Monday, Nov. 09, 2009

W. Richland woman faces long treatment for cancer

By Sara Schilling, Herald staff writer

WEST RICHLAND — There's no one in the world Jaime Conrad Picker loves more than her 2-year-old daughter Cadence.

I know this because Jaime has been my best friend for more than 20 years.

And I know that for Jaime, 31, of West Richland, the hardest part of moving to Seattle for four months to have a stem cell transplant will be not seeing her little girl.

Jaime leaves today to begin treatment for myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, a condition in which the bone marrow doesn't make enough healthy blood cells. She was diagnosed this summer. MDS is serious on its own, and her doctors at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance warned her it could soon progress into a type of leukemia that's notoriously difficult to treat.

They said her best chance for a long and healthy life is to have the transplant.

Over the next couple of weeks, she'll undergo tests and get settled in Seattle. Then the transplant process will begin.

Jaime is scared. The transplant comes with risks, and before it even begins, she'll go through chemotherapy to get rid of the damaged cells.

She'll feel exhausted, sick and probably will lose her hair. Then she'll spend weeks in the hospital for the transplant and months recovering in a sterilized apartment in Seattle.

Jaime's mom, Sue Conrad, will be by her side, making sure she has everything she needs. But Jaime's husband, Shane, has to stay behind in the Tri-Cities to work.

Most of Jaime's medical care will be covered by insurance, but the cost of staying in the apartment near the hospital won't be -- so the bills will pile up.

Shane works in construction and Jaime is a dental hygienist. Doctors told her she probably won't be well enough to return to her job for about a year.

While she's in Seattle, Shane and Cadence will be able to visit some. But once treatment begins, Jaime's visitors will be limited because any germ could be a threat to her compromised immune system.

That means Jaime may not be able to see her little girl much until the ordeal is done.

That's what brings her to tears.

"I'm scared of being sick. But most of all I'm scared of being away from my family," she said. "I'm scared about the possibility of not coming home to them."

She and her family are leaning on their Christian faith for strength.

"I believe in my heart that God has a purpose for this. He's going to get us through," Sue said.

The family also is leaning on relatives and friends in the Tri-Cities and beyond. A small army of people are helping plan a spaghetti feed fundraiser later this month, and many more are sending e-mails, cards and prayers to show their support.

Even with all the help, the past few months have been full of fear, tears and uncertainty.

"I just want my family back together in one piece," Shane said. But there isn't much he or the rest of the family can do but wait.

All Jaime can do is be brave. She's the bravest person I know.

We met in a gymnastics class and bonded over years of ripped palms and sore muscles. She's always been there for me, and I've tried to do the same for her.

I remember when Cadence was born. Jaime hadn't been feeling well, and when a home blood pressure test read off-the-charts Shane rushed her to the hospital. Cadence came via C-section after a harrowing night in which we thought we might lose them both.

The baby girl was three months early and weighed a little over a pound. Shane's wedding ring could fit up her arm to the shoulder.

Cadence stayed in the hospital for weeks, gaining weight and strength. She's perfectly healthy now.

I have dozens of photos of her, but the one I keep on my desk at work was snapped a few weeks after she was born.

She has a tube in her nose to help her breathe and her tiny arms are wrapped around her favorite stuffed lamb. I like the photo because it reminds me that Cadence is a miracle, and that she fought so hard to get better and come home.

I know her mother will fight just as hard.

How to help, keep track of progress

w A spaghetti dinner and auction to help Jaime Conrad Picker is set at 6 p.m. Nov. 20 at Parish of the Holy Spirit in Kennewick. Tickets are $25 each and available at The Bookworm, 201 N. Edison St., Kennewick. People also can make donations to the Jaime Conrad Picker Medical Fund at any Bank of America branch.

w To stay posted on Jaime's progress, go to caringbridge.org/visit/jaimepicker.