Click the date to see the update. If you want to read the whole month, just scroll straight down.


Jan. 4, 2001 Jan. 8, 2001 Jan. 11, 2001 Jan. 19, 2001
Jan. 22, 2001 Jan. 24, 2001 Jan. 25, 2001
Jan. 26, 2001 Jan. 27, 2001 Jan. 29, 2001


Jan. 4, 200

After looking into several tansplant sites, we have decided to go to MN, otherwise known as Fairview. This is their site that will tell you about their program if you are interested. I had emailed doctors in both Seattle and Minnesota. I found the doctors from MN to be very warm and fuzzy. I just have a very good feeling about them. I also had the chance to speak with both a nurse and a doctor from the hospital. I spoke with a woman at the Ronald McDonald House, and she was very sweet. She actually called a former family, and had the mother call me. They are an orthodox family from NY. She was able to give me a lot of information.
Right now there are several possibilities as to who they would use. They need to get further testing done on my father in law to see how close of a match he truly is. He will go on Monday, and the blood sent to MN for the testing. If he can't be used, then they might use Neal again, or they might try to use cord blood. I didn't understand the reasoning behind using Neal again. It has something to do with how many cells Yossi has now that are Neal's. (He has 96% of Neal's cells, with 4% of his own. It also has to do with the Leukemia. When the Leukemia comes back, it comes back as Yossi's own cells. Like I said, I really had a hard time understanding it. If any of the docs on my list want to explain it to me better, feel free!) If one of those 3 possibilities happen, we will be going in 2-3 weeks. However, if none of these work out, and we need to pull someone else from the registry, we are talking about 6-7 weeks. This is making me very nervous, as it is giving his Leukemia time to multiply. He will of course be getting chemo in the meanwhile, but I am still very nervous.
I want to take the baby with me and Yoss. However, Michoel feels that it will take away from our care of Yossi. The hospital is very agreeable with families. They actually encourage me to bring him. I think it would be too traumatic for him to be left behind. The other 3 kids will move in with my in laws. They are very close with them, and very excited about it. I feel that my in-laws are up for the challenge, too!
So, that is our plan. It's hard now to just sit and wait. I want to know the answer to the big question of when. I want to know the final outcome already, that he is cured of this. I want to get on with my life. It's so hard to believe that we are back here again, and facing the beast head on.
Yossi is feeling very good, and pretty hopeful about the whole thing. He feels that this is just another obstacal for him. He is so excited about Disney. He leaves Sunday, and returns Wednesday night. He really deserves it.
Lisa Cohen has started a tehillim going for Yossi. If you would like to join it, please email her at Lisa Cohen. Thank you all for your support and for encouragement. It means a lot to us.
Please pray for Yosef Chaim ben Briendle Leah. Jan. 8, 2001

