We have a match!!! Seattle called with the GOOD news! In fact, we have two…a 18 year old male and 24-year-old female (gender doesn’t matter). YIPPEE!!!!!! They are both what are called 10/10 matches…that’s what we needed! Whew, finally good news!
Are they from Park City? We don’t know (unless someone here got a call) and are not told until one year after the actual transplant and only if the donor agrees. I think in our little town, if they’re from here, we ALL will know! To who ever it is, wherever they are, our deepest gratitude!
What’s next? Andy has to be in remission before we go any farther. We’ll see his oncologist in New York on July 15 and get some idea of the status of his cancer. Once he’s in remission, finally, it will go pretty fast. He and I will move to Seattle, rent something and settle in for 4-6 months with Mike joining us every-other weekend. He will be given immune system suppressants to get his system ready to accept the donor cells.
How can you help? So many of you have already done SO MUCH for us and especially with his donor registration drive a couple of weeks ago. Your support as we go down this challenging path is worth everything! And thanks to all who sent him a 30th birthday greeting last Sunday – he thought that was pretty neat! This is a very risky procedure so prayers, good karma, positive thoughts are still needed (His email, if you need it is: [email protected] as in john andrew washington)
When does this happen? As soon as he’s in remission. The final go-head decision is made by his New York oncologist.
Thanks so very much to our little village for all you’ve done and to our family and friends for their support!
Andy, Mike and Jane Washington
Park City
The Great wild horse debate continues
Editor:
I am writing in response to the editorials by Andrew Gulliford (April 16, 2013) Wild Horses: too much of a good thing and Ted Williams (6/15/2013)"Feral Horses: wild, free and out of control"
How serendipitous that both writers wrote their editorials prior to National Academy of Science’s latest report evaluating the Bureau of Land Management’s job of managing our nation’s
Wild Horses, which stated that the BLM’s practices in working with our Nation’s Wild Horses are in dire need of repair.
Mr. Guilford’s statement regarding the Office of the Inspector General ‘the herds’ doubles every 4 years". The recent NAS report states there is a 15-20 % growth rate of any given herd annuall. Mr. William’s unscientific based editorial continually uses "feral" to describe the wild horse population as well as the people who support them.
There have been three studies to evaluate the claim of whether today’s wild horses are wild and genetically tied to the Yukon Horse, which disappeared from the North American continent approximately 12,000 years ago.
A study by Drs. Kirkpatric and Fazio can be found in detail at Protectmustangs.org under Native Wild Horses. Their study concludes that " neither paleontological opinion nor modern molecular genetics support the contention that the modern horse in North American is Non-Native".
Shifting from all of the scientific data surrounding these living beings to one of honor and admiration. Since the Civil War to the end of World War 1 the present day horse’s ancestor have served this nation in our many military conflicts. We as a Nation owe this national treasure more then being gathered and sent off to the BLM’s holding facilities located in the mid west or to the slaughter house.
This cannot be stated enough. "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
John Steele
John Steele Photography