About Me

My photo
My name is Jeff Flanagan and my daughter, Taylor, is now a 16 yr old Junior at Etowah High in Woodstock, GA. On October 28, 2010 she was diagnosed with AML, a very aggressive form of leukemia. Within 5 days she was started on extensive chemotherapy treatments. We were initially told she was going to have 5 total rounds of chemo, each lasting approximately 10 days and leaving her in the hospital for weeks with every treatment...but, she was the 1st in GA to only have to go through 4 rounds of her type of treatments. She was able to come home on Easter Day of 2011 and has been doing great since! My family and I thank everyone for all the prayers and thoughts over the last year! For more information on AML Leukemia, please see "AML Information" below.

Donation Page

All donations made will go to the Flanagan family to help cover any remaining out of pocket expenses for Taylor's medical bills. If you do not care to go through Paypal, you can also send donations made out to: Jeff & Ashley Flanagan P.O. Box 818 Holly Springs, GA 30142 Any and all donations are greatly appreciated, no amount is too small!

AML Information

"AML Information" - AML (acute myeloid leukemia) is diagnosed in about 20% of children with leukemia and approximately 500 children are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.

Leukemia is cancer of the blood. It develops in the bone marrow, the spongy center of the long bones that produces the three major blood cells: white blood cells fight infection, red blood cells that carry oxygen and platelets that help blood clot and stop bleeding. When a child has leukemia, the bone marrow begins to make white blood cells that do not mature correctly, but continue to reproduce themselves. Normal, healthy cells only reproduce when there is enough space for them to fit. With leukemia, these cells do not respond to the signals to stop and they reproduce, regardless of space available. These abnormal cells reproduce quickly and when they begin to crowd out other healthy cells in the marrow, symptoms of leukemia are experienced.

Symptoms of leukemia usually occur over a short period of days to weeks. Some of the signs and symptoms for AML can be tiredness or no energy, shortness of breath during physical activity, pale skin, swollen gums, slow healing of cuts, pinhead-size red spots under the skin, prolonged bleeding from minor cuts, mild fever, aches in bones, black-and-blue marks (bruises) with no clear issue.

Patients with AML need to start chemotherapy immediately. There are two (2) parts of treatment; induction therapy and consolidation therapy. The aim of induction therapy is to kill as many AML cells as possible and get good blood cell counts back to normal. When the aim of induction therapy is achieved, it is called a remission. Induction therapy is done at the hospital and most patients are there for three to four weeks. Combining drug types can strengthen the effects of the drugs and two or more chemo's are usually used together to treat AML. Most chemo's are given through a catheter placed into a vein, usually in the persons upper chest area. The first round of chemo usually does not get rid of all AML cells and most require more treatment. Usually the same drugs are used for additional rounds of chemo. Consolidation therapy is needed because some AML cells remain that are not found by common blood or marrow tests. Consolidation therapy is also done in the hospital and as with induction therapy, patients may be in the hospital for three to four weeks at a time.







Friday, November 12, 2010

November 6, 2010

Today is Taylor's last day for 2 of the drugs she is being given. We think the medicine that she had to receive every other day is the one making her sick, as those are the only days she has been sick and she has felt fine on the others. So, hopefully the next few days she will be able to rest and eat without feeling nauseous.

Next week is back to the regular work schedule and I am dreading it. Although we would like to be at the hospital everyday and be at her side 24/7, it is just not possible...and it probably isn't healthy either. Michelle has been spending most nights with her and it's not exactly set up for more than one person to stay at a time. Her job is letting her work Tues and Thurs from her office and then she can work from her laptop the rest of the week. Although we know she wants to be there everyday, it's probably good for her to get away from the hospital a little bit. She has worked it out to where her dad will stay with Taylor on Tuesdays and then between Ashley and I, we will take over Weds nights and Thursdays and then one night on the weekends. Thankfully the holidays are coming up which will make it easier to be able to stay down there and see her more.



We are also having to keep an eye on Jenna, my 11 year old daughter. She is having a hard time adjusting to her sister being sick, her mom and sister not being home everyday, having to stay with her Grammy so she can get to a from school, not being with me on the weekends...and it's difficult too because she wants to spend one on one time with her sissy at the hospital but it's hard to do because she has so many visitors in and out on the weekends. So I need to make sure that she feels included and her feelings and thoughts are being heard. She is a smart girl, and although it's hard on her she knows what is going on and will adjust over time.



I just hate my baby not being home and not being able to get them whenever I want to. She was always my shadow no matter where I went or what I was doing...it is definitely an eye opening experience and makes you realize and appreciate what is important a whole lot more!
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)