Blood Drive and Bone Marrow Registry in Honor of Maureen's Memory

Yesterday, in cooperation with the Red Cross and Be the Match and Saint Michael's Parish, we hosted a blood drive and bone marrow registry in honor of Maureen.  The turnout for the blood drive was fantastic.  Since it was our first blood drive, the Red Cross had set a goal of 34 units of blood; however, we collected 51 units of blood and could have collected much more.  We had to turn people away because the Red Cross ran out of supplies!  It was a great tribute to Maureen.  I had a great deal of help in putting this together from a wonderful group of friends.  The team of volunteers canvassed North Andover and surrounding towns putting up posters and put links on their Facebook pages, etc. and even set up a Sign  Up Genius for volunteers to sign up.  They also assisted on the day of the drive.  Many businesses throughout the area displayed the posters. Stachey's Pizza, owned by our friends the Hollands, kept us fueled with donated pizza!  I am very grateful to all of these dear friends who put in time and effort to make this a fitting tribute to Maureen's memory.

Three of the nurses who cared for Maureen at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center - Bridgett, Julie and Sam - came out to the blood drive.  It was wonderful to see them again.

As if it wasn't a big enough day already, it was also Emma's 16th birthday!  Emma's volleyball team came to help with the blood drive (they were too young to actually donate), and the coach, Ms. Pinkston donated a unit of blood!  While it certainly wasn't your typical "sweet sixteen" party, it was definitely a very meaningful one.  However, we did have birthday cake and sang "Happy Birthday"!

Maureen's mother Kay came in from Ohio for a visit, staying here from Saturday through yesterday, and my sister Gina also made a surprise visit from New York, coming to Emma's volleyball game on Monday and staying through this morning.  Maureen's Aunt Debbie, her cousin Margien and her cousin Joe's wife Jane, were all present at the blood drive.

I can't say, "thank you", enough to all of the volunteers who made this such a successful event.  Their efforts were testimony to how much they loved Maureen and wanted this to be a fitting tribute to her memory.

Jim

Visit to Beth Israel and Blood and Bone Marrow Donor Drive in Maureen’s memory.

On June 7 Emma and I went in to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) to visit with some of the staff.  It was a moving experience to go back to where Maureen had spent so much time being treated for leukemia.  We visited 7 Feldberg (the hospital floor where Maureen was a patient) and the two clinic areas, Shapiro and Stoneman.  Julie Mitchell, one of the nurses who Maureen and our family became very close to, came in on her day off.  We also spent a good deal of time with Sam (Maureen’s admitting nurse on December 16, 2014 and who, with Julie, was caring for Maureen the day that she passed.  We also spent a good deal of time with Dr. Matt Weinstock, who cared for Maureen as a fellow and will become an attending physician in August.

We also attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new center that Dr. Avigan (Maureen’s attending physician) leads.  In addition to caring for patients, Dr. Avigan is developing revolutionary new therapies for fighting cancer using the patient’s own immune system.  For those of you who have generously given to the tribute fund, this is where the money is going.  This center will be leading a collaboration of major medical centers throughout the country in developing a way to vaccinate cancer patients.  The method fuses a sample of the patent’s dendritic cells (the “teacher” immune cells, so I’m told) with a sample of the patient’s cancer cells to develop a vaccine that is readmitted to the patient to teach their immune system to attack the cancer.  It has shown success in a number of patients and the program with the other cancer centers currently has hundreds of patients enrolled.

Finally, we have set the date for a blood and bone marrow registry drive for Tuesday, September 26  Saint Michael’s Parish Center in North Andover.  During her two years of treatment, Maureen received hundreds of units of blood products (mainly platelets and also red blood cells) and she also received one stem cell infusion from a donor in Germany as well as two lymphocyte infusions.   We are working with Saint Michael Parish, the American Red Cross and Be the Match.  The drive will run from 2 until 7 pm.  Volunteers are needed.  And I’d especially like to get some volunteers who are medical professionals.

Finally, I’d like to thank the Guggenbergers, Panos’, Poleretzky’s and Turks, who hosted a beautiful BBQ for my 40^th birthday (some people will tell you it’s my 60^th, but I’m told that 60 is the new 40 J!  Fortunately, the weather was great.  It was a really wonderful evening that I will always remember.  We even had an accordion player playing “Happy Birthday”!  There was a roast as well, and I hope that no one believes some of the less flattering stories you might have heard of my past!

Thank you all.

