Nathan’s Updates

No News is Always Good News!

Wed, 4 Mar 2009 11:31:09 -0800

Hey everyone! First I want to apologize for my lack of updates. Between school, work, family and fraternity functions I’ve barely found time to eat a decent breakfast!! I promise I will make more time to update this blog!

Nathan is doing absolutely wonderful. Every other Tuesday we make a trip to the UCLA Medical Center for clinic where they test his blood levels and just evaluate how he’s doing. We made one of those trips yesterday and I’m happy to report that Nathan is doing really good! His counts are just about normal, though his blood platelet count is a little low. They actually might be reducing his dosage of Gleevec in order to combat the drop. Other than that his spleen is back to normal size and he’s even starting to get some of his energy back. It’s just amazing how much he’s recovered in three months!

We had the most awesome night last night. When Nathan was in the hospital he was met by a representative, Hilary Gan, from Child Life which is an organization that works with patients at the UCLA-Mattel Children’s hospital to make the experience in and out-of-hospital more enjoyable. She provided him with tons of DVDs and other entertainment but the most amazing thing was Child Life’s partnership with Jordan Farmar of the Los Angeles Lakers. He was given tickets to a couple games and invited to an evening spent with Jordan’s family. So that’s where we were yesterday! It was an absolutely amazing evening and Nathan got to meet almost the entire team. Jordan’s family is so sweet and loving and it was so nice to be able to get to know them. Nathan’s smile didn’t disappear once the entire evening. I’ve uploaded the pictures to the website so click on the Photos link above to see them!

We would like to thank Jordan Farmar, his family, Hilary Gan, Amy and everybody else who helped make this special night happen. This was a once in a lifetime experience and one we will never forget.

Until next time!

Jesse Palman & Family

First Home Update

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:40:40 -0800

Hey everyone, just wanted to give you a quick update on how Nathan is doing. He’s enjoying being home very much and wants everyone to know just how thankful he is for all of your support. He’s having to take seven different medicines everyday, but he’s taking it like a real trooper and with no complaint. He’s getting an average of 12 hours of sleep and eating regularly, which is exactly what the doctor ordered.

That’s all I have for now, he’s still in bed and sound asleep. Lucky guy...

Jesse Palman & Family

Nathan’s Home!!!

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:14:00 -0800

Nathan is home!! He was released from the hospital around 11:00 pm Friday evening and he is now safe and sound at home. They sent him home with seven different medicines and orders for a lot of bed rest, but he is home. He will still have to go in for weekly blood work and other tests but no more overnight stays!!

I wanted to take the time here to say thank you. Thank you to all of our family and friends who reached out and gave us their support and love. Without all of you we could not have gotten through these past two weeks. We also want to thank all the doctors, nurses, and other caregivers at UCLA Medical Center. It is because of their exemplary skills, effort and caring that Nathan is home just 2 weeks after being diagnosed.

Within the next week or so I will deliver my promised explanation of what CML is and how it is treated. I am also planning on writing a short recap of the past two weeks. All the tears, smiles and struggles. I don’t know when I will have that up, but you will see it.

Finally, I want to apologize for my lack of updates this week. With Finals, work and preparing Nathan to come home I lost track of time. I will not be shutting down this website and I will still update it when it comes time for an update. Of course, you are more than welcome to shoot an email off and I will get back to you as soon as I can. But, again, a humongous apology to all of you left without news for nearly a week.

That’s all for now folks. Nathan is home :)

Jesse Palman & Family

Midnight Update

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 00:45:29 -0800

Sorry this update is coming so late guys, I haven’t had a chance to turn on my computer until, well, now. Not too much to report on, his white blood cell count has made slight drop to 460,000. Not too much but still a step in the right direction. Unfortunately the removal of the pheresis catheter caused a bit of a bump to form where it once was. It is causing slight pain, but other than that he’s doing fine! I actually haven’t been able to make it the hospital since Friday due to work and studying for finals so I won’t be able to give you a complete update until I see him again on Monday.

Please feel free to share this website with family and friends who know Nathan. If you or anyone else would like, email the address listed in the “Contact Us” link and I can see you an update notification every time I update the blog!

Jesse Palman & Family

Friday Update

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:31:18 -0800

Hey guys, I’ve got a short update for you. So this morning Nathan’s new PICC line went in without a hitch. We were told that his white blood cell count is now down to 480,000!! So that mean he got his catheter out about an hour ago, also with no problems. Things are still looking up so the chances of him returning home next week are still good!

Also, when I have the chance I will write an entry explaining the type of leukemia Nathan has. For now, thought, I will leave you with a link to the Wikipedia entry on it: CML.

Thank you everyone again for all your love and support! I’ve made it so you can comment on the blog entries so please feel free to do so and leave messages for Nathan.

Jesse Palman & Family