Lane’s Road to Recovery

09/05/2023

Just a quick update/praise report that I am late on posting...
Some of you may be aware of this information already, but for those of you who are not, we are excited to share it with you!

Lane has officially completed his 100 days post transplant! Typically after any kind of transplant, the hospital wants you to stay within a certain mile radius of the hospital for the first 100 days incase of any emergency complications with the transplant. Lane has cleared his 100 days with absolutely no major medical complications. This just means that the most "at risk" time post transplant is over! We are SO grateful for this! We pray that his healing continues as smoothly as it has been thus far.

According to Lane's most recent bone marrow biopsy, Lane is now 100% donor cells and cancer free! It is hard to type that without tearing up. Getting those results back and hearing that information is so humbling and it is the best information we could ever ask for. This means that his body has 100% accepted the transplant cells and that the new cells have taken over and multiplied while preventing the cancer cells from coming back. To say that we are incredibly proud of him is an understatement. His routine doctor visits continue to become farther and farther apart as his blood levels and numbers look great.

Lane's journey has been a tough one, but he never gave up and will never give up for one second. Although it is far from over, we are so thankful for the progress he has made up to this point and we will choose to rejoice over the small and large victories as they come. Lane, we are so incredibly proud of you and in constant awe of the strength that you embody. You have never let this diagnosis get in your way of accomplishing your goals and chasing your dreams. We are so thankful that you've kept your heart and goofiness throughout this whole process and we are in awe of the perseverance you show on a daily basis. Proud doesn't cover it. There are no words to express our admiration and appreciation for you.

We continue to ask for prayers that his healing journey will continue as planned and for strength on the days that seem to be a little tougher than others. Thank you all for the prayers and support!

08/06/2023

Hello everyone!

I apologize that it has been SO long since I have updated this page, but…. No news, is good news!!

I just wanted to start by saying that we were so blessed to have gotten to see and hug so many of you at the 80th anniversary dinner last night. It was so wonderful to feel all of the love and support that you guys have endlessly given to us along this journey. We seriously cannot thank you enough and we wouldn’t be where we are without you guys. It was so nice for me personally (Bri) to put some faces to names and to get to meet so many of the people that Lane speaks so highly of. You guys are amazing and we are so thankful to have all of you in our lives.

Next… a general update!
Lane is doing AMAZING. He has been home since the second week of June. He now only has one appointment down at Barnes once every two weeks! Which is so good. That means that his blood work numbers look great and that they don’t feel the need to check them as often. His nausea has gotten SO much better in the last few weeks… and get this… he has a full head of hair!!!!! We’ve cried over it a few times because we are just so thankful for the simple things in life. He’s in the process of weaning off of most of his medication and so far, that’s going pretty well! He has a bone marrow biopsy this coming week, which is just routine! We are praying for good results, as always!

Again, we are so grateful and thankful for each and every one of you. ♥️ thank you for blessing Lane, our families, and I. It’s overwhelming in the best way possible and we’ll never be able to thank you enough.

05/23/2023

BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!!!
Lane is headed home! He did it!!!!!! We are SO incredibly proud of him and so thankful for all of the prayers and support you guys have offered throughout this journey.
His journey is not over quite yet as he will still have routine blood work and check ups for a long period of time, but we are celebrating the victories as they come!
Lane will be on an anti rejection medication for the rest of his life and a few other medications for the time being, but the major ordeal is that he fought his absolute hardest and came out a victor. And we are so happy.
Lane, thank you for being such a trooper through this whole process. You are stronger than anyone realizes and have managed to keep your goofy personality and a smile on your face through the whole thing. You are such a light in this world and we can’t wait to watch you continue to spread your never ending joy and positivity. Here’s to forever 🍻💐🎉🧡

05/22/2023

Good morning friends,

Not much is happening for Lane right now. It is a waiting game until they release him to go home. On the positive side, his neutrophils (healthy white blood cells) have been on the rise. This means the transplant is doing its job and building a new immune system for Lane. He will continued to be monitored until he goes home! We are praying it is soon ♥️
Please continue to pray for comfort and peace during these uncomfortable times. We appreciate all of you!

05/11/2023

It has officially been 1 week since Lane’s transplant. We are so happy to report that he has been doing great. He struggles with some on and off nausea, but that’s about it! They’re doing great helping him control that. He’s been feeling pretty tired, but both of these things are normal for the first few weeks post transplant. No fevers and no signs of rejection yet! He’s one tough man and we are so proud of him. We are hoping he continues to feel better every single day.
He is COMPLETELY done with chemo! This is so exciting! As of now, he will not have to receive any more chemo treatments. He is currently on immunosuppressants to prevent graft vs. host disease (transplant rejection). These drugs shut off his immune system to prevent it from attacking the new stem cells and to allow the transplant to do what it needs to do (build new healthy white blood cells).
Right now is just a waiting game. He is being observed closely for any infection or fevers. We are unsure of when he will be able to return home, but the nurses told us that as long as he continues to handle the anti-rejection meds well with no fevers and less nausea, he will be on his way home before we know it.
His platelets are finally low enough that he is off of his blood thinners for a little while. (We are excited about this while it lasts!) He will likely have to continue these once his white blood cell numbers recover due to the clot in his leg still being present.
We are praying that everything continues to go as planned and that he will get to go home sooner rather than later! Thank you to everyone who has reached out and continued to pray! We appreciate all of you!

