With my last post I apologized for the length of time between posts. Well, here I am again, it’s been awhile since my last post but I’m without an apology this time. Since the end of the football season I’ve been involved with a number of projects that have taken up so much of my time that I’ve hardly had the opportunity to regularly check my site. My bad!!!
I can say I truly appreciate each person who visits my site and especially everyone who signs my guestbook. I do take the time to read every entry in my guestbook. This HarryCarson.com site has been great for a number of reasons. The first is it has been a place for my old friends to reconnect with me and for us to get re-acquainted. I’ve been in touch with a number of old friends from high school and college who I’ve lost touch with. It’s been great to catch up. The site has also been a great way to let the world know how my son Donald is doing throughout his battle with the bone marrow disease Aplastic Anemia. Well for those who have been coming back looking for an update I’m happy to say that as of his last trip in January to visit his doctors at NIH (National Institutes of Health) Donald is making tremendous progress and has been taken off of his medication. He is in his second semester of graduate school at Hampton University but Don has indicated that after getting his Master’s Degree he will go on to medical school where he is looking to specialize in the field that he is effected with. In the meantime we held our first Harry Carson Scholarship fundraiser at Ben Benson’s Restaurant in New York City with all funds going to the Aplastic Anemia Foundation to help kids like Donald who have fought that bone marrow disease but whose family finances have been depleted because of medical costs. The event was sold out and raised almost $75,000 for the cause.
My next fundraiser will be my Harry Carson/School Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic to fund public education programs in my hometown of Florence, SC will take place Saturday, May 19th. I’m looking forward to the event with my old Giants teammates Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks, Brian Kelly, Brad VanPelt and Ottis Anderson. My old teammates will be joined by current NY Giants player Michael Strahan and Philadelphia Eagles Jeremiah Trotter as well as Heisman Tropy winner George Rogers and Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks. For those of you who are real Harry Carson fans and would like to play a round with me please send me an email or go to www.schoolfoundation.org for more information on how to register.
HELLO, HARRY
YOUR SON’S STORY TOUCHED ME AS I HAVE THREE SONS OF MY OWN, HOWEVER, I AM THE ONE THAT HAS THE APLASTIC ANEMIA. YOUR STORY GIVES ME INSIGHT INTO HOW THEY AND MY WIFE MUST HAVE FELT WHEN I STARTED MY JOURNEY THROUGH THAT MEDICAL ADVENTURE. I HAD BEEN HEALTHY ALL MY LIFE, NEVER HOSPITALIZED FOR ANYTHING, AND THEN SUDDENLY I AM GETTING HOOKED UP TO TUBES WITH MEDICINES, SALINE, AND SOMEONE ELSE’S BLOOD OR PLATELETS. DOCTORS ARE TELLING ME THAT I MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO A TOXIN, A VIRUS, A WHATEVER…THEY DON’T KNOW, WHAT THEY DO KNOW IS THAT MY HEMOGLOBIN IS AT 6.5 AND I NEED TO GET SOME BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS IN ME QUICK.
YOU FEEL LIKE THEY ARE READING SOMEONE ELSE’S BLOOD TESTS. THIS CAN’T BE ME–HELL, I HAVE BEEN STRONG ALL MY LIFE, HAVE DONE THINGS NO ORDINARY PERSON WOULD OR COULD DO, BUT STILL HERE I AM IN A HOSPITAL BED, WITH NURSES, LVN’S, RESIDENTS, DOCTORS, ETC. COMING IN AND OUT. YOU KNOW THE MOST INTERESTING AND BAFFLING CHARACTERISTIC OF AA IS THAT IT DOESN’T HURT, YOU FEEL TIRED MOST OF THE TIME AND SOME OF THE TIME YOU FEEL DISORIENTED BECAUSE YOU AREN’T GETTING ENOUGH OXYGEN TO YOUR BRAIN.
I AM HAPPY TO READ THAT DONALD IS DOING WELL AND WANTING TO GET ON WITH THE REST OF HIS LIFE. A POSITIVE ATTITUDE CAN BE DIFFICULT TO FIND WHEN ONE IS CONFRONTED WITH SUCH A CHALLENGE, BUT AS I SEE IT, THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE. WE ARE ONLY LIMITED BY OUR OWN THOUGHTS.
THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY,
TOM JACK
Hi Harry. My 6-year-old son was diagnosed with idiopathic severe aplastic anemia in August 2006. He received rabbit serum in the fall and began the immunosuppressive therapy journey then. Currently, he is back in school, and his counts are looking good. We are just waiting to see if he can hold his own without the medication, but the tapering process is proving to be very lengthy in time. I, too, keep a “blog” online as a journal for friends and family to keep up on his road to recovery. If you find the time, you’re welcome to read the journal. The site is listed in my profile here.
I’m very interested in getting involved in fundraisers as you have, and any insight would be GREATLY appreciated.
I just want to say from one parent to another, my thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family, and especially to Donald for a full recovery!!
And to Tom (last responder), best best best wishes go out to you, too. Let’s BEAT this!!!
Sincerely,
Kim Enering (Trevor’s Mom)