I got an email from Diane yesterday morning (I’ve been delaying posting about it). She is not well AT ALL. It appears the type of leukemia she has is Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML), which normally develops when there has been a high exposure to radiation and benzene. It is the most common of the leukemias that affect adults, and the survival rate is pretty high with a succesful chemotherapy routine. The thing is, that chemo didn’t work. It also appears that she has a great doctor, who is very much on top of the latest drugs and trials, and she has been approved to receive a new drug that attacks the actual leukemia cell. There is a good chance that this will work for her, but it is a trial, so we won’t know until we know. She is optimistic about the treatment, and I’m comforted that the drug only is fatal in 10% of cases (it kills the liver, or can). So the odds are very good, and positive thoughts will make it even more successful!
I met Diane in 1987 when Daniel and I began our relationship. Daniel and Diane had attended the same university, and had obtained their teaching diplomas at the same time. They had quickly became good friends, and when I joined Daniel’s life, she became a good friend of mine. Diane was the most welcoming person I had ever met.
I’m going to be posting some more information about her, and some pictures that I’ve been finding and scanning. Its moments like these that the Pacific Ocean does make a huge difference.