Dave's Great Adventure Returns

Dave's Great Adventure
Book 4, Chapter 1, Verse 3

I know it's been a long time since I've sent out an update to Dave's Great Adventure, to the great relief of many of you, I'm sure. But unfortunately I'm going to have to resurrect this long-running drama in the very near future as things are starting to change more rapidly than I'd hoped. More of "Book Four" looms in front of me.

Now, I have tried to get some updates out in the past 18 months or so, and have actually started composing a few but I just couldn't finish them. It wasn't that there was nothing to report, as many things of some import have happened, but the basis of the DGA series, my leukemia, though relapsing, was doing so very slowly and undramatically...until this week. So I'll have to get things going again, in many ways.

What has happened is that my white blood cell counts have more than doubled over the last three months. Typically, if a leukemia patient's white blood cell counts double in six months to a year, that's considered worrisome. My counts did so in a far shorter time. That may indicate a return of a more aggressive disease. We shall see. I am awaiting some calls from my doctors as to what we're going to be doing and when we might do it. I presume Kathy and I will be traveling back to Houston, to the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and I suspect that more chemotherapy of some type will happen much sooner than later.

But that's not the immediate reason I've gotten in contact with you again. I don't have enough details on what's going to happen to really fill you in. What I really need from you right now is your assistance, if you can me reach a goal I need to reach very soon.

During my current remission I have been fortunate to be able to participate in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team In Training. Most of you know that I have gotten involved in several endurance events, which I'm very pleased to say I have been able to complete. In the last two years since I completed my most recent chemotherapy treatments, I have finished eight half marathon events. I find that quite amazing, as before I had chemotherapy, I had never done even one, and never thought I'd ever do even one. Many of you have helped me out with some fundraising which I've done in connection with a few of these events, as well.

I am going to try to complete ONE MORE half marathon before I start any therapy and am scheduled to participate in the Rock and Roll Marathon event in San Diego in just over three weeks. I have pledged to raise some more funds for the LLS and have just until May 24th to do so. I haven't been very aggressive in my fund raising this time as I have asked some of you for your help several times over the last few years, so I'm a bit late in getting this going (though I have reached out to some of you, and many of you have already helped out; thanks for your help!).

But, if you're able to do so, I would greatly appreciate your taking the time to read my story at the link below:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ntxok/rnr11/deckberg

If you're able to make a donation to my fund drive, I'd be very grateful as well. This will be MY LAST fund raising event for quite some time, as I fully expect to be under treatment again before the end of the summer. That's going to put a stop to my distance event training.

As I find out what's awaiting me on the treatment front, I'll be back in touch with an update that doesn't include a request for a donation. I should know something fairly soon.

Thanks for any help you're able to provide. Any funds I collect on behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society will go to help patients with these diseases and to further research in to finding cure. I personally appreciate what you have done for me and so many folks like me in the past.

I'll be back soon with an update as to what sort of experimental chemotherapy I'll be doing this time. I know it'll have to be something experimental, as there is no standard therapy for someone like me who has now relapsed three times after being treated for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Wish me luck! Prayers are appreciated as well.

Bye for now. I'll be back again soon.

Dave