hi again! today daddy needed to head home to get things done. i’m having my daily treatments…unfortunately, they’re still having problems with my port-a-cath. so they sent me to radiology to try and figure out what was going on. you’ll never guess what they found–the end of the tube is up against the side of the arterial wall, so it keeps drawing against flesh instead of from the blood supply (i had to have my daddy add that part ’cause i have no idea of what they’re talking about!). the doctors say they are not sure how to fix the problem, but one idea is to pull the cable back a tiny bit so that it’s in a different place. they tried replacing the needle this morning–a 35 minute procedure without any anesthetic! it was awful! but once they were done, i tried to focus on other things, and did a pretty good job of it too! i’ve got a lot of oral drugs that need to be taken in liquid form. what’s really cool is that they are using strawberry syrups and chocolate syrups to help me get them down. there’s another drug they are going to give me called PEG, which comes as a big nasty shot that is given through the muscle of the thigh. mommy and daddy are worried that it will irritate my skin, since that is what sometimes happens. i’m gonna have to get that shot between days 4 to 6, so either Saturday, Sunday or Monday.

mommy and daddy just got a new room in the ronald mcdonald house which is across the street. now one of them stays with me overnight while the other one goes and tries to get some uninterrupted sleep.

they’ve got me on a lot of medicine, and whenever there is a reaction, they seem to treat it with another drug…it’s yucky! at least they are still giving me the anti-fungal drug (we’re all still hoping that will clear up this whole mess!). Zofran is something they give me so i don’t throw up. i think i’m up to 8 different medicines right now.

i think i might have to go for surgery again–the port-a-cath is still a problem. they haven’t been able to draw blood for the last two days. i don’t wanna get it done again! i’m so tired of being poked and prodded.

at least they say i’m responding well to the chemo, with only a little bit of side effects.

uh oh, now they also want to put another IV into me…I thought i was getting out of that when they put this port-a-cath thing in me. but i guess the drug that they are using to break up the clot in the port is not compatible with the IV fluids that are being used to break down the cancer cells.

whew! what a day, and a lot of information…i’m still trying to take it all in. and i’m really tired, so i think i’d better get to bed–the sooner i can get to sleep, the longer it will seem before they come do my 2 o’clock vitals check–still really don’t like that!

oh, and one more thing–grandpa jones is coming too! i can’t wait to see him!

nitey nite!

Thank You Meredith and Matt Jackson!

There have been a lot of you that have offered help in anyway possible, well here is your chance! We need washable slippers, size 5. Since we do not need dozens of slippers, due to your overwhelming generosity, please comment that you will be able to get them and if you see a comment that someone has already offered, there will be plenty more opportunities to help out. Healthy food/snacks are still appreciated also.

i started chemo today. i’m writing from recovery and am doing really well. the doctors and nurses were able to get the port-a-cath working correctly finally.

The blood donor account for me should be setup by tonight, so those that have already begun the process of donating, you will need to talk to them again tomorrow and make sure that your donation will go to my account. make sure you tell them “Sharmalia Curry”. please go through San Diego Blood Bank to make your blood donations for me. thank you so much for your prayers–you are all very wonderful to me and my mommy and daddy!

today was a really hard day since mommy and daddy were still worried about what could be done that would help me the most. they talked to 3 experts. they were on the phone a LONG time! i guess they were finally reassured that chemotherapy was the best option. but sometimes a fungus can act like leukemia and they wanted to do everything they can to make sure it’s not a fungus before letting them treat me for leukemia. dr. bedrose from loma linda told them which medication to try. so I got my first dose of the fungus medication tonite before going to bed. I think if it is a fungus, these drugs and the Phase 1 of chemotherapy could potentially take care of all of the problems that I am having.

i was not happy when the nurse had to measure and weigh me—that nurse woke me up from a nice long nap! I guess they information to calculate exactly how much of the chemotherapy drugs they’re gonna give me.

Grandma Jones is here to see me and I’m so happy and excited to see her. i spent a long time curled up in Grandma’s lap and that was very nice.
tomorrow wednesday march 7th, they are going to start me on the first phase of chemotherapy. around 11am they’re gonna put something in my spine—drug Cytarabine so prayers would be much appreciate especially around this time. Cytarabine will be given to me today and on days 8 & 15. this is the drug that is the most risky one of all. Vincristine & Dexamethasone will also begin tomorrow and I’ll get Dexamethasone daily.

Chemotherapy is a 28 day cycle so please pray for me and my family continuously during this time. I think it’s going to be a really long and hard time.

I hope I get lots of sleep tonight…I think tomorrow is going to be a long day!

good morning! i slept pretty good last night…until the nurse came in around 2am and had to check my vitals and draw more blood…speaking of blood, the doctor says i’m probably going to need some blood transfusions. i think it would be neat if some of you could donate some of your blood, then we would be even more connected

if you are healthy and a blood donor candidate, please click on “blood donations” and list your name and blood type. since they say the blood can only be saved for 30 days, we would need to spread out the donations to keep a continuous supply on hand. Compatible types are A+, A-, O+ and O-. Appointments for Donors: Call 877-659-2001 or 619-296-7097.

i gotta go now, have a good day–i know i’m gonna try to!

well, today was a hard day. i had a surgery this morning to have a port-a-cath inserted into my chest so the nurses can draw blood to keep testing. it was a rough time, but i think i’m already glad they did it, because now they’ll stop pricking my hand, arms and legs. and, i don’t have to be hooked up to an iv so, i don’t have to worry about getting tangled up or tripping over it! i wore my own clothes for the first time today since thursday, and it was nice! i still have a hard time with the nurses coming take my blood pressure, temperature, and draw blood. i wish they would just leave me alone and let mommy and daddy take me home. but i’m glad that they are trying to help me, i do want to get better!

i’m going to go to sleep now–i’m really tired after all the fuss with the nurse who just left. mommy and daddy are tired too. i’ll check in tomorrow…nite nite!

there are so many pictures of me out there–can you please share them with my mommy and daddy? i want to see them too! besides, lots of other people would love to get to know me better–and my pictures can tell you a lot about me

to send us your photos please fill out the “send feedback” form and we will contact you.

hi there! because i have so many friends, this is the best way for my mommy and daddy to keep everyone updated on how i’m doing. please check back daily, and remember to pray for me, and for my mommy and daddy–your prayers ARE making a difference, thank you!