Hey Ma, Look....

Above: Camp Muir, Mt Rainier - our last "training" hike before Mt Adams bid.....

Look... Pretty slick, eh ? About time I up-date the page a bit. Appropriate as well. So, we've been doing a tremendous amount of hiking in the rain. Yes, the Pacific Northwest & Seattle are known for rain, however nowhere near as much as the rest of the world mistakenly believes ! And no where near as much as what we've been experiencing lately. Once every 5-6 yrs we fall into a rare weather pattern of a summer that just never materializes. Dare I say this may indeed be one of them ? Unbloodybelievable, considering we were legitimately worried about lack of snow-pak and draught back in an unusually Gorgeous Jan, Feb & March !! Am now up to 42 lbs, 2,200 ft in 3+ miles. Urrrg ! Grueling. And personally, a challenge for me. Yet I'm also a bit proud of myself. Been doing alot of online looking into the actual Adams ascent, info, topo maps, aerial shots, etc. We've all been discussing logistics & formalizing plans. Have three lovely friends that have volunteered to act as part of our Sherpa support group for the Climb. They will accompany us to base camp laden with some of our gear. One is Portland Paul, the Originator of this web-page, and devoted writer of my earlier Transplant journey. And I am Honored to have him with us, as well as Leigh & Jeff ! Have likewise been checking out the same info for Camp Muir (above pix), which is on a Mt Rainier glacier. This will be our last training "hike" before our Mt Adams climb. Several of us on the team are opting for the "full effect": camping at a lower elevation the night before, only to wake up, roll out of our bags, and trek up to Camp Muir in the early am, again - only 1 week before our Adams Bid. Hell, I've done crazier before....

Speaking of Camp Muir, it happens I will be far up at Muir during my High School reunion back on the East coast ! Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it. Too much on my plate, and honestly, still a bit leery of long flights while still on such immuno-suppressants and med's, post-transplant. Just not willing to risk getting sick on an already compromised immune system before a Summit bid. However, Trish, one of our HS contacts, has very kindly made me write a "Bio" for the non-attendees. Can I please express how truly sucky it is to write a bio on such short notice, no prep, and when my arse and mind is exhausted from training.... Crap ! I ended-up cheating by pasting the thing together with bits of several speeches I've been asked to give.... Still it wasn't easy. And I fear it's not a bit "objective". Oh well....

At the same time, I am also looking forward to my Donor Bruce and his wife coming to Seattle. Exciting, humbling....and admittedly a bit scary all in the same breath. How does one begin to express and acknowledge the unmeasurable gratitude of both giving & receiving life, yet still be normal & grounded peeps.... ??? This simply may be a speechless moment kids.... Yep, believe it or not. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that we will be blessed with far cheerier weather than we've been having. There are many things on the wish-list for their short visit: Mt Rainier, Olympic Nat'l Park, Rialto Beach and the wild coastline, Hoh Rain Forest.... Breathtaking as the PNW is indeed, they would be far more spectacular if we could mop all this chilly wet crap away for their visit. Had a seemingly rare beautiful day yesteday & got a Sail on Elliot Bay in with Steve. However there wasn't any wind.....just 77 degrees and lovely sun ! Cheers.

Memorial Day Wknd...

Yet again I am hopelessly overdue for a posting, and I am sorry. Training has been evolving. Or rather my pack has evolved it seems into a heavier and larger beast which has taken on a personally all it's own. This Saturday was 11 laps on the Howe St stair-climb, with 30 lbs on my back. Argh...... Here you can see us trudging up and down in the drizzle. And what you see is actually the 2nd flight of steps, 272 of them, one way. Memorial Day was a soggy affair here in Seattle. Even our hike in the North Cascades was cancelled, which is rare.

We are all now starting to assemble the bits and pieces we will need for the climb. Presently, the largest group issue is the climbing boot "strategy". And this seems rather daunting for many of us on several levels, myself included. REI has graciously agreed to donate the heavy double-layered insulated expedition climbing boots required (which typically cost $250-$500 new) among other things. However, I personally am not thrilled about having absolutely no "break-in" time prior, only getting to wear them for the first time on the very 1st day of the climb. One certainly doesn't want to start off an epic adventure laden with lethally debilitating blisters from the very start. Not to mention these suckers are about 4-6lbs of unwanted weight ! However, taking my own precious lighter boots might not be the wisest choice either, as tho they are sturdy alpine trekking boots, they simply aren't high enough to protect against a dratted tweaked ankle climbing over loose shale...or covering distance on the glacier locked into crampons. On a lighter note, I finally broke down & purchased a Big Agnes expedition insulated sleeping pad weighting only 24 oz. I have also arranged for the teams mountain-top caffeine jolt to be graciously donated by Jim Eustace of Forza Coffee in Tacoma. We are both truly honored and utterly grateful to say the least.

In a wonderful side note, my bone marrow donor Bruce and his lovely wife Beth will be coming to Seattle to meet me, for the very first time (!!)....several days after my climb ! I am both thrilled and humbled in the same breath. What an immense honor.

