More Great News!!

We found out on Wednesday that Kalan's sister, Micaela, is a perfect match and will be donating her marrow for the tranplant! We are so excited and incredibly thankful! Hooray! What a week!!!!

GREAT news!!!

Hi all,

We got the results from Kalan's PET/CT scans today and got great news! The tumor is half of it's original size and is showing MUCH LESS metabolic activity. Kalan will continue chemo for a bit longer then will move to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for another transplant. We'll keep you posted on timeline as we know more.

Thanks for all of your good thoughts this past week and always.

Much love,

Jennie and Kalan

Kalan is Awesome!

Hey friends and fam,

Kalan did great again with his infusion on Thursday! He is so determined and is not letting the cancer crap get in the way of his life. In fact, he's at an all weekend leadership intensive for his MBA program right now. What a guy!

Love to you all!

Chemo Round 2!

Hi all,

Kalan has finished round 1 of this chemo protocol and is starting round 2 this week. He continues to do very well and is only having minor side effects. The chemo is administered at his doctor's office over only about 3 hours which has been much easier on us schedule wise than previous protocols. He's actually worked through both sessions!

Kalan gets chemo October 1st and 8th (both Thursdays) and plans to have a scan to determine next steps sometime after October 15th.

We are maintaining a pretty normal life right now and are continually hopeful for Kalan's cure.

Thanks to all for your support! Lots of love!

-J&K

Chemo Day 1

Kalan handled his first chemo session very well today. He will have another session (each one lasts about 3 hours) next Friday (9/18), then have a week off, and then start the cycle again. We are hopeful he'll continue through treatment with no side effects and know that we're off to a good start. We're a little tired but are so thankful to be on the path to Kalan's recovery.

Home!!

We are HOME!!!! The hole in Kalan's lung has healed up nicely and we were able to come home late this afternoon. Thanks to everyone for the wonderful visits, food, and spirit lifting (in person, over the phone, and by email!). Chemo will start within the next week--we'll keep you posted.

much love, J and K

Lame

We got the news today that the Hodgkin's has returned. Though this is what we were expecting, the news still smarts a bit. Team Kalan is in full force and he will be hopefully up and running with treatment late next week.

We'd hope to be home from the hospital today but there is a small hole in Kalan's lung from one of the biopsy sites. Apparently this is a "normal/common" side effect of the surgery but they're keeping him at the hospital through the weekend while his lung heals.

So--today was a pretty lame day. On the other hand, we finally have our answer and are moving towards Kalan being healthy and cancer free.

Much love to you all,

Jennie and Kalan

Update Sept. 2nd

Thanks to all of you for your support and good thoughts during Kalan's surgery. He is recovering very well and will be transfered out of the ICU today. He was able to take a walk and even called into a teleconference this morning (our nurse said that this was an ICU first!). We don't expect to have any results for a week or so but will post information as we have it.

Thanks again and love to you all,

Jennie and Kalan

Surgery update: 9/1, 3:30pm

Kalan is out of surgery and waking up! He'll be feeling it for a few days, but it was a less invasive procedure than expected, so that's a blessing. The surgeon says that he got some very good samples and overall it was a successful procedure. We won't have any conclusive results from the samples for about a week, so it'll be a waiting game for a bit. Cultivating patience is easier said than done :)

We expect to be in the hospital for about 5-7 more days, and then look forward to coming home and moving forward with next steps.

Thank you again for all your support and thoughts and love, we appreciate more than we can say knowing that we have such wonderful friends and family in our lives!!!

Surgery update: 9/1, 10:35am

I know that lots of you are checking this today and thinking of Kalan, thank you for your support!

Kalan was wheeled in for surgery at 10:35am this morning, feeling good, joking, and ready to kick this thing. We're hoping for the short version of surgery (and thus short hospital stay!), but will know more in a few hours once the doctors are able to see more.

We'll keep providing updates as things progress today :)

Update

Hi All,

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. We had hoped to have started treatment by now but are having the darndest time getting a firm diagnosis. Kalan is scheduled for surgery on Sept. 1st to hopefully get bigger biopsy samples and a diagnosis. The surgery is a little more invasive than we'd originally thought and Kalan will be in the hospital 3-7 days (Kalan is actually looking forward to some time away from work, school, etc.--ha!). His oncology team is ready to move as soon as we know what we're fighting.