Jim

Maureen's headstone in place

Yesterday Maureen's headstone was put in place at Ridgewood Cemetery in North Andover.  Some photos are below. The kids and I are doing well.  Joe is busy with school and is also having a great track season at Bowdoin and he will be going to South Korea in the fall for a semester abroad.  Emma is doing extremely well at school and is doing throwing events on the track team.  We also hope to get together in the coming weeks with some of the staff that cared for Maureen at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.  Our thanks and love to you all.

Jim

Today Maureen's remains were buried at Ridgewood Cemetery in North Andover, MA.  We were joined by family and a handful of close friends.  The headstone will be in place in a few weeks.  I will take a photo of it once in place and post it on the blog so that if some of you want to visit you will know what to look for.

I want to thank everyone who has supported us over these past few years and wished us well.  We can all take some solace that Maureen is with her beloved sister Eileen and her father Ed.  I also want to thank those of you that have generously contributed to the tribute fund that I established in Maureen's memory at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.  100% of the funds will go toward research that Dr. Avigan and his staff are working on that we hope will improve the lives of future leukemia patients.

Thank you,

Jim Staudt

An update:

I have learned that Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) does not yet have Maureen's Tribute fund up on the site.  So, please just send a check to them with "Maureen Staudt" in the memo line.  Address and other info on my blog post from yesterday.

Jim

Hi, this is Jim again.  Those of you who wish to make a donation in Maureen's memory can do so to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.  I can tell you that they took fantastic care of Maureen and Maureen's medical team, led by Dr. Avigan, is doing great work both in the clinic and in the research field that he hopes will make a difference for future leukemia patients.

Donations can be made at www.bidmc.org/giving or by check made payable to "Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center" with "Maureen Staudt" on the memo line and mailed to:

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Office of Development
330 Brookline Avenue - OV
Boston, MA 02215

Be sure to indicate "Maureen Staudt" to assure that the money goes to her tribute fund.  This way the money can be accumulated in her name.  Depending upon the level of funding that we are able to reach, it may enable the money to be directed specifically to some areas - and particularly those that would help leukemia patients like Maureen.

Also, once I get my head above water I am going to look into starting a public charity in her name to help with further fundraising.  The outpouring of support for us to honor Maureen at the funeral was very moving, and I think that if we can keep this energy going to do some more good, it would be a great way to keep Maureen in our memory and honor her.

Thank you all for your support for us.

Jim Staudt

Maureen's Funeral

Today was Maureen's funeral.  It was a beautiful service.  Our pastor, Fr. Deeley presided, with Maureen's two uncles, Frs. Mike and Dan Crosby, and Fr. Chris Ohazulume from BIDMC concelebrating. Also, Deanna Bosco and Mia Gage - friends of Emma's - leant us their beautiful voices as cantors.

I want to thank all of our family, friends, neighbors and the Saint Michael community for the support and generosity in helping put this together.  It was a beautiful send off for a beautiful person that touched our lives in so many ways.  The Hollands were incredibly generous in providing food from their restaurant, Stacheys both Sunday afternoon and  for the reception today.  My sister Lorie acted as my "Chief of Staff" helping coordinate the various support activities from the army of people that were at my disposal.

A number of people asked for a copy of the Remembrance that I gave.  It follows below:

I met Maureen in March of 1991.  She was beautiful, smart, and so incredibly funny.   She had an amazing and infectious spirit for life.  We instantly spent all of our time together.  At first, my single friends wondered if they had lost me to her, but they soon realized that they had gained a fantastic friend.

Maureen had a gift for making life fun.  She loved people and loved to make them laugh . . . almost as much as she loved to make herself laugh.

Elvis Presley once sang of love, that only fools jump in.  But, as the lyrics of that song continue, I couldn’t help but fall in love with her. 

That summer, returning with her to Massachusetts after visiting my parents, I told her that I loved her.

I still remember that awkward moment because - believe it or not - it was a few weeks before she reciprocated!

We were engaged in January 1992 and married on the Fourth of July 1992, only about 15 months after we met.

I wish that I could spare you the joke about losing my independence on Independence Day, but I just can’t pass that up.

Shortly after we moved to North Andover in 1996 Joseph was born.  We were blessed in so many ways – wonderful neighbors and friends, and this wonderful Saint Michael community.  My family adored Maureen and Maureen’s family welcomed me as a son and brother. 

On September 26, 2001, Maureen received what she always called her greatest birthday present, our beautiful daughter Emma.  We now had two incredible gifts from God.

As a mother, Maureen was more than loving.  She adored our children and engendered in them her love of life and her sense of family and community.

