Here's my sister Shirley's health update from Jan. 2. My “100 day” mark coincided with yesterday’s doctor visit. We had an early morning appointment, and Dr. Ho said that I was his first patient of 2008. I’ll take that as a good sign for the New Year! As I mentioned before, 100 days does not necessarily have medical significance as much as just being a patient milestone. I am now free to eat fresh salads, all fruits and restaurant pizza, to name a few. He will watch carefully for signs of graft vs. host disease on each visit. Appointments are two weeks apart now. Although my red blood cell count is still low, Dr. Ho didn’t recommend a transfusion again. I think that he felt that things were going smoothly and that I was managing my energy well. My appetite started coming back over the holidays and now it seems normal again. I gained a couple pounds since my last appointment, which I’m very happy about. He continues to taper off my GVHD medication. No problems yet. Next visit, Jan. 16. I’m looking forward to this New Year for a fresh start.