Thank you all for your continued support and love. Being in the unknown is the hardest part right now and we're ready to move forward, fight, and KILL THE CANCER!!

Much love to you all!

More to go.....

Hi Friends and Family,

We found out late last week that some of the cancer has stuck around and Kalan has more work to do! We'll be learning more about the next round of treatment within the next few weeks and will keep you posted.

Thank you all so much for your continued support,
Kalan and Jennie

Nature!

We ventured out into the real real world last week! It was AMAZING to be on the beach, in the presence of Whidbey Island old growth and Skagit Valley tulips, and most of all...go somewhere that is NOT A HOSPITAL!!! Hooray! Kalan is continuing to do great and each day is a little easier. We're both easing back to work (and school) slowly but surely. One day at a time.....

Day 31--Good bye SCCA!!!

Kalan was discharged from the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance yesterday! He is doing very well--still more tired than normal---but recovering quickly. We are so pleased with his care at SCCA and are so grateful for his medical team's help and guidance through this. Kalan will now be seen by his regular oncologist as he continues to heal from the transplant. He'll have another scan in a few months but his doctors are very optimistic that the cancer is completely gone! Congrats Kalan! Thank you all for your support through this--we couldn't have done it without you! We'll keep updating the blog for a bit longer so you can all celebrate when K gets the final results.

Day 21

Kalan is doing better every day. His fatigue is decreasing slowly and each day he's a little more himself. He completed his last day of IV fluid today which is a great jump towards the SCCA door. Now if only his taste would return (they say a few more weeks of everything tasting like cardboard. ugh.).........

Day 18

It's so great to be home! Kalan is doing very well albeit pretty fatigued. He is still receiving IV fluids every day at home but the docs are so pleased with his blood counts and general progress that he no longer has to go to the clinic every day. Real world here we come (very, very slowly)!!

Day 15 and HOME!!!

We were very pleasently surprised this morning when the docs said they were discharging Kalan TODAY (they'd been saying Wednesday)!! His counts have been responding beautifully so we'll pick up his care on an outpatient basis starting tomorrow and get to hang at home inbetween appointments. He's doing such a good job handling all of this but is pretty fatigued (a normal side effect of the chemo at this stage). Lots of rest is on the agenda for the next few weeks but he's planning to begin (OK, continue) working from home on both Boeing work and his MBA program.

Day 12 & 13

The beautiful little stem cells are doing their thing! Kalan showed neutrophils (first line of defense white blood cells) in his blood work yesterday and then another big jump in his counts today! These are the cells we've been waiting on and now know that his immune system is rebuilding. The docs think he's doing "great" and are thinking of sending him home mid week. Yeah Kalan!

Day 11

Kalan is continuing to do great! The doc said that he is doing "amazingly well" so we're very pleased! He is able to eat/drink a little more each day and is having more moments of decreased pain. Hard to believe that we've been in the hospital for one week tomorrow--we'll sure be ready to get home as soon as his counts have returned. Though not all of the counts have started to come back, they are starting to stabilize which is a great sign that he's right on track.

Day 10

Kalan is 10 days post transplant and doing really well! He started eating again today and is feeling much better. The doc said this morning that he is "healing rapidly." What great news!! Hopefully we'll be heading home by early next week if not before--still waiting for his counts to recover before they discharge him. We do know that the stem cells have begun to differentiate because he is healing so quickly---it's working!

Day 7

It's hard to believe that Kalan is 7 days post transplant....what a week it has been! Kalan received more blood/platelet infusions, lots of hydration, and more pain meds today and just said "I think I might feel better." Hooray!

Days 5 & 6

Hi all,

Just wanted to let you know that Kalan was admitted to the hospital (University of Washington Medical Center) last night because of a low grade fever. The fever has subsided as of today and he's doing OK. They're continuing to monitor him very closely and we'll most likely be here until his blood counts begin to recover (about 1 week). He is able to receive all of his meds and additional pain meds through an IV which is much easier on his very sore mouth and throat (a very common side effect of the chemo). Most transplant patients end up in the hospital at some time during their transplant process so we are right where we need to be. Thank you all for your amazing support through this time.

