Hello all--

I have some difficult news about my dear Heidi..She has developed facial palsy--a semi paralysis of her face including eyes, mouth, jaw--over the past several days. Initially it was thought to be something called Bell's Palsy which is on one side of the face, a real nuisance, and almost always time limited.  However the paralysis has extended to both sides of her face now and it's very hard for her to eat, to talk, to read or even watch tv and there is pain and significant discomfort at times.

We saw an opthamalogist today who taught us how to care for her eyes so they don't dry out and become at risk for injury. This doctor feels she needs to be seen by her oncologist and we are doing so on Thursday when she'll have a spinal tap and have her cerebro-spinal fluid evaluated again for the presence or absence of leukemia.

There is worry that the facial palsy could be caused by the leukemia, yet in other ways she is doing so much better than even 2-3 weeks ago in terms of energy and strength...There's a small chance the paralysis could be a neuropathy caused by chemotherapy but the eye doctor today didn't think this is likely.

So, she and I ask for your prayers, good wishes, thoughts of love and support through this phase of the experience.

In love,
Peter