Brian’s Blog was created for all of his friends, family, fans, and community members who are cheering him on in his fight against leukemia. Brian graduated from HHS in May of this year. Many people know Brian due to his leadership, sportsmanship, and outstanding athletic achievements including three state championships in wrestling, a state football championship, state discus champion 2011 and varsity track and soccer teams. He had received a call to serve a full-time mission to Uruguay and was planning to start his mission at the end of the month. After completing his mission to Uruguay, Brian planned to play football at SUU where he has already received a full-ride scholarship. Brian was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) on Tuesday October 2nd. That very day he was taken to Salt Lake City for intensive inpatient care. He has been receiving chemotherapy, blood transfusions, and other treatments. We hope and pray that Brian will recover with the help of competent medical care. Doctors say that there is an 80% chance that Brian’s cancer will respond favorably to treatment. Thank you so much for your support. We will keep you updated regularly on Brian’s progress.
Update: On January 14, 2014, Brian passed away after a 15 1/2 month battle with leukemia. He was in remission following the first series of chemotherapy treatments for only 3 months, in spite of earlier optimism. Another harder hitting chemotherapy began in June with the intention of following with a bone marrow transplant but instead, alternative treatments in Colorado Springs and later Atlanta were chosen. Those also were unsuccessful, too little too late. In November he underwent yet more chemotherapy in Denver. The leukemia did not respond. Brian returned home to Southern Utah friends and family on December 12, 2013. Leukemia took his mortal life, but it can't touch his spirit.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Coming Home, We Hope

Thank you all for your many prayers. The white cells have begun to recover, but they have not changed. They are largely leukemia cells. The doctors here have no more help. Transplants require a very minimal percentage of leukemia cells. Thus, we are trying to get Brian back to Dixie Medical where he can receive life sustaining transfusions while he can survive. That isn't to say we have given up hope, but it is the next step in this journey. We hope that Brian will be able to see those he loves and has missed very soon.  He understands what is happening, and has not given up the fight nor the hope.  We pray for a miracle, not knowing of course the will of our Creator, who has not left us alone, but has comforted and guided us through this most challenging experience.

5 comments:

  1. Dear Jane and Brian,
    Thanks for sharing your story. Here I was with relapsed AML, getting ready to move to Washington or Colorado too. Except I'm at 80% blasts now. I found out today. They want me to have a transplant too and get me into remission again with cytarabine and krag chemo. But like you I think, I worry about what quality of life that route will give me.
    I say a prayer for you. Our stories are so similar. Make it home safely. We'll find peace somehow.

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    1. Dear N.E.B., I am so sorry that I did not respond to your comment. I just read it today. It has been pretty intense the past 2 months. I don't know if you saw, but Brain passed away January 14th. It was hard to see him decline, but he had some good visits with friends and family and got to do some of the things on his bucket list. I am wondering how you are doing, and what path you have chosen, and even what type of AML you have. We sent a blood sample to Dr. Drucker at Oregon Health and Sciences University, who is doing a huge AML study (you can read about it on the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society website) but anyway it is coordinated with 6 university hospitals or ?, phamaceuticals, and major technology. I can't remember it all...this Dr. Brian Drucker is responsible for finding the cure for CML, a drug called Gleevec. Here's the link to a story about it: http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/about/news_events/news/2013/09-17-beat-aml-takes-novel-app.cfm . (Not the Leukemia & Lymphoma website but it also has a link.) So we sent the blood just before Christmas and just after Christmas, like within a week, got an email from Dr. Drucker saying that they tested his blood with over 100 different drugs, and none of them worked. He said that happens in 20-30% of cases. Brian's subtype had the CEPBA. So a week or two after he passed away, I came across a breakthrough in this subtype, although it appears to be just in the lab so far. Just in case this is like you, here is the link to that story: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131125101205.htm I think they are getting close. I hope you are still able to read this. God Bless. Beat Leukemia!

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    2. Dear N.E.B,
      I just read your comments from April 2014. Thank you. (I messed up and totally deleted them when I tried to fix my mistake on my post, so I'm trying again.) I sure hope you are doing well and that whatever you decided is working for you. If you are still looking for new ideas, I have come across one from a friend whose husband is fighting brain cancer. A clinical study in Los Angeles involving chemo but working in a different way. Has been effective for many. I don't know a lot about it, but if you're looking. God bless you whatever situation you are in! And sorry I took so long. I should check the blog more often!
      Jane

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  2. Hi, This is Lisa Beck from New Harmony. My son, Michael, played football for Cedar and wrestled against Brian in high school. ( In all honesty, he just hoped Brian would pin him quick and get it over with! ha ha) I read an article in the newspaper and it mentioned your blog so I looked it up. We've had a lot of cancer in our family and so I understand to some degree what you have been dealing with. I gave some information to Jill Olsen. She and Mark are friends of ours. Did you get it? I would like to send Brian a bag of Shakeology. It is a whole-food formula shake which goes along with the Insanity exercise program. I've looked for a lot of years to find something I felt would keep my body in balance and make it less susceptible to disease. I like it and feel better when I'm drinking it. Let me know where you'd like me to send it. I hope you don't think I'm weird. I'm just a mom like you and who hates cancer and would like to help in some small way. I had Hodgkins Disease 25 years ago and my brother passed away at 41 from a Glio Blastoma Brain Tumor and my mother passed away four years ago from complications from treating Pancreatic Cancer. We got some bad genes from somewhere :) I emailed Michael and his friend's about Brian's continued battle.They are serving missions and are praying for him. You can email me at lisahuntbeck@gmail.com or call me at 801.663.1711.
    Continued prayers and peace ~ Lisa (This won't publish on my account just my daughters and I'm not techie enough to fix it. Shoot)

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  3. Hello...I have asked people that know you if you had talked to Don halterman from La Verkin? I heard that you had talked to him but I'm unsure if you had tried or considered the herbal cancer treatment he did which is from Bruneau Idaho? I have the information for you if you don't have it. Please let me know. It has convinced me. You can call me at work at 435.635.7771 and ask for Kathy.

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