Just A Little Update

Well, we’ve been in Utah for almost 2 months now and so we thought we should send out a little update on how we have faired since our move. All in all we really like it here. I get especially nostalgic about Chapel Hill when I hear it reached 76 degrees on the day of a huge snow storm here. There is much we miss about NC, but Utah has a few perks we have discovered as well, and we are getting settled and reacquainted with the great state that we left almost 8 years ago.

Jon successfully bought an orthodontic practice in Salt Lake City that he absolutely loves. He loves to go to work everyday and is driven by all of the many challenges that come with being a new business owner. He is finding out that there is a lot more to running a successful orthodontic practice than just being good at straightening teeth—and that makes it even more exciting. As far as his health goes, we think we are on the up and up now. After two days at work in his new practice, Jon had a nasty spell of pneumonia. He can’t seem to do anything just average or low key. So it was with pneumonia—he did it with gusto… he not only got bacterial pneumonia but RSV pneumonia as well. He was in the hospital for eight days, six of them being in isolation and the kids and I couldn’t see him. That was the pits. Sometimes it is hard not to be a bit impatient at wanting to be over this sick stuff and just get on with life, but there are a few lessons we still need to learn and apparently one of them seems to be patience! Jon’s doctors are also learning patience with us as well as Jon seems to have his own ideas and protocols for treatment. If anyone is counting, today is day 322 following Jon’s transplant.

Tate is doing great and loves school. He is such a happy go lucky chap as is, but combine that with having his Granny at his school and it is a piece of heaven for him. We have had record breaking snow this year and as far as I'm concerned if it is going to be cold it might as well be white and beautiful. It beats the pants off of cold, gray and an inversion! Plus, the boys love the snow. They will get on their snow clothes and play for hours. A month or so ago, while Jon was in the hospital, Jay (Jon’s dad) took the boys up to the cabin on a snow cat. He tied Tate's sled to the back of the snow cat when they were coming out back to the car. He kept asking Tate if he was cold and he said no. When they got back to the car he told Jay that he was freezing, but that he didn't want to say so because it was SO MUCH FUN! That pretty much sums up Tate. He tries to get as much fun and excitement as possible out of life!

Cale continues to be such a funny little fellow. It is interesting the things he picks up on and how he processes them. Just this week Cathy could see a big hawk in a tree and tried to point it out to Cale. He said "My dad had a hawk. Before he was bald." His "Chemohawk" (the Mohawk Tate and Cale gave Jon before chemo). We all laughed about that. He is so particular about things sometimes and one day after I had spent 5 minutes (it seemed like eternity) trying to get him bundled up to his satisfaction--zipped up just so--in exasperation I said "Cale you're killing me!" It was 2 or 3 hours later when we were in the car and he said "Mom, you said kill me. Dat not nice." I had to reply that what I said wasn’t nice and I apologized. Nothing like your kids keeping you humble! Cale started preschool and they are serious about it. It is a great little school, but there isn't much play about it. They know all their sounds and numbers to 20 I think. Who would have ever thought that your kid would need remediation in preschool--when he is 3! I didn't think it was possible! He’s catching up and doing well. Phew!

Tess is such a lovey! She just turned one on Thursday. She is just the apple of our eyes. She is standing and pushing things around. It won’t be long till she is walking all over. I'm just waiting for the day I can do pig tails!

As for me, I'm doing really well. Kids are happy and well and Jon is doing good...so that pretty much equates to me being happy. I am getting nuttier and nuttier in terms of nutrition--much to Jon's chagrin. I just figure that after all his body has been through good nutrition can only help him. So he has all kinds of fruits and veggies blended up daily to which he and the kids are good sports! If ever he even thinks to complain I remind him that it is his fault that I’ve become this way since he up and got cancer! J

So all things considered, we are doing really well. We love being close to our families, but miss so much our friends and try any way we can to get them to come and visit. (That was an open invitation to any North Carolinians!) But we wanted to let you all know we are doing well and pass along our contact information. Every 6 weeks in Jon’s office they do a contest and the current contest is called “Who’s your doctor?” to which they have a bunch of random questions about Jon. One of them is “Where does Dr. Silcox live?
A. a house B. an apartment C. the garage D. His parents basement

If you guessed D you are correct. Nothing like going to seven years of graduate school so you can move into your parents basement, but in reality we couldn’t be happier about it. It is working out great. It is giving us a chance to get on our feet, figure out a business, and catch our breath before we start on another adventure and find a house. So, our address will change, but our phone number will stay the same. However, we will always get anything that comes to Jon’s parents address.

