Today Bill had his first office visit with the oncologist, Dr. Sui. Dr. Sui reviewed all of Bill's records and also talked with Dr. Kady (pathologist) who had talked with the folks at the Mayo Clinic. Inititially Dr. Sui thought perhaps all of Bill's symptoms might be the result of a massive viril infection which can sometimes cause evidence of T-cells to be present. However, after Dr. Sui talked with the other docs he concluded that probably wasn't the case. The results from the Mayo folks are somewhat unclear. They have given a preliminary result of lymphocytic leukemia but are not definitive about the diagnosis at all. They suggest more tests and analysis.

The next step is a referral to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. That referral was made today and we expect an appointment with them in the next couple of weeks. So, once again, patience is the order of the day/week/month.

Bill and Marcia both feel like they are getting stronger. Bill's platelet and white counts continue to improve. In fact, that's part of the problem with a diagnosis. He's not supposed to be getting better and yet seems to show signs of improvement.

Yesterday, Marcia celebrated the big "60" with many cards, flowers, calls, emails and Facebook posts. How can either of us thank you enough for remembering us? We also received a wonderful gift from many of you today - a caterer to fix meals for us! How thoughtful of you. She's coming tomorrow to talk about food choices so we can stay within Bill's dietary requirements. We'll enjoy every morsel and think of you as we do. What a thoughtful idea!

We'll keep you posted as we learn more.