes, and camping with the beautiful group of friends that have become our extended family.
My Prognosis
The doctors tell me that I'm lucky and that if you have to get leukemia, APL is the form that you want to get. Until the 1970's, APL had a 100% mortality rate. Today, however, APL patients have very good outcomes from treatment with a > 75% cure rate. This is very encouraging and I'm hopeful for a full recovery once I complete the prescribed treatment.
Leukemia is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow which prevents my body from properly manufacturing enough white blood cells to fight infection. It also prevents my body from producing enough red blood cells and platelets. While I am undergoing treatment, I have a high risk of contracting infections, so I'm required to limit exposure to visitors and cannot receive flowers, food, or any other gifts from outside the hospital.
For the next 1-2 months, I'll reside at the Kaiser Permanente Hospital in San Rafael, CA. I receive chemotherapy three times a day, along with a long list of other daily medications. The chemo treatment targets the cancer that is preventing my bones from manufacturing blood components at healthy levels. Once my blood counts have elevated to a less-risky state, I will be released from the hospital to continue out-patient chemo for another 6-8 months. If my body responds to the treatments as planned, there is a good chance that I may be cancer free. So that's what I intend to do.
Impact
Obviously, an event like this is scary on a personal level, but it is absolutely terrifying when you consider the potential impact to our family. As the primary source of income for our family, I need to ensure that my family is provided for. How can I do this from a hospital bed?
We are so fortunate to have an amazing circle of family and friends who have already offered to assist Cathrin while I'm away. We also have excellent medical coverage, so medical expenses should not be an issue.
However, my illness does force me to take an unpaid medical leave of absence and to apply for disability insurance. Although disability insurance will go a long way towards meeting our family's needs, there is still a significant gap between my employment income and the amount that disability income provides. Therefore in lieu of gifts or flowers, please consider making a small cash donation to help us manage household expenses until I am able to return to work on a fulltime basis. I would like to let go of financial worries so that I can focus my energy on getting better.
Thank you,
Brad Bowser