As fast as things were happening when Yossi first relapsed, things are literally changing by the hour. This morning I tried to arrange for my father in law, Marvin to go down to MCV to get his blood drawn so it could be sent to MN. We thought that it was going to end up getting pushed off until tomorrow, and who knew when this would all happen. Next thing I know, Dr. Grossman calls, and Marvin can go down NOW, and Yossi will probably go sometime next week. The blood was then Fed-Exed (is that a word?) to MN. So I figure he would have to be there the middle of the week. I thought we could go on Monday or Tuesday, and have a day to sight-see. Well, in the middle of class today, I get a call from Michoel that the hospital. They want Yossi there next Tuesday at 8 am! (I am so not a morning person; at least Minnesota is one hour behind us!) I honestly can't believe how fast this is happening. We don't have a date for the transplant yet, but we do have a date to show up at the hospital.
So, Yossi has to be there on Tuesday, and Marvin has to be there on Wednesday. I am trying to find a flight for Yossi, Sruli, and me. I have tried several of the free flights, but they won't let me take the baby. One of the places I called was very nice, but they only fly on planes with a propeller, and not pressurized. There is no way I will fly for 8 hours on a un-pressurized plane with a baby. NO WAY. Thanks, but no thanks. Michoel and Marvin are going to drive all the way there. Personally, I think they are nuts. But Michoel insists he wants a car there, and he doesn't like to fly. He keeps asking me to drive with him, but there is no way I will do that.
Yossi is not even here right now, he is down at Disney World with Camp Simcha. He is having a great time. When I told him that we are going next week, he said "YYYYYEEEEEEEEESSSSS!!!!!". Need I say more, the child is very happy.
Even though this is so exciting, and we are hopefully on the way to Yossi's cure, I am still very nervous now. It's real. We are going. I am going to be leaving all my other kids behind. This is going to be very hard. It's the little things that I am going to miss, like cooking with Goldie for Friday night dinner. Sitting and reading stories to Chanie. (Although I am not going to miss the fights and the whining. Who knows, maybe I will!) And even though my mom doesn't want me to express my scary thoughts, they are there all the time. I can't help thinking all these scary thoughts. Is this going to be the last Shabbos we all spend TOGETHER? Will the other kids see Yossi again? My deepest and darkest fear is that I will be taking my son with me, and G-d forbid bring him home in a box. That is the scarest thought of all. I imagine what it would be like without him, G-d forbid. I try to sleep at night, but I wake up a lot of times, and can't fall back asleep. These are the stupid little thoughts that invade my head. I try to push them away, but they don't go. I want a magic wand to make Yossi all better. I really wish he didn't have to go through this. He truly doesn't remember too much of his first transplant. I hope that he doesn't get discouraged when it's so tough. I want to teach him some of the Lamaze breathing I used to help me with natural child birth. I also feel that some relaxation techniques will help him, as will visualization. But now I don't know if we will have time to learn. (Plus I have to find the box that has all that stuff in it. It's been a very long time since I've needed it.)
I feel positive about this, but I am scared. I am going forward with very open eyes. The hospital is wonderful, but the transplant itself will be more of a challenge this time. GVHD scares the daylights out of me. But then again, so does Leukemia.
Lisa Cohen has started a tehillim going for Yossi. If you would like to join it, please email her at Lisa Cohen. She only needs 46 more perukim said.
Pray for Yosef Chaim ben Breindle Leah. He needs all the prayers he can get now.