Hope this update finds all of you healthy and happy. The Tarheels just won and we are surprising the boys tomorrow and flying to California to go to Disneyland. So life is good….really good!

Sending lots of love,
Jon and Quinn


PS
Any email account associated with UNC will soon be inactive. Below is our updated contact information.

1213 Sweet Caroline Dr.
Riverton, UT 84065
Home phone 801-649-5407
jon.silcox@gmail.com
qsilcox@hotmail.com

Merry Christmas from the Silcox's (January 20, 2008)

A friend recently asked me if this year seemed long or short. I didn't really know how to answer that question. In some ways, it seems like a never ending year…all the doctor's appointments, the emotional roller coasters, Jon's transplant and recovery, having a new little baby. Yes, it seems like quite a long year, but then it also seems like it was just yesterday that Jon was admitted to the hospital and we learned that he was so sick. As I think about where we were last year, we had just gotten the diagnosis of MDS and were waiting to see if one of Jon's sisters was a match and all of the anxiety associated with such serious matters, to where we are today, I am extremely humbled and my heart is overflowing with gratitude. Jon just rushed off this morning to work, is submitting his thesis this afternoon and is working on the final contract to purchase an orthodontic practice in Cottonwood Heights, Utah on January 1, 2008. I marvel to think how drastically our circumstances have changed in such a short period of time. So, I don't think there is an answer to that question, but it has been the most challenging, humbling, growing and also joyous year we have yet experienced together.
This has been a huge year for Tate. I am amazed all the time at how much he is growing and learning. Much of our conversations with Tate are about his "ideas" which range from anything from how to play the most complicated game has dreamed up, to how his lego contraptions work, or the fun we should be having that minute. He learned to ride his bike without training wheels, played t-ball and soccer, and has started school. The first day of school he got on the bus just as happy as can be and waved out the bus window to Cale, Tess and I. All I could see was a little hand waving like crazy while he rode off to school. I went back home and cried. The other day he told me "Mom, Amy (name has been changed to protect the aggressor ) just kissed me lots of times on the bus--even on the lips!" I wasn't prepared for that to start quite so soon. Thankfully they have an agreement that she can sit by the window if she keeps her lips to herself! I just don't understand how they grow up so fast!
Cale's knick-name is "Little Buddy" which seems to fit him perfectly. He loves to be your right hand man no matter what you are doing. Sometimes I truly don't know what to do with so much "help!" Cale's gross motor skills continue to amaze us, worry us and make us laugh. He jumps and clears way too many stairs, can ride his tricycle down our hill like he was trying out for a bobsled team and jumps off things with his inflatable horse that make me shutter. But he does have fun and we have avoided the emergency room this year which is a real plus…knock on wood! He has an extremely well developed sense of humor (I wonder who he got that from). He thinks it is hilarious to bless the food when he is saying his prayers before bed. He loved T-ball, tolerated soccer and most of all loves to kiss Tess and be best friends with Tate.
And then we had a baby! We felt like we needed a wonderful surprise (we had just a few unpleasant ones recently) so we decided not to find out the sex of the baby. I had convinced myself that I would not be disappointed if it was another boy because I just adore little boys and it would be great to add one more to the tribe. However, when she was born and Jon told me "It's a girl!!" I thought of course it is. We needed a little girl to make our family complete. Tess is our miracle baby. She came in the midst of craziness in our lives. In January Jon's blood counts were improving so they postponed his transplant. It was just long enough for us to get Tess here. A week after she was born his counts went back down and he had his transplant 4 weeks later. I couldn't imagine delivering and him not being there. She has been an absolute joy. She is the happiest, cuddliest, cushiest baby you can hold and squeeze. I don't understand how one little person can be so adored by so many. After 2 rascally boys, I have thoroughly enjoyed pink, bows, tights, ruffles, and dresses and the more the better!!
As for Jon and I, life has been a crazy ride this year. Sometimes we have felt like it was all we could do to keep everyone and everything together, but thanks to the love and support of so many, and many blessings from up above, we are more grateful for the simple and important things in life than we ever have been before. To have time with our little family and have everyone happy and healthy is a blessing we no longer take for granted. We still have quite a few changes up ahead. North Carolina is certainly home and it will take a long time before we can call anywhere else home. So it is with a heavy heart that we anticipate leaving, but are so grateful and excited for the new adventures that await us in Utah. I'm still trying to figure out a way I can keep the friends, beauty and weather of North Carolina while living in Utah. I haven't quite figured it out, but maybe someday I will. I used to think of the years going by as the opening and closing of a book. Once the year is gone it is closed and onto the next. My views have changed a bit, and I think this cancer chapter of our lives will always be opened even just a bit, and I'm grateful for the growth and perspective that will bring to us. I can't close this letter without acknowledging and thanking our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ for the abundant blessings and miracles in our lives. May the Lord bless and keep you and may you have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season.

