The Plan

Two days ago, I met with Dr. Farol, Bone Marrow Transplant doctor at City of Hope. He did give me some good news. I have a donor and it's a perfect match! During this meeting, I was told that I will start Chemotherapy the Monday before the actual transplant. Originally, it was scheduled for the 18th of April. However, my husband, Raul, got a call today from the BMT team to find out that the donor is not available until May. I will wait. God's timing is always perfect. I thank God for this anonymous donor, God bless him. According to the doctors, he is my only match. Science is amazing but what is more amazing is how God works in our lives. Truly, He will never leave us nor forsake us. I love you, Lord!

Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria

THERE IS HOPE! I was 13 weeks pregnant when I was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia + PNH. The doctors gave me the option to terminate the pregnancy but my husband and I decided to go on with it. Platelet and blood transfusions were done as needed. Soliris was also started due to the presence of blood in my urine. My signs and symptoms were fatigue, dizziness, petechiae, bleeding of gums and blood in urine. It was a tough pregnancy. I found myself in the hospital twice a week. The doctors said the baby would most likely come out early... but she didn't. She is a full-term baby! We were all surprised. I gave birth via C-section to a very healthy baby on February 2nd, 2011. Her name is Danica Joy Palma. She is now almost two months old and doing very well. I wish I could say the same about me. It has been two months and I am still having post partum hemorrhage. My blood count is getting worse. I am in and out of the hospital for transfusions and observation. Next Monday, I will meet with the Bone Marrow Transplant Doctor at City of Hope in Duarte, CA. I will keep you guys updated... For now, I just PRAY and PRAY and PRAY!!!

Say my name, say my name

When I was younger, I hated my name because my friends always made fun of it and most people don't pronounce it correctly. I was always asked where my parents got my name from. To those who still do not know, my father named me after a camera... but not just any camera, an expensive one. That sure makes me feel special. I'm glad he didn't name me Kodak or Fuji or Mamiya. For thirteen years, I really hated my name. My classmates would always sing "Like a virgin" to me. My teachers would mispronounce my name for the first 2 weeks of class. It was so annoying!!! There was even a time when I would lie to people and tell them that my name is Michelle. It took a long time for me to like my name. As I got older, a lot more people said I have a "unique" name versus I have a "weird" name. They would substitute the word "like" with "leic." And just leic that, now I love my name.

two years later...

I totally forgot I have this blog. Wow! A lot has changed since 2009. I promise to update my page... tomorrow =P

dodgers night

my first los angeles dodgers game! yay! i must say, i had tons of fun. the best part is, the dodgers won tonight!!! love it! raul and i watched the game with his co-worker, ben, and his friend. thank you, charles schwab, for the preferred tickets.

i love the royal blue color!

...and forget the dodger dog!! before the game, raul and i got in line for pink's instead. best $5 hotdog i've ever had. i got a bacon chili cheese hotdog. mmm... so good! i love it!

little tokyo

raul and i had CPK in dowtown l.a. tonight. i really love los angeles. there are just so many things to do. after dinner, we decided to walk around little tokyo. first stop, starbucks. it was a cold night, so raul had hot chocolate and i had green tea. next, we checked out the menus outside the restaurants to get an idea of what they serve and what we should try next time we're there for lunch or dinner. then my favorite part... the sanrio store was still open at 9 pm. love it! i got myself a hello kitty wallet and a hello kitty notebook. i finally got a notebook where i can write my favorite verses and inspirational quotes. and tonight i wrote my first entry:

"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." - Mark 11:22-24

i can't wait to add more to my little notebook. it's a great way to be inspired, motivated and focused... especially with everything that's going on in this world and our personal lives.

good night everyone! ♥

a short prayer

dear Lord, thank you for this wonderful day. thank you for everything that you have done for me. for dying on the cross for my sins, thank you Lord. i'm sorry, Lord, that i haven't been attending church on sundays because of work. i do want to serve you and know you more. please God, i pray that i will find a job that will give me sundays off. i miss going to church. i'm a better person when i go to church regularly. i want to continue my walk with You. thank you for being with me and giving me a reason to smile always. i love you, Lord. amen.