Jan. 11, 2001

I should have remembered from Yossi's first transplant that things have their ups and downs. And we haven't even really started yet! Warning ... This is a long update.
Yossi got off to Disney on Sunday. He had a great time everyday. He really wanted to go on the roller coasters, but Dr. Grossman had put on the permission slip that he couldn't go on them. When Yossi had questioned him about, he was concerned that his counts wouldn't be good enough. Since Yossi had his counts checked last week, Dr. G said it would be OK. Yossi was very happy to hear this, and he rode Space Mountain and Splash Mountain. He was especially proud that he went on upside-down roller coasters, and he really enjoyed it. (He used to be scared of roller coasters.) Camp Simcha really treated the kids well. They had a concert Tuesday night with some big names in the Jewish singing world. (MBD!) Yossi came home last night, and he was so happy. This was the perfect send off for his transplant. He really, really, really had a great time. Thank you so much to Ellen Weiss of Chai Lifeline who really pushed for him to go!
Yesterday I had no tickets in the morning, and I was going to just buy some tickets for the three of us. I was about to push the purchase button (I was going to buy them off the Internet.) Just then the phone rang. It was a man named Gene from Mercy Airlift. He spoke with me, and promised me tickets. I got a fax at work from Operation Liftoff (TWA) that I had 2 tickets. Then I called Gene. He was able to get me 3 tickets on Northwest through this other foundation! I had 5 tickets to use! I was totally blown away. Of course I am using the 3 tickets so I can take the baby with me.
Today was an awful day for Michoel and me. When I spoke with the case manager from our insurance, she told me that the transplant might not be covered. I was speechless. How could we get to this point, and not be covered. It seems that the protocol that they are going to use on Yossi is experimental. So the insurance was balking. This is my son's life, and they were worried about the bottom dollar, it seems to me. Finally, after a very anxious and nerve-wracking day, we were told that the transplant will be covered pending the evaluation. (She said that if there were cells in his spinal fluid it won't be covered. I am concerned, but not totally worried, as his CSF has always been clean.)
A special Thank you to my friend Judy who came over and helped me pack today. I was so overwhelmed. I just kept looking at the clothes, and for some reason they weren't putting themselves into the suitcases by themselves. I still need to figure out what junk to take, like books, games, and stuff. But I know I will somehow get it all together.
Tonight Michoel took the four older kids to Toys R Us. Yossi took his Chanukah money, and other money that he had, and got a few things for himself to take to Minnesota. He used most of his money to buy presents for the other kids. He is one amazing kid!
We are all looking forward to the weekend. This will be our last Shabbos together as a family for a long time. It is also the Bar Mitzvah of Yossi's best friend Yonaton. We wish the family Mazel Tov (congratulations)! We should all share only simchas (happy gatherings) together!
Yossi, Sruli, and I will leave Sunday morning, and arrive in Minneapolis in the early afternoon. A cyberfriend, Sue, from my on-line support group will pick us up and take us to the hotel. Another cyberfriend of mine, Lori is going to come and show us around the city. She is also going to take us to the Ronald McDonald House to show us around. She will be the one who will take us to the hospital on Tuesday. Her son Jeremy had a bone marrow transplant a few months after Yossi had his back in '98, and it was at Fairview. She knows everyone there, and knows her way around. So I don't have to face a strange hospital alone. It's so wonderful!
So far, all I know is that we meet with Dr. Ramsay on Tuesday at 8 am, and Yossi will have a bone marrow aspirate at 10. This is the very decisive test that will determine whether or not he will have the transplant. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE pray for him! He MUST have this transplant if he has any hope to survive. The next thing that I know is that he will probably be admitted the week of the 22nd with the transplant to take place on the 29th or 30th. (Exactly 3 years and one week since his first transplant.) As I get more information, I will update our site.
Pray for Yosef Chaim ben Breindle Leah.


