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RELATED LINKS
Hawaii Airlines Magazine article on Sheldon
Here is a great article from 2005 about Sheldon and her battle.
PERSONAL PAGES
RECENT UPDATES
- Today is a Happy Day!March 30th, 2012
As I write this update, Sheldon is on a plane home to Hawaii. Needless to say, she is very excited to get home for some real healing! Thank you for all of your support! Dev
Read more..
Friends and family of Sheldon are joining together to raise money to help her battle leukemia
Hi everyone,
For the last 9 years, Sheldon has been waging an on again/off again battle with AML - acute myeloid leukemia. The first skirmish opened with a round of chemo in Honolulu and a trip to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for a bone marrow transplant. Her brother Todd was the donor. As you would expect, she came through the treatment unscathed and left a path of intimidated interns and laughing nurses!
The transplant did the job of keeping AML at bay until she relapsed three years later. Another trip to Seattle and another 2 rounds of chemo knocked it back into remission. Todd’s cells were still fighting.
Three years later, almost to the month, the same thing happened. Relapse, back to Seattle, and two more rounds of chemo. This time they also added more of Todd lymphocytes for good measure.
This brings us to today – 2.5 years after the last treatments – another relapse and back to Seattle for 2 rounds of chemo and a second stem cell transplant. This time they are trying to find an unrelated donor (Excellent news - we found multiple matching donors!) and will use a different preparative regimen in hopes of eradicating the leukemia.
Throughout all of this, and in spite of it, Sheldon remains one of the most upbeat people around. In between her battles with leukemia, Sheldon competed and placed in many international kite surfing competitions, and won a national championship. In 2009, she won a “Best Paper” award at the Hawaii Conservation Conference less than a month after her last round of chemotherapy. She finished presenting the paper and went straight to the hospital for a blood transfusion. She went on to complete her PhD in wildlife conservation a few months later. For the last 1.5 years she has been devoted to her work as a restoration ecologist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. She is also an accomplished salsa dancer, yogi, beach volleyball player, statistician, surfer and ”Vagina Warrior” (google Vagina Monologues). Most recently, she has been leading a project to reintroduce an endemic bird to a Northwestern Hawaiian Island where it was eradicated by introduced species ~ 100 years ago. She is talented, intelligent, and inspiring and quite frankly, the world needs her.
Treatment in Seattle is going great, but it's an expensive city to live in for the 4-6 months of treatment. Rent, transportation, food etc. quickly add up and insurance doesn't cover this substantial burden.
To help ease the financial burden of medical and living expenses, we have set up this fundraising page for Sheldon. Any donation will help and will be delivered to Sheldon directly from this website.
We have had people ask if they can send a donation by mail. Absolutely! Please make checks out to:
Sheldon Plentovich Medical Fund
and send them in care of her brother:
Todd Plentovich
1429 Adella St
Colombia, SC 29210
Frequent flyer tickets can also be donated to help her transportation costs.
Rallying Team Sheldon updates.
Today is a Happy Day!
March 30th, 2012
As I write this update, Sheldon is on a plane home to Hawaii. Needless to say, she is very excited to get home for some real healing! Thank you for all of your support! Dev
5 Weeks Post Transplant
February 18th, 2012
Sheldon is 5 weeks post transplant. She is feeling well enough for a little exercise, which will help her body recover from the chemo and radiation. The first month after the transplant was a little rough trying to get her to eat, but the doctors have taken care of that issue with an adjustment to her meds. Her immune system is coming back nicely. Testing of her new blood cells showed that they were all from the donor. We have had adventures with our rental house. 7 days in a hotel due to power outages. 2 separate occasions of 2-3 days without water due to equipment failures and 2 days without heat. Note to rental property owners - it helps to fill the propane tanks! Sheldon will be living in Seattle 2-2.5 more months for treatment and monitoring. She can't wait to get back to Hawaii and a normal life. Thanks to everyone for all of the wonderful support and well wishes! Special thanks to Kirsten and Pakki for keeping Sheldon entertained, well fed, and sane! Special thanks to John for volunteering to be her caregiver for a week.
We have an immune system!
February 1st, 2012
Sheldon's new stems cells are engrafting, and her immune system is returning. This is great news, because we do not have to be as paranoid about germs. She is still receptive to infections, but she now has some defensive cells. Her energy levels and appetite are slowly returning, and she is hoping to get out for some walks in nature in the next few days. Sheldon wants to thank everyone for their kind words of encouragement and generous contributions. It makes her day to hear from her friends. Please forward this link to anyone you know who would be interested in Sheldon’s progress.
January 2012 Update - Waiting for an Immune System
January 20th, 2012
Radiation - check
Chemo - check
Snowboarding (not the brightest idea) - check
Stem cell transplant - check
New immune system - still waiting......
Sheldon received her new stem cells on January 10th. All we know about the donor is male European. We are guessing Germany because of the language on the stem cell bag. Wherever he is, our family is very grateful for his generosity. How do you thank someone for the gift of life?
We are now waiting for Sheldon's new immune system to start functioning. It will probably be another week or two, so we are in germ warfare. There will bo NO infections!
We have had a few adventures in Seattle. We are currently sitting in a hotel because of the snow storm. The roads are horrible and the rental house has no power. The car that we were borrowing (1996 Subaru) finally breathed its last breath. Thanks to Trista for the loaner. It was a honorable car!
Thank you to everyone for the continued kind wishes and support.
Dev
Rallying Team Sheldon Donors.
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Anonymous gave $2,500.00October 27th, 2011
"I wish you a speedy recovery, Sheldon. You've got a wonderful family on your side, including Chuck Berray."
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Tony Perry gave $1,000.00October 28th, 2011
"I love you girl, we are all behind you!"
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Martha Stewart gave $600.00October 28th, 2011
"Can't wait to get your opinion on our new living room arrangement. See ya soon! We love you."
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Finn's father gave $500.00November 3rd, 2011
"If anyone on earth can do this, it's you. In the words of one of my heros (clarence darrow): "I believe in the law of love, I believe it is the greatest and most potent force in all this great universe. I have loved peace, and I have had to fight almost from the time I opened my eyes - I have been fighting fighting fighting." So many people love you, and you've had to fight so long and so hard. Let that most potent force carry you forward again!"
Matched By: Tony Perry
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Marge Cabanski gave $25.00February 23rd, 2012
"Thinking of you and admire your courage! You go girl!!!!!"
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Taiya the kayaking dog gave $100.00February 17th, 2012
"Woof! Get well soon so you can come to Alaska and rub my belly."
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Amanda Bakian gave $120.00February 5th, 2012
"Sheldon, it's been many years but I look back on my time in Rota fondly. You were wonderful to work with and for. Best of luck with your treatment. "
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Anonymous gave $100.00February 2nd, 2012
Hugs for Rallying Team Sheldon.