One of his closest allies told me, "[Todd's] having the [bone marrow] transplant tomorrow afternoon [Nov. 8] and it has been a brutal week dealing with the chemotherapy and radiation treatments." Boa sorté, Todd! Godspeed...
Everyone: I spoke with Todd last night, and what Danizinho said is spot on. He's had his ass kicked by the chemo, but he's really upbeat. The stem cell transplant is tomorrow, and from there it's all about recovery. In the meantime, he asked me to post the following letter, which is pretty self-explanatory. I have the donation form also, but I'm not sure of the best way to post it, so for now, just e-mail me personally, off-line at emlynlewis@attbi.com and I will send it to you. Let's get our guy back on his feet. John P.S. If the moderators wouldn't mind stickying this thread, I would appreciate it. Todd's letter follows: "Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Meade October 30, 2002 Dear Family, Friends and Colleagues; As we move closer to the Thanksgiving Holiday, please join us in giving thanks this year. It is through a commitment to having a positive impact on our world that Lynne Meterparel and I are looking for your support. In June of this year, Lynne and I pledged to run the Boston Marathon (26.2 miles) in order to help raise important research money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. As most of you know, this past February I was diagnosed with Acute Myloid Leukemia. Although rigorous chemotherapy over the course of 7 months sent me into remission, in September, I received word that I had in fact relapsed. On November 1st, I go into Brigham and Women’s Hospital and in conjunction with a team of transplant oncologists from Dana Farber Cancer Institute (the Jimmy Fund), I will receive a bone marrow transplant. Hopefully, this will be the key to my long-term health. Through this process, Leukemia has taught me incredible life lessons and has shown me the value of tremendous friendships, loving family and professional acquaintances who have supported us. It was my personal goal to train and run this marathon together with Lynne, but due to the timing, it may be impossible. However, Lynne has been training every day and I am confident that she will do great. If I can’t run, I will be cheering Lynne on perhaps finishing the last few miles of the marathon with her. Leukemia is a malignancy of the blood-forming tissues- bone marrow, lymph nodes and spleen. It appears as uncontrolled multiplication of abnormal blood cells. When Leukemia strikes, millions of abnormal and useless white blood cells accumulate in the tissues, preventing the production of normal cells. It is estimated that leukemia and its related cancers will strike over 110,000 Americans this year. Leukemia is the number one killing disease in children yet it strikes 10 times as many adults. The cause of leukemia remains unknown. However, the effectiveness of recently developed treatment methods and steady advances in research bring us closer every day to finding the cause of leukemia and related cancers and probable cures. Our goal is to help find a cure for this deadly disease. Would you please join us in this effort? We have committed to raising $15,000 to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Twenty years ago the survival rate from Leukemia was only 5%. Largely due to the efforts of the Leukemia Society, today’s survival rate is over 80%. Lynne and I can’t reach our goals without your love, enthusiasm, care and financial support. Just use the enclosed form and envelope to demonstrate your support. You’ll be with us every step of the way as Lynne continues her preparation for this event and I continue on my personal journey with Leukemia. So that we can track our fundraising progress, please mail your contribution by December 1st. Of course, if you need some extra time, we will graciously accept your donation after that date. Running a marathon is very similar to battling Leukemia. It takes a course of action, preparation, commitment and the kind of positive energy that allows the human spirit to rise to the occasion when physical, mental, emotional and spiritual fabrics are depleted. Collectively, we can come together and push toward the finish line in finding a cure. Each contribution brings us closer to that goal. We greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on our progress. Love, Todd Smith and Lynne Meterparel P.S. Please share this letter with anyone else whom you think may be interested.
Spoke with Todd briefly this morning. His transplant went well on Friday. "Uneventful," in his words. Now he's just recovering, and he says he feels like complete crap. I'll be visiting with him in the next couple of days so anyone who wants me to pass along good tidings can e-mail them to me at emlynlewis@attbi.com.