With much love,
Jon, Quinn, Tate the Great, Captain Cale and Sweet Tess Caroline

Happy November 1st!

Howdy!

I can't believe that it was a year ago today that Jon was admitted to the hospital and told that he had cancer. It has been one crazy year and I am just amazed at all that has transpired in one years time. Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to lately. Caramel apples were quite the hit. A sticky, messy hit, but a hit nonetheless!

The halloween cowboys. They love to dress up as cowboys whether it is Halloween or not. I was worried that since they have dressed up as cowboys all year that it wouldn't be as fun on Halloween. I shouldn't have worried. Their favorite things were their spurs that sounded just like the real thing when they walked. Cale loves his cowboy boots because he can put them on really fast all by himself. The only problem is that he almost never wears socks with them. They are the stinkiest shoes, but he loves them!! They LOVED trick or treating. By the end their pumpkin-sacks were overflowing and Tate said "Now we can go home and pick out a treat." I don't know how I got so lucky, but they think they should only get one! :) I wished I thought I should only have one!
So we were cowboys and indians this year. I looked for quite awhile online for an indian costume for me, but just didn't get it together in time so I made a quick run to JoAnn's Fabrics. I figured I could whip up something easy as pie. The skirt was a cinch, and I was planning on just making a poncho for the top: cut a perfect square and cut a hole in the top. Jon explained how I could easily make it much better and make a shirt. Needless to say, unsupervised and unattended (by Jon) I am a disaster with the sewing machine! Even when he told me how to fix my diasaster I didn't quite get it right. So, Jon had to do a major refix job after my fruitless hours spent on one very mediocre indian squaw top!! Fringe does wonders and added to the image of this interracial marriage!

Tate's jack-o-lantern is titled "I let my mustache do the talkin." I am amazed at how big he is getting. He loves school and has lots of friends. Cale can't wait for the minute he comes home and goes running for the bus stop, and then play resumes from wherever they left off the evening before.

Tess was certainly the cutest pumpkin in the patch. She continues to be such a happy bright spot in our lives. She has learned to crawl and I have forgotten just how quickly they can get into things. Life has changed a bit with this milestone. Just today she pulled-up for the first time.

Cale went right away and found his pumpkin. It was instantly his favorite and he carried it (and dropped it) all around. Tate had to look at every pumpkin before he found his perfect one. And yes, Cale is a new boy with his haircut. I think it makes him at least a year older. He thinks so too. When people ask him how old he is he says 4.

Cale is such a sweet big brother to Tess and kisses her all the time. I sometimes wonder how much they get about what is going on with Jon. Just today I heard Cale tease Tess and say "You're a parasite." I am impressed with his lingo. He may not have the slightest clue about what a parasite is, but it sounds like something good to call his sister!

I saved the best for last. Aren't these pictures worth a thousand words. All the miracles that came to pass so we could have just such a picture. Jon looks so good, and he is doing really well. Since he's been off his parasite medicine and has upped his thyroid medicine, he has been feeling so very much better. So I just wanted to wish you all a happy November 1st. This one was great and totally "normal," especially compared to last 1st of November. Kids went to school and preschool, Jon went to work, I cleaned house and got to have a few minutes all to myself, took the kids to get a flu shot and then stopped by the park on the way home. I'm so grateful for just a normal day. I don't think I've ever been more grateful for just plain old normal! Sending lots and lots of love--Quinn and posse

The Silcox Update (July 9, 2007)

Hello family and friends,

We realize that we are long overdue in sending out an update, but we are thrilled to report that we are doing much better than anyone ever expected. Out of the recent events, the actual stay in the hospital was by far the most difficult part… twenty-one days surrounded by the same four walls and performing the same routine everyday became a little repetitive and monotonous. Now, 100 days post-transplant, life is by no means monotonous, as summer is now in full swing. We find ourselves chasing boys, riding bikes, practicing T-ball, discovering the joys of a baby girl, and avoiding the North Carolina heat at the swimming pool. Oh yah, and I also work! I work in the orthodontic department at UNC as a part-time faculty in the graduate and undergraduate clinics and assist in teaching courses. I am also able to work as a clinical associate in two private orthodontic practices and have been busy publishing my research. With all of this going on, I still have energy! Perhaps too much energy— Quinn and I are currently training for a half-marathon to take place in August, I mountain bike at least once a week, help coach two T-ball teams, and now I think I will take on the task of remodeling our kitchen! I am definitely enjoying my new blood (thanks again to my sister, Jadi!) and it has not been the typical recovery, but Quinn reminds me that most things I do are not typical! Tess continues to be the sweetest baby ever, complete with constant smiles. I think she knew she had to be on her best behavior to come to us at this time and she has been nothing but an angel.

