November 29/30 2007
Saving Giovanni +253/254
November 28, 2007
Saving Giovanni +252
Giovanni had another good day. He is inspiring more people to join the registry at a four day bone amrrow drive we are holding at the Radisson Hotel on Elm street in Manchester. Sixteen more people joined today, but many more will join over the next three days.
Giovanni is now eight months post transplant.
November 27, 2007
Saving Giovanni +251
Giovanni had a great day, and inspired 76 people to join the bone marrow registry at our first bone marrow drive in partnership with the NH Red Cross. The drive was held in Loudon at the saftey complex. Many of the people there knew about Giovanni and asked about him. They also commented on the billboard and his Thanksgiving day appearance on WMUR news.
Still no sign of the second tooth coming through with respect to its shape. We are hopeful he will get a break after having suffered so much.
November 22-26
Saving Giovanni +250
I am so sorry I've been remiss in my writing but we had a great Thanksgiving and family here until Sunday afternoon. Yes, Giovanni's Grandma Judy, Aunt Lisa, Uncle Tommy and niece came for the Holiday. Giovanni had a great time, we all had a great time, and the family loved seeing Giovanni, Alex, and Adrian. I did step out Saturday to add another 88 people to the registry in Rutland, Ma, for a younc girl named Alecia who needs a transplant.
Giovanni is doing extremely well, but we are seeing one tooth that look's
conical coming through his gums. We are holding our breath and just waiting for a few more teeth to pop through before alerting the doctors and requesting an x-ray of Giovanni's jaw and an examination for a diagnosis of
ED. This could be a serious set back for Giovanni's quality of life.
November 17-21, 2007
Saving Giovanni +245
Giovanni is doing outstanding, still no teeth coming through. His new billboard is up on Rt 106 in our home town of Belmont, NH. Sorry I've not posted in a few days. Giovanni's Great Uncle Don Gatto passed away from cancer and I participating in his wake and funeral. He was a great uncle and I will miss him. At least he got to come up and see Giovanni before he moved on.
I was also in a car accident yesterday and was lucky to escape without injury. I can't say the same for my truck, which is in the body shop being examined and hopefully fixed. We have much to be thankful for this Thanks Giving: Giovanni is alive and well, home enjoying his brothers, and now eight months post-transplant.
Bone marrow drives this weekend at the Holliston Crafts Fair added 84 more life-saving donors bringing Giovanni's total to 10,539 new donors.
November 16, 2007
Saving Giovanni +240
Giovanni had a great exam at Dana Farber today and all his girlfriends and God Mother Elena came to visit him. His weight is 15.10lbs and he 26 1/4 inches long. The blood stick showed his blood levels are perfect, and the doctors instructed Christina to lower his magnesium, which will increase his muscle strength and activity.
His cyclosporine, the anti-rejection drug, is being lowered by 0.2 each week and final dose will be December 6th, 2007. The remaining drugs Giovanni will be on are protonics, reglan, bactrum, and magnesium. Protonics treats reflux; reglan moves food through the GI tract; bactrum prevents pnemonia, and magnesium is an element in the body trhat is reduced by cyclosporine. All of these drugs are being reduced but will continue at whatever dosage is necessary for Giovanni.
The doctors are amazed by Giovanni's progress and attribute his condition to the cord blood. His original doctor, Perdia, came to visit and was thrilled to see him. He actually remembered her. Elena also got her Giovanni time in and was, as always, happy to see him. Giovanni next Dana Farber appointment is December 21, 2007.
November 15, 2007
Saving Giovanni +239
Giovanni had another great day. Tomorrow he goes for his Dana Farber exam. We will see how much weight he's gained and get the results from his general examination.
November 14, 2007
Saving Giovanni +238
Giovanni says: "Moma" and "Nana"
Giovanni says the magic words today: Moma. Yes, Christina is thrilled. So is Nana. We went to Lawrence, MA, to day to get Giovanni's birth certificate. He as great all the way there and back. When we got home and Giovanni was in the kitchen with Christina he said: Moma. Nana was also here to hear his first Nana. Giovanni is doing great. His disposition is simply remarkable. He's interacting, reaching for people, playing, jumping like a jumping bean in his jumper, and his smiles are endless. We are simply thrilled and relieved that he is doing so well.
November 13, 2007
Saving Giovanni +237
No entry. Giovanni is doing great.
