RedHotTeacher
01-21-2007, 11:15 PM
This is a friend of mine and the girlfriend of one of my closest friends in the world...please read and forward on her message...this isn't a forward from a friend of a friend of a friend...at least not until you guys start forwarding the info...Sara is an amazing person...and this is scary :censor::censor::censor::censor::censor: -- when I mentioned Aplastic Anemia to my dad he turned pale...she can easily die if her bone marrow doesn't start working again and they don't figure things out...please, please, please...donate blood...you never know when your friend (or you) will need it...I have no excuse, I pass a blood donation center daily - more than once per day and I've never set foot in it...I haven't donated blood since college...this is my wake-up call...I hope to G-d it can be yours...
This is a lengthy email. Please read it in its entirety as my sister Sara Waldman is ill, and we need your help!
Many of you know Sara Waldman or know of Sara Waldman – my strong, sassy, smart, funny, spunky, athletic, lovable, amazing & awesome 27 year old sister who lives in Atlanta and is a pharmaceutical sales rep for Galderma Labs…many of you have even referred to Sara as “my favorite Waldman” which is absolutely reflective of how much love and goodness she puts off into the world. She’s always had an enormous fan base…and we want to call all of Sara’s “fans” and “extended fans” to the field to…
HELP SARA WALDMAN GET HEALTHY!
Unbelievably, “Super Healthy Sara” was admitted to the California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) ER on Buchanan Street in San Francisco on Saturday night January 13, 2007 while visiting me for the weekend. She had bad swelling in her legs and was uncomfortable, but otherwise showed very few symptoms of being sick. Ultimately, she did not seem herself and we together decided to visit the ER to see what was happening to her. On admittance, Sara had an extremely low blood count. One of the ER doctors commented that Sara had “one of the lowest blood counts I’ve ever seen” and nearly 1/3 the level of red blood cells that are normal for a 27 year old super healthy young woman who works out 5-6 days a week and eats extremely smart & healthy. In true “strong & healthy” Sara fashion, she was admitted with a heart rate of only 57…when she should have had a heart rate in the 130s – 140s! Even with her bone marrow not working right, Sara is in amazing physical health!
She was immediately admitted and over the course of the subsequent days Sara was poked and pricked like a pin cushion. She had an exaustive battery of tests for viral infections, diseases, and organ functions and she transfused 4 units of red blood cells and a unit of platelets. Without question, these blood transfusions saved her life. She’s also had two bone marrow biopsies (see, she’s an overachiever!) as her Hematologist (an AMAZING guy – more on that another time) was extremely concerned about the decreased bone marrow production of all her blood cells. He also wanted to be certain that the biopsy results were conclusive. Through all of these tests and 6 days of “diagnosis fishing”, Sara remained extremely positive, playful and super enthusiastic!
Much of our family and Eric (Sara’s boyfriend in Atlanta) have come to San Francisco or are coming to San Francisco or have been on the phone to cheer on Sara and together focus on getting to the bottom of her symptoms…and on the path to treatment. My apartment has turned into Hotel Optimism with people and suitcases everywhere!
On Friday January 19th, 6 days after being admitted…and after careful consideration and analysis of all her tests, reviewing the results of her biopsy with nearly the entire pathology department at CPMC, consulting another prominent Hematologist at UCSF, and ruling out all other potential illnesses…Sara has been diagnosed with an extremely rare disease called aplastic anemia.
Aplastic anemia results from the unexplained failure of the bone marrow to produce enough blood-forming stem cells. Aplastic anemia patients have lower counts of all three blood cell types – red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Aplastic anemia is not a cancer, but is a very serious disease that is extremely rare affecting only an estimated 2 people per every million in the United States. Read here for more information: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aplastic-anemia/DS00322 (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aplastic-anemia/DS00322)
Remarkably, Sara does not even look sick. “Healthy Sara” is in great spirits and has an extremely positive attitude and outlook. She knows that this disease is no match for her sass, spunk, energy, enthusiasm and super-positive attitude, the entire Waldman family, and her extended family of “fans” -- friends, co-workers, clients, neighbors, and loved ones. It’s the “former college cheerleader” in her shining through and infecting everyone around her with a phenomenal outlook for her treatment! Sara is also the MOST POPULAR patient at CPMC right now. All the nurses want to be assigned to help Sara get healthy!
Without a doubt, Healthy Sara will kick the s**t out of this aplastic anemia!
Because of the severity of aplastic anemia, she is starting her treatment immediately here in San Francisco until she is cleared to continue her treatment in Atlanta. All of us, and especially Sara, are thrilled with the capability and pedigree of her health care providers, and are confident that Sara is receiving fantastic attention and care from everyone at CPMC and from our extended SF - Seattle – Atlanta – New Orleans medical community that we have tapped into over the past few days. We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone that has been on the “extended medical team”.
For aplastic anemia, the initial treatment will be two cycles of two weeks each, or about one month long. She will be in the hospital until late next week where she will receive 4 days of intravenous & oral treatments of drug therapy. These drugs are designed to suppress the activity of immune cells that are damaging her bone marrow. This will help her bone marrow recover and generate new blood cells. After the initial drug treatment, she will recover for about a week in San Francisco where she’ll have her vitals and blood levels monitored to see how well her body takes to the medication. After the recovery week, she’ll repeat the treatment cycle a second time – either in San Francisco or Atlanta.
