Help Vinay & Sameer

Dear Friends of Sameer and Reena,

As most of you know, Sameer has posted his latest update on his blog (www.helpsameer.org) on Feb. 7, 2008. The basic news is that his leukemia is not in remission and he needs additional treatment to get it in remission. Once he is in remission they are likely to opt for a cord blood transplant.

His stomach is much better and he is able to eat a little bit in the last few days. Last night he was allowed to leave the hospital after almost six weeks except for a small break. He is happy to be home and is in good spirits. Reena continues to take excellent care of him and administers many medications several times a day according a complex set of instructions. She also records his diet to make sure that he gets the required minimum number of calories and protein. He is getting the best possible care on all accounts and we continue to be positive for his full recovery.

Sameer was happy to see Maltibehn (Reena’s mother) and Deepesh (Reena’s brother) who arrived in Seattle late Wednesday night. He was also delighted to see his friend Neil Butani who flew over from Louisiana for a quick visit for the weekend. We all spent time together with Sameer in the clinic today where he was getting his daily blood count checkup and then received platelets.

I believe that the next bone marrow biopsy will be on Feb. 19. We pray for a sustained remission by that time so he can get the second transplant, and recover fully. Thank you for your blessings, prayers and good wishes.

Kumar Bhatia