September 17, 2008
Hello everyone so sorry for not updating sooner. Anthony (Tony) is doing great his counts continue to go up. He has been able to tinker alittle bit in his garage and loves his netflix. He is hoping to return to work in January. He is still bored out of his mind but he has started doing alot of cooking. Sam is his new food critic.
We are all so very thankful for how well he has done. He looks great his hair and beard has came back a bit darker it looks good. I will try and get an updated picture for all to see.
Thank you for all of your continued thoughts and prayers
Theresa
He moved home this weekend we were able to get the house finished and clean. A big thank you to Boone Electric, Contractors Floor Supply,Paul Tillman and Cathy Stotler for making it all possible. He is still doing really well. He is adjusting to being home. Today he drove up to Mount Rainier for a hike and he continues to look forward to going back to work. If you want to give him a call you can reach him at 253 227-1288
July 10th, 2008
Hello everyone!!! Once again I am falling down on the job. Anthony is doing great!! He just got his hickman line removed today. So now he can stay alone. We are still in the process of getting his house ready for him to move back in. Dust is a really big deal for him so we have been deep cleaning and washing everything down. If all goes well he will be home by the middle of the month. He is still walking everyday he has found a new park in Seattle that has a hiking trail so he has been doing some hiking, They have started to reduce the amount of pills he has been taking (which makes him very happy by the way).
Once he is home he will hopefully be able to return to work in the office. He won't be able to go out on a job site for a few months because of dirt and dust. They have started reviewing alot of the do's and don'ts for him once he returns home. Mowing his lawn is a big no no along with any type of gardening. He can hike lift weights things like that but he still will have to be very careful what he exposes himself to.
We are all so very thankful for how amazingly well he has done and the positive attitude he has had throughout this entire ordeal. His biggest beef is he wants to get back to work!!!!
I will give you all an update once we get him home. I tried to get Anthony to go online everyday and give you a little blog. But any of you that know Anthony well knows that will never happen. He has done a little internet surfing but that is as good as it gets.
Again as always thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and donations they are all very much appreciated
Signing off for now!!
June 24, Update from Theresa
Hello everyone!! Sorry for the delay on the update. Nothing new has been happening up here. He is doing really well. He plans on getting his drivers liscence on Friday which will give him a little bit of freedom He and Sam had tried to go last Friday but he went at 12:00 noon and was SHOCKED by the amount of people there he plans on going first thing Friday
. The only real excitement was last week when Sam was up here they realized that her permit was expired and so was his drivers liscence. They had their sob story ready as they drove all over town. Monte Schilter and Max Hospenthal both spent a few days with him.
He is in the process of getting ready to go home. He had a bone marrow test yesterday along with a chest xray. We will get the results of those later this week. They have also started winding down on his pills. We are getting his house ready and we are hoping he will be home by the middle of July.
June 8th Update from Theresa
Sharon has been up here all week and is going to stay until next Friday. They have been playing alot of Chicken Foot. Thank you Sandy Marchy for teaching Anthony that game YEARS ago. He has also been showing Sharon all of the sights of Seattle.
His counts are still around the same. His ankles swelled alittle from the blood pressure medication but other than that he is doing awesome!!! He did find out he can go to the shoot range so I brought his pistol up this weekend.
June 1st Update from Theresa
He's got 43 days left and counting. Aunt Robin and Uncle Joe kept him busy walking all week. He even got to go to their house for dinner. Sharon (Chris's wife) got here today and they are already working on a puzzle.
His counts are back up to 7,000. He is down to one dr appt a week and blood draw on Mondays. The question he has for the doctor this week is "Can he shoot guns?" that is not considered physical activity (in Anthony's mind.) Stay tuned.
May 24th, Update from Theresa
His counts went a little down 6500 which the doctors say is expected at this time. At his dr visit this week he asked if could start lifting weights they said no. He has decided that while he is up here anything "actively fun" is out of the question. His boss Mark came and stayed with him on Thursday they went on a couple of walks and he took him to the doctor. We found out weekend visits are out for now.
Our Aunt Robin comes this weekend to stay a week and Chris's wife Sharon is flying in on the 1st to stay for a week. He has hit the halfway mark 49 more days and counting to go.
MAY 20th 2008 Update from Theresa
He is still doing great!! Bored out of his mind ready to go back to work.. He said today that he thought the hardest part would be the chemo but it has been not working for three months.
I did get him logged onto the email finally today (don't look for any responses soon) he can barely find the email icon at this point. He does enjoy reading them. I also showed him how to pay his bills online yesterday
When dad was here last week he got in plenty of walking they walked twice a day over 5 miles. He smells like he's on a vacation because of all the sunscreen he has to wear. Today he is a little frustrated because he can't walk this morning because of the rain.
His counts are up to 7,000 which is normal but he is still on all of the immuno- suppressant drugs. He is pushing for weekend visits home but that maybe a while.
Thank you all again for your support and prayers.
