Cleared - First Cycle Chemo

Thank God for his grace! Another week had passed and my brother is recovering very well. He had finished his first chemo cycle and had started losing hair. However, God has been merciful and granted my brother a speedy recovery. My brother had reacted well to the treatment and miraculously, there are no infections or complications at all. Even the doctor in charge is surprised at the non existence of fevers for my brother. The original plan was for my brother to stay under observations a week after the chemo treatment for fear of complications but upon seeing the miraculous recovery, the hospital is going to allow my brother to go home next week! He can finally be united with his wife and son!!

Thank you all who had prayed and interceded for my brother. God has heard the prayers and had sent an angel to look over my brother, preventing all infections from coming near him. Praise God! If you are reading this, please continue to pray for my brother as he will still have to go thru the bone marrow transplant. I am the first candidate and I pray that God will continue to work on my brother and allow my bone marrow to be a perfect fit for him. This will minimize the time and cost for the whole operation. Thank you Lord. This had been a humbling experience and I have to come to know of the mercy and power of our Father. We are His children and He will plan for us. Amen.

First week of chemo

My brother started his chemo this week. Bags of chemicals are strapped to him for the entire day and he looks visibly more tired. His appetite is taking a hit as well and we are trying hard to encourage him to eat. Once again God has been gracious and sent his angels in the form of my brother's cell group mates. They came with home cooked soup everyday, so that my brother can get more nutrition by drinking the soup. Such act of kindness had really touched my brother as he mentioned that the soups were the only thing that he looks forward to eating giving his bland taste bud.

Once the chemo stopped on Friday, my brother reverted back to his cheerful self. It is such a relief to see him smiling and joking with us. Thank God. The side effects of the chemo were kept to the minimum with God's grace. Appetite, fatigue and constipation are the only symptoms that were noticeable. We continue to pray that God will watch over my brother on his road to full recovery.

I tested my bone marrow on Thursday. For a sibling, I have 25% chance of matching with my brother. If we are looking at getting a bone marrow match from a total stranger, there is only a 1 in 200000 chance. The odds are not high. After going for the bone marrow test, I realised the importance of the bone marrow donor program. I have decided to sign up for it to help others like my brother. It is really easy and painless to donate bone marrow and I urge all who can see this post to sign up for it. You be God's angels and help save lives. You will not need to be operated on but it's more like a blood transfusion. Another method of drawing bone marrow only involves an injection of a syringe. I pray that I will be my brother's angel. I will know the result in two weeks' time.

The costs involved in bone marrow procurement is really high and is not covered under any insurance. For a local procurement, the cost will be around $20000 in cash. As for a regional procurement, it will be $28000 and for a worldwide procurement, it will be $50000. The costs will cover the medical fees for the donor as well as the transportation for the bone marrow. However, the Singapore government does provide some financial help for the needy. The amount will depend on the the means testing for the family involved.

If one fails to find a bone marrow match, the next alternative will be cord blood. This can be bought from the cord blood bank. Unfortunately, cord blood is very limited in supply. This is because with each birth, only a small amount of cord blood is collected. For the average adult, cord blood from two births may be needed due to the difference in body size. Hence, this is usually the last alternative.

I hope that my journey will help inform others with similar situation and help to encourage them. Together, we can work miracles with God's grace.

It begins...

I am starting this blog to document GOD's intervention in my brother's fight against Acute Biphenotypic Leukemia. This is a testament to GOD's work in our lives.

Like many others, I am a Christian but my faith in the religion had been limited to weekly church and the muttering of grace during meals. I had not declared my faith in an outright manner as there was never a need for me to do so. Believing in my own abilities and working for all my needs had been the way I had lived until this week.

I received a shocking news on Tuesday. My brother had been diagnosed with a very rare form of leukemia and little is know about this disease. The once blissful life came crushing down. I am in shock and I realized how helpless I am in crisis like this. GOD humbled me.

My brother had only been married 3 years and was about to enjoy the happiness of fatherhood. His son is 7 months old and they had just gotten over a trying period of early morning feeding and diaper changes. Life was beginning to look good only to be shattered by this piece of news.

Our family had suffered numerous crisis and my brother had always been there to carry the load. Firstly, my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer and my brother had to help out in the house. Then my dad meet an accident and his movement became spastic. Next my mum's condition worsened and had to stop work. From this point on, my brother became the sole breadwinner of the family as I was still studying. On top of all this, he still had to bear the burden of taking care of both my father and mother. The load lightened when my mum passed away in the hospice. My father had a hard time getting over this and I do not know how is he taking the news of my brother's illness. After all this, when a happy family life is presented right before my brother, he had to be struck by this unforgiving illness.

I do not know why.

All this started about a week ago when my brother noticed small red dots on his skin. He had dismissed it as some sort of insect bite. However, after a week, the dots remained and the first act of GOD's intervention happened. My brother's wife nagged him to see a doctor. The doctor gave him a blood test thinking that it was dengue fever. Unfortunately, it turned out to be worse and he was admitted into the National University of Singapore. Had God not intervened and his wife didn't nagged him, my brother would have died in a couple of months.

Yesterday, GOD spoke to my wife. HE led her to Psalms 34 verses 17-20.

"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken."

I cried upon seeing this. I am small and helpless. All I can do now is to put my faith in GOD and pray for my brother's recovery. He wil be starting his first cycle of Hyper CVAD chemotherapy.

This morning, I had a thought. I am going to document my brother's journey and am asking for all who can read this to pray for my brother who is a righteous man.

Please have mercy on us, GOD.