Jan. 19, 2001

Well, after being off-line for a week, it’s great to finally get a chance to update the site and try to catch up on some emails! Prepare for a very long update.
(Jan 13, 2001) The weekend that we were leaving was the Bar Mitzvah of Yossi’s best friend, Yonaton. Yonaton and Yossi have been friends since they were both 2 years old. When Yossi was isolated from his last transplant, Yonaton came to visit him in the hospital and almost every single Shabbos afternoon. He is a true friend! Yossi was very happy to be able to attend his Bar Mitzvah. At the party Saturday night, they said a special prayer for Yossi at Yonaton’s request. Yossi was happy as can being, dancing and truly enjoying himself. It was a great chance for him to say good-bye to all of his friends. It also was a chance for me to say good-bye to my friends, which was very sad for me. (I was crying, and so were they!) It’s hard to leave all your family and friends, which was a support for me, to travel to the unknown.
(Jan 14, 2001) Thanks to the help of Mercy Airlift, we were able to fly to MN first class. Yossi thought that this was totally cool. We met the captain of the plane, who even let him sit in the captain’s seat and wear his hat! Yossi as captain on the plane. The flights were uneventful. We were met at the airport by my cyberfriend Sue, her husband Dave and son, DJ. Sidepoint-- Let me tell you how happy was the his favorite team, the Giants, totally creamed the MN Vikings. He was wearing his Giantscap and coat, and was quite proud of them (41-zip). After we got our 6 pieces of check luggage (on top of our carry-ons-- we don’t travel light), we somehow got everything into their van. We headed off to our hotel. Once there, we left Yossi to rest and watch some TV. We went to a kosher store that was fairly close to where we are staying. The store owner was very kind, staying open until we got there so I could pick up food for us. Once were got to the store (which is one of the smallest stores I have ever been in) and bought food and milk and stuff, the owner came out the car. The milk they had was frozen, and he wanted me to have fresh milk for the kids. He sent me to house to get some milk from them. When I got to the house, I thought the wife looks very familiar. It turns out that I know her from back when I was in Seminary in NY! She was good friends with my good friends. What a small world. Her name is Simone, and she has been very helpful to me. I took this as yet another sign that it was truly meant to be for us to come here to Minnesota.
Yossi and Sruli have been playing in the pool here at the hotel. Yossi takes the baby out into the pool, and then to two boys head off for the "hot pool" as the baby calls it. Yossi in the pool at the hotel.
(Jan 15, 2001) This was a day that Yossi was looking forward to. This was his fun day to go to Mall of America. My cyberfriend Lori came and picked us up. Lori lives about 4 hours from Minneapolis. Her son Jeremy had a bone marrow transplant 3 years ago March. Lori and I used to write to each other and compare how our kids were doing. (Her son is doing well, Thank G-d.) He had his transplant here at Fairview. She took us first to the Ronald McDonald House (RMH). She showed us around, and introduced us to people. Then we headed off to the mall. Yossi went to almost every toy store in the mall, buying toys and stuff to take with him to transplant. When he was exhausted, we went to “Camp Snoopy”. Camp Snoopy is the amusement park in the middle of the mall. Yossi and I rode a rollercoaster together. Yossi, Sruli, and Dillon (Lori’s younger son, not the one who had the BMT) went on some other rides. Yossi at Camp Snoopy (Mall of America) Then, to top off a wonderful day, we went to the local kosher pizza store. We don’t have a kosher pizza shop in Richmond, so this was a big treat for Yossi. Yossi adores pizza, and had me buy an extra pie to take back to the hotel for lunch the next day. Once we got back to the hotel, Yossi used the pool and hot tub that they have there. It was a perfect day.
