Does Anybody Remember Anthony Carter?

Anthony Carter was one of the greatest wide receivers ever to play football. He played for the Michigan Wolverines in college and then his best years in the NFL were spent with the Minnesota Vikings. He wore the number 81. Well, place your bets now for the Vikings to win the Super Bowl this year!!! Jo's platelets were 81,000 today. It's got to be an omen!

Yes, Jo's platelets hit 81,000 today - the highest they have been since she was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia. This is tremendous news. Her white cell count was 3.6, a full point higher than last week. Her other counts were also very good, although most of them I cannot understand well enough myself to try to explain to anybody else.

The news is not as excellent on the hip replacement front. Dr. Kelly has asked Jo to consider holding off until at least October to schedule any sort of hip surgery. This is actually comforting news to Dr. Alvarez. When Jo told him that she was ready to move forward with her hip surgery and she asked for his blessing, he was hesitant. He said, "I feel my daughter is asking me if she can go to the prom." Being the "blood guy" he would like Jo to wait as long as possible for her counts to stabilize, but he also knows that it would be unrealistic to hope for his daughters to wait until they turn 21 to start dating.

Dr. Kelly also took an x-ray of Jo's shoulders and they are also showing small pockets of avascular necrosis. Jo's shoulders and her knees all ache, but don't present nearly the problems caused by the hips. The hips are the primary weight bearing joint and the compromised bone really takes a beating just from normal, every-day activities.

Anna is on the verge of walking, which is actually making things easier around the house for Jo. If need be, she can take Anna by the hands and walk her from one room to another. Our trip to the NIH is scheduled for August 15th and 16th, and Jo will have a bone marrow biopsy while we are there.

Listen Up Anna, Just 230 Years Ago...

Anna is anxious to see fireworks for the first time, but I am not sure how she (or I for that matter) will be able to stay up late enough to see them. We may have to ask mom to take some video.

Jo's platelets are holding steady in the low 50s. This week, we hope to move our NIH appointment up to August 15th and then get a date on the caldendar for the first hip surgery. Assuming a 6 week recovery period for each hip, our goal remains to have Jo back to full mobility by Christmas!