We got a phone call from Maui on February 10th 2011 that we were not expecting. Judd had passed out while waiting to eat lunch with Judy and their good friends Rich and Gloria Irion. They were in the ER running tests but suspected that he had leukemia. WHAT??? How could this happen? Judd is so healthy and young, he can't have cancer. After running many tests and finding out that Judds white blood cell count was 56,000 (a normal persons should be 10,000) they confirmed that he did have leukemia. He needed to get back to Utah as soon as possible so that a bone marrow sample could be taken to determine what type of leukemia he had. We were so thankful to have the Irions with them during this difficult time since we were so far away and felt completely helpless. They could not have had better people with them. Thank you so much Rich and Gloria, you are angels and we love you!
The Kemps arrived home Sunday and Judd was admitted to The Huntsman Cancer Institute on Monday February 14th. We found out he had AML (acute myeloid leukemia) and that he would need to start Chemotherapy the next day. He will have chemo treatments 24 hours a day for 7 days, hopefully going into remission after that. Another bone marrow sample will be taken on Feb. 28th to see if the chemo did it's job or if another round of chemo is necessary. Judd has remained so positive and had an incredible attitude while going through all of this. He told me the other day, "You know, I'm sick but I'm going to get better." He is so amazing! It's been so neat to see all of the family and friends that have come to visit Judd this week, showing him how much they love and support him. Judd, I just want you to know how much we love you and admire your strength and determination. You are constantly in our thoughts and prayers. We want to walk through this jouney with you, every step of the way. We love you !
A website has been set up for family and friends who would like to hear updates on Judd and his recovery. The link is: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/juddkemp You have to log in to view Judd's site. If you need the password, please e-mail me at amyckemp@hotmail.com.
Here are some pictures we took one night while visiting Judd.
2 comments:
I am so sorry to hear about Judd! I obviously don't know him well but I know how hard it is to have someone you love go through something like that...he is definitely in my thoughts and prayers. I hope he goes into remission quickly and the cancer stays away! Give Jordan a hug for me and tell him to hang in there!
What a trooper! He's so strong. The Kemp's are a great group of people and I'm sure they'll get through this!
Post a Comment