(Jan 16, 2001) Bright and early, at 8:00 am we were at Fairview BMT unit. Yossi was taken back, and we had realized that we forgot to bring Emla. (Emla is a topical lidocaine used to numb the skin when they access his port.) The nurse said it was no problem, and gave him a small tube of Emla. We met with Dr. Ramsay, who did a brief history of Yossi, and also examined him. We met Dr. Davies, with whom we had been emailing a lot. Yossi had blood drawn, and then we headed down to surgery, where they were going to perform the bone marrow biopsy (they remove a small piece of bone plus some marrow) and a spinal tap. After he left the surgery and recovery, we went back to the hotel. Michoel and Marvin (AKA Papa and Gramps) arrived around 3:30. They had driven from VA, leaving Richmond around 7:30 am Monday morning, and stopping outside of Chicago Monday night. So they did good time. After they settled in, we went to the RMH to heat up our dinner. (I had asked that it be double wrapped in foil so that it could be heated up in any oven.) Eating dinner at the Ronald McDonald House. Yossi loves the house, as he can play Nintendo here, plus pinball and other games. The baby enjoyed the playroom. Sruli with his ski mask on.
(Jan 17, 2001) Yossi and Gramps at BMT clinic. More tests for Yossi checking various vital organs, like his heart, lungs, kidneys, and such. Nurse listening to Yossi. We also met with the nurse coordinator. Pat gave us a tentative calendar of when he should begin his transplant. We are all so pleased with our choice to come here. We were impressed with this binder they gave us. It has Yossi’s name on the front. In it are articles that apply to his specific transplant. There are different sections that have more information than we probably need. There is stuff on each drug he will be getting, as well as discharge information. It is a very handy folder, and it shows that they really care about us. We also met with a woman from Caring Partners. They team us up with volunteers who will help with different tasks that may need to get done. We were also able to request a computer for Yossi’s room. Grandpa also had a lot of testing done to make sure he was healthy. Taking Grandpa's blood. Check out Yoss! Taking more blood.For dinner, we went to Rabbi and Mrs. Friedman’s house. Chanie Friedman has been helping me with organizing meals and housing and tutoring. She is a very kind lady, and I glad that she has become a friend to me.
(Jan 18, 2001) This was the longest day by far. We arrived at the hospital without Yossi and Grandpa. First we met with Dr. Ramsay. It gave us a chance to look at the schedule and ask questions. It was a good meeting. Then we met with our social worker, Stacey. We were able to express some of our concerns, and area’s where we will need help. After Stacey we met with the head dietitian to explain about kosher as well as Yossi’s particular likes and dislikes. By then it was time for Yossi and Gramps to arrive to go down and meet the people who would be putting in Yossi’s new line. (All BMT patients need a hickman. It’s a line that hangs out of the chest and has two places to hook IVs up to.) The nurse examined Yossi, but she didn’t like the veins she saw on his chest. She wanted him to get an ultrasound done to see if everything was OK. This was the first time all week that we had to wait for anything. We waited and waited and waited. We were all totally bored, and hungry too, as it was now close to 2:00. Yossi was goofing off with the baby when he told Sruli to get into a locker for hanging clothes that was about 5 or 6 inches wide. Then, Yossi closed the locker. He didn’t realize that the locker LOCKED! Now Sruli was trapped inside, and of course we had no key. I ran to the next room, and told them that the baby was locked in. They came running with the key, and opened it up. I think they thought it was a baby baby, not a two year old baby. Anyway, they all thought it was pretty funny. I also did, but I didn’t want them to see that I was laughing. Soon after that they took Yossi back for his ultrasound. After the woman finished, she left to take the scans back to the nurse. For some unknown reason, Michoel decided to hang the baby from the IV hook in the ceiling. Sruli thought it was great fun, and Yossi took a picture on the digital camera. The picture he took wasn’t great, because you couldn’t see his feet. The famous hangning baby. Marvin said that we shouldn’t do it again, but we did anyway. He left the room, and just as they hung him back up, and I was snapping the picture, the woman walks in. Still hanging around. She burst out laughing, and we all started laughing real hard. Michoel said “It’s been a very long day”, which indeed it had.
We took a tour of the floor where Yossi will be staying, and finally left the hospital. We had finished up all the tests, and now we are waiting for final approval from our insurance. Every test has come back fine, so this won’t be a problem.
(Jan 19, 2001) We are all having an easy day, and plan to go to a family to stay for Shabbos. I hope to be able to update the site early next week. We are hoping to get him admitted on Monday or Tuesday next week. Good Shabbos, and keep praying for Yosef Chaim ben Briendle Leah.


