Jodie's testimony

17 Apr 2130hrs 2000 - Jo had a blood level checked today and got the nurses into a flurry, her white count are up to 790 from 300+ yesterday, going against the doctors' assessment. Theoratically, this shouldn't be happening, her count should only go up on few days later, not so soon. The nurses actually thought that someone had given her blood transfusion before the test... May God bless you all for your prayers and thoughts. :-)

16 Apr 2230hrs 2000 - Here's the latest. Jodie has finished her *last* chemo and she's having low white, red and platelet counts due to the chemotherapy. She will be going for a blood transfusion tomorrow. Please pray that her counts will GO UP UP UP. FYI, she is at home, she's not staying in the hospital.

13 Apr 2300hrs 2000 - Jo's hives have come down and there's no more blood in her stool. Her white is 400 (not too good) and her red is 8, if it goes below 7.5, she'll need a transfusion. Thank you for your prayers again, good night.

By the way, I am having some serious problems emailing Hotmail accounts. The mails are bouncing back to me like crazy.

22 Mar 2359hrs 2000 - A personal letter to friends:

"time to tell you guys something, it's week 12 of jodie's discovery, treatment and recovery of leukimea, she has one more chemo to go next thurs and fri, after that she'll be monitored by the doctors and her family. she's been up and down (mostly due to the drugs - they cause depression and etc), wondering and praying about her life, past, present and future.

she's changed her perspective about her career and God's been telling her stuff, a little here, a little there. she's lost about 60% of her hair (that's bad) but she's gained a couple of pounds (that's good). she went to the haematology centre last week and met up with mothers of kids who are undergoing chemo, and she knows that are other folks who've gone through the same stuff and worse...

her brother's looking less stressed nowadays, the finances are tight but getting better... it's likely the entire treatment (incl. next week, please pray that she doesn't get hospitalized) is going to be about 46k, her family managed to cover about 11k, the total amt from relatives, close ones and you guys sum up to 28k.

her eyes are better nowadays, she starting a journal, a mini-novel. no, she wants you guys to know that she wasn't strong during the chemo ordeal. it's not about her overcoming the odds, it's about Jesus carrying her through the odds.

and it sure gives jo, her family and i a fuzzy, warm feeling in our hearts to know we are being carried through by you guys.

jo & kar wai"

13 Apr 1900hrs 2000 - Jo has broken out in hives after her latest platelet transfusion today. If it gets worse tonight, she will have to be admitted to SGH A&E, please pray for her all her blood counts to go up and that the hives will subside tonight...

Thanks for the response for blood donors, a couple of donors went down yesterday already, we do not need any more donors.

12 Apr 2220hrs 2000 - Thanks for the response for blood donation, we had a couple of donors today. FYI, the platelet donors were activated also. I received a few calls but was unable to update the webpage as I was out of the house for quite a while. Jo just told me that she's got blood in her stool, doctor said observe first then call them if it continues. It's not a good sign. Please please pray, I am pretty worried... :-(

11 Apr 2359hrs 2000 - Jodie needs an O+ blood donor tomorrow 12 Apr. If any of you guys can help out, just drop me a line on my mobile or pager. She's doing fine, her white count is higher than last time. But her red and platelets are down.

FYI, we haven't got a response for the blood donation yet. Thank you people.

10 Apr 0930hrs 2000 - According to the doctors, Jo's white, red blood and platelets will be low this week due to the effects of the 3rd (and final!!!) chemo. This will be a crucial time, since the risk of infection will be high. Please pray that she will NOT fall ill and that the white, red and platelets counts will be HIGH in spite of what the docs say... this is the start of the last stretch...

blessings to all of you, and thank you people.

2 Apr 0630hrs 2000 - I had a chance to meet Jo last night, she's just finished round 3 of chemotherapy. She didn't throw up the first day, only on day 2 onwards. She's ok except that the throwing up makes her tired all the time. Please pray that she will suffer less of the side effects of the chemo. Thanks.

Here's the facts so far:

1. she's been healed of leukemia since the 1st round of chemotherapy, (hereafter refered to the shortform 'chemo'). the bone marrow test have shown that there are no more leukemia cells in her bone.
2. she is at home NOW.
3. her vision is still slightly blurred.
4. your prayers and support are part of the reason why she has been healed.
5. jo, family and i can never thank you guys enough.

