Warning: Science Content

For those who would like to know even more some of the details of Chan's recent blood work please read on.

White Blood Cell Count (WBC): Chan's initial Complete Blood Count (CBC) was down across the board (Red, White, Platelets) which is what started this whole thing. Of note though was the fact that Chan's WBC was low. Normally children with leukemia have really high WBC. Leukemia (for those who are not aware as we weren't until recently) are white blood cells that are defective in that they don't mature and also reproduce uncontrollably choking off the bone marrow (which is where all blood cells originate). As the bone marrow "fills up" the leukemia cells begin to spill into the blood, which is when most children are then diagnosed as these leukemia cells (know as blasts) are detected in a blood test in a clinic. Chan did not have any blasts on his original blood tests indicating that we most likely caught this in the very early stages. Chan's blood test this morning (3/11/11 6:00am) was the first test that showed some blasts with a count of 103 (when most kids are diagnosed they can have blasts in the hundreds of thousands).

Neutrophylls: Neutrophylls (like blasts among others) are another type of white blood cell that we are monitoring really closely. These are the white blood cells that fight infections/bacteria. Healthy individuals are in the 1500-3000 count range. Chan's original blood test were in the 700-800 range. The number to be on the look out for is 500. That is when the body begins to have difficulty fighting off the natural bacteria within the body that normally helps to keep the body healthy. In other words, Chan becomes allergic to Chan. We already know that it will not be uncommon for this to happen a number of times throughout the 3 years of treatment. We just will have to be extra careful to keep any and all potential sources of illness away when this condition is present. Chan's blood test this morning (3/11/11 6:00am) showed a neutrophyll count of just over 500... the nurses didn't seem too concerned though.

Other blood counts will require Chan to need transfusions, etc. to make sure that he remains within healthy limits and we will keep you updated as that happens as best we can.