May 13, 2008 Update from Theresa
He is doing GREAT!! bored but feeling well. His counts are at 4600 and normal is 4000-10,000 he is still taking alot of medications and his immune system is still very low. He is down to about two visits to the hospital a week. We are all so thankful for how well he is doing
Our brother Chris spent last week with him and they had a good time together. (I think Anthony enjoyed his cooking) They ate corn beef and cabbage cooked in the crockpot ( Imagine that smell in an apartment building). Our Dad is with him this week so they will be doing alot of walking. They went to Alki today and may try gasworks park tomorrow.
He has also started to do a little cooking he wears surgical gloves when he is handling the food. He does his own laundry and unloads the dishwasher. So as far as us taking care of him there is not much to do.
May 3rd Update from Theresa
Well!!! We finally have internet. You can furnish an apartment in a day all by telephone if you need to BUT don't forgot to call the cable company. Enough of that back to the important stuff!!
Anthony is doing great. He finally has lost all of his hair. The first week he was released we spent most days at the hospital going to appointments. Last week was every other day and he had a bone marrow test on Friday. He will get the results of that later next week. His appetite is really good, loves his chocolate and steak.
We have been walking everyday. He wanted to rent mopeds but the doctor put the brakes on that. Aside from germs his reflexes may be slower for a while. ( Doesn't hurt to ask.)
He still has to be very careful for quite a while. For example he can't go into the grocery store or be around any crowds.
If you want to call him you can reach him at 253 820-3075.
April 29 - an update for Tony from the Lighthouse Community
Tony is in his apartment in Seattle and is doing well. He has been able to get out and take a few walks around Greenlake. Tony's internet access will be on soon, so they will personally update as soon as they can. Keep sending your cards, letters and e-mails of support. Tony's new address is
1611 8th Ave N #303
Seattle, WA 98109-3007
If you would like to give him a call the number is 253-820-3075
Thank you all for your support of Tony
Janna
The Lighthouse Community
april 16 update from Theresa
WELL he got the big news today. If all goes well he will be released from the hospital Sunday and be able to move into his apartment. He will still have to be very careful and get alot of rest because his immune system will still be very low. He has done pretty well, had a few sores in his throat for a couple of days and some reactions to medication but he has worked through most of it. He can hardly wait for some fresh air!!! Although he has started to watch the Mariners and nascar.
His apartment is about the size of a shoebox but it is in a great location and has a really nice balcony with a view. Myself and our Aunt Robin are going in on Friday to learn all about what taking care of him will entail. I am so thankful for the second set of eyes and ears.
They tell us his recovery will be a slow process and he will have to be very careful what he exposes himself to for up to a year. I will give you more information about the process once I understand it a little better myself.
As always thank you all so very much for your calls, cards and emails
April 10th Update from Theresa
He is still feeling pretty tired. They still have him on a low dose of chemo and his counts are very low so his immune system is still very fragile. He wanted me to let you know that he is putting in his time and has a really good idea of what prison would be like (except he doesn't get to go out to the exercise yard every day).
His phone number at the hospital is 206 598-9309 if you would like to give him a call. If he doesn't answer he is probably walking the halls or sleeping so try him back later.
April 8th Update from Theresa
Sam and I went up to see him tonight we did not get there until 7:00 which is too late for him he is ready to go to sleep. But we were able to give him clean clothes and his most recent requests beef jerky and a can of mixed nuts. He is still walking every day. THANK YOU THANK YOU for all of the emails he enjoys reading them. This weekend we are going up to get the apartment ready. Because if all goes well he will be out April 24th. He still isn't up to any visitors or phone calls yet but he does love the emails and cards.
April 4th Update from Sam
Mom and I visited him today. For a guy that juat had a bone marrow transplant, he looked really good. I played cards with him and he beat me a good number of times so I think he’s feeling pretty good. He’s not liking having to stay inside, it’s a big adjustment for him. But I did give him a pack of gum and that made him pretty excited. Some people from him Boone Electric made a box of games and stuff for him to play with and he liked that. Walking is the thing he does most, he doesn’t really like watching movies or T.V. But he did find this pretty cool show called Ninja Warrior that he likes a lot. I love that show. Over all he’s looking and feeling great! :)
April 2nd Update from Theresa
Tomorrow is the big day!! He has been feeling pretty well I think the anticipation and the unknown gives him a little bit of anxiety but he has been taking lots of walks around the tranplant area. He read all of the emails everyone sent and really liked them!! Thank you all again so much for those. The bone marrow will be flown in tonight and then brought to the hospital in an ice chest and it is then fed thru his iv. The stemcells travel through the blood and attach to the bone marrow and start the engraftment. This will happen about 1:00 tomorrow. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers tonight
March 31st, 2008 Update from Sam
Yesterday mom and I went to visit him. He was still up for playing speed with me, but I won every time so I think the drugs are starting to kick in. Usually he kills me every game. I’ve attached some pictures of what he likes to call his new dance partner (I’ve named her Beatrice) he’s now getting his heavy doses of chemo so “Beatrice” was connected to him all day yesterday and will be all day today. The tubes connect to his Hickman and that’s how he is getting his chemotherapy right now. He’s been a little nauseous and has thrown up a couple times. He's looking really good and of course still has his great sense of humor. I decided that I want to make his room more "homey" for him, seeing that he will be in that little room for a while. I made him a bulliten board with pictures of him and family. I wanted to put Christmas lights around his window because it's so dull in there and I thought it would brighten up the room, but he said no. Of course, it probably would have been embarrassing for him :)
Anthony and I playing speed
Beatrice, Anthony, and Mom
Anthony and I
March 30, 2008
Today he starts the HEAVY doses of chemotherapy. He says he still feels pretty good. Was still able to beat Sam at a couple of games of speed on Friday. I brought him some of his own pajama bottoms and with his boone electric tshirt on he looks good.
