an update on nick...

(nick at the stratosphere in las vegas)

first, i want to thank all you sweet souls so much for your thoughts, well wishes, and prayers. please, if you have the time, keep them coming. i often ask for and offer prayers because i truly believe in their power!!!

you will never know how much i appreciate youand the time you take to answer my request:)

i received a little bit of information this morning.it is second hand but reliable...

A good friend of Bill's (nick's dad) said that he last spoke with Bill on Saturday. Bill had indicated that they were going to try Nick off the ventilator for a little while because they needed to get fresh air in his lungs. He also said that they would not do dialysis on Saturday because his counts were a little better. Bill indicated that at best they thought the vision in Nick's left eye would be 20/400. It is my understanding that they anticipate no vision in his right eye. Although he had sent Bill an email on Sunday, he has not yet heard back from him. I asked if he was doing any better. He said that it is basically status quo. When Bill asked the doctor if things were improving, the doctors were very reserved in their response and said that he has a long, long, long way to go. I didn't send this to all of IM because it is kinda "unofficial" since it is me telling you what his friend told me. I have, instead, forwarded it to those who have asked me for updates. Please let others know as you feel appropriate. Please continue to keep them all in your prayers.

obviously things are not great;but they don't seem as bleak as they didin my previous post concerning nick...

(nicholas gaddis:)

here are some of nick's own words (just to let you know what kind of a wonderful person he is;):

If I could meet anyone in the world I would have to say I would love to meet my donor. I have/had cancer. I have Hodgkin's lymphoma which as of right now has a 90% cure rate. Well I was diagnosed February 7th, 2000 and I am still fighting it. I have had numerous amounts of chemotherapy and radiation, I have had an experimental CD-30 antibody study, and I am currently approaching the end of my third transplant. The first 2 transplants were otologist transplants which meant that I got my own cells but the difference in this transplant was that it was allogenic which means that someone had to donate their cells to me. The reason I want to meet this person is because in order for me to get this transplant, I had to get my blood typecrossed with donors in the donor registry. Out of all the people in the world that were registered in the blood donor there were only 2 people that matched me in the world. After the doctors determined that I needed this transplant one of the 2 donors was contacted and they accepted. The big deal about this is... this is not like the donor goes and gives a sample of their blood and that is all they have to do. The person who did this had to go through weeks of immunotherapy, taking extra pills, going in for injections periodically and then to give their cells they had to go to the blood bank and sit there all day for 2 days with a catheter running out of both of their arms to save my life. This person has never met me, doesn't know what all I have been through or anything yet they took time, money, and pain to save my life. That is the type of person that I wish I could be and I wish I could meet. Technically at the moment I am cancer free but my immune system is still building thanks to their cells. (nick)

that is the kind of dear person for whom i've asked you to pray...

as i said previously, i believe prayer is a very powerful tool, and the gaddises know that their son/brother, respectively, is being prayed for all around the world. i know that they are grateful and their hearts are being made warm and full with that knowledge...

love and God's blessings,
dani xx