National Foundation for Transplants

Mike Adams - Flemington, NJ
	Donate Today Donate with		Transplant Type - Bone Marrow Mike, a husband and father of two, first suspected Lyme disease was the cause of swelling and pain in his hand until further testing showed he suffers from Systemic Scleroderma, a rare autoimmune disease causing the tissues of various organs to become very hard and eventually stop functioning. Doctors have told Mike a bone marrow transplant is his only hope for a second chance at life. Mike was once very active, spending time with his two children, jogging five miles per day and playing softball as often as possible. However, his condition has forced him to stop the activities he once loved. An active coach in local Readington Township athletics, Mike has coached his children's athletic teams for 15 years. He is thankful that he has still been able to coach and hopes he remains healthy enough to continue helping. Mike looks forward to playing baseball with his son once again and walking his daughter down the aisle someday, and he hopes a lifesaving bone marrow transplant will allow him to do those things. A bone marrow transplant costs approximately $300,000. And that's only the beginning. Mike faces significant medical expenses related to his transplant. Because Mike's insurance will not cover a large portion of the transplant costs, his hospital has estimated that Mike will be responsible for approximately $170,000 out of pocket. You can help! To make a donation to NFT in Mike's honor, click the link below his photo. If you'd prefer to send your gift by mail, please send it to the NFT New Jersey Bone Marrow Fund, 5350 Poplar Avenue, Suite 430, Memphis, TN 38119. Be sure to write "in honor of Mike Adams" in the memo line. Thank you for your generosity! Patient Health Institute: Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Day 3 down and one more to go!!

Hello all, well another day down of testing... yesterday I had an adenosine stress test followed by a visit to the vein clinic. We received a tour of the area where they will be harvesting my stem cells and a brief overview of the machine that will actually be extracting the cells from me.
Today I had a cardiac cathetarization. This is the third one i have had done, so It was almost routine for me. The Cardiologist said my pressures looked good and that he was going to give the thumbs up for transplant.
Donna and I took a short tour of the Museum of Science and Industry this afternoon. This has been the only time we have had an opportunity to see a little bit of Chicago. The highlight of the afternoon was actually when we were waiting for a taxi back to the hotel... an ice cream vendor and a cab driver got into a heated argument about the prices being charged for an ice cream cone. It was something right out of Comedy Central!! At one point the ice cream vendor threatened to throw the cone at the cabbie... only in Chicago!! It has been several hours later and Donna and I still can't stop laughing about it. Tomorrow is the last day of testing. I have an MRI in the morning and a consult with the cardiac team in the afternoon. Piece of cake!!

tests, tests, and more tests....

Hello all, well the day has finally come to an end and what a busy day it was...most of the morning tests were fairly easy. I had 20 vials of blood drawn and felt dizzy afterwards, I was in need of a glass of juice or something sugary... just when i thought the worst was over, the afternoon rolled around and i had an MRI. Now I have had an MRI before, but this particular one looked like a medieval torture device! They literally strapped my arms down to a table and put me in this tube. You know you are in trouble when they hand you a panic button and tell you to press when needed. I treated it like i was a contestant on one of those reality t.v. shows... How long can Mike Adams last in the tube without pressing the panic button?? It was hell. I had to stay in there an hour! My prize....Donna handed me a snicker bar. I'll take it! haha. My visit at the dental clinic didn't go as well as I hoped either. Apparently I have a tooth with an old root canal that is failing, so when i get home i have to visit a specialist to have my root canal redone. They have to do this because once i get the transplant, my immune system will be nonexistent for a while and if this tooth should decide to suprise me with an infection it could actually be life threatening Lucky me, a root canal to look forward to upon my return home! . Hopefully all will go well tomorrow.

Finally my deep dish Pizza!!

Hello all, well we have finally arrived here in Chicago where the weather was a cool 65degrees and sunny. A very big difference from the 80degree weather we are having in Flemington. Our flight was wonderful... except for the fact that they no longer give you a snack, not even a little bag of peanuts!! Well, that's our great economy I suppose.
I am happy to say that after our check in at the Seneca, we went to the famous Gino's East for a delicious deep dish pizza. Ahh, finally!! I have to say that it is very different than the deep dish pizza at pizza hut. The crust is unusually sweet and the mozzarella cheese is on the bottom of the pie not the top. It was fantastic!! Well, i am going to rest up tonight because tomorrow is a big day.

This is a test....This is only a test!!!.

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Well, it seems that I will be travelling back to the Windy city on May 31st for 4 more days of testing. It seems that my insurance company is requiring me to undergo several more tests before they give final approval for any type of payment. If you think that you have a full schedule, check mine out....
Monday June 1st..8:30 a.m. EKG. 10:00 a.m. Labs/Virologies. 12:15p.m. cardiac MRI with contrast. 4:00p.m. Dental Appointment for xrays and cleaning( no, they won't let Donna who is a Dental Hygienist, clean my teeth!).
Tuesday June 2nd..8:00 a.m. Adenosine Thallium Stress Test ( for my ticker).. 3:00 Vein Check ( for my port which will administer my chemo) .
Wednesday June 3rd.. Right heart Cardiac Cathetarization
Thursday June 4th.. 8:00 a.m. CT Enterography of abdomen and Chest, and Chest xray.
1:45 Consultation appointment with the Cardiology team.
Geez, I hope i get a chance to taste a Chicago deep dish pizza, but with this schedule I may have to settle for peanut butter and jelly!

Amanda's graduation from TCNJ

A very special moment with Nanny....
Me, my wife Donna, my son Michal, my daughter Amanda and mom
Congratulations Amanda!

A very Proud moment in my life....

Friday was the College graduation of my daughter, Amanda. She attended the College of New jersey. She graduated in the top 1/3 of her class! It is so hard to believe how quicky these 4 years have gone by. Other than witnessing her birth, this was the proudest moment of my life and I am so thankful that I was able to be there. It was certainly a day filled with Adams pride!!! I want to mention a very special person in my life and that is my mother in-law. Those of you who know her know how ill she has been over the years and yet she manages to always bounce back. Her reason for this, she tells me, is the love of her family - Even though she is in a rehab recovering from yet another illness, she managed to make it to the ceremony!! She is an amazing woman. I draw a lot of strength from her.
My Dr. started me on a new medication it is called Tracleer. This is supposed to help preserve my heart. My skin is starting to itch like crazy, but I don't think it's from the medication. I think my body is getting tighter. Donna bought a new cream that seems to be helping a little. Anyone have a back scratcher??