Purdy Family's AML Fund

UPDATE 9/26/2023

Waiting for mutations from cytogenetic tests so the chemo protocol can target them, specifically flt-3, which is a common mutation when MDS is present. Chemo won’t start until late this week or early next week so long as her blast cells remain stable. It doesn’t change the course of treatment; chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant are still happening. It’ll just be a different drug for chemo if the mutation is found.

It was an emotional day today. Fuck cancer.

UPDATE 9/25/2023

LOWS:

Emerson had a specialist appointment today. It didn’t go as hoped. Chemo starts ASAP.

HIGHS:

Her private room is nice. The best one she’s been in yet, and she’s decorated it so it’s very homey.

I hate the powerlessness that I’m sure so many people have in this situation. I want to do something. So, today I gave blood for the first time in an embarrassingly long time

Today is Emerson and Ethan’s 2 year anniversary. Not the way anyone wants to spend a milestone, but he’s a good guy and has been so supportive of her through all of this

As much as today has been a downer, her blast count remained stable and it’s kind of a relief that chemo is starting. She’s one step closer to getting back to her life

She has an appointment with the stem cell transplant doctor. They’ll get the ball rolling finding a suitable match

UPDATE 9/24/2023

LOWS:

Her hemoglobins were low and she needed a transfusion. It’s a simple process at this point. They just attach it to her PICC line. It takes about 3 hours for it to finish. I don’t like that she needs it, but I’m beyond grateful she can have one. I know I’m a broken record, but give blood. It’s easy and you’ll help someone somewhere, maybe even someone you love.

Emerson wasn’t feeling great today. The lower HGB count had her light-headed and tired this morning. She felt better after

HIGHS:

We have enough time to plan and prep some meals for her this week. The hospital food is…nourishing. I think that’s as polite as I can be about that.

Her blast counts have remained stable, which is fantastic. That means they aren’t growing too fast yet. That gives her time to meet with a specialist. Her appointment is Monday!

Emerson is a volunteer at a gym, called HUSTL + FLOW, in exchange for free spin classes. The owner found out that she has leukemia and is going to set up a day where all the proceeds from all the classes go to her gofundme!

One of Devon’s friend’s mother- also an AML survivor - brought over a lasagna. It was a lovely gesture, and devoured quickly! So grateful!

UPDATE 9/23/2023

LOWS:

No real bad news today, other than our baby has cancer.

HIGHS:

Life goes on, last night Devon took it upon himself to go to a cadets meeting and join up. I feel a little bad that we weren’t home to take him, but take pride knowing that he has enough gumption to take the initiative himself.

This morning we sat down with a coffee and just had some fun, lighthearted chats with Wynn and Devon, and Lebowski got to have some pets and scritches. Almost felt like a normal morning!

Emerson loves butternut squash soup, so that’s on the menu today, as well as some pull apart garlic bread and a salad. Wynn and Devon have a PA Day, so they were able to visit. It was nice to be together as a family, even if it’s within the confines of a hospital.

Emerson has been allowed to walk around outside these past couple days. Just getting out in the sunshine has been a morale boost. The nurse yesterday said that in his 15 years working on the cancer floor, the patients with the best outcomes are the ones who keep active and try to keep their routines. She wants to stay as normal as possible too! We found a pretty koi pond on the grounds and relaxed around it for a bit.

Between Sue and I we’ve received hundreds of messages and texts and phone calls offering support and love. We truly appreciate reading them all! We’ve been humbled by the generosity of people on the GoFundMe. I suppose you can only see the light when it’s darkest, and I’ve been dazzled by the brilliance of family, friends, and strangers. We will never forget the kindness shown to us!

Emerson’s grandmother is a talented artist, and they dropped off a few paintings to display in her room. All the little touches help buoy her spirits! Emerson loved that!

HERE NOR THERE:

I made an appointment to donate blood. I haven’t done it in awhile, but after seeing Emerson get her transfusions, it reminded me that there is a need. I’ll be a regular donator here on out. Do me a favour, if you want to help in some way and are unsure what to do, give blood. https://www.blood.ca/en/blood/donating-blood

Register on the organ donor list. https://beadonor.ca/

You’ll be helping someone somewhere.