Thank you everyone who has sent him a message on the email. I have printed those out for him. Once we get him in his apartment we will have him hooked up to the internet and he will have alot of time to answer you back.
His mailing address at the hospital is below if anyone would like to send him a card. Please do not send flowers he can't have them in his room.
Anthony Portmann
1959 NE Pacific Street
Box 356098
#8208
Seattle WA 98195-6098
If any of you get the Tacoma News Tribune take a look at the business section Tony made the front page with the lighthouse community.
We again as a family thank everyone for the amount of prayers, notes and financial support you have given Tony thru this process.
March 27, 2008
Today went well he is still feeling pretty good (waiting for that not so great feeling to set in). We got him loaded up with crossword puzzles, suduko, cards and regular puzzles. His biggest adjustment is the doing nothing
He has been eating really well they have a menu he can order off of (not the typical hospital food). He said he has ordered quite a few things at each meal because the portions are so small. I had to remind him that the portions he is getting are the normal dietary portions we should be eating. We have just gotten used to super size!!
MARCH 26, 2008 Update from Theresa
Anthony (Tony)is doing well he is adjusting to the whole doing nothing routine. He felt good all day today but they keep telling him that he is going to start to not feel so great anytime soon. Right now he is not up to having any visitors. We have been told things will change day by day for him.
MARCH 25,2008 UPDATE From Theresa
Sam and I checked Anthony in at The University of Washington Medical Center today which is where he will be for about the next 30 days. He has a really nice private room. Monday he got his hickman line which is nice because when they have to draw blood they don't have to poke a vein. He will start taking his first series of pills tomorrow and continue over the next couple of days. He has already shaved his head so that he doesn't have to worry about losing his hair and he's also already bought a hat in case his head gets cold.
MARCH 13, 2008 UPDATE FROM THERESA
Tony has had his first appointment in Seattle on March 11th we got his schedule for the next two weeks. Things are starting to fall into place. I think of our mom often during this time as I run around with my notepad (we always used to tease her about her clipboard to keep track of everything). I hope I inherited a little of those organization skills because we are going to need them.
We were able to get an apartment very close to the hospital which is wonderful because he will be spending alot of time there when he is first released. Boone Electric (his employer) has donated the apartment.
He has been feeling really well the last few week except for having a slight cold. He has been working full time up until this week when he started the dr appointments.
Again, the support everyone has shown Tony through this time has been wonderful. Our family cannot thank any of you enough for your help, prayers and donations.
ENTRY FROM CLEMENZ (Tony's brother)
As Chris and Theresa have said, this website has been a tremendous blessing for Tony and us. The many donations of old and new friends have been really encouraging. It is exciting to see so many people want to help out. Something like this just would not have been possible 10 or 15 years ago. Another exciting development is that some friends have been able to receive company matching for their donations to the website. So, for every dollar they donate, their company will add an additional dollar for Tony's medical expenses. Thanks everyone!
1/30/2008 ENTRY FROM THERESA (Tony's sister)
Thank you everyone for the emails you have sent to Tony. He does read them but is not good about responding back. He has been working six days a week. Once he has his treatment and is in his recovery he will have more time to respond. They are much appreciated. We as a family also thank you for the support you have shown him.
1/30/08 ENTRY FROM CHRIS PORTMANN (Tony's brother)
The web site has been a blessing. The three of us older siblings of Tony's are all very busy and having the ability to help Tony through our contacts world wide has been a testimate to humanity. Myself and Tony's other brother Clem both live in California so it is understandable to get support from our friends here in California. What has been exciting is the support of individuals to forward the E-mail on to others. This is the Case of the Northern California Fire Mechanics Association. An e-mail that I sent out to a colleague was posted on the monthly newsletter. There are several people that have donated due to the circulations of e-mails. A mother of a business associate out of Chicago Illinois donated. Her husband had been diagnosed with Cancer and has 17 years cancer free now. The support from the company I work for and others even as far away as Korea have been amazing.
Chris Portmann
West-Mark