If you haven't already, pls call Lab Corp at 1-800-533-1037 and ask to speak to Sharon, Tanya, or David. Tell them that you would like to be tested as a potential donor match for Mitchell Brown (Date of Birth: 1-5-1977). You will need to follow the directions and mail the kit back to Lab Corp ASAP. When filling out the paperwork, please be sure to give Lab Corp permission to fax your results directly to: CarolAnne Carini, Transplant Coordinator at Hackensack University Medical Center. Her direct fax # is: 201-996-5691. Please understand that there is a cost associated with the kit that is typically not covered by your insurance. Lab Corp will bill you a charge of $150.00 after they receive your kit back in the mail.
As a potential donor, you would need to come to Hackensack University Medical Center or your local hospital to have some routine preliminary tests such as an EKG, Chest Scan, etc. Once confirmed that you are healthy enough, the transplant involves a shot called Neupogen®, which is designed to quickly increase the number of white blood cells in your body. The Neupogen® sends a message to your bone marrow to start producing more white blood cells, which in turn increases the number of Stem Cells floating through your blood. Shortly after the Neupogen® is administered, you will be required to donate blood for a few hours a day over a two day period.
Both getting tested and helping out as a donor are quick and easy, and your help is greatly appreciated!!!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Bake Sale Volunteers Needed
Mitchell played soccer for the East Brunswick Soccer Club, as well as for East Brunswick High School. Therefore, we thought it would be fitting to run a bake sale at the East Brunswick Soccer Club’s Labor Day tournament on September 4th through 6th in order to raise money for this family. The sale will take place at Diderikson Park (the fair grounds).
This is where we need your help. We are looking for volunteers to help run the concession, and to donate baked goods. Freshly baked goods, or prepackaged items, such as twinkies, would be welcomed. It will be hot outsi de, so please take that into consideration and do not supply anything that may melt.
The bake sale will be held only on Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6. According to the president of the soccer club, there will not enough traffic at Diderikson Fields on Friday night to make it worthwhile.
Please slice and package your baked goods. You can use saran wrap or zip loc bags. Place 3 small cookies in a bag or 2 small brownies - whatever you think the portion size should
be. If you bake a whole cake, cut it into slices and wrap each slice individually. We will not have the manpower to do all of this alone.
Cash donations or checks made out to cash or to Mitchell Brown would also be greatly appreciated. Checks may be given to either Jamie or Lois. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to the Brown family to offset medical and personal expenses.
If you are able to help, please contact Jamie Charney at jscharney@comcast.net or Lois Solomon at (732) 257-8376 or ebteacher@comcast.net .
This is where we need your help. We are looking for volunteers to help run the concession, and to donate baked goods. Freshly baked goods, or prepackaged items, such as twinkies, would be welcomed. It will be hot outsi de, so please take that into consideration and do not supply anything that may melt.
The bake sale will be held only on Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6. According to the president of the soccer club, there will not enough traffic at Diderikson Fields on Friday night to make it worthwhile.
Please slice and package your baked goods. You can use saran wrap or zip loc bags. Place 3 small cookies in a bag or 2 small brownies - whatever you think the portion size should
be. If you bake a whole cake, cut it into slices and wrap each slice individually. We will not have the manpower to do all of this alone.
Cash donations or checks made out to cash or to Mitchell Brown would also be greatly appreciated. Checks may be given to either Jamie or Lois. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to the Brown family to offset medical and personal expenses.
If you are able to help, please contact Jamie Charney at jscharney@comcast.net or Lois Solomon at (732) 257-8376 or ebteacher@comcast.net .
Monday, August 10, 2009
Letter From Mitchell
I hope you are well. I wanted to give you an update on my progress and to let you know I am in need of your help. A lot has taken place since my last email and I am writing to you today because my fight against Lymphoma has taken another unexpected turn. After first being diagnosed back in April, I started a regiment of Chemotherapy called R-CHOP. This is the most common and successful form of Chemotherapy given to people with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Typically, over 90% of the people who receive R-CHOP are put into remission by the fourth Chemotherapy treatment. Unfortunately for me, it was determined that after my fourth treatment, my tumor and cancer were not responding as well as anticipated. The R-CHOP had killed a portion of the cancer cells, but for some reason some of my cancer cells had developed a resistance to the Chemotherapy, which is why the treatments did not completely annihilate all of the cancer. Shortly after my fifth treatment, it was determined that the best course of action was to take another biopsy of the tumor and see just how many active cancer cells were still present. Due to the location of the tumor, this required the removal of my entire spleen, and on July 14th I had a Splenectomy at Hackensack University Medic al Center. The pathology quickly confirmed that the tumor still had a healthy number of cancer cells that were not destroyed by the R-CHOP and a new game plan would need to be formulated.
After meeting with a team of doctors, it was decided that my greatest chance of survival would be to start a new regiment of Chemotherapy called R-IVAC, followed by what is called a Blood Stem Cell Transplant. This new Chemotherapy is a different group of drugs with a much higher potency aimed at killing any and all remaining cancer cells. Because of the potency of these drugs, I will need to be admitted to the hospital while undergoing treatments. Each treatment will last five days with a two week recovery in between. Soon after my treatments, I will have another scan of my body to determine the success of the R-IVAC. Depending on the results, I will then need one of two types20of Blood Stem Cell Transplants.