We are all very hopeful that Sara will respond extremely well to this treatment. We strongly believe in Sara and we know that her strength, perseverance, sass, spunk and extremely healthy attitude will carry her through kicking the s**t out of aplastic anemia!
MANY OF YOU HAVE ASKED US “HOW CAN I HELP”…
HERE’S HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR HEALTHY SARA!
Open the attached “Help Sara Waldman” cheat sheet and place a copy on your refrigerator at home or by your desk at work! Also, please help us with any (or all) of the following in support of Sara and the entire Waldman family:
1. With much of our family in town, we are running out of room at Kevin’s house. If anyone you know has a furnished 1-br apartment or bigger place in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights district that is not being used for the next 2-3 weeks, then please let us know ASAP. We would be especially grateful for any help you can provide here!
2. Send positive energy & encouragement to Sara! Say a prayer for her and send some of your strength to Sara!
3. Sara would love to hear words of encouragement directly from you! She has a special email account here: email (healthysara@gmail.com) erased - let me know if you want it...
4. Forward this email to at least 3 of your friends, family or loved ones. PLEASE ask them to take a few moments to send Sara healthy energy & support.
5. Donate red blood cells (and platelets) at your local blood center – regardless of your blood type! Transfusions of red blood cells and platelets saved Sara’s life, and will continue to provide a lifeline for Sara during her treatment. Sara is taking blood out of the “bank” and we need to help replenish the supply for countless other patients that need blood.
6. Send Sara a card wishing her well. You can reach her via snail mail at Kevin's house. Please don't send packages here, email Kevin if you are planning to send a package as we'll give you a better address: address erased - let me know if you want to send anything...
7. Buy a Cetaphil product at your local drugstore. Sara’s company – Galderma – is the maker of Cetaphil and everyone at Galderma has been amazingly supportive of Sara. Let’s all show our support of Galderma by purchasing a Cetaphil product at the store (especially if you are in Atlanta as Sara’s territory is Atlanta!).
8. Root for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday! WHO DAT!
9. Because Sara’s immune system is compromised, Sara cannot receive fresh flowers. She also cannot have raw fruit or raw vegetables.
We feel amazingly lucky to have a deep and wide community of friends and family all over the US, Canada, and Israel! We are all touched by the outpouring of emotion and your love, support & encouragement of Sara, and your wishes of good health and a speedy recovery. We are truly blessed and absolutely need your continued support and positive energy as Sara kicks the s**t out of aplastic anemia!
We’ll try to provide an update in a few days about Sara’s treatment and her amazing attitude, outlook and energy! Thank you so very much for all of your support.
With all of our love and gratitude,
Sara Waldman’s Fan Club!
This is a lengthy email. Please read it in its entirety as my sister Sara Waldman is ill, and we need your help!
Many of you know Sara Waldman or know of Sara Waldman – my strong, sassy, smart, funny, spunky, athletic, lovable, amazing & awesome 27 year old sister who lives in Atlanta and is a pharmaceutical sales rep for Galderma Labs…many of you have even referred to Sara as “my favorite Waldman” which is absolutely reflective of how much love and goodness she puts off into the world. She’s always had an enormous fan base…and we want to call all of Sara’s “fans” and “extended fans” to the field to…
HELP SARA WALDMAN GET HEALTHY!
Unbelievably, “Super Healthy Sara” was admitted to the California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) ER on Buchanan Street in San Francisco on Saturday night January 13, 2007 while visiting me for the weekend. She had bad swelling in her legs and was uncomfortable, but otherwise showed very few symptoms of being sick. Ultimately, she did not seem herself and we together decided to visit the ER to see what was happening to her. On admittance, Sara had an extremely low blood count. One of the ER doctors commented that Sara had “one of the lowest blood counts I’ve ever seen” and nearly 1/3 the level of red blood cells that are normal for a 27 year old super healthy young woman who works out 5-6 days a week and eats extremely smart & healthy. In true “strong & healthy” Sara fashion, she was admitted with a heart rate of only 57…when she should have had a heart rate in the 130s – 140s! Even with her bone marrow not working right, Sara is in amazing physical health!
She was immediately admitted and over the course of the subsequent days Sara was poked and pricked like a pin cushion. She had an exaustive battery of tests for viral infections, diseases, and organ functions and she transfused 4 units of red blood cells and a unit of platelets. Without question, these blood transfusions saved her life. She’s also had two bone marrow biopsies (see, she’s an overachiever!) as her Hematologist (an AMAZING guy – more on that another time) was extremely concerned about the decreased bone marrow production of all her blood cells. He also wanted to be certain that the biopsy results were conclusive. Through all of these tests and 6 days of “diagnosis fishing”, Sara remained extremely positive, playful and super enthusiastic!
