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Sunday, January 20, 2013

1968 - 2013

Dear Friends of Mike,

This past Saturday, Mike lost his battle with leukemia.  He is now looking down upon us, in the arms of his beloved mother, with his father smiling besides them.  

The O'Shea Family would like to thank everyone, for the overwhelming outpouring of love bestowed upon Mike, and all of us, over the past 10 months. No family could have ever expected the incredible community outreach that resulted. Frankly, we were all blown away. No words will ever be able to express our gratitude.

We will be holding the wake on Monday and Tuesday, January 21st and 22nd, both days from 2-4 and 7-9pm at:

Vander Platt Funeral Home
257 Godwin Avenue
Wyckoff NJ 07481
201-891-3400

The funeral mass will be held at 10.00 am on Wednesday, January 23rd at:

St. Elizabeth’s Roman Catholic Church
700 Wyckoff Avenue

In lieu of flowers, any donations may be sent to:

The Pietro Maugeri Foundation
c/o The Wyckoff YMCA
691 Wyckoff Ave
Wyckoff NJ 07481

 Thank you, and We Love You, will have to suffice for now. 

God Bless You 
God Bless Mike 

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Give The Gift of Life...

Once again, there will be a blood and bone marrow donor drive being held in Mike's honor.  Please come out and show your support!

When:   Sunday, January 6th
Time:    9am - 4pm
Where: Wyckoff YMCA
            691 Wyckoff Ave.
            Wyckoff, NJ  07481

Walk-ins are welcome, however, to ensure we have enough technician coverage, it would be helpful if you could pre-register online at http://www.appointment-plus.com/

Enter login name: ymca and password: ymca123
Simply choose a time and complete your information.  Thank you!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Round Two...

Since the last update we have had some disappointing news.  The previous treatment Mike went through was unfortunately ineffective and his leukemia cells began to grow.  In addition, Mike has been experiencing debilitating back pains associated with the leukemia but they have become somewhat manageable with pain medication.  The treatment plan for Mike is similar to the one he has already had to endure.  Currently Mike is in the hospital receiving chemotherapy for the next five days.  With all of your thoughts and prayers and with Mike’s determination we believe this will once again put him into a temporary remission.  Once in remission Mike will then begin to prepare for his second stem cell transplant. 

Although this setback has been emotionally difficult and disappointing for us we are once again kept afloat by the outpouring of love and support we have received.  We know we would not be able to get through all this without it.  Finally, since we believe in the power of prayer and positive energy, I am asking that this week please say a special specific prayer that Mike’s leukemia goes into remission and his pain subsides.  In this season of miracles we are hoping for one of our own.

In a side note, since we will not be sending out holiday cards this year, please know that we wish you all happy holidays and a very healthy new year!  Enjoy your special time with your family and remember to cherish every moment.

With much love and appreciation,
The O’Shea family

Friday, October 26, 2012

URGENT UPDATE

Since our last post, we have basically put into practice the saying, “no news is good news”. 

Initially Mike’s recovery had been moving in a positive direction and we were simply waiting for his body to heal.  However, we have hit a few bumps along the way that now have turned into a hill. 

Several weeks ago, Mike’s doctor noted that his white blood cell counts were beginning to drop.  We were hoping it was a virus, or medication related, but a recent bone marrow biopsy has revealed early MLL (mixed lineage leukemia) cells.  What this means is that if left untreated those cells will turn into full blown leukemia. 

Starting Monday Mike will begin a five-day treatment that will hopefully stimulate the MLL cells to produce proteins that the donor cells can recognize.  At the same time it will stimulate his donor cells so that they will be better able to attack the MLL cells.  After the 5 days, Mike’s blood counts will be monitored weekly to see if this treatment was a success and he is back in remission.   If it is not effective, Mike’s only option is to prepare for another bone marrow transplant.  

Therefore, we are urgently asking all our friends and family, to say the new revised Mike O’Shea Healing Prayer every day.  We truly believe the collective power of prayer from everyone has helped Mike through his many battles over these past eight months.   We are confident that your continuing prayers will help Mike on his journey back to a full recovery. 


Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Transplant a Success...