Jan. 22, 2001

I am sorry for the typos in the last update. I tried to make sure it was good, but it was hard to sum up the whole week, and read email, and watch Sruli all at the same time. No guarantees about this one either.
Right after I signed off last Friday I got a call about Monday's (really today's) admission. At first I was told to come at 6:30 in the morning. I was moaning about what morning people they are here, when Pat told me that the surgery for the hickman won't be on Monday and we can come in at 11am. Sounded really good to me! We went to spend Shabbos with a family we didn't know. They were really nice. After Shabbos we all went back to the corporate apartment Michoel got through his work. It has two bedrooms, so there was room for everyone. The only problem with it is that it's too far from the hospital for us to use it all the time. Sunday was a lazy day for us. We didn't get out of the apartment until after 1 in the afternoon. We went to the kosher store, the local grocery store, and Target (we needed a toaster oven to cook basic foods). We made ourselves a nice dinner.
Early this morning Yossi, Mommy, and Papa all headed back to the hospital. We got there a little early, and were very pleasantly surprised at how quick the admission took. In less than 5 minutes we were headed up to our room. Here is the only I have not liked. The room is tiny. I mean super small. Minascule. One of the smallest rooms they have on the ward. And on top of the few things that they have in the room, they are going to bring us a small fridge to keep our food in. I will get to that later...
Yossi got to paint his window outside his room. He painted a NY Giants logo on there, and of course got a lot of comments on it. He worked on a Goku while I fixed up his work. He got bored of it, and went back into the room. I had a field day fixing up his window. On top of his logo I wrote "Go GIANT'S", and under it he wanted 41-zip. Looks like we aren't going to make too many friends. Now since his official name is Yosef, everyone is calling him that. I painted "YOSSI'S room" in big letters over the logo. And on top of that I added some snow falling. Near the bottom where the Goku is, I put in big capital red letters "WARNING" and then "You are entering Giant's territory!". Yossi really likes his window. We also set up a notebook with paper in it. Everyone who walks into the room signs their name in the book with an outline of their hand. It was a lot of fun during the first transplant.
Speaking of the first transplant, tomorrow is Yossi's 3rd re-birthday. HAPPY 3RD RE-BIRTHDAY YOSSMAN!
Yossi got to leave the hospital to go back to the apartment for dinner. We watched the Pretender movie on TNT. It was fun for all of us. Papa went back to the hospital with Yossi. He was due to get Dilantin at 10:00 PM. Then at 2am (Jan 23) he is going to start his first chemo, Busulfan. He will taken to surgery to get his port put in at 6:30 AM. Glad I am not sleeping there tonight!
A lot of people have asked for our address here. I added it at the top of the site. Please continue to pray for Yosef Chaim ben Breindle Leah.


Jan. 24, 2001
Day -7

I was way too tired to update our site yesterday. Sorry!
Yesterday Yossi got his hickman put in. They took him around 6AM, and he was back in his room around 11ish. He was very sore, but overall in good spirits. He has also been receiving chemo round the clock since 2am. He also got his computer, so he is in seventh heaven. Yossi already upgraded AOL IM so he could IM his friends. He also downloaded napster, and started downloading the songs he likes. (Favorites, Weird Al Yankovich, Bahaa Men, and Rockapella among others.)
Yossi has asked that Papa sleep with him last night (and tonight as well).
Today Yossi was in a much better mood. He does have these little pimples that are worrying him, but the doctors don’t seem to concerned.
Yossi got a phone call from his friends at school, and he set up a time to IM with them tonight.
The video selection is lousy here, so it looks like we are going to make good friends with the guys at Blockbuster.
Not much more to report. Keep praying for Yosef Chaim ben Breindle Leah.


Jan. 25, 2001
Day -5

Here are the pictures I've promised. I am also going to go back into the updates, and put the pictures into the right places. You have to click back after each picture to get back to this page. (The quality might not be that great as we haven't had a chance to edit the pictures and fix them up.)
Yossi as captain on the plane.
Yossi in the pool at the hotel.
Yossi at Camp Snoopy (Mall of America)
Mommy, on the left, with Lori, Mommy's cyberfriend.
Eating dinner at the Ronald McDonald House.
Sruli with his ski mask on.
Yossi and Gramps at BMT clinic.
Nurse listening to Yossi.
Taking Grandpa's blood. Check out Yoss!
Taking more blood.
The famous hanging baby. Yossi took this one.
Mommy took this one just as the tech walked back into the room.
Yossi in his room, trying out the bed.
Mommy camcorded moving in.
Yossi is pointing out the nurse call-thingy.


