2006 Christmas Letter

The following is the letter I sent out with my Christmas cards.

We hope this Holiday Greeting finds you in good health and spirits.

The year 2006 began well for Alma and Frank. The Seattle Seahawks made it to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, they lost. Frank began work for a non-profit company called Senior Life Resources Northwest on January 9th. The job started out as part-time, then became “temporary full-time” (meaning no benefits) for a few months when his supervisor quit to go to work for Benton County. After she discovered that the grass (and money) are not always greener on the other side of the fence, she returned to Senior Life Resources and Frank went back to part-time hours. On November 1st, SLR found enough work for Frank to do to make him a permanent full-time employee (with benefits this time).

Frank’s promotion to full-time employee came after Alma began complaining of a sore back last summer. It was found that she had a compressed fracture of one of her vertebrae and she was scheduled for a procedure called kyphoplasty where a balloon is inserted between the compressed vertebrae and the bone is filled with quick-drying cement. This is an outpatient procedure, and we thought she would be back to work within a few days. But, the pain in her back got worse; another compressed fracture and another kyphoplasty. And then a couple of weeks later we had to call 911 to have her transported to the hospital because she couldn’t stand up. A third kyphoplasty was performed. Along with the sudden onset of osteoporosis which caused the fractures, it was found that she was acutely anemic and had virtually no iron in her blood. This led some of the doctors to begin suspecting that Alma might have a form of blood cancer called multiple myeloma.

The day before Thanksgiving, Alma finally had a marrow biopsy done, and we got the bad news the following Monday. She suffers from myeloma and it has affected not only her vertebrae, but also her left femur, scull and several other bones with lesions (small holes). She has since begun an aggressive treatment involving infusions of Zometa (zoledronic acid) and other drugs and has already begun to feel a little better. Many people, some of whom have never met her, are including Alma in their prayers, and we are very grateful for their support. For more information on multiple myeloma, you can check out the web site http://www.myeloma.org/.

We have faith that the coming year will see Alma in remission and leading a normal and productive life again.

Alma’s daughters Tammie and Jessica have been a true blessing during Alma’s illness, taking her to doctors’ appointments, physical therapy, cleaning house, etc. Her co-workers from InStar have pitched in by bringing dinners that can be quickly heated up when Frank gets home from work and coming to visit her at the hospital and at home. Her sister Janice and brother-in-law Steve from Fruitland, Idaho have made several trips to the Tri-Cities to help out and lend moral support. And, of course, Frank’s employers at Senior Life Resources found a way to help. We are very blessed to have family, friends and employers such as we have.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Frank & Alma