After the previous post Mike unfortunately hit a small bump in the road and ended up staying in the hospital a week longer than we had planned.  Although that might not sound too bad, after all the time already spent in Sloan-Kettering it ended up being the longest week of Mike’s life.  However, after spending 31 days in the hospital and then three more weeks recovering in a New York City apartment (to be close to the hospital) we finally have some great news to share!  Mike’s latest results from his bone marrow biopsy confirmed that the transplant was a full success!!  The biopsy showed that his bone marrow was engrafted with 100% of the donor’s stem cells!  This means that there are none of Mike’s previous stem cells left in him.  His own bone marrow had to be completely depleted through intense radiation and chemotherapy in order to accept the new stem cells from his donor…. and he obviously accepted them with welcoming arms!  At this point Mike is on the road to recovery but it will be a long journey.  He basically has the immune system of a newborn baby and it will be a year before he has a fully functioning adult immune system.  Until then Mike has to be careful to get plenty of rest, avoid germs and bacteria, and to not over-exert himself. Although it will be a cautious year we are extremely thankful to be where we are. 

We would also like to take this time to express our sincere gratitude for all of the meals prepared and provided for us by so many of you!  Tina and the kids greatly appreciated the delicious dinners delivered to the door every night.  Tina especially found it to be such a huge relief not to have to worry about dinner as she was spending much of her time at the hospital.  Tina has now decided to discontinue the dinners as she is not needed in the city as much and can get back to making dinners (much to her disappointment!)

Finally, we will not be able to thank you enough for all you’ve done to help us get through these past five months.  We would especially like to thank you all for your continued prayers.  Mike truly believes it was your prayers that got him through some really tough nights at Sloan-Kettering, ones that he hopes to one day forget.  The one thing we will never forget though is the outpouring of love we have received throughout this whole ordeal.  It is an amazing blessing to be on the receiving end of such support. 

With much love,
The O’Shea Family  

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Your prayers are working!!

Over the past three weeks, as expected, Mike has undergone a grueling treatment plan and stem cell transplant.  He experienced some side effects but the doctors and nurses were well prepared to help Mike manage them all.  The day after Mike's 44th birthday his daily blood work started to show signs that his new stem cells were working!   In fact, his blood count is increasing at a faster rate than was expected and he will be leaving Sloane sooner than we had originally planned.  You should have seen Mike surrounded throughout this whole ordeal with his healing beads, prayer shawls, holy statue and "Hope and Healing" blanket….all thoughtfully given to him by family and friends.  Those items and all of your continuing prayers have given Mike the strength he's needed on a day to day basis.  We are eternally grateful to you all!


Once Mike leaves Sloane he will be staying for two months in New York City to be close to the hospital.  His full recovery will take some time but we know that day will come….and then there will be a party to be had! 


Until then I will try to keep you up to date on his continuing progress!  Thanks for checking in and for caring so much about Mike!


Tina

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Latest Update...

Thankfully, the past month and a half has been pretty boring with little to report.  Since the end of April, Mike has solely focused on building up his strength and spending as much time as possible with family and friends.  To quote Mike, he “walked through” his last round of chemo and even managed to gain ten pounds!  On June 7th we were thrilled to hear that Mike’s bone marrow biopsy came back negative.  To go through the stem cell transplant, Mike must be in remission so the negative biopsy meant that on June 11th  he could begin the stem cell transplant process.  Unfortunately, on that day, we found out that there was a problem with the donor’s recent testing so we were sent home to await further results.  In hindsight we think there was some divine intervention involved; Due to this delay Mike was able to see his brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and nephew (who were in from California), see Colin graduate from pre-school, attend Carly’s year-end ice cream party at school, watch Jack tell jokes at his talent show, and celebrate Father’s Day with his kids!  On Friday the donor’s tests cleared and we were good to go - we were off again to Sloan.

This week, Mike will endure four days of radiation (three times a day), and then four days of chemo.  After a day of rest he will receive the stem cell transplant on June 28th.   Yesterday, the first day of radiation, was a little rough on Mike as he experienced nausea for the first time.  As he put it….”I think I’ve found my kryptonite.”  Today the nausea was better controlled and so he wasn’t feeling the effects as much.  I continue to be in awe of his spirit as he gathers up strength to face each treatment head on.  As you all know, Mike is a fighter and will win this battle. 

Please continue to say Mike’s healing prayer….we know this is why he has been doing so well this far! 

With love,
Tina