Keita has gone in to his sterile cell. He is being given a preliminary dose of chemotherapy, and will be leaving this cell on Monday. Then comes about ten days of injections of what is called growth factors, after which the stemcells will be harvested, and then he will be going in to the cell again for the really BIG dose of chemotherapy.
The problem is that he is feeling very sick indeed- this is normal of course. But he has never been sick before with chemotherapy. The other problem is that he thinks that he is getting the BIG treatment now, and doesn't realize that this is not it. I have not had the heart to tell him. I spoke to Kwee, our doctor friend and specialist on Keita's desease last night. She said it all seemed to be progressing according to the book. She, by the way, is one of the leading scientists investigating 'growth factors' with her little team of doctorate candidates at UCH London. I told her we were expecting no less than a Nobel Price from her very soon.
I speak to Keita through the glass with a bad intercom. I am only allowed to see him for an hour a day. I call him at night and ask how he feels. He says ' ca va, ca commence a aller' which in Keita speek means he is feeling terrible, but he would never let on...
I am leaving on Thursday, and will come back later. My dear friend Birgit will once mpre hold the fort at the hotel- she is arriving late November.
It appears the water keeps rising at the hotel. What will I find when I get back?
There are guests at the hotel tonight- a group of Americans who are travelling around Africa in their private jet, with an occasional helicopter thrown in. Today they tried to land at Timbuktu in a helicopter, but there was a dust storm going on, so they were forced back and arrived to Djenne Djenno a day earlier, only to find that half the hotel was plunged into darkness, for reasons which are so far beyong my comprehension. I spoke to them personally and said that I was sorry we could not give them our best rooms because of power failure. They were good as gold and seemed thrilled that I should have bothered to call them from Tunis.
But what is going on with the electricity? Don't we have enough problems???
posted by toubab at 8:23 PM
2 Comments:
Again, thinking of you both - will phone.
In the meantime, I had a tart comment from one 'Christopher de Macedo' on my blog about misunderstanding Catholic theology re stem cell treatment. He writes: 'Only if the cells are derived from an aborted child or a specially confected fertilization which will be discarded afterwards is the practice regarded as unacceptable. But if the cells are derived from one's one body, as is the case with Sophie Djenne's [sic] husband, the Catholic Church does not regard this as anything other than good and life-bestowing.'
The fact that the other isn't regarded as good or life bestowing is, apparently, OK by him, not by me, I hasten to add.
just found your comment. Hmmm , interesting. That is what I thought, although I see your point too, of course. But why didn't this Christopher chap put his comment on my blog where the correspondence was taking place? Strange.
Back in Djenne now.
all love Sophie
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