Visited with Todd this evening, and he is in good spirits again. Today is, in his words, "a quantum leap forward" from yesterday. The doctors are very happy with his progress, and it's steady as she goes for the rest of his recovery. The main obstacle now is the boredom, as he's confined to a very small room for another 20 days or so. He was very grateful to all who sent encouraging notes and to those who are contributing to Lynne's marathon fund.
John, Any chance that he has internet access in that tiny room? We could spin off a couple of entertaining threads here to give him few chuckles. Or compile a list of fun/interesting sites to visit while passing the days.
Unfortunately he doesn't have internet access in his tiny cell. Everything that goes in there has to be sterilized so it's kind of a chore to bring a lot in. He's got a radio and a TV/VCR, but other than that there's not much to do. Understandably, he's going a little nuts. Still, if anyone has something amusing they'd like me to pass along, I'll be dropping by again tomorrow night.
John, Thanks for the updates and for acting as a messenger. Happy to hear he was in good spirits at your last visit. Hope we can assist him with the boredom factor.
Visited again last night and found the man in very good spirits. Everyone is very impressed with his progress, and though his platelet counts are still very well, he feels pretty good. Lynne said he was so restless the other day that he put on a mask and gloves and stepped outside his cubicle to do some little samba style soccer warmups. The biggest obstacle now seems to be boredom.
I had a chance to speak briefly to Todd via cell phone from the OverDraught on Sunday. Craig Tornberg was kind enough to let me have a minute or two. All things considered Todd sounded pretty good, and judging by what Craig told me it's a rough recovery no matter. But it sounds like he's getting some great support from some great friends, and I extended him an invitation to join the Midnight Riders on the pitch for a check presentation next Spring when wegive the Mass. Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society the $$$ from the Charity Auction.
That would be Margaret Mead. I know, I checked. Anyway - It's been a month - how's Todd doing? Hope he is having a happy holiday season!
Todd is doing very well. He is at home where he has a pretty free run of things, and he can go out as long as he doesn't mix with crowds much. His immune system is still rebuilding itself, but he feels good and the prognosis looks clear going forward.
Today's word: "Todd is doing very well and it seems the bone marrow is working to everyone's satisfaction. His doctor's were amazed how quickly he left the hospital after the procedure and if everything stays on course until the end of June, he will be in total remission." Good news, indeed.
Todd has had a rough month coming off of one of the drugs he had been taking as part of his recovery, but his spirits are high and now he's through the first 100 days after his transplant. As he explains it, there are a couple of big milestones in coming back from a bone marrow transplant. The first is making it to 100 days without your immune system rejecting the new marrow and shutting down completely. The next is at roughly six months when his system is strong enough to tolerate mixing with the masses again. And the last one comes at the one year mark, when they basically declare that you're cured and can proceed to live forever. I think the biggest problem he's having is boredom. He's used to working pretty hard and staying active and busy. Currently he's confined (more or less) to quarters and unable to really pour himself into any meaningful work. I know that he and Lynn are still gearing up and raising money for the Leukemia Society, and that Lynn has been training hard for the Boston Marathon (the thing she's doing to raise funds). I know they'd appreciate any donations people want to make. Contact me off-line if you want to know how to contribute.
He's a former general manager of the Revolution, the last one to be exact. He's been battling leukemia for over a year now and has fought through radiation therapy and a bone marrow transplant. The Magpie
Here'e hoping that everything turns out for the best for Todd. He's a great guy and ambassador for the game.
Fresh off the keyboard: "Todd is doing very well and on the road to a full recovery. He needs to get to the year mark in remission and than he is considered totally cured. I think that will be in November. They have raised over $20,000 for the Leukemia Society thanks to the help of many and Lynne will be running the marathon with their team. He is applying for a lot of jobs and is interested in becoming a high school AD or working in college sports as an administrator. Please let everyone know the prayers are very appreciated and he is feeling much better. It really has been an amazing turnaround."