By now I'm sure that most of you know that currently the Purdy family is going through a particularly tough time. There's nothing quite like watching those you care about go through a devastating time and being on the sidelines unable to do more than offer thoughts and prayers. Unfortunately, a cancer diagnosis comes alongside a long list of expenses that families shouldn't have to face alone. If you cannot donate, please share this go fund me. If you can donate, thank you. Every little bit helps. I am posting below what Wayne posted on his Facebook page for anyone that has not yet seen it.

Friends,

We have very sad news to share. Our beautiful, intelligent, compassionate daughter has been diagnosed with ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA. AML is a very aggressive, fast-moving blood cancer, but it is curable and that’s the pathway we are on.

It’s been a devastating time for our family and we are just now starting to process this information and are able to start talking about.

Physically, Emerson is feeling fine. Her only symptoms were some easy bruising that were difficult to heal, and shortness of breath. Emerson was smart enough to listen to what her body was trying to tell her, and she made an appointment with our family doctor, Dr Fernando, on Saturday September 9. Dr Fernando is a great dr who doesn’t downplay what her patients are feeling and she ordered a batch of tests, including bloodwork.

Emerson returned to Waterloo where she is attending Laurier as a fourth year student and her job as a TA. She went to a medical clinic on September 15 to get the bloodwork done. On Saturday September 16, she was out for lunch with her boyfriend, Ethan, and his family when she got a call from Dr Fernando.

Dr Fernando told Emerson she needed to get to the hospital right away and so Ethan and his family drove with her and stayed while she was admitted. Emerson called us and said everything was fine, but asked if we could visit her as she thought she might be in the hospital for a few days. They gave her a blood transfusion because her red blood cells were low( causing her to be short of breath), platelets were low (which accounted for the bruising-her blood can’t clot). Her white blood cells were ok. She thought maybe she was anemic. I feared the worst and googled throughout the night-I landed on AML but pushed it out of my mind. Who goes immediately to the worse case scenario?

The next morning, we saw Emerson, she was in good spirits. And then the oncologist came and pulled the rug out from under us. The working diagnosis was acute myeloid leukemia. A bone marrow biopsy would have to be performed to get the official diagnosis but because there were some abnormal blood cells, which are immature stem cells called blasts. These are the problem.

Today, she’s starting her first round of chemo, which is a 7 day regimen. This cocktail decimates all the cells in her marrow to get at the blasts. It doesn’t differentiate. As a result, her immune system will be at zero. She will be prone to infection.

I’ll provide more updates as the come. We appreciate all messages of love and positivity during this time.

Prior to a cancer diagnosis Emerson has been studying to become a lawyer. Thanks to her incredible hard work and dedication (and an amazing GPA) she received a partial scholarship and has plans to become a lawyer studying environmental law or immigration. She is currently studying to take the LSAT exam. She was offered the opportunity to be a TA under the chair of Sociology which she will begin next year.

In her free time she loves to do Pilates and spin classes and volunteers at a fitness studio weekly.

UPDATE-September 20/2023

We had another long, emotional day. It was particularly hard for sue.

Lows:

She had to be moved out of her private room and into a room with a very sick woman because there weren’t enough beds to accommodate a person with contagious illness and needs to be isolated.

The chemo didn’t happen today, and may not happen until Friday. They want more conclusive tests.

They found that she has a bone marrow disorder as well as leukemia, meaning she will definitely need a stem cell transplant.

Highs:

The preliminary tests came back with the blasts at 25%, which is a very promising number but will reevaluate tomorrow

The nurse adjusted the PICC line so it doesn’t aggravate her arm

Her new room has more windows which she was able to decorate with her fake flowers and tchotchkes and will be able to see the sunset

My great friend, Becky Rush, organized a GoFundMe for us which will surely help as we navigate through these uncertain times