For the 100 days following my transplant, I made my appearance in the bone marrow clinic 2 times a week to get my blood drawn, cell counts checked, and most importantly, to chat with my doctors and the nursing staff about whatever was good for a laugh that day. My doctors have been wonderful and we feel so grateful to have been here to receive such good care. I have been dubbed the “all-star of the transplant clinic” by my doctors because I have felt so well and my counts have been so strong following the transplant. I guess everyone has to be an all-star in something, and thankfully I am a pro at transplants! I will now see my doctors much less frequently and life will continue to move on.

Speaking of moving on…the criteria that Quinn and I set as an indicator of when we would be ready to move from North Carolina was when my health was stable and we could start a new chapter in our lives. We feel that time is quickly approaching. Quinn and I recently celebrated our ten-year wedding aniversary. It is great to look back at what we have accomplished and even greater to anticipate the wonderful things the future holds for us. We are anxiously pursuing job options that will bring us closer to our family and allow us to set down some serious roots! Again, we find ourselves in fortunate circumstances and blessed beyond our expectations.

We hope that this letter finds you and your family well and happy. For the past few months, I think people haven’t wanted to “bother” us, but please, we would love to hear from any of you.

Thank you again for your friendship, kindness and prayers!
Jon, Quinn, Tate, Cale & Tess

Day 92 (June 26, 2007)

I'm just a bit emotional and teary as I write. We just went to our last appointment with Bob and got Jon's bone marrow biopsy. They drew his blood and it was the best it has ever been. Hemoglobin of 14.1 and everything is just coming up. Of 19 things it tells on his print out 15 were in normal range and all of the others were close. Whites, reds, and hematocrit are not normal, but really close to normal and the highest they have ever been on his own. This visit felt like every other one until it was time to leave. We found out that this was Jon's last visit with Bob and that we won't have another doctors appointment for 3 weeks till he sees Dr. Shea. That is the longest we have ever gone without a doctors appointment since November. It was really humbling to think about that. What really made me emotional was as we were leaving and checking out and making our appointment with Dr. Shea, there was a young tall handsome man in his early twenties with an over night bag and his mom carrying his pillow. He was waiting to check in--for campath was my guess. I identified so much with the look on his face--one of optimism and hope. He looked so brave, but I also imagined he felt like we did when Jon went in--that we were holding on for a crazy ride and just hoping we could hold on long enough and strong enough. It was such a vivid realization for me of where we were, how far we have come, and where we are now. For a brief moment, I had a very clear visualization of the past, the present and our hopes for the future. In November my day today seemed like it might never come. It was hard to imagine a day where the fears of cancer wouldn?t occupy all my mind's energy. It is still there, and to be honest, I think it will always be there, but it keeps moving further and further back in my mind. And what I didn't know in November was that we can still be so happy as our little family with cancer still in the picture. I've also come to realize that the experiences of the past year will be something I ponder upon for the rest of my life. As I remember certain feelings and think about things in a new way, every time I am amazed at how the Lord was with us and carried us and strengthened us. Jadi had mentioned that her being a match could have been a blessing that the Lord had prepared for Jon before he came to the earth. What a loving gift from our Heavenly Father. I am amazed at his goodness towards us.

There are still patches in my memory. I think I remember telling my mom about Jon, but I don't remember at all telling Micah, and yet there are other things that are so vivid. During the very hardest of times it seemed that heaven was the nearest. For so long our lives seemed to revolve around endless doctors appointments. Now we are going to t-ball games more frequently than we are doctors. Who would have guessed. Today has been a real day for reflection and gratitude and I hope it can be one of gratitude for all of us. We are doing so well and are so happy! We aren't out of the woods by any means, but then again I don't think there will be a moment or a day when we say that we have closed this cancer chapter of our lives. I'm just so grateful that where we are right now is the very best place we could be. Thank you so much for all the roles that you have played in our lives. We love all of you so very much and are so grateful for your faith and strength that you have added to ours.. Thank you for all your sacrifices for us! We love you!!

