Almost 4 years ago, Dr. Wang (Kay’s MCL lymphoma doctor at MD Anderson) got Dr. Champlin on the phone and said in our hearing.  

“Richard, I have a very strong lady here”.  “She will need to come to you soon for a transplant”.  

She has come along way since then.  Although she could not qualify for a transplant (auto type) back then in 2018 and 2019, she does now qualify and need a transplant (allo type, from an unrelated donor’s stem cells).

Dr. Champlin has been, for nearly 30 years, the Dept. Head of the Stem Cell Transplant program here at MDA in Houston, TX.  He is world renowned; wrote the book on SCT so to speak and has taught hundreds of other doctors the art and science of the effective Stem Cell Transplant to save people’s lives.  We are very blessed to have him as Kay’s primary care doctor.  

And now, having virtually conquered the MCL, she has a different cancer called MDS, which again is very serious and life threatening.   The B cells in her blood are no longer able to identify and bring about cell death to the cancer cells that might appear in her blood stream.  This also is related to her entire immune system being able to keep her healthy from any bacteria, virus or fungus which might try to gain entry to her body and make her sick in some other life threatening way.

She already has in her system a bacteria that is drug resistant.  Her only hope is to kill off her entire blood forming system found in her bone marrow, and start again with healthy stem cells engrafted into her system which will come from a blood donor.   This person, a 27 year old male, has already donated his blood and they have taken several units of just his stem cells during a process called apheresis.  His stem cells are here in the freezer at MDA waiting to be infused into Kay’s body on a day they call DAY ZERO.  

DAY ZERO is currently scheduled for Friday Sept. 23rd.   Much needs to take place successfully before then, otherwise this date will continue to slip backward.  She is needing transfusions for red blood cells and platelets.  She has received these now twice in the last 2 weeks.  She will have a new CVC or PICC line inserted this week into her left shoulder or arm to receive the infusions she will need.  DAY ZERO will also be the day, according to Dr. Champlin, when her donor’s blood cells will go after any remaining cancer cells that are hiding in her body, on a last ditch search and destroy mission, which is what healthy blood cells are designed to do!   

She has remained strong until recently, and will need these next 2 weeks to remain in a stable condition, in order to allow the process to move forward.   This Thursday she will be re-admitted to the hospital so her care and condition can be closely monitored as she is prepared for the infusion of the new stem cells into her blood stream, which will quickly move into her bone marrow where they will need to mature there (like an incubator for new baby chicks), before it will be able to move into the rest of her body’s circulatory system.   She likely will need many more blood transfusions until that ENGRAFTING of the new cells takes hold.  They will know within about 2 weeks after day zero, or what they call DAY 15, whether the ENGRAFTING  has successfully taken place.

There is no other plan in place for her at this time.  She has committed herself to seeing this through.  We have no other options but to support her in this decision, and pray that it will be a successful outcome.  Nothing is guaranteed.  She remains, as always ultimately in God’s hands and under his watchful eye.  He loves her even more than any of us will ever be able to.  

We will try to do bi-weekly news/status updates, or no less than once a week, if we can.  Please understand that she will not be able to respond to texts/calls in person soon, as much as she would like to if she could.  But she will continue to grow weaker over the next several weeks, which is to be expected, and then God willing, she will begin to emerge from the treatment and grow stronger later in October and November.  She will be in isolation for 90 to 100 days after DAY ZERO, as that is the period that her new cells are maturing and she begins to grow a whole new immune system inside her body.  Our activities will be very limited during that period, and no visitations should be planned.   She very well likely may be in-patient at the hospital for up to a month or so after DAY ZERO.  Then we will come back to stay here at our tiny house through the end of the year.  

Kay loves to get cards.  They do encourage her heart.  She reads each one.  Please do not send flowers or plants to the hospital.  There is danger of bacteria coming in on them that is too risky for Kay at this time.  And not to the tiny house for the same reason.  You can continue to send cards to us here at our Tiny House location at the Lakeview RV Resort.  

The address is:

DAVE AND KAY LAFRANCE
11911 SOUTH MAIN ST.  OFFICE
HOUSTON, TX  77035

I will be stopping back here at this Houston address at least twice a week, and taking any items I can back to Kay while she is staying in her hospital room.  

We appreciate the prayer support and have felt the prayers of all of you holding us up over this time.  

May God continue to richly bless each of you and your families, as he already has for us,

Dave and Kay