On December 16, 2014 I was on my way to take a train to New York.  As I parked my car in the route 128 train station parking lot, my client called me and asked if I had boarded the train. At that moment I didn’t realize how lucky it was that the call wasn’t a few minutes later.  My client had only learned a few minutes prior that the meeting in New York was cancelled.   On my way home I received a call from Maureen.  She needed to see a doctor and possibly head directly from his office to the hospital.

We were informed by the staff at the hospital that Maureen had an aggressive form of leukemia and might not make it through the night.  But Maureen’s will to live was simply too great.  For almost two years Maureen defied the odds, and she did it with dignity, grace and her wonderful sense of humor – the same qualities that caused me to fall in love with her back in 1991.

It was during these two years that she exhibited her courage as she battled for her life.  More courage than I ever imagined any person could muster.

 She never let others know her fears, and despite her grave situation, she would joke with the doctors, nurses and the aides, treating everyone with kindness and respect.  The staff at Beth Israel came to love her, and she them.

Despite her battle with leukemia, Maureen was determined to be present at many of our children’s important life events – Joseph’s high school graduation, when we took him to college, Emma’s graduation from Saint Michael’s, her first day of high school, Joe’s track meets and Emma’s volley ball games. 

She volunteered to work on school activities like the Saint Michael memory book.  She simply would not allow her disease to prevent her from being a part of Joseph and Emma’s lives.

Maureen even went with Emma to a One Direction concert in Foxboro. 

And, only a week before she passed, she was present at the annual Thanksgiving gathering that we have with close friends.

Today, Maureen is with the Lord and with her beloved sister Eileen and her father Ed.  She is also with my parents who loved her as a daughter.  Her spirit has inspired everyone who is here and many others who could not be here today.  She is deeply loved and missed.

This is Jim again.

As some of you may have noticed in Maureen's obituary, we are working to establish a way to honor Maureen’s memory by helping to give hope to future leukemia patients and help families living with this disease. We will announce more details on the blog in the coming weeks.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to seeing you over these next few days.

Jim

Accomodations

For our family and friends that are making travel arrangements, we wanted to let you know that the Redmond clan is staying at the Spring Hill Suites in Andover (Minutemann Road, 978-688-8200). Thank you to all who have reached out to us with your condolences.  We appreciate all of your prayers and look forward to visiting with everyone throughout the coming days.

2014 Family Reunion

I just learned from the Conte Funeral Home director that the GPS works best if you input the address as 17 3rd Street rather than 17 Third Street.  So, if one doesn't work, the other will.   The Conte Funeral Home is very close to Saint Michael Church.

Thank you.

Jim

We have confirmed the time and date of the Funeral.

We will have visiting hours from 1-5 on Sunday, December 4 at the Conte Funeral Home located at 17 Third Street, North Andover, MA.

The funeral mass will be on Monday December 5th at 10 am at Saint Michael's Church at 196 Main Street, North Andover, MA

Thank you.

Jim

Maureen passed away shortly before 6am this morning.  I was with her at the time and the kids were also here at the hospital.

I will start to make arrangements for the funeral mass this morning and I hope to soon let you know what the arrangements are.

Thank you for all of your prayers.

Jim

This is Jim again.  Maureen continues to sleep peacefully.  Joe and Emma are with me at the hospital this evening.

Today Father Chris, the priest at BIDMC, gave Maureen the sacrament of Last Rites.  Those in attendance included me, Joe, Emma, Kay, my sister Lorie, Kay's sister Debbie, Maureen's cousin Joe, his wife Jane and their daughter Caroline, our neighbors Karen and Megan Collins, and our good friend Zoltan Poleretzky.  Father Chris came to know our family very well over these past two years.  In addition to bringing the sacraments to the room, he said mass every Sunday at the Chapel, which Maureen attended when she was well enough and weather permitted (the Chapel is in the West Campus - which requires going outside to get to).  So, it was a great blessing to have him with us today.

Later this afternoon my brother Tom and Maureen's sister Kate arrived.  Kate and Kay are sleeping at Maureen's cousin Mark's apartment this evening.  Mark came by in the evening to visit with us and pick up Kate and Kay.

Joseph and Emma have held up very well.  I am so very proud of how they have handled this and I know that Maureen has left me a wonderful gift in the two of them. 

Thank you again for all of the love and prayers.