Quinn and Jon

I'm Out! (April 10, 2007)

Hello All,

After 21 days in the slammer, I have escaped! And what a crazy 21 days they were. In all reality, my body tolerated the treatment much better than any of us expected. For the first 5 days I was in the hospital, I had a constant chemotherapy IV drip. Although I did have the pleasure of experiencing some of the side-effects of the drugs, each day came as a surprize when I really didn't feel too bad. I kept expecting the terrible side-effects I had been warned of by doctors and nurses, but fortunately, they never really came in full force. I would honestly say that the most difficult part of the hospital stay was the stay itself. For 20 days I wasn't able to even step outside my small hospital room, and some days my family members weren't allowed to see me due to a little cold virus going through our household. Our baby Tess wasn't able to visit at all. I really did keep pretty busy... mostly just to avoid insanity!

On the 26th of March, I was infused (transplanted) with my sister's cells subsequent to the week of chemotherapy. From that Monday until Friday, I basically had no immune system to speak of. But on Good Friday, we finally got some indication that the transplant had worked. Slowly my cell counts started to creep back up (with the help of some specialized growth factors). Although my counts are nearly normal now, I am still severely immunocompromised as my new cells are immature and lack the ability to mount a defense. However, on Easter, the doctors felt I was doing well enough I could leave the hospital nearly a week before originally planned and surprized us all by letting me walk out the next day. (I give a lot of credit to my private inflatable nurse, Doris) I will now visit the bone marrow transplant unit as an outpatient 3 times a week for blood tests, to check for infections and monitor graft versus host disease which now becomes a very big concern. This routine will carry on for around 100 days which is July 4th. This will be a type of independence day for me!

The first week of May I will graduate from my orthodontic residency. Although I will have my orthodontic certificate, my department has been kind enough to allow me to maintain student status which will allow them to continue to pay my small stipend and my health insurance. What a blessing that is!

Yesterday, Quinn and my mom assisted me in removing the remaining hair I had on my head. This totally bald look is a big improvement from the one I had in the hospital. We had selectively pulled out chunks of hair which made my head look geographic like the globe (alright, insert the large head jokes here!). It is good to be back with my rambuncious boys and our sweet baby Tess. The bottom line is that it is so good to be home.

My family and I can't thank you enough for your thoughts, prayers, and concern. We have obviously felt much greater power than our own. We have been strengthened physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Thanks to those who came to the hospital, called on the phone, or entertained me with emails. It truly allowed the time to pass easier. We hope you will continue to remember our family as we know we have a long road ahead.

Thank you again,
JON

P.S.
Many of you know that prior to checking into the hospital, I made a therapeutic squirrel launcher... therapeutic in that it allowed me to have something to design, do, think about, and laugh about. However, you may be interested to know the squirrel launcher video on my site hosted by UNC was blocked of all traffic. It appears that it was using a little too much bandwidth... in the 9 days before it was shutdown it received 85,000 hits and used over a terabyte of bandwidth! Luckily, the server administrator thought it was funny and decided to host it on UNC's streaming media server. The following link should work:
http://mediaserv.unc.edu:7070/asxgen/silcox/Flying-Squirrels.wmv
For all of those that love the little tree rats... none of them were hurt and they keep coming back for more!

Transplant plans (March 17, 2007)

Family and Friends,

As many of you know, life has been quite exciting for us lately. We welcomed our little girl, Tess Caroline into the world February 7th and she is one cute, sweet baby. We think it was quite miraculous that I was able to be at her birth and feeling well enough to enjoy her and our family for the last while. Right before her birth my blood counts were as high as they have been since my diagnosis which enabled us to mentally and physically to take a break from cancer. About a week after Tess was born my counts started to go down and we met with my oncologist shortly thereafter. My doctor decided that we had waited long enough and with my counts going down and being transfusion dependent again, it was time to move quickly and go forward with the transplant. So, that is what we are doing. I have already received one dose of chemotherapy and will be admitted to the hospital Monday where I will be treated with 5 consecutive days of intensive chemo. The objective of this is to completely wipe out my bone marrow, along with my immune system. Following this, I will receive my bone marrow stem cell transplant Monday, March 26th. I hope to be able to come home from the hospital sometime in the middle of April. I decided before chemo, my hair should go out in a blaze of glory… hence the “CheMohawk.” Quinn parted my hair and the boys had free reign with the clippers. They had a grand time! Quinn has loved traipsing around with me and my new look!

Thank you for all your prayers, love and support! I will have my computer at the hospital and seeing as me and my immune system have to earn the privilege of walking out of my room to the nurses’ station, emails and calls will be great communication and a means of access to the outside world.