November 12, 2007
Saving Giovanni +236
Giovanni had a great day today. We spoiled him again, as well as the other boys spending the day with them all. We are starting to see a little more of one tooth coming through in the top gum and it looks flat so far. Our fingers are crossed, we are hoping Giovanni will get a break and escape the consequences of
ED. See some new pictures of Giovanni below published by the Laconia Citizen.
November 10/11, 2007
Saving Giovanni +234-235
Happy Veteran's Day
Giovanni had a great weekend. He inspired another 139 people to join the registry at Partick's Pub and Eatery in Gilford, NH, and another 52 at the Barre Health Center in Ma. Giovanni's total is now 10,455-life saving donors.
Saturday Giovanni spent the entire morning being spoile by me and mom. He loves having us all to himself. He then spent the afternoon with his Nana so we could work the bone marrow drive in Gilford. He swung his arms open to welcome her when he saw her and it brough a huge smile across her face.
He is doing great. No problems. Sunday we spent the entire morning with Giovanni again and he was with Linda for the afternoon while we did the weeks shoping. He gave her a hard time all afternoon--except of course when he was sleeping.
November 9, 2007
Saving Giovanni +233
Giovanni had another good day, hung out with his brothers, and was jumping all around when mom came out of the office with a cake litered with candles and the boys behind her singing happy birthday to me. I was holding Giovanni. He probably thought the cake was for him and that's fine with me. He can have my cake, my bone marrow, my last dying breath. I would do anything for my baby boy.
We celebrated my birthday today because the kids were in bed last night when I got home from Boston University. Its all about the kids. I love them all. They wanted to give me my gift, lick the frosting off the candles, and eat the cake. We all enjoyed the cake and then I beat them all, Giovanni too. No, just kidding. Giovanni did have some frosting though and loved it.
In the morning we are doing a bone marrow drive at Patrick's Pub and Eatery in Gilford, NH. Allan Beetle, the owner, extensively marketed the event on radio stations, through Meadowbrook emails, a TV commercial, and three local papers did stories, two made the front pages. He's a great guy and is always giving to the community. Anyone in the local area who wants to join the registry and save a life please come down.
November 7/8, 2007
Saving Giovanni +231-232
Giovanni has bounced back. He did well Wednesday and enjoyed his day as a baby. Mom brought him to the Mall of NH where he was recognized by several people. He was flirting with the girls and reaching out to touch them. He loves the ladies. No, he loves a crowd.
Thursday was my birthday. I did a bone marrow drive at Boston University and signed up 29 more life-saving donors. Our total is now 10,264 and counting. Giovanni had another good day. Still no indication about his teeth.
November 6, 2007
Saving Giovanni +230
Another tough day for Giovanni. Same issues as yesterday: New teeth. Same anxiety as yesterday. We still can't see the shape of the teeth because not enough have broken through yet. He did drink over 3 oz of juice today, which is a first since getting off the steroids and going through the withdrawals.
November 5, 2007
Saving Giovanni +229
Giovanni had a tough day. His two top teeth are breaking through and he is very agitated. He is eating and drinking very well but just can't get comfortable and want's mom's undivided attention. He is, however, playing and smiling at times but he quickly snaps out of they when he realizes the pain from the teeth.
We are anxiously waiting to see these teeth come in praying and hoping he wont have another fight on his hands. This ED, see below link, is not good.
November 4, 2007
Saving Giovanni +228
Giovanni had a great November 4. His disposition has completely changed and its remarkable to watch. He's eating canned fruit now and loving it. His post-surgery bandage is clean and neat. His two top teeth are breaking through but still no indication of
conical teeth or
ED. We are hopeful he will get a break. He's been through enough.
November 2/3
Saving Giovanni +126/127
Giovanni had a good nights sleep and enjoyed seeing Grandma while mom got to exercise at the gym. Giovanni recognized Grandma and reached right out for her. Giovanni ate very well today and has had no visible reaction to the reductin of his protonics medication.
Giovanni slept well last night. This afternoon a reporter from the Winnisquam Echo, Meghan Sigler, is coming to interview us about Giovanni and the big November 10, bone marrow drive at Patrick's Pub and Eatery. The Save Giovanni's Friends Bone Marrow Drive is being extensively marketed throughout the Lakes Region and we hope to put 100s of people in the registry and save more lives. Look for Giovanni's smiling face on the front page of the paper.