If my next scan shows that any and all remaining cancer cells have been destroyed, then there is a possibility that I will undergo what is called an Autologous Stem Cell Transplant. This is where my own stem cells are removed from my blood and one last ultra high dose of Chemotherapy is given to me. This dose of Chemotherapy is so strong that it will wipe out most, if not all, of the remaining cells in my body, including all of my white blood cells, which make up my immune system. It is for this reason that my stem cells are collected ahead of time, so that they can be given back to me after this last dose of Chemotherapy. Shortly after my stem cells are returned to me, they will hopefully start to regenerate and grow new white blood cells along with a new immune system. This, of course, is the best case scenario and doesn’t involve anyone else.If after my next scan, there are any residual cancer cells remaining in my body, I will need what is called an Allogeneic Stem Cell Trans plant.
This is where I need your help!
An Allogeneic Transplant is where we try to find a donor whose DNA typing best matches mine. The hope is that the donor’s stem cells can be transplanted and start to regenerate new white blood cells that are then capable of destroying my cancer cells. Because finding a donor can be a very time consuming process, and I will need a Blood Stem Cell transplant within four weeks after my last scan, I am asking as many people as possible to get tested now to see if they are a potential match for me. This is possibly the only chance at survival I may have and here is what you can do to help:
First you need to call Lab Corp at 1-800-533-1037 and ask to speak to Sharon, Tanya, or David. Please tell them that you would like to be tested as a potential donor match for Mitchell Brown (Date of Birth: 1-5-1977). You will also need to let them know I am part of the Hackensack University Medical Center Friends and Family Account, so they know where to send the results. They may ask you a few questions and will then send you an easy to use testing kit. The kit will arrive with instructions and will require you to swab the inside of your cheek. It will also ask you some medical questions, which will help identify you as an eligible donor. You will need to follow the directions and mail the kit back to Lab Corp ASAP. When filling out the paperwork, please be sure to give Lab Corp permission to fax your results directly to: CarolAnne Carini, Transplant Coordinator at Hackensack University Medical Center. Her direct fax # is: 201-996-5691. Please understand that there is a cost associated with the kit that is typically not covered by your insurance. Lab Corp will bill you a charge of $150.00 after they receive your kit back in the mail.
After Lab Corp receives your kit and processes your information, they will then forward the results directly to my team of doctors at Hackensack University Medical Center (with your consent). Lab Corp will NOT disseminate your information to anyone else such as a national registry. If you are a potential match, the staff at Hackensack will contact you and ask if you are still interested in being a donor. If so, here is what is involved.
As a potential donor, you will need to come to Hackensack University Medical Center or your local hospital to have some routine preliminary tests such as an EKG, Chest Scan, etc. Once confirmed that you are healthy enough, the transplant goes as follows: At the hospital, you will be given a shot of what is called Neupogen®. This is the same shot I take after each round of Chemotherapy, which is designed to quickly increase the number of white blood cells in your body. The Neupogen® sends a message to your bone marrow to start producing more white blood cells, which in turn increases the number of Stem Cells floating through your blood. Shortly after the Neupogen® is administered, you will be required to donate blood for a few hours a day over a two day period. Being a donor today is a lot less invasive than many years ago and it’s as simple as donating blood. You should also know that as a donor, anything that is needed at the hospital as far as your preliminary testing, the Neupogen® shot and the blood donation will be covered under my medical insurance as the recipient and there will be no additional costs to you.
Please note that there is NO AGE RESTRICTION on becoming a donor and your medical history will be reviewed to see if you qualify. The only thing that would preclude you from being a potential donor is if you are HIV positive or have had Cancer within the last three years. Of course, if you are uncertain about your medical history and whether it will impact your ability to be a donor, you may contact Carolanne Carini, Transplant Coordinator at: 201 336 8509 or at ccarini@humed.com. Carolanne is also willing to answer any and all questions about the transplant process. Additionally, if you are able to be tested, please let us know so that we may follow up on your behalf. For those of you who have previously been tested through a National Registry such as the Gift of Life (561-982-2900) or the National Marrow Donor Program (1-800-627-7692), you can ask to have your HLA Typing (your match probability) faxed directly to Carolanne Carini at 201-996-5691.
I appreciate all of you taking the time to read this, and words cannot express my thanks to any and all that are able to be tested. My family and I thank you in advance for your help and ask one additional favor. Please pass this email on to all of your friends and family members, so that we can increase the number of potential donor matches. The more people we are able to reach, the greater the chance I will have in finding a donor and potentially a cure. You can find more general information on Blood Stem Cell Transplants at http://www.marrow.org/, Thanks again for all of your su pport and please feel free to email us with any questions at mfbrown05@aol.com or jillow1231@aol.com
Mitchell
After meeting with a team of doctors, it was decided that my greatest chance of survival would be to start a new regiment of Chemotherapy called R-IVAC, followed by what is called a Blood Stem Cell Transplant. This new Chemotherapy is a different group of drugs with a much higher potency aimed at killing any and all remaining cancer cells. Because of the potency of these drugs, I will need to be admitted to the hospital while undergoing treatments. Each treatment will last five days with a two week recovery in between. Soon after my treatments, I will have another scan of my body to determine the success of the R-IVAC. Depending on the results, I will then need one of two types20of Blood Stem Cell Transplants.
