Ken Allen's blood cancer fund

Ken Allen’s recent medical journey

Cancer Survivor in 2012

During the fall of 2012, I was diagnosed with colon cancer and due to complications ended up having three surgeries in nine days. Due to complications, I spent seven weeks in three different hospitals, lost 65 pounds and spent five months recovering before being able to return to work. Definitely was an eye opener to how quickly life can throw you a curve ball.

 

Cancer journey 2020

Speaking of a curve ball, during the spring of this year I noticed several lumps and on April 1st had a surgery to have a biopsy done. I was diagnosed with Al lambda amyloidosis (a form of blood cancer). June Nylen Cancer Center recommended a second opinion and suggested the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. After seven trips to Rochester this past summer with many tests and appointments we received confirmation that I not only had amyloidosis, but also multi myeloma. Both are cancers of the blood and the recommended treatment was an autologous stem cell transplant.

 

On August 12th, my wife Nancy & I moved into The Gift of Life Transplant Home in Rochester. It is here that we discovered one of the safest environments that we could had hoped for. We were within walking distance of Mayo Clinic and surrounded by a community of people going through a variety of transplants situations, all supporting each other.

 

Week one was all about collecting & freezing my stem cells to be used in the transplant procedure. Week two involved chemotherapy, knocking my immune system down to ground zero, killing the two cancers and performing the transplant in which I received back my stem cells. Weeks three and four were all about controlling the many side affects and daily lab work to confirm when the stem cells would start engraftment. Weeks five & six found us again doing daily lab work and monitoring blood counts. It was during these weeks that I climbed out of the Nader stage (no immune system at all) to showing improvements necessary to be able to look toward going home.

 

Week seven, on September 24th, we were able to return home. I am now in the 100 day post-transplant period doing my recovery from the comfort of home. We return to Mayo Clinic on December 10th for follow-up appointments and hoping for that confirmation that the transplant was a success.

 

I thank God for the many ways that support has been extended to me & my family during this difficult time. The many prayers, cards & letters along with the many other acts of kindness received since my second battle against cancer began. The Lord has blessed me in so many ways and I look forward to that day when I can help others as they have helped me.