A Crowning Achievement
Friday, December 16, 2011 at 8:13PM At the bottom of this article is a picture of my sister, Maggie, and my brother-in-law, Bud, taken today, December 16, 2011. Bud, many of you may recall, was diagnosed with AML (acute myelogenous leukemia) in December of 2003. His initial treatment, a brand new clinical trial, began in April, 2004, and ran through January, 2005. It failed.
Bud underwent a bone marrow transplant on April 19, 2005. The host donor remains anonymous, but he and my sister did find out the marrow came from a man in Europe. In April of 2012, they will be celebrating 7 years in remission. This is due to Bud’s incredible focus and will to live, my sister’s unrequited love and resolve, and the exemplary work and tenacity of the dedicated professionals at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas and Orlando, Florida, who saved his life.
In commemoration of Bud’s crowning achievement, Maggie made him a little blinking-light tiara, which he wore today when we ate lunch at Bahama Breeze on International Drive in Orlando. The “M” in AML used to stand for Myelogenous, but today it stands for Miracle.
I will be writing more about Bud’s journey in the near future, along with the work of St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which was brought to my attention by Simon Barrett. YES! That Simon Barrett. (See: DVD Review: Jingle Hell)
This holiday season, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and the producers of the independent film “Jingle Hell,” in conjunction with the film’s distributor Janson Media, are teaming up to raise money for kids’ cancer research.
If you would like to learn more about becoming a bone marrow donor, please visit the National Marrow Donor Program.
Maggie & Bud - December 16, 2011 - Bahama Breeze, Orlando
Lunch with Mom, Dad & Dave
Dave Knechel | tagged AML, Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, Bahama Breeze, Janson Media, Jingle Hell, MD Anderson Cancer Center, National Marrow Donor Program, Simon Barrett, St. Baldrick's Foundation | in Dave Knechel, David B. Knechel, David Knechel, Disease, Human Interest, Marinade Dave, Marinade Dave Knechel, Marinade Dave’s Caylee Anthony Posts, marinadedave | Share Article 
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Reader Comments (14)
I'm very happy for Bud! I pray he stays in remission for the rest of his natural life.
Happy Holidays, Dave, and to your family, and all of you knechelheads, too! :-P
Thank you so very much, Sherry. We are all praying that Bud remains in remission for many, many years to come. So far, so good.
Happy Holidays to you, too, Sherry. You're the Bomb! Sherry Bomb... oh... never mind.
Dave~ ~thank you for sharing Bud and Maggie with us. I totally agree with the 'M' for Miracle. My niece had a bone marrow transplant but they were able to harvest her own bone marrow. She has Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. She had her transplant about ten years ago and is doing well. I am familar with the procedure in getting the patient prepared to receive the bone marrow and it is no easy picnic. Bud is lucky that his body accepted the donor marrow as that is not always the case.
I am hoping that advancements will be made in stem cell research as cancer has become almost an epidemic. One in every five people will have some form of cancer and those statistics are darn scarey.
Well, Dave, the hematologist got to take a peek at your bone marrow not that long ago. I am thankful that the philadelphia chromosome was not present.
Maggie is a sweetheart and Bud is a trooper. They make such a wonderful, caring couple. God Bless them both.
Thanks, Snoopy. You know, Quite literally, he was a walking dead man for a week, or a month - I don't recall. His own DNA had to be destroyed in order for his body to accept the host DNA. Had his been left intact, his body would have fought the new stuff. Even so, he and my sister were told the transplant was a 50/50 deal and if he rejected the new DNA, his organs would shut down and he would be dead in a month. But it was a deal he had to take as a last resort. It's hard to believe it's been that long, because I wrote about the road trip Stewart and I took out to Houston in 2005. He had just received the transplant and I'm telling you, he looked worse than death warmed over. He was so frail, and a shell of the man he once was, but that's in the past. To look at him today, you'd never know it. Thank God for that.
Oh yes, when I was about to get my bone marrow biopsy, I got to talk to a pro about it first. He told me it hurt a little during the procedure, but not after. He was right, and that set me at ease before I got it.
kEEP ON Trucking Bud an your Sister good to hear that they are happy an have each other an a loveing family....
And they will read your message on Monday, ecossie, when they return home to Cape Canaveral. Thank you. It's important to have a loving family - and each other for support.