Thank you again,
Jon

Beach not hospital (January 9, 2007)

Hey All,

Welcome to the roller-coaster life of Jon! As some of you may know, the night before I was to begin chemotherapy in the hospital in preparation for the transplant, my doctors decided to temporarily postpone the whole procedure. Both Jadi and I were in the hospital that day. I had a small surgery to place a central line in my chest so the chemo and the tranplant could be delivered into a large vein near the heart, and Jadi spent all day with large needles in her arms and watching her blood cycle out of one arm, into a centrifuge and back into the other arm as her stem cells were collected. As you can imagine, with only about 14 hours before I was scheduled to begin chemo, we were not expecting to have the transplant called off. For the past few weeks my blood counts have improved. There is no logical reason for this improvement so the doctors would like to monitor my levels for a few weeks and ensure that they aren't going to continue to improve before they completely wipe out my ability to produce blood with chemotherapy. We all feel that a transplant is inevitible, but considering the risks involved, I think we are all grateful for the cautious judgement used by my doctors. Also, for those wondering, Jadi's stem cells will be frozen until the time for the transplant without any problem.

We had been mentally and emotionally preparing for the transplant for so long, and I think we truly felt up to the task, that when the news came that it was to be postponed, we really didn't know what to think. We felt like our plan had been disrupted and we felt emotionally and mentally drained. Once again, the anxiety of waiting is worse than the disease itself. Graciously, some of our friends allowed us to enjoy a little time at their beach house where we could just enjoy each other and take a little vacation from the worries of transplant and the stress of waiting for a decision to be made. That little trip was exactly what all of us needed. Fortunately, I have felt absolutely wonderful the past 3-4 weeks, which is also a change. Although I would like to get moving toward getting better, it is nice to just feel well and have time living somewhat of a normal life with my family.

Thanks again for riding the roller coaster with us! We'll keep you updated as we get more details.
JON

Christmas 2006

Dear Family and Friends,
If this letter gets written it is because I was very efficient at my one 45 minute work session at the computer!! This year has been a very eventful one for us, much more than we planned!

Cale is now 2 ½ and is such a delight and joy and a bit of a pill at times too!! He is such a creative little boy and has all kinds of ideas…some good and some not so good. Some of his good ideas are playing forever with his dump truck, reading books, playing trains, and giving hugs. Some of his not so good ideas are riding his tricycle (with no pants on) as fast as he can down the hill, running into the curb and flying over the handlebars on the grass (all on purpose), or pretending our dinner plates are snowshoes, or taking the powdered sugar outside and having a powdered sugar war with his brother (I should probably just be grateful it was outside and not inside!). Cale certainly keeps us on our toes and makes us laugh way more than we probably should—we at least try to turn our heads so he doesn’t see that we are laughing!!

Tate is 4 ½ and is such a sweet boy. I could sum up his year by a quote he made last January when he was trying to find his stuffed animals… “Mom, where are my babies…I mean my big boys…my people.” So his year has gone. He is growing up so fast. He started preschool and is just in heaven. He delights in everything and it is amazing to see his mind grow and expand. I thought he might outgrow the “why” stage, but instead of asking just plain old “why” to everything, I now hear, “I wonder why such and such happens.” He is very curious, is Mr. Holiday cheer himself, and is the best big brother.
My big news is that we are expecting another baby in February. I got really nervous at our ultrasound because we decided we didn’t want to know the sex of the baby and I was very concerned that they would slip and tell us. We are on schedule for a surprise in the middle of February.

Jon started the year doing all of his normal stuff and being concerned about the typical things you would expect from someone who would be graduating soon. His birthday was in October and he kept telling me that 31 was a rotten age because he felt like he was more out of shape than he had ever been and he just plain wasn’t feeling like his normal self. On November 1st we found out why he was feeling so out of shape. Jon was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome which is a type of blood cancer. We have really had a whirl-wind experience so far. Right after his diagnosis we learned that the cure for his disease is a bone marrow transplant. All his sisters, AKA “team donor,” were tested and to our absolute joy we found out that Jon’s oldest sister Jadi is a perfect match. She will come out Christmas day and begin a procedure to collect her stem cells for Jon. Jon then starts chemotherapy January 9th and his transplant is the 16th. We anticipate a successful transplant and hope that Jon will be able to come home sometime around February 5-9th. Please keep Jon in your prayers as this process is a very difficult and long one. The baby is due February 17th and I’ve been early in the past, so life will definitely be an adventure.