28 Mar 2359hrs 2000 - Jodie is feeling much much better nowadays. Her eyes are about 99% okay, though they get blur sometimes. Her spirits are up and she's well aware of both the physical and spiritual tests that she has to go through. She's got one more round of chemo to go through on Thurs and Fri, after that she's in the clear... To our dear dear friends, we earnestly seek your prayers and thoughts for her and her family through this final round.

With this email, news will be released on a weekly basis unless something pops up. remember, no news is good news. one last thing, we also realise that we are not 100% out of the woods yet... just walk with us one day at a time 'kay? :-)

22 Mar 1500hrs 2000 - Jo's temperature went back to normal yesterday. She'll be going for her last round of chemo next Thurs and Fri. Her white count and platelets are pretty good but her docs say that her red blood count is not good at all. Please pray for her counts to go up. Thanks guys.

20 Mar 1030hrs 2000 - Just a short update, Jo's doing well. Went to St. Andrew last night for Francis Khoo's healing meeting. Drugs make her depressed sometimes. Next round of chemo likely to be next week. Her brother and I are tabulating the financial data, report for you guys due likely tomorrow. XieXie.

16 Mar 0030hrs 2000 - This is from Jo:

"I want to thank all of you for your prayers, support, encouragement and even your thoughts for my family and myself. And to those who have so graciously donated to aid in my family's financial burden, I cannot thank you enough (i have only been able to thank some of you personally). I am indebted to all of you, really.

It has been a rough ride but God has shown me much mercy. Trips to the hospital and encounters with other patients have also shown me that I have been shown much, much grace. In particular, the prognosis of an M3 which all of you have prayed for and God had miraculously altered my condition is a miracle which never fails to make me fall on my knees in gratitude.

I have one more round of chemotherapy to go. This will happen in about 2 weeks' time. Please pray that against any form of infections during this round.

I look forward to seeing all of you really soon.

love, jodie."

11 Mar 1600hrs 2000 - Jodie is resting well at home, her spirits are up. Her white count at latest was 3000k. That's good. I am currently nursing a sprained back for the last week. Her family is taking a short rest. Please continue praying for her father too. Her brother is currently tabulating the figures for the hospital fees, etc and donations. I will update you guys on that soon.

Thanks so much for your support and prayers again. Have a good week.

1. she's been *healed* of leukemia since the 1st round of chemotherapy, (hereafter refered to the shortform 'chemo'). the bone marrow test have shown that there are no more leukemia cells in her bone.
2. she is at home NOW.
3. her vision is still slightly blurred.
4. your prayers and support are part of the reason why she has been healed.
5. jo, family and i can never thank you guys enough.

9 Mar 1030hrs 2000 - Jodie's going home today! Her white counts are still low though. And she's has a pain on her left side of the adobmen that refuses to go away. Apparently her postassium level dropped due the anti-fungal medicine, and the doctor is still worried about her slight fever. Please continue praying for her white count to go up and for the pain to subside. Thanks. :-)

8 Mar 1630hrs 2000 - Jo is off the anti-fungal drugs and her white count is standing at an amazing 1660 (norm. 7000) from <1000 a couple of days ago, she could be out in a few days time. She can't wait to get home, please ask God to grant her patience. She's eating well and she has no fever. muchos gracias for your support guys.

6 Mar 1930hrs 2000 - Jodie's fever has broken. :-)

She's still on the anti-fungal drug. Her sister stays pretty late, but not overnight anymore. Her white count still fluctuates but generally it's going up. Please keep praying for her counts to go up up up.

4 Mar 1630hrs 2000 - Jo's better. Her white count has more than doubled since yesterday. It's standing at 500. We are gonna pray for 7000. She's still on anti-fungal and her temperature's better too. Have a good weekend.

3 Mar 0800hrs 2000 - Jodie has gone on the antifungal drugs. She is very weak at this stage and needs constant attention. She's been getting the shakes in the afternoon due to the fever and she also gets cold spells.

Her temperature ranges from 37.4c to 38.1c, her throat ulcers are getting better, her blood counts are creeping up but the doctors will continue pumping the antifungal stuff until the white counts are >7000. Please continue praying for the counts to go up.

Her sister is the only person keeping the overnight virgils coz it's a female ward and her mom's there during the day time. The 3 of us are getting fatigued, please pray for her sister, Kathryn, her brother Teck Hua and I that God will give us strength to overcome the tiredness.