Much of our family and Eric (Sara’s boyfriend in Atlanta) have come to San Francisco or are coming to San Francisco or have been on the phone to cheer on Sara and together focus on getting to the bottom of her symptoms…and on the path to treatment. My apartment has turned into Hotel Optimism with people and suitcases everywhere!
On Friday January 19th, 6 days after being admitted…and after careful consideration and analysis of all her tests, reviewing the results of her biopsy with nearly the entire pathology department at CPMC, consulting another prominent Hematologist at UCSF, and ruling out all other potential illnesses…Sara has been diagnosed with an extremely rare disease called aplastic anemia.
Aplastic anemia results from the unexplained failure of the bone marrow to produce enough blood-forming stem cells. Aplastic anemia patients have lower counts of all three blood cell types – red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Aplastic anemia is not a cancer, but is a very serious disease that is extremely rare affecting only an estimated 2 people per every million in the United States. Read here for more information: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aplastic-anemia/DS00322 (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aplastic-anemia/DS00322)
Remarkably, Sara does not even look sick. “Healthy Sara” is in great spirits and has an extremely positive attitude and outlook. She knows that this disease is no match for her sass, spunk, energy, enthusiasm and super-positive attitude, the entire Waldman family, and her extended family of “fans” -- friends, co-workers, clients, neighbors, and loved ones. It’s the “former college cheerleader” in her shining through and infecting everyone around her with a phenomenal outlook for her treatment! Sara is also the MOST POPULAR patient at CPMC right now. All the nurses want to be assigned to help Sara get healthy!
Without a doubt, Healthy Sara will kick the s**t out of this aplastic anemia!
Because of the severity of aplastic anemia, she is starting her treatment immediately here in San Francisco until she is cleared to continue her treatment in Atlanta. All of us, and especially Sara, are thrilled with the capability and pedigree of her health care providers, and are confident that Sara is receiving fantastic attention and care from everyone at CPMC and from our extended SF - Seattle – Atlanta – New Orleans medical community that we have tapped into over the past few days. We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone that has been on the “extended medical team”.
For aplastic anemia, the initial treatment will be two cycles of two weeks each, or about one month long. She will be in the hospital until late next week where she will receive 4 days of intravenous & oral treatments of drug therapy. These drugs are designed to suppress the activity of immune cells that are damaging her bone marrow. This will help her bone marrow recover and generate new blood cells. After the initial drug treatment, she will recover for about a week in San Francisco where she’ll have her vitals and blood levels monitored to see how well her body takes to the medication. After the recovery week, she’ll repeat the treatment cycle a second time – either in San Francisco or Atlanta.
We are all very hopeful that Sara will respond extremely well to this treatment. We strongly believe in Sara and we know that her strength, perseverance, sass, spunk and extremely healthy attitude will carry her through kicking the s**t out of aplastic anemia!
MANY OF YOU HAVE ASKED US “HOW CAN I HELP”…
HERE’S HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR HEALTHY SARA!
Open the attached “Help Sara Waldman” cheat sheet and place a copy on your refrigerator at home or by your desk at work! Also, please help us with any (or all) of the following in support of Sara and the entire Waldman family:
1. With much of our family in town, we are running out of room at Kevin’s house. If anyone you know has a furnished 1-br apartment or bigger place in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights district that is not being used for the next 2-3 weeks, then please let us know ASAP. We would be especially grateful for any help you can provide here!
2. Send positive energy & encouragement to Sara! Say a prayer for her and send some of your strength to Sara!
3. Sara would love to hear words of encouragement directly from you! She has a special email account here: email (healthysara@gmail.com) erased - let me know if you want it...
4. Forward this email to at least 3 of your friends, family or loved ones. PLEASE ask them to take a few moments to send Sara healthy energy & support.
5. Donate red blood cells (and platelets) at your local blood center – regardless of your blood type! Transfusions of red blood cells and platelets saved Sara’s life, and will continue to provide a lifeline for Sara during her treatment. Sara is taking blood out of the “bank” and we need to help replenish the supply for countless other patients that need blood.
6. Send Sara a card wishing her well. You can reach her via snail mail at Kevin's house. Please don't send packages here, email Kevin if you are planning to send a package as we'll give you a better address: address erased - let me know if you want to send anything...
7. Buy a Cetaphil product at your local drugstore. Sara’s company – Galderma – is the maker of Cetaphil and everyone at Galderma has been amazingly supportive of Sara. Let’s all show our support of Galderma by purchasing a Cetaphil product at the store (especially if you are in Atlanta as Sara’s territory is Atlanta!).
8. Root for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday! WHO DAT!
9. Because Sara’s immune system is compromised, Sara cannot receive fresh flowers. She also cannot have raw fruit or raw vegetables.
We feel amazingly lucky to have a deep and wide community of friends and family all over the US, Canada, and Israel! We are all touched by the outpouring of emotion and your love, support & encouragement of Sara, and your wishes of good health and a speedy recovery. We are truly blessed and absolutely need your continued support and positive energy as Sara kicks the s**t out of aplastic anemia!
We’ll try to provide an update in a few days about Sara’s treatment and her amazing attitude, outlook and energy! Thank you so very much for all of your support.
With all of our love and gratitude,
Sara Waldman’s Fan Club!