05/05/2023

A pre-transplant prayer said by Lane’s sister, Whitney, kicked off the big evening. We are so incredibly grateful we could get her on FaceTime to have her here with us ♥️
It was an emotional night for us as Lane received his bone marrow transplant around 5 PM. Everything went as planned and we are blessed to say that he has been feeling pretty good. Still quite tired and exhausted from the week, but we are hoping he continues to heal.
He will begin a new chemo Sunday evening in order to keep the bad cells at bay, and he will also begin immunosuppressive drugs around the same time to prevent his immune system from fighting the transplant.
Please keep him in your prayers as we maneuver through these next few days post transplant 🧡
Thank you to everyone who reached out and wished him luck. He appreciates each one of you deeply.
Happy day zero!!!!!

05/04/2023

Good morning friends and family,
ITS TRANSPLANT DAY!!!!!!!!
We couldn’t be more excited for Lane as he receives his transplant later this evening. He has two radiation treatments during the day today and his transplant will take place 2-3 hours after his last radiation treatment. (Should be around 4/5 PM) Please keep him in your prayers that the transplant goes smoothly, that his body accepts it with no issues, and that he continues to show improvements. IT’S DAY ZERO!! 🧡

We are SO incredibly thankful for the person who donated stem cells to give Lane a chance at a long and happy life. The thankfulness brings me to tears. If you are able, please consider joining the bone marrow registry on bethematch.com. This registry is full of people waiting to give someone a brand new chance at life. We all have the ability to make an impact and Lane will personally feel that impact today. Grateful isn’t even the word.

Thank you for the continued prayers! Let’s kick this thing in the butt! You got this Lane!!

Be The Match is a global leader in bone marrow transplantation and connects patients with their donor match for a life-saving marrow or blood stem cell transplant.

04/28/2023

Good afternoon friends,
Today was a big day! Today we brought Lane down to Barnes to begin the transplant process. We started the day with some routine blood work and Lane had a procedure to have a new picc line placed to prepare for the transplant. He is doing well so far, just exhausted from the eventful day.
He will begin chemo again this evening and radiation 2x per day on Monday for four days. His transplant is scheduled to take place at the end of next week. We will keep you all updated as we maneuver our way through this big week.
Please keep us in your prayers as Lane will be here for at least a month. We pray for comfort and healing and that his body will accept the transplant with no issues.

IMPORTANT : if you are interested in coming to visit lane at all, we ask that you make sure you are 110% healthy. This process will make him more immunocompromised than ever before. This means that a simple cold/cough/sniffle/stomach ache will affect him GREATLY. Please consider wearing a mask and washing your hands often if you do decide to visit. We appreciate the love, but Lane’s health is top priority.

Thank you all again for everything! Keep the positive words and prayers coming ♥️

04/11/2023

Update :
Lane started his 24 hr chemo regime again a week or so ago, and his numbers have stayed where they need to be in order for him to be home! As long as everything remains on track, he will most likely be home until he is due at Barnes to begin the bone marrow transplant process on April 28. (He still goes to weekly check ups for blood work and chemo bag changes)

We are blessed with how well things have gone over the last few weeks, and we pray it continues! Please continue to keep Lane and his family in your thoughts as he prepares for the transplant process. 🧡

04/03/2023

A quick update for you… not much is new!
Lane is back home! (He has been for almost a week.. I’m a little late, sorry!)
He’s been feeling pretty great given his circumstances. He officially has a 24 hour chemo drip that he carries with him wherever he goes. His body has been responding well to this chemo the second time around! We are very thankful and hopeful that this will continue. He will still have weekly appointments down at Barnes, but hopefully will get to remain at home until the time comes for transplant preparation!
Thank you all for consistently showing up for Lane 🧡 We appreciate it more than you know!

03/20/2023

The last order of t-shirts were shipped out this weekend and you should all receive them sometime this week! If you chose pick up, please reach out to me and we will plan how to get those to you!

This past week, Lane had to be taken off of his new chemo treatment due to his liver enzymes rising. (This just means that his liver is inflamed due to the chemo drug). They kept him off of the chemo for a few days to allow for these numbers to return to normal. He got to come home for a few nights this past weekend and will return to Barnes today (Monday) to begin the chemo again.

During his time off of the chemo, we received the news that his leukemia had begun to show up in his blood work again. It has been a while since his WBC (white blood cell) numbers had been on the rise. Although this was expected with him being off chemo, it is still slightly unsettling news.

We are praying that as he returns to Barnes today as an inpatient and begins chemo again, that his body will respond well. We need his liver enzymes to stay down and his WBC count to begin decreasing again in order for his bone marrow transplant to remain on schedule for the middle of April. They found a match for him and Lane’s body will need to rid of the cancer completely prior to receiving this transplant.

He will most likely be at Barnes for quite some time over the next few months. Please keep him and the family in your prayers for comfort and healing as he tackles this thing all over again!

We believe in you Lane! 🧡

03/14/2023

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to hop on here and say a HUGE thank you to everyone who ordered t-shirts for Lane’s cause. We were able to raise an ample amount of money and donate it to Lane and his family for medical bills and travel expenses. This was a huge blessing and we can’t say ”thank you” enough to cover how grateful we are to be able to bless them in that way!

Also, thank you to those of you that sent letters to Lane a few weeks ago! He has received them all and was overwhelmed by your kind words and endless support. It means so much to all of us!

And a quick update…
Lane had a small switch up in his chemo regime due to the blood clots he has been getting. This involves a 24 hour chemo drip that he will carry with him up until his bone marrow transplant. He has been down at Barnes since last Thursday for observation as he started this new chemo due to the side effects it may cause. He was due to return home yesterday, but unfortunately his liver enzymes rose the day he was supposed to be released. They have decided to keep him at Barnes under observation until next Monday to ensure he doesn’t have any other reactions to this chemo.
Please pray for him and his family during this time, as being in the hospital comes with many frustrations and discomfort. Although this may be true, we are grateful they are taking amazing care of him during his stay.

Thank you all again SO much. We wouldn’t be where we are without you all! God is good!