Happy Halloween!

Monsters, stalking through the night,

Halloween is the Night of Fright.

Fear is what this night brings,

Along with many other things.

Are you sure you are prepared?

Tonight is not for the easily scared.

Creatures from hell roam on this night,

For tonight is the Night of Fright.

Trick or treat you say,

You should not have waited until the end of the day.

Tonight you will lose your tricks and treats,

For the monsters need to eat.

You better not take this night lightly,

Or else you will truly learn what fright means.

In ancient times people feared this night,

The night they greeted with fright.

Why they were so scared you will soon see,

On this "All Hollows Eve."

Source: Night Of Fright, Halloween Poem http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/night-of-fright#ixzz2jJacywcZ 

Medical Update

After some routine blood work this summer, I learned my platelets had dropped from 100 in March to 83 in August.  Now, just some background information, a normal person has 150-400 platelets.  I have "run low" my entire life, never having had more than 105.  However, this drop was a little concerning, so my primary doctor suggested I reach out to Mom's oncologist/hematologist at USC who treated Mom.  Dr. Casey O'Connell is not only one of the nation's leading physicians in bone marrow failure diseases, immune blood disorders, myelodysplastic and myeloproliferative disorders, but she is one of the kindest, most genuine people I've met.  She recommended I come see her and that we do a bone marrow biopsy just to be safe.  So on October 2nd, I went in for my first bone marrow biopsy.

Two weeks ago I went in for the results.  I learned I have Familial Platelet Disorder with a Predisposition for Myeloid Malignancy (FPD/AML).  I have a gene mutation in my 21^st chromosome called RUNX1, which has a 45% chance of developing into acute myeloid leukemia or MDS (this could higher considering my family history).  Only 200 families currently are known to carry this gene (although this may be underestimated as it is now being increasingly recognized due to enhanced awareness).  So basically I'm an X-Men!  I'm still working to uncover my super power though :)

I am very hopeful and confident that I am in the 55% that will not be affected, and I will continue to remain positive.  I am surrounded by the best team of doctors at the USC Norris Cancer Center, led by Dr. Casey O’Connell who is one of the leading experts in this area.  They will monitor my blood counts on a monthly basis and look for any anomalies.  If anything arises, we are way ahead of the game and have the advantage of time and preparation.  Down the road it’s possible I may have to undergo a bone marrow transplant as that is the only “cure”, but there is no sense of urgency for that in the next year or so.

If you want to read a little more about this, here are some helpful links:

• Atlas of Genetics and Cytogenetics in Oncology and Haematology
• Haematologica.org
• National Center for Biotechnology Information
• Blood Journal

Faith is stronger than fear.   The odds are in my favor and I have lots of eyes on me/my blood!  I will practice patience and serenity, and believe that I am healthy and will be so for a very long time :)

Re-branding

It's been months since I've written here.  This is was a running blog, and frankly, I haven't been running much since the LA Marathon in March.  After the marathon I was nursing some injuries, then when I was able to workout again, it was lots of strength training with some cardio like cycling thrown in there.  Needless to say, I didn't have any running stories to share.

Well, so much has been going on over the past few months that I've decided writing will be a good outlet for me.  No longer will I focus on a specific niche {like running}, but I will now share stories of my life, whatever the story of the day may be.  Hence, it's time to re-brand this blog into something more broad and all encompassing.  After many suggestions and lots of feedback from friends and family, I have decided to go with something very simple:  "With Love, Mags".  I reached out to Emily at Blogaholic Designs, and she helped me design this new and beautiful blog template.  I am giddy with excitement over it!!

I hope you enjoy my new direction!  Thanks for reading!