30 Jun Kyle McQuillen Gets Some Good News

Kyle McQuillen (right), Director of Global Ministries 1993-2001, has been having quite a battle healthwise. On Thursday, June 28, he sent this encouraging update:

It’s been a bit of a difficult journey these past 7-8 weeks. Following the good news in April that my lymphoma had gone into remission after four four-day treatments of chemotherapy, I thought the worst was over. But then the effects of the chemo on my immune system began to hit me like a freight train!

I spent the next 6 weeks in hospitals in New Smyrna and Daytona Beach. In addition to viral pneumonia, my blood work just went out of wack. Finally a couple of weeks ago my oncologist suggested that I have a bone marrow biopsy, a rather unpleasant experience where the doctor inserts a 7” needle (large) into the hip and goes as far as he can into the bone marrow to collect marrow and blood. (This without any major sedative –just some topical lydacane.) Those samples were then sent out to various places for pathology examination to discover in what way my bone marrow may have been compromised.

As Mar Louise and I prepared to sit down with the oncologist today, we had all kinds of possibilities dancing in our heads: leukemia, bone marrow cancer, lymphoma in the bone marrow. We were prepared for the worst news but hopeful for the best. Well, the best news was shared by the oncologist: my bone marrow is totally normal and there is absolutely no indication of any abnormality. We’re still not sure why the blood counts are low in some areas, but the doctor feels that the chemo and the large number of drugs I had over the past two months have contributed to the problems. He feels that with rest and care I’ll be back to my pre cancer days eventually.

In the meantime, I will not be able to return to work at the prison or at the church for at least another month. But that will give me time to work on projects I have long put on the back burner. Thank you all so much for your love and prayers through this journey!

You can write to Kyle at: Kyle W. McQuillen, 299 Casa Grande, Edgewater, FL 32141.