2 Mar 0930hrs 2000 - Jo's temperature went down to 37.38c last night and her platelets, white and red blood count have gone up yesterday, albeit slightly. She requests prayers for her white blood to go up so more coz they are going to put her on anti-fungal medicine today if her white blood count is not high enough. They administered the medicine after the first round of chemo and it gave her the shakes, she's really quite fearful of it.

1 Mar 1000hrs 2000 - The docs have found out that jodie has ulcers in her voice box due to fungal infection and it will take a couple of days for it to heal, that's why the pain was so excruciating. Her temperature went up to 39.9c yesterday morning and went down later in the night. pls pray for the nurses and doctors who are tending to her, that they will have wisdom in dealing with her fever.

29 Feb 0900hrs 2000 - I visited jo at the hospital last night. she's still weak and she has a very bad sore throat, she winces in pain everytime she swallows. She can't talk and she communicated mostly in writing. her temperature was at 38.9c in the evening and went down to 38.3c later. Her family's been taking turns to look after her since she was admitted on Saturday night 26/2. Pls pray for her father, mom, brother and sis... it's been hard for them too.

In case you've missed some updates, I want you guys to know that:

24 Feb 1130hrs 2000 - Jo's blood count is still very very low on white, red and platelets. She's been to the hospital yesterday for platelet transfusion. She's also going for another check tomorrow. She's been having a bad sore throat for the last couple of days.

20 Feb 1900hrs 2000 - Jo's temperature is back to normal! She's doing fine except that she's a bit dizzy today. I haven't been to her home for the past few days coz the doctors said NO-NO to visitors (that includes me). Must thank you guys again for the prayers.

20 Feb 0900hrs 2000 - thank you for your prayers, jo's fever went down yesterday to about 37.2C, she's doing well. Do drop her an email at jodie@memphiswest.com, she's a bit bored at home. Thanks!

18 Feb 2000hrs 2000 - Jo was at SGH for the whole day. The doctors are surprised that her white blood count is extremely low, and as a result she has a fever. The doctors gave her anti-biotics and she's going to monitor the fever at home tonight. She also had blood transfusion, thank you Annie and Vinnie's friend for coming down at such short notice.

Please pray for the fever to reside. Btw, if you guys don't know, Jodie came home about 3 weeks ago and has been recuperating since.

16 Feb 0900hrs 2000 - Jodie has been getting dizzy spells, so she will be visiting the doctor today find out about her blood count, as you will remember, chemotherapy will lower white and red blood count, it will also lower the platelet count. Please pray that she will not get an infection at this stage, it would be dangerous if she did. Thanks.

14 Feb 1100hrs 2000 - Jo's stopped throwing up yesterday, this round of chemotherapy is over and it's not clear whether she has to go for a third round in the next couple of weeks. As you can remember, her while blood count will dip due to the effects of chemo, so she still has to stay at home for a while. You can write to her at jodie@memphiswest.com, she's a bit bored so emails might help. Also, her vision has cleared up more. Thanks for your prayers and have a great VD.

9 Feb 1400hrs 2000 - Doctors have found no trace of leukimea cells in the bone marrow test [WOOHOO!].
However, she still has to go through round 2 of chemotherapy (more throwing up) starting from this morning, please keep her family and her in your prayers. :-) Thanks guys.

3 Feb 2359hrs 2000 - Jodie got a call from the hospital... sorry people, they haven't got the results yet, we'll know after CNY holiday. Her eyes are less blurry, that's good. But she's still a bit depressed, can't do much at home except eat, pray, sleep and try to get better. This morning she tried doing pandan cake, it turned into pandan kueh instead, didn't help to boost morale.

Btw, a friend of a friend needs O+ platelets for his sister, it's quite urgent, please drop me an email at wesleyloh@memphiswest.com if you guys (yes, guys only) feel led to give. Thanks for your prayers and have a good R-Dinner at home.

2 Feb 1000hrs 2000 - The doctors told her that her bone marrow sample was too dry due to chemotherapy (I am as puzzled as you are about the terminology) so that further tests need to be done on her sample. Results will be out tomorrow 3 Feb. Sorry for keeping you guys in suspense. She'll be going back for chemo after CNY.

31 Jan 0050hrs 2000 - Jo still has a blur patch on her eye but it's getting better. She went to church today and managed to sit through the service, sermon by Rev Stanley Chua was especially apt for her. If any of you need to contact her you can email her at this address jodie@memphiswest.com, have a good week ahead.