Jim

Maureen slept through the night.  Kay and I stayed in the room while Joe and Emma slept in the family room that is located near the unit.  The focus has been on keeping Maureen comfortable.  Today, Sam will be Maureen's nurse.  Sam was the nurse who cared for Maureen the night we checked her into BIDMC on December 16, 2014.

You may be wondering, "Who has been caring for Guinness?"  Yesterday both our neighbor Scott Collins and our dear friend Zoltan Poleretzky dropped in on Guinness - sometimes in sequence!  I'm sure that Guinness loved all of the attention.  Today, Zoltan will be dropping in on him.

My sister Lorie will be arriving from Virginia today, and later this afternoon, Maureen's sister Kate will arrive.

Thank you again for your prayers and support.

Jim

An update on  Maureen.

Maureen has been sleeping the entire day.  During the brief periods when she was awake, she was not fully aware.  The medical team has been working to keep her comfortable.  It is likely that things will develop quickly.  As a result, Joe, Emma and I will spend another night at hotel BIDMC.  Last night I slept in the bed adjacent to Maureen's and Joe and Emma slept in the family room near the elevators.

Today Maureen was surrounded by people who love her.  Joe, Emma and I were joined by Megan Collins (Joe's friend from when he wore diapers) and Megan's mom Karen.  Maureen's mother Kay flew in from Ohio and is here with us.  My friend Jim Monaghan and his wife Denise also joined us.  Our dear friends from Saint Michael's church Ann Marie Guggenberger, Marie Panos, and Amy Turk paid Maureen a visit as well.

We are grateful to all of our friends who are helping out at home - keeping an eye on Guinness as well as other things.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

Jim

Hi.  This is Jim.  Maureen enjoyed Thanksgiving away from the hospital with some close friends.  On Friday, she was readmitted to the hospital because she was getting weaker.  She  has grown weaker over these past few days.  It appears that her condition has grown worse, and she may have an infection as well as the leukemia getting worse.

As you know, we were hoping for Maureen to start a trial drug this week.  This is on hold.

Maureen has beaten the odds over and over again thanks to your love and support.  At this point the medical team thinks that Maureen could pass away in the next day or so.  We have grown so accustomed to her bouncing back from these things that it seems inconceivable that she will not rally once more.  However, this time is definitely different.

I know that many of you love Maureen very much and want updates on her condition.  I would be grateful if you could rely on the blog for information. It will be very difficult and time consuming for me to respond to texts and calls from everyone who cares so much for Maureen.  I will do my  best to use this as a way to keep everyone informed.

I also know that some of you may want to come.  Maureen is currently in the hospital in Boston.  But, the closest hotel to our home is the Holiday Inn Express in Lawrence, MA.  There are also hotels in Andover, MA.

Update 11/19 - 11-20

Family Fun:
Kate was with us this was week.  We had a lovely time and she was tremendously helpful  (this was a high care week for me; one of those weeks where I was too weak to do much for myself and she, along with my nurses kept me going.  I  think she and Emma/Jim had fun as well.

Medical Updates:
I was entered into the Phase 1 clinical trial which begins early next week.  Wonderful news!!! The combination of drugs (Revlimid and Velcade) in the trial is specifically designed for patients like me with Acute Myeloid leukemia that relapsed within a year of stem cell transplant. 

In terms of the drugs themselves

• Revlimid is a drug that alters the immune system and it may also interfere with the development of tiny blood vessels that help support tumor growth.  Therefore it may reduce or prevent the growth of cancer cells. 
• Velcade is a drug that helps offset the possible negative side effects of Revlimid.  Horrible oversimplification but the best I can do as I continue to wrap my arms around the power of this potentially curative trial.

Now as to timing with an eye to Thanksgiving around the corner...we are very hopeful the trial begins early enough to get me home for Thanksgiving.  In the early days they want me in the hospital for observation as I take the Revlimid pill on day 1 and the Velcade shot on day 2.  Good chance I will be home for Thanksgiving but I won't know until Monday or Tuesday

Going forward the plan is for me to do the trial as an outpatient driving in and out on the required days.  However the first few days have me in the hospital as an inpatient. 

Thanks for checking in and I'll sprinkle in more details as the trial moves forward.

Love, Maureen

Update 11/12 - 11/13

Family Fun:  Several visitors this week helped the time pass quickly in the hospital.  I may head home next week before starting new treatments. 

Medical Update;  the down and dirty:  I am moving to the  next phase of treatment which involves an immune boosting drug and a drug to offset the potentially dangerous side effects of the immune boosting drug.  The cycles last 21 days of actively taking the drugs followed by a rest period.  I will be evaluated constantly to make sure I am not having negative reactions.