May - "Opening Day"

I sacrificed a scheduled Mt Adams training yesterday for "Opening Day" here in Seattle. Par our typical weather pattern (due to the mountains) it was indeed our usual chilly gray early May Saturday with spectacular clouds, which only added dramatic tones to the day. We were lucky escaping most of the rain, but wondered if the Team up on the trail were so lucky. UW won the rowing class with Syracuse in 2nd, followed by Oxford, England in 3rd. The turn-out was huge for a grey day, and the most amazing shot of the day went to the five 40+ ft mono hulls that came gracefully heeling thru Montlake Cut, down the narrow path of the log-boom, dramatically flying their breathtakingly colorful spinnaker sails the whole way ! What a spectacular site !!


Just a thought I'd like to share...
I live life. I always have. But I now celebrate Life. I now look to the future and my heart flutters. Truly. I will of course continue to make post's about my "mini"-adventures & my training for the Mt Adams summit-bid. And I will continue to cherish your interest and support, and endlessly thank you for it. However, I've recently come to a kinda unexpected observation, & realization.... Looking to the left-hand column, at the counter below, you'll see twelve thousand hits. Who is kidding who ? Thou honored, I need not tell you I certainly don't have 12 thousand friends. Apparently this site is also key-worded to "Transplant". Therefore I can only assume that some of those 12 thou out there are more than likely hovering in that same awful, utterly dark and daunting place I was 2+ yrs ago. I acutely remember that utter fear, and the desperately endless searches for ANY bits of post-transplant information.....any glimmer of hope for my future..... It is for these kindred souls that I will occasionally continue to reflect upon and refer to "transplant" issues. Make no mistake, I am most definitely not dwelling on that nightmare place I've since evolved from. I simply feel it is necessary to give another that Priceless glimmer of hope... Thank you for understanding this....

Progress..

Training. Hmmm...its coming along. Just back from our 4th (?) elevation-gain hike this afternoon. Am now up to 27.6 lbs (argh...) on my back, and gaining just under 2000 ft in 2.7 miles. A moderate feat for some. I've just switched to my larger backpack and am surprisingly pleased with how it feels on my back. It is an Italian bag with brilliant padding in all the key areas. I last used it in Istanbul & Turkey. The actual packs we will be using however will be donated, along with some key high-alpine gear including ice axes, crampons, expedition sleeping bags, down parkers, helmets, expedition tents, ropes, etc... I'm climbing with some pretty spectacular women, and am truly honored to be in their company. I am also adding a link to a new & seperate TSNW Adams Climbing Group web-page that one of our climb members, Nancy H, has been so kind to create & maintain. It is still in the beginning stages, however between this blog & her site there will be current updates, as well as added informational bits.....

http://www.tsnwmtadamsclimb2010.blogspot.com/

Have bounced off several of you about my sleeping-pad options. Comfort will be a huge issue, especially to be in good shape for the summit bid, so would like to go a bit cushier than normal light-weight expedition. However, am leery of air-filled, as at 12,000 ft un-insulated "air" quickly turns ice cold. Any other priceless climbing tips or ideas are greatly welcomed, so please don't hesitate to gimme a shout, 'kay ? I will also be sending out a neat flyer about TSNW & our climb in the next week or so. Please look for it. AND....Thank you so very much for your interest and your support. Cheers.

Overdue...

I know. A new posting was painfully overdue. I keep trying...but I always seem to get side-tracked. And it certainly doesn't help that my wireless Internet connection at home is on the fritz as well.... Training is going well...mostly. However just when ya think everything is as it should be, something comes along & reminds me that all is not quite normal just yet. Shortly after my last posting we were out on our 2nd training hike (we also train doing laps on the Howe St. stairclimb). Not far in from the trail head I turned to take a picture of our group in this stunningly moist and moss-dripping Pan's World that we were trekking through. As I turned to right myself forward again, in mid-step I backed into...or rather stumbled onto, 2 quite large rocks. I went down. Hard, lacking any degree of grace. Mostly annoyed as hell, I got up to carried on, brushing the whole damn thing off. An 1/8th of a mile later, in the damp drizzle (yes, we hike in rain here) I felt my lower leg was curiously wet. Needless to say what may have been a cut & goose egg for most ended up being, much to my own amazement, a lot bigger of a deal for me. I totally would have brushed it off if it hadn't been for an RN from SCCA (Seattle Cancer Care Alliance) hiking on our climbing team. She deals w/ Transplant patients, & knows my recent past history.