Day 4

Kalan is 4 days post transplant and feeling pretty tired.....but.......he did complete his take home statistics final today (which would make anyone tired, right?) His docs feel he's right on track and are pleased with how he's doing but it's still not a lot of fun! Thanks again for all of your notes and thoughts--we greatly appreciate it and love knowing you're all out there rooting for Kalan!

Day 3

Kalan is 3 days post transplant and continuing to feel some residual effects of the chemo as it works its way out. He's still doing much better than expected and is able to work from home between appointments. We're keeping "busy" with movies, neighborhood walks, dinners with Colleen over the past week, and lots of laughing! Never a dull moment in the Guiley household!

Days 1 and 2

Kalan is 2 days post transplant and going strong. They're keeping a close eye on him as the residual side effects of the chemo are expected to kick in within the next week or so. He'll be on some extra IV fluid for the next few days but is still doing better than expected----the nurse said he was her first patient 2 days post transplant in her 20 years at the Hutch to come to the clinic with a Starbucks cup in hand!

Transplant Pictures

Here's some pics of Kalan when he received the cells, the bag of cells ready to drip in, and two empty bags! Transplant Complete!

Transplant!!!

Transplant complete! Two bags of Kalan's stem cells were infused this morning from 11:37-11:57 and he handled it like a champ and the nurses were super pleased with how he responded to the cells going in. The preservatives used to store the cells cause an odd odorous reaction when introduced in the body--Kalan currently smells like tomato soup!

Chemo Cuddles!

We're thinking of trying out for SCCA's Cutest Couple Award(kidding!)

No More Chemo (EVER!!!)

Kalan finished his last infusion of chemo yesterday! He did great again with only slight nausea (he likened it to a hangover without the memories of a fun night out on the town) on and off throughout the week. His team is so pleased with how he's doing and are optimistic about the next steps.

We just learned that Kalan is in REMISSION!!!!!! The transplant will hopefully get any of the buggers that could be hiding and his docs are very pleased to be doing a transplant at this stage. Yeah Kalan!!

The actual transplant is tomorrow and is affectionately called a birthday because it literally brings life back to his body. So....Happy Birthday Kalan!

Infusion #3

Another good day! Kalan handled the new (there are three different drugs in this regimen) chemo amazingly well today. He's currently doing a take home final exam and feeling good. Only one day of chemo left!!!

Infusion #2

Kalan had a much better reaction to today's infusion. Besides being a little tired (we both napped today!), he's feeling great. And....only TWO DAYS OF CHEMO LEFT!!!

Infusion #1

Kalan received his first pre-transplant infusion chemotherapy this morning. He has been pretty wiped out all day (currently working on nap #2) but is in great spirits and gearing up for the next three days. It's such a blessing to be able to come home directly after treatment and have him be able to take a nap in our comfy bed...hospital beds just leave so much to be desired!! And....he's over half way done with chemo! Go Kalan!!! Thanks all for your notes and messages--it's great hearing from you!

Wrapping Up Phase One

Kalan will take the last of his oral chemotherapy at 2AM! He is doing amazingly well and feeling great. He will have infusion chemo for the next four days (all outpatient) and we learned today how to operate a pump so he can receive IV fluids at home--it'll be so nice to not have to sit around the hospital waiting to get the fluids in! That's pretty much all for now--much love to you all!

Another Great Day

Kalan is now over half way done with his oral chemotherapy and is still feeling great. Except for our daily trip to the SCCA (daily check ups will happen for the next month or so), he spent the day working from home. We did have a lovely (but COLD) walk that was much enjoyed by our four legged friends, too.

Kalan's Pharmacy!

We should both be given honorary pharmacy degrees when this is all over!

Chemo!

Kalan started the oral chemotherapy today and is doing great. They expected him to feel pretty crummy today but he has NO side effects! As you can see, he is rearing to go and feeling strong.

He's Ready!

Kalan got the final transplant go ahead from the doctors at SCCA today. They are very pleased with the latest tests and scans and say he's ready to go. Jennie always appreciates the docs throwing the word CURE around too (it was used several times today)!

It's Transplant Time!

Hi dear friends and family,

We've started this blog to keep you posted through the transplant phase of Kalan's treatment.
Thank you all for your support and love through this process. We are so grateful for your kind words, hugs, notes, thoughts, etc.

Much love to you all,

Jennie and Kalan