So to sum it all up, this year has for sure had its trials, but we have experienced many more miracles than trials. I’ll just list a few…Jadi being a match, some of the best medical care, the UNC orthodontic department that has been so kind and good to Jon, wonderful friends, the best families anyone could dream of, 2 sweet boys and a baby on the way, Jon’s mom staying with us for the “long haul,” the faith and prayers of so many that have given us comfort and peace, and a greater strength and faith in the Savior Jesus Christ that can only come from life’s most difficult challenges. The list goes on and on. We have felt so blessed at this time.
We hope you all have a wonderful, healthy, and happy New Year! We plan on doing the same!

Lots of love—Jon, Quinn, Tate the Great, Captain Cale and the Mighty Surprise Silcox!!

P.S. If we don’t have your email address, please send it to us as we send out periodic updates…silcox@email.unc.edu or qsilcox@hotmail.com. Jon will have his computer with him while he’s in the hospital and would love to hear from you. Also, if you are interested in becoming a bone marrow donor, please visit www.marrow.org . It only requires a few cheek cells to be added to the registry!

Another update (December 8, 2006)

Hello family and friends,


It seems like much has happened since our last email. The weekend of Thanksgiving we made a quick trip to Utah. Both our families knew that I was coming but Quinn and the boys were a complete surprise. I think they liked their surprise! Perhaps the best part of our trip was on our lay-over in Chicago, as we were about to miss our connecting flight, we found out that Jadi, my oldest sister, is a complete bone marrow match!!! Thrilled, happy, elated and grateful don't even begin to describe our feelings! With this good news we will now move quickly toward the transplant. Since the transplant will actually be a bone marrow stem cell transplant, Jadi will come out to North Carolina on Christmas day and the next day begin testing before they can harvest her stem cells. She will undergo about 3 days of treatment to move the stem cells into the peripheral blood, and then it will take 2 days to collect enough stem cells via a centrifuge process for the transplant. So, no extraction of actual bone marrow! I will begin chemotherapy treatment the first week of January as an out patient, and will be admitted to the hospital around the 8th of January for the remaining week of high-dose chemotherapy. After 2 days of rest from the chemotherapy, I will then receive the stem cell transplant. The doctors seem to think that I will be required to be in the hospital for about 30 days following the transplant. As you can imagine, I am not looking forward to being incarcerated for that month, but I have become rather submissive to whatever doctors tell me to do! I am also told that even after being released from the hospital, I will continue to recover at home and possibly not feel too well for some time. I guess that is to be expected when you have cancer, right?

It is possibly a demented thought to be looking forward to something like chemotherapy, but I think we are all anxious to get the whole process started. We will try to keep you posted as we progress through this experience.

Before this, we had never experienced having so many people pray and fast specifically for us. It has been amazing. We really feel that Jadi being a match is a true answer to prayer. Thank you all for your support, love and prayers. We have, in a very real way, felt the sustaining strength beyond our own and it has instilled within us faith, courage, vitality, patience, and energy during this time. We can’t thank you enough for your support.

May you all have a wonderful holiday season. We feel we have much to celebrate and much to reverence.

Thank you again,

Jon and the clan

P.S.

Many people have generously offered to help even by means of being tested as a bone morrow match. We have been blessed to find a match within my family, but thousands of others aren’t quite so fortunate. If you would like more information on how to join the National Marrow Donor Registry, the website is below. It costs $50 to register, but only involves a swab of the cheek from inside the mouth to get the required information (no blood draw needed). As you can imagine, this is something we feel quite passionate about now!

http://www.marrow.org/

Thanks to all!! (Novermber 12, 2006)

Hello family, friends and otherwise!
In the past week we have come to appreciate things in a whole new light. Tate is grateful that I am out of the hospital, but is also grateful that I have shaved my lamb-chop sideburns to a more reasonable length because it has made me "more handsomer." The rest of my family seems to be grateful for much more than just facial hair that is under control (however, I think Quinn agrees this is a blessing). Overall, there is a recognizably different spirit in our home. We have spent the week enjoying life and enjoying each other. Although life has seemed to have changed so quickly for us, we currently have the opportunity to slow down and just be our little family. With medications and platelet transfusions I have felt well enough go about a fairly normal routine. Of course, now I decide what is normal... if I don't feel like going into work, I assume that I have a good enough excuse not to go!

All three of my sisters (Team Donor) were able to quickly get their blood drawn and sent back to Chapel Hill. Their blood will now undergo 2 weeks of testing to see if one of them is match for the bone morrow transplant. If all goes well, I will be back in the hospital in December for a week of chemotherapy (goodbye lamb-chop sideburns!) prior to receiving the transplant and then a month in the hospital. We continue to pray that one of my sisters is a match so we can get this whole process rolling. We all are learning a little more patience.