28 Jan 2359hrs 2000 - Jodie will trying to make it down for church on Sunday (30/1). The bone marrow test was excruciatingly painful, but she's better now... results of the test will out on February 1st.

26 Jan 2300hrs 2000 - Jodie's going to have her bone marrow checked tomorrow (27/1) instead of Friday, and she's a bit apprehensive... we need your prayers. Please pray that God will HEAL the bone marrow 100%, that it will continue to function properly to produce normal cells for now and for the rest of her life.

btw, she's feeling better nowadays and she's taken up cooking... :-)

24 Jan 1000hrs 2000 - Jo is resting at home, she's doing very well although she still feels weak, that why she couldn't go to church yesterday. There's no more nausea though, but she still can't read without getting tired. Her family is doing fine, not stressed out anymore. There's something else though, she had panic attacks in the middle of the night on Friday, please read the prayer points below for more information.

She's due to a bone marrow check on Friday (28 Jan) and chemo 2 weeks from today. Please pray for a miracle, that the bone marrow will be functioning above and beyond expectation of the doctors. This is the one prayer I am asking from our friends. I will not be updating the site until she's done the test and the results are out. Thanks for the prayers and thoughts.

21 Jan 0930hrs 2000 - Jodie is feeling much better over the last 2 days. She's going to check out today at 1pm and she will resting at home for the next week. She's a bit worried about the next chemo treatment at SGH but I know her friends and well-wishers will be behind her. Her eyes are still a bit blurred and she gets dizzy due to double vision but otherwise she is fine and her family are relieved that this round is over. Thank you for your prayers and wonderful support, dear friends.

19 Jan 1400hrs 2000 - She's still feeling terrible, her stomach is bloated and she's in discomfort. The docs told her brother that it's not due to leukemia, it's severe indigestion. Please pray for her.

19 Jan 0900hrs 2000 - I visited Jodie last night. Although the doctors have taken her off the antibiotics, she's still suffering from nausea, pukes up quite a bit and she still can't walk without support. Her blood counts have remained stable, and she's in slightly better spirits. The doctors have informed her and her family that she still has to go through 2 more rounds of 'consolidation chemotherapy' and a bone marrow test (check www.leukemia.org for more info on leukemia treatment) in the next couple of months after her discharge from SGH... though we've won a major battle, the war isn't over yet...

17 Jan 1830hrs 2000 - GREAT NEWS! Jo's brother (Dan) just called me and gave me some really good news. Her white, red blood and platelets have returned to normal, this means that her bone marrow is starting to work normally again! Please let me check out with the family about visitations before you guys go down 'kay? :-)

17 Jan 1000hrs 2000 - Jo's white blood count is up again to 1200. She was depressed yesterday when I saw her, she was on medication for about 2 days and wasn't feeling very good. She's had a slight fever but it's ok now.

15 Jan 1300hrs 2000 - Her white blood count went up, from about 200+ to 600+ (normal person's about 3,000 to 11,000). Sorry guys, still no visits yet. She's encouraged by the cards, though. The docs are still giving her sleepy antibiotics. She's in much better spirits. :-)

14 Jan 1500hrs 2000 - Jo's mom has informed me that her fever broke in the morning and she's feeling much better now. She's been asleep since the doctors administered anti-fungal medicine. I've been informed that 3 new persons went down for platelet tests, please note that Jo does not need anymore platelet donors, do let your friends and well-wishers know this, the costs for the tests will add to the financial strain on the family. Thanks guys.

14 Jan 0050hrs 2000 - Kathrynn (Jo's sis) just told me that her fever has gone up to 39.3C, not good. The chest x-ray has revealed that her catheter has not caused any infection. She's still in bad depression...

13 Jan 1005hrs 2000 - I've just called Jodie and her infection is not good, it's serious enough to warrant a x-ray of her chest in the afternoon, the doctors are going to check exactly what's going on. Please pray that the infection will leave her.

12 Jan 2140hrs 2000 - Jo's fever went down yesterday to about 37.4C and it's stablized about that range, she's on heavy antibiotics, so as result, she is sleepy and groggy most of the time. She's got the flu but other than a blocked nose, she's physically stable and on her way to recovery. She had a pint of blood last night too, yummy. Some of you may have wondered about the delay in this update but my computer software crashed and I had to get the webpage software re-installed in a jiffy yesterday, sorry. :-(

About JBDD (Jodie's Blood Donation Drive), the resonse was fantastic, please thank your friends (or friends of friends of friends) who went down, it's been a tremendous blessing. I also have word that there are some other folks within her ward that benefitted from the donors, thank you dear friends. By the way, I have heard from some friends that the Blood Centre staff at the SGH told you that Jodie was going to be discharged soon. This is not true, I've checked with the family and they weren't informed about the news of her impending discharge from the hospital.