If my next scan shows that any and all remaining cancer cells have been destroyed, then there is a possibility that I will undergo what is called an Autologous Stem Cell Transplant. This is where my own stem cells are removed from my blood and one last ultra high dose of Chemotherapy is given to me. This dose of Chemotherapy is so strong that it will wipe out most, if not all, of the remaining cells in my body, including all of my white blood cells, which make up my immune system. It is for this reason that my stem cells are collected ahead of time, so that they can be given back to me after this last dose of Chemotherapy. Shortly after my stem cells are returned to me, they will hopefully start to regenerate and grow new white blood cells along with a new immune system. This, of course, is the best case scenario and doesn’t involve anyone else.If after my next scan, there are any residual cancer cells remaining in my body, I will need what is called an Allogeneic Stem Cell Trans plant.
This is where I need your help!
An Allogeneic Transplant is where we try to find a donor whose DNA typing best matches mine. The hope is that the donor’s stem cells can be transplanted and start to regenerate new white blood cells that are then capable of destroying my cancer cells. Because finding a donor can be a very time consuming process, and I will need a Blood Stem Cell transplant within four weeks after my last scan, I am asking as many people as possible to get tested now to see if they are a potential match for me. This is possibly the only chance at survival I may have and here is what you can do to help:
First you need to call Lab Corp at 1-800-533-1037 and ask to speak to Sharon, Tanya, or David. Please tell them that you would like to be tested as a potential donor match for Mitchell Brown (Date of Birth: 1-5-1977). You will also need to let them know I am part of the Hackensack University Medical Center Friends and Family Account, so they know where to send the results. They may ask you a few questions and will then send you an easy to use testing kit. The kit will arrive with instructions and will require you to swab the inside of your cheek. It will also ask you some medical questions, which will help identify you as an eligible donor. You will need to follow the directions and mail the kit back to Lab Corp ASAP. When filling out the paperwork, please be sure to give Lab Corp permission to fax your results directly to: CarolAnne Carini, Transplant Coordinator at Hackensack University Medical Center. Her direct fax # is: 201-996-5691. Please understand that there is a cost associated with the kit that is typically not covered by your insurance. Lab Corp will bill you a charge of $150.00 after they receive your kit back in the mail.
After Lab Corp receives your kit and processes your information, they will then forward the results directly to my team of doctors at Hackensack University Medical Center (with your consent). Lab Corp will NOT disseminate your information to anyone else such as a national registry. If you are a potential match, the staff at Hackensack will contact you and ask if you are still interested in being a donor. If so, here is what is involved.
As a potential donor, you will need to come to Hackensack University Medical Center or your local hospital to have some routine preliminary tests such as an EKG, Chest Scan, etc. Once confirmed that you are healthy enough, the transplant goes as follows: At the hospital, you will be given a shot of what is called Neupogen®. This is the same shot I take after each round of Chemotherapy, which is designed to quickly increase the number of white blood cells in your body. The Neupogen® sends a message to your bone marrow to start producing more white blood cells, which in turn increases the number of Stem Cells floating through your blood. Shortly after the Neupogen® is administered, you will be required to donate blood for a few hours a day over a two day period. Being a donor today is a lot less invasive than many years ago and it’s as simple as donating blood. You should also know that as a donor, anything that is needed at the hospital as far as your preliminary testing, the Neupogen® shot and the blood donation will be covered under my medical insurance as the recipient and there will be no additional costs to you.
Please note that there is NO AGE RESTRICTION on becoming a donor and your medical history will be reviewed to see if you qualify. The only thing that would preclude you from being a potential donor is if you are HIV positive or have had Cancer within the last three years. Of course, if you are uncertain about your medical history and whether it will impact your ability to be a donor, you may contact Carolanne Carini, Transplant Coordinator at: 201 336 8509 or at ccarini@humed.com. Carolanne is also willing to answer any and all questions about the transplant process. Additionally, if you are able to be tested, please let us know so that we may follow up on your behalf. For those of you who have previously been tested through a National Registry such as the Gift of Life (561-982-2900) or the National Marrow Donor Program (1-800-627-7692), you can ask to have your HLA Typing (your match probability) faxed directly to Carolanne Carini at 201-996-5691.
I appreciate all of you taking the time to read this, and words cannot express my thanks to any and all that are able to be tested. My family and I thank you in advance for your help and ask one additional favor. Please pass this email on to all of your friends and family members, so that we can increase the number of potential donor matches. The more people we are able to reach, the greater the chance I will have in finding a donor and potentially a cure. You can find more general information on Blood Stem Cell Transplants at http://www.marrow.org/, Thanks again for all of your su pport and please feel free to email us with any questions at mfbrown05@aol.com or jillow1231@aol.com
Mitchell
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