I was sent back to the car all taped up & leg up in the air, as the rest continued to climb. Long story short: because I am still so immunosuppressed trying to control the GVHD (Graft vs Host Disease - see "medical links", below left) while trying to grow my new immune system w/ my donor Bruce's cells...the next day I had to leave work to go off and be "seen". As a very real precaution, due to risks I still need to manage, they wanted to put me on another dose of antibiotics....all for a lousy CUT ! Then they realized I've already been on this particular antibiotic, for 2+ years already. Strategy changed & topical antibiotics were used, dressings and all. Honestly, I simply would never have checked it out. So, life goes on. I'm now up to 21 lbs in my pack ( and huffing it a bit....) and gaining 1000 ft in less than 2 miles. Easier said than done I might add. However, I've done far more in the past. 18,000 ft when summitting Gokyo Ri in the Himalayas. All pre-transplant, of course. Stay tuned for more antics tho... I assure you there will indeed be more. And thank you for checking in.... Oh, P.S. On a side note: Blue Fin took 2nd place in our class (see link @ left) during the Blakely Rock Regatta this weekend out on Puget Sound.... blew 29 whopping knots, sailed a screaming 9.2, blew-out our Traveler, bolts 'n all, water in the cockpit, adrenaline-racked....& heeled the whole way !!

A Resurection, and a Challange....

For those of you who have visited here before, I welcome you back. It's been a while. For those of you who have just tuned-in, Welcome - please take a peek, you'll get the gist of it. This is the 1st new posting in quite some time, so please bare with me as I get into the swing of it, polish the place up a bit.

Briefly: Following a harrowing Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant for an aggressive form of Myelodysplasia (MDS) transitioning into full-blown AML Leukemia in Nov 2007, I have recently been given the opportunity to join an incredible group to summit Mt Adams @ 12,267 ft in Washington State with an organization I belong to: Team Survivor Northwest. Mt Adams, a dormant Volcano, is the 3rd largest peak in the Cascade Mountain Range, which runs the length of the Pacific Crest from Baja, to Northern British Columbia, Canada. For a minority of some, this may seem like a day-hike. However for the team I am now a proud member of this will indeed be the Second challenge of our lives. However.....this particular challenge will be in Celebration of Life ! This monumental task holds a extraordinary significance...each of our team members are cancer survivors like myself - all in various stages of treatment, & recovery.

As I give little glimpse's into background information, I will also be posting segments when I can, updating you to our progress during our 6 month training (which has already begun). In addition to our training, each TSNW team member has committed to raise a minimum of $2000 to ensure that the Team Survivor programs - which have been so utterly crucial to my own survival - continue to nurture, cultivate & re-shape post-cancer survivorship with physical therapy, and actively challenging our bodies. Soooo truly instrumental in Recovery ! Please consider donating - at left - to support our Celebration of Life climb....and TSNW.

Last evening I sent out a mass group e-mail to all those that supported me during my darkest, most surreal days. Now I shout out to you all as the saga continues, however this time with a courageous attempt and in a triumphant tone (also known as Tenacity). So please, stay tuned.....

Transplant + One Year!

As of this Friday, November 14, it has been one year since Kristina got her transplant stem cells. And at this one-year point, sometimes referred to as her "new first birthday," it's a good time to take stock.

The news is much more good than bad, to be sure, and I know she believes that all of us have helped her a lot, even if all we did was send healing vibes. There are still challenges, but the good news for now is, there is also still Kristina!

She is now officially referred to as "in remission." This means that there is no sign of any disease or leukemia-related symptoms in her body, at all. Obviously, that's good. It's not the same thing as "cured," though. It means there is no disease being detected, and no leukemia symptoms going on right now. In other words, the disease could come back, and there are other things going on, not directly related to the leukemia.

On a related note, the transplant worked so well that she was born with B+ blood type and is now 100% A+, because that's what her donor is. Also, all the DNA in her blood is now his! This means that if she leaves blood behind at a crime scene or something, and analysts gather it for evidence, they will think her donor was there. Freaky, huh?

The thing is, there's this problem of GVH, or Graft Versus Host Disease. Basically, it results from the blood of one person being in the body of another, and the "graft" blood's defense system ironically attacking the "host" systems, thinking they are invaders. Kristina now has chronic GVH, and it crept back this summer. It got quite bad, and is now being treated with a bunch of meds -- and those meds are hassling her.

Her overall health is basically good these days, but she has to take steroids which make her face all puffy, hair grow on her face, make it hard to sleep, and leave her exhausted. She is also on anti-rejection drugs, as well as immune-suppressing drugs. The latter is because she needs the immune system of the donor's blood to calm down and stop attacking her body ... but that, in turn, means that she is vulnerable to bugs out in the world, as well as other people's sickness, and even their vaccines. Let's say you get a yellow fever shot; well, that's a live sample of yellow fever, and in theory, Kristina could get yellow fever from you.

This means she can't go back to work, is restricted on travel, has to watch what she eats, can't soak in hot springs, and so on. So this is a bummer. On the other hand, she is still alive and taking drugs! It's easy for me (and maybe us) to think of this thing as all over, but think about this: You can't travel, you're exhausted all the time, you can't just go wherever you want, and you live alone. That would get frustrating, right? Well, it does. So give her a call sometime, and if you live in Seattle, go see her. I guarantee she'd love to see you and/or hear from you.

Let's all hope thing are even better on her "second birthday."