Jan. 26, 2001
Day -4

IT'S FINALLY REALLY SNOWING HERE! Hooray! It's so beautiful. I love it.
Yossi is still feeling pretty good. He is starting to get some mouth sores. He also has these bumps on his head that itch like crazy. They dont' know what they are, and they aren't so concerned. We got two awesome packages this week. Yossi has been enjoying the toys and books and stuff. So has the baby. And all the cards that have arrived are hanging on his wall.
Yossi hates the homebound teacher at the hospital. I made a deal with him that if he catches up on all his school work, he doesn't need to use her. We also tried to use the video phone we have here and at his school, but someone on their end dropped it, and it doesn't work. We are waiting for an 800 conference line to be set up so Yossi can call into school everyday.
We are moving into the RMH today. I am not thrilled about it, because it's just until another room opens up. So I had to pack everything up, and now we get to move it in the snow. Fun. Then, in a week or two, I get to do it AGAIN. Joy!
We are going to stay in the apartment for Shabbos; me, Michoel, and the baby. I realized yesterday that I didn't see my husband for more than 5 minutes each day this week. He has been sleeping at the hospital during the day. I arrive and he takes the car. He brings the car back at night. I sleep in the hotel with the baby because it's closer. So that is why we haven't seen each other. My father in law will stay with Yossi on Shabbos. So I will finally get to spend some time with Michoel.
We got Goldie a ticket. She is coming Wednesday to Monday. Chanie is terribly upset. She doesn't understand why she can't come now. Oh well. Keep praying for Yosef Chaim ben Breindle Leah.


Jan. 27, 2001
Day -3

When we got to the Rondald McDonald House on Friday, the room wasn't ready. We had to leave there no later than 12:30 in order to do all we needed to do for Shabbos. We were told that the room wouldn't be ready until after 3, the earliest. So we left our stuff in the office. Joan Fishman, the owner of one of the stores we use here brought us food for Shabbos. It was incredible. She brought us so much stuff! We divided it up for us in the apartment and the hospital. Thank you Joan, we really enjoyed the food, and will for several days.
Michoel and I had a very enjoyable Shabbos. We felt guilty that we were able to enjoy ourselves, knowing that Yossi was in the hospital. The baby was so bored because I left all of his toys in the RMH.
As soon as Shabbos was over, Yossi called. He was very nauseous, and had thrown up several times. His legs hurt him. He was very unhappy. He wanted us to come as soon as possible. I made him Goodman's noodle soup, one of his favorite snacks. (Yossi and I joke around that you can hook us up to an IV of chicken soup, we both love it.) When I got here, he was very unhappy. I gave him the soup, but he could barely eat it. He is very disorientated, not sure which day it is. He has been sleeping a lot. This is from the medicine he is getting. When I got here, he had just gotten Morphine. He was also given ativan, which will explain why he is so confused. He doesn't want to eat, so it looks like we will have to start TPN, which is a fluid that has all the minerals and nutrients that the body needs. I wanted to avoid it because patients who don't receive TPN tend to do better than the ones who do. Oh well, he needs nutrition.
On the day of the transplant, our community is hosting a day of fasting and praying. This is a fast that will start at sunrise on Jan. 30, and end at about 45 mins after sunset. When we fast, we refrain from all food and liquids, including water. We would greatly appreciate anyone who can fast for him, and also say extra prayers on that day. We don't know what time the transplant will be. Please include my father in law in your good thoughts, as he will be having surgery to take the marrow. Pray for Yosef Chaim ben Breindle Leah.


Jan. 29, 2001
Day -1

Another few yuchy days. I stayed with Yossi after Shabbos. Sunday morning he wasn't feeling well. Hi eye hurt, his hickman hurt, and his stomach hurt. In the early afternoon he threw up (a lot), and then he felt a lot better. I was very surprised, as he hadn't eatten since Sat. night.
Today was a big downer. Yossi was feeling down all day. He cried, and said he wants to go home. He had a boy his age who came to visit, and he wouldn't talk to the boy. He just wasn't up for company.
Yossi didn't eat anything all day. He drank a little bit of water. He is bored with his room, and like I said, he wants to go home.
Tomorrow is the big day. Please fast and pray for Yosef Chaim ben Breindle Leah.


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