10 Jan 2100hrs 2000 - Jo just told me that due to low blood stock in the blood bank, she couldn't get a transfusion even though she needed one today. I am kindly reqesting for some kind folks to go down the blood bank at SGH for blood transfusion. Jodie has changed rooms due to some unforseen circumstances.

10 Jan 1630hrs 2000 - Her fever has gone up to 38.4C and she has a small bleeding in her retina, as a result, she has a blurred spot in her vision. The doctors are putting her on stronger antibiotics. Please pray that the fever will pass by tonight and that the retina will be healed soon.

10 Jan 0050hrs 2000 - Jodie has a fever of about 38.1C, this is not good. The doctor is done a blood test and the results will be out in the next 1 to 2 days. Her gum is swollen and she's in some discomfort (symptom of M3 leukemia). Also, please note that Jodie is still on oral chemo. Kar Wai has completely recovered and was at the ward on Sunday night. Jodie has new room-mates. And a new medical officer and house officer are in charge of the ward she's in. Blood tests today were done at about 4pm only (instead of in the morning) - the new MO and HO are still not familiar with their patients. Jodie was well when my doctor friend visited her. Thank you for your prayers.

8 Jan 2000 - Jodie's white blood count is still extremely low. Kar Wai is recovering from flu extremely quickly, thank you for your prayers.

6 Jan 2000 - Jodie has asked me (over the phone) relay this to all her friends and loved ones, written in first-person:
"first stage chemo over, side effects has worn off, no more nausea, can eat and can get off the bed and walk with assistance lah... ahhh... other than that i feel well... and... jus want to THANK everybody who have either tried to visit, sort of visiting, have visited, for all your love and concern. these were vital factors in helping me through a very trying time of chemotherapy. I am being monitored now... arhmm... to make sure that I don't get a fever that goes past 38C, this could be a sign of infection and is also the reason why I can't take visitors, any virus that on a person who is well or unwell will trigger off an infection which very possible because my white blood count is abnormally low. I will keep all of you updated and I am looking forward to seeing all of you again... love, jodie. :-)"

5 Jan 1430hrs 2000 - The doctors have put Jodie on a less-strong antibiotic today (that's good). She has had a bad headache since this morning (that's not good), and the painkillers don't seem to work, though it succeeded in knocking her out in the morning. Anymore of the headache and they will have to send her for a scan. Please pray...

5 Jan 0230hrs 2000 - Got a couple of things for update... for one, Jodie's off chemo [WooHoo! again]. Got blood and platelets transfusion last night. She's eating but still sleepy. I am sorry but she still *cannot* see visitors yet, her white blood count is too low so she is still prone to infection... I am terribly sorry about this... I do understand that you some of you guys really want to see her. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts... I will let you know ASAP when she can receive visitors. She can't talk on the phone also (not even with me) coz she gets tired too easily.

4 Jan 2000 - Some of our friends (or friends of friends of friends) have called up the hospital trying to clarify whether there is a Jodie Koh Meng Sian who is suffering from leukemia. Her parents and siblings have received more than 3 phone calls in her room today asking for verification of the matter. While I understand the prudency, Jodie's brother has informed me that the family's emotion and physical limits are already strained, calling up her room will *not* help them.

3 Jan 2000 - The leukaemic cells have responded to chemotherapy to the extent that they are hardly present on the peripheral blood smear (where the blood sample is scrutinised under a microscope). She is still warded in SGH Ward 78 and undergoing treatment. Her mom and dad are there everyday, her siblings are keeping the night virgils. As her white blood cell counts are still very low, she CANNOT see visitors. As her red blood counts were pretty low, blood was also transfused last night.

1 Jan 2000 - Got a piece of really good news. After a chromosome test, which took 2 days, the doctors have classified the leukemia as an M3 type [Woohoo!]. This means she has switched to oral intake instead of pumping the stuff through the veins. If some of you can remember, we were praying for an M3 TYPE on Monday night. God is surely gracious... we can't repay you guys for the prayers that you have offered to the Lord.