I grew up the Big, Strong and Handsome brother, but I think I will have to add Grateful in there somewhere. Thank you all for your fasting, prayers, thoughts, emails, cards, and phone calls. We have felt a love and support that is way beyond what could ever be expected. We realize that we have a tough journey ahead of us, but we feel up to the fight as we know we will be upheld by your support. We are also grateful that this experience is drawing our family to a new closeness. We have been in North Carolina for more than 6 years, but have never felt closer to our families. I don't think we have ever been so united in prayer for one cause.

Yesterday, we took advantage of the good weather and took a few photos. Although our life perspective has changed just a little, we are happy and doing well.

Thank you again for all your support.
JON

News from the Silcox clan (Novermber 4, 2006)

Hello family and friends,

As many of you know we have had quite the week! We thought we would let you all know what exactly we have found out and where our journey will take us in the next few months. We apologize that it has taken so long to get any information out, but the information didn’t get to us much faster! Wednesday Jon was admitted to the emergency room after a getting some pretty scary blood test results. He has gone through the works since Wednesday, but in all reality he hasn’t been feeling well for a few months. After waiting for what seemed like eternity, Friday we finally got all the test results of Jon’s bone marrow biopsy. Jon has been diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). Before 1970 it was called pre-leukemia. Jon’s bone marrow is producing blood cells, but the cells that are not effective and any good. MDS is considered a type of blood cancer.

The only curative treatment is for Jon to undergo a bone marrow transplant and the critical issue right now is finding a donor. Prior to his transplant, Jon will undergo a week of intense chemotherapy, receive the transplant, and then be in the hospital for at least another month. Thankfully Jon has 3 wonderful sisters who will be tested as donors. It will take almost 3 weeks for them to be tested and their blood to be analyzed. They look for the HLA markers on white blood cells. There are 6 different markers that need to match. Each sister has a 25% chance of being a donor. This is the critical issue we are praying for right now. If one of his sisters is a match Jon will undergo his transplant in December. If they are not matches the doctors will try to find a compatible donor from the national donor registry. A non-family member donor decreases the chances of the transplant being successful a bit, and it also will take much longer. Time is a critical issue because right now Jon’s cells are just useless, but they are not aggressive leukemia cells. If left untreated MDS turns into leukemia which as you can imagine is a pretty significant side effect!! It would take a couple of months to find a compatible donor, and our chances of finding one are about 80%. Also, if any of you are keeping track baby Silcox #3 plans to come the middle of February so the sooner the better for us!

In the short term until a donor and a transplant are set up, Jon will be getting shots to increase his blood cell counts as well as transfusions. He was released from the hospital today which we were just thrilled about! Jon has responded really well to these treatments and his counts are up high enough that he can go back to a lot of his daily activities. He is such an on the go person that I fear staying in the house for a month could drive him crazy. It will be really nice for him to be on a much less busy schedule and treasure him being at home more, but he will have some routine and be able to do many of the things that he loves. With his compromised immune system, Jon just has to avoid sickness as much as possible.

As you can imagine this has been quite an emotional journey, but we are feeling up to the fight that is ahead of us! I know of no one that likes to win more than Jon and I can’t imagine anyone who will give it a better fight than he will. Doctors give him the statistic of a 50-60% chance of living till he’s 85, but knowing Jon it is going to be quite a battle, but I’m sure all will be well and we will grow as individuals and together more than I think we can imagine at this point. We have held each other and cried, but we have laughed more than we have cried. We are both doing really well and Jon looks better than he’s looked in quite awhile. We would like to thank all of you more than we can say for your love, prayers, fasting and concern in our behalf. We have felt strength beyond our own. Our faith is strong and we know that our Heavenly Father is helping us through this difficult chapter of our lives. To those that have watched our children we are so grateful. They are happy and doing well and that couldn’t have been the case without people watching them that loved them. We appreciate all the calls, emails, and offers to help. Right now Jon’s parents are with us and we are being taken care of and spoiled! I think we will have things in control till his transplant at which time family will be coming to help and we will let you know what needs we may have. We have so much gratitude in our hearts for all the support we have felt. It has meant so very much to us!! Emails are always wonderful and it just might take us awhile to return phone calls. Right now we are enjoying all of the simple things of life like being together as a family. Thank you! Thank you! More than we can say!
Love to all!!!!!!
Jon, Quinn, Tate the Great and Captain Cale

silcox@email.unc.edu
qsilcox@hotmail.com

P.S. We don’t have everyone’s email, so please feel free to pass this along to anyone we may have missed.

More info about MDS
http://www.marrow.org/PATIENT/Undrstnd_Disease_Treat/Lrn_about_Disease/MDS/index.html#MDSCauses