Yer a funny guy, Dave~ lol!~
Oh... you got it! I couldn't resist, but I didn't notice it until I got home. It was perfect!
I'm glad Bud is doing really good. :) That little blinking-light tiara looks funny on him.
We are all super glad that Bud has been in remission. Thank you for your kind words. By the way, I did write about the tiara, but to be honest, I was being comical, which I do once in a while. That blinking-light tiara is really just something I saw in the photo and used to my advantage. It's really a light hanging from the ceiling, and after you hang around here for awhile, you'll start to understand my weird sense of humor.
Dave, great picture of Bud and Maggie. 7 years in remission is wonderful. I hope he stays in remission the rest of his life. It is nice of you to share their story with all of us. I believe in miracles as I have seen a few people go through things and they have gotten their miracle and survived.
It really is a nice picture, Mary Jo. I took individual shots, too, but this one was the best to use in the context of this post, especially with that silly looking thing on his head. Actually, the rest of the story is true, and it has been a miracle. We all hope and pray he remains in remission. He does go back to Houston every year for a check-up. They had to live there for some time, too. The medical district alone is at least the size of downtown Orlando. It's very impressive.
Hi All,
Glad to hear Bud is doing well. I am going to register as a marrow donor on Monday as there is a child in my area that they are campaigning to find a donor for. I have thought about doing it for years and now the reason to do so is close to home so it's time.
I read and enjoyed Jeff's book too!
Thank you, Patti O! It's a real pleasure to see you. To donate marrow is as unselfish as it gets, and for what you are about to do, I have nothing but the utmost respect. Imagine the satisfaction of knowing you may have saved a life. Wow! How wonderful!
I've yet to read Jeff's book, but I will do it very soon. I told him it was so nice to know he mentioned me in it, but I also said I amazed that he spelled my name right. You know, he didn't have to cite me by name, so that was kind of him.
It gives me joy to know that Bud has done so remarkably in his battle with cancer. There is no doubt that because of Maggie's healing love for him and together their strength in believing, miracles do happen.
Dave, Between you and Jeff Ashton, It is my very personal opinion, you are the better looking and the best man.
Hi, New Puppy! I'm fairly certain that the doctors could only give Bud a 5-year lease on life, but I think it's more about not wanting to give anyone false hope. I know a guy who had a heart transplant 12 years ago and the doctors gave him 10. He's still in good health, but there's always the underlying threat that they are living on borrowed time, and that takes some getting used to.
Thank you on the Ashton comparison. Flattery will get you everywhere!
Ethan Hodges a 6th grader fighting leukemia, The Only Christmas Present He has asked For is Enough Cards to Fill His Hospital Walls.... ETHAN HODGES, Room 914, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston Salem, N.C. 27157...... Take Time to Send this Child a card..... Thanks SEND THIS BABY A CARD AND MAKE SURE YOU REPOST THIS, LET'S MAKE HIS WISH COME TRUE..
To everyone - the person who published this comment did so at my request. She is from my home town and I spotted it on our home town page. Now, I am going to encourage every one of you to send Ethan a Christmas card. Please? He is more than worth the effort.
Thank you,
Dave
Hey Dave
That's a wonderful outcome for your family. So happy for you all. Ha, love the tiara! Young Ethan has a card on the way from two cheeky little Aussie kids.
Hi, Tiffany - Yes, so far, so good, and I hope and pray it remains that way for years to come. That is very sweet of you to send Ethan a card from your children. Thank you!
I thought this next song was very appropriate....
You Belong To My Heart- for Maggie and Bud
Boy, I haven't heard a Jerry Vale song in years, and I mean YEARS! Thanks.
Merrynade~~this may be a bit off topic but I had to say how much I like your banner. It is real classy or should that be unique? Very nice indeed!
Thanks, Snoopy. I knew when I saw it, it was a keeper. Very classy and traditional looking.
I wonder if Maggie knows how agile her brother is. I hope this works... it is a must see. LOL
Senor Knechel
Ha! I'll have to make sure she sees it. Thanks, Snoopy!
You are really riding in style Dave, I see a goose on that sleigh.
Very observant of you, New Puppy. I wonder if this is the goose that lays the golden eggs. Thanks.