Medical Update; the details:  For the last several weeks I've been talking about a clinical trial as the next course of treatment.  I've been waiting to be approved with the approval contingent upon

• improved heart function,
• a certain number of days post chemo,
• my blood counts in a certain place (Platelets not too low; white counts not too high....)
• and some other criteria. 

My improved heart function is referring to my ejection fraction or the measurement of the percentage of blood leaving my heart each time it contracts.  It was 20% in a recent ultrasound due to the assault from all the chemos  over the last 2 years.  A couple dahys ago it was just above 40% - still low but acceptable for the trial. 

The increasing white counts were the scariest number for me.  Generally after chemo the white counts bottom out taking the blast count or leukemia count in my blood down with them.  That did not happen with these last two rounds of chemo.  Instead I've been battling an increasing white blood count along with increased leukemia activity since the last two chemo rounds.  Fortunately we found a medication called Hydrea that temporarily suppresses both my white blood count and leukemia count. 

So with an improved heart function and less leukemia in my blood stream I got the go ahead for the trial. All good stuff.

Thanks for checking in.

Love Maureen

Weekend - 11/6 -11/5

Family Fun:  Kate arrived on Sunday 10/30.  We had a lovely dinner and chance to kick off a week of catching up.  Emma went trick or treating using the devil ears and tail her Aunt Mary Anne sent (to me!)  She had a great time with her long time Halloween posse.  Joe started Winter track and we hope to see him both at Bowdoin and some local meets here in Boston.  He continues to wait for word on his Tae Kwon Do/MMA club.  Enthusiasm is high; just waiting on insurance sign  off.  Finally we enjoyed a wonderful visit from Rich and Ann (Jim's brother and sister in law).  After such a tough, uncertain week it was so amazing to have Kate here every day providing love and support topped off by the wonderful conversation and love from Rich and Ann.  My cousin Margein joined us earlier in the week and she and Kate went out to dinned while I had an MRI on my back, leg and liver.  Looking forward to seeing Glen and Kirsten on Sunday - along with Jim and Emma tomorrow!

Medical Update:  I am back in the hospital as of Halloween.  We are trying to position me for the next round of treatment.  One metric is having the disease under control (i.e. not growing)  Sadly my disease has not been very cooperative.  My white counts were rising after this last round of chemo (they are supposed to drop after the chemo then stay in a low range for a couple weeks).  Along with the white counts rising my leukemia blasts were rising unabated.  Not a good spot for me.  However through medications and divine inspiration (your thoughts and prayers) both the white cells and leukemia cells dropped today.  We hope this is the beginning of a pattern that gets me to the next round of treatment.  At the minimum it is a good day and I thank those I love for reminding me of this.

Oh and I have a slipped disk - my doctor says everyone over 50 has a slipped disk (Ha Ha) but, um ouch.  Hopefully pain which kind of lives in my back and runs up and down my left leg will go away soon .  Also have water in my lungs (not pneumonia) but medication is helping that drain away so should be non-issue soon.

So that's it - thanks so much for checking in

Love Moe

Weekend Update 10/29 - 10/30

Family Fun:  I can't quite remember what I've put in previous blogs so briefly here is what's been going on.  Jim went to Family Weekend at Bowdoin and he and Joseph had a great time.  They had a nice Thai dinner on Friday.  Saturday they attended a lecture on Sir Thomas Moore and went to a couple Bowdon museums.  They both enjoyed their time together and I am so glad it worked out.  Gina (Jims sister) came back for a second visit and her first job was to bring me home from the hospital (Monday 10/24).  We had a great week and Emma was happily spoiled.  Emma had her last Volleyball game on Friday and the team played so well.  Until Friday I hadn't seen her team play and play they did.  Another sin for the girls Junior Varsity!!  Jim's friend Bob and wife Joan are here this weekend.  We had a lovely dinner last night and today Jim took them on a tour of the North Shore of Mass.  Kate arrived this morning and has been busy pulling the hose together while also being wonderful company. 

Medical Update:  I came home Monday after a 10 day course of chemo.  Being home this week has been wonderful.  I'm hoping it can extend a bit butt anticipate going in within the next 1 - 2 weeks for more treatments.  My liver function numbers are high but fortunately coming down - this could be a reaction to a new drug.  Some of my other lab values are off and if they continue to trend in a bad direction I could go back into the hospital sooner rather that later.  For now I am home, getting my treatments as an outpatient and live is pretty good. 

Thanks for checking in

Love,  Maureen