'The long haul starts now'

CASEY RESSLER

Frontiersman Valley Life Editor

After an exhaustive fund-raising effort, years of hope and a continued positive outlook on life, 18-year-old Kara MacIver is starting her road to recovery.

MacIver, a leukemia patient, underwent a bone marrow transplant Saturday at The Children's Hospital in Seattle, and a close family friend said she that MacIver is looking forward to her road to recovery, no matter how hard it may be.

"Kara is in really good spirits," said friend Becky Day, who has been in close contact with the MacIver family. "It took 10 hours to infuse the marrow on Saturday, and she's in some pain, but Kara is hanging in there. The whole family is hanging in there. The long haul starts now."

MacIver was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in August, 2003, after a routine blood test. She had no signs of being ill, but earlier that summer, she delivered her son, Aaron, through Caesarean section, and was anemic during part of the pregnancy. Following her son's birth, she had to undergo routine blood tests to monitor the anemia.

Last August, a problem was detected.

"In February and March, it was present but they weren't looking for leukemia, so it went unnoticed," Dawn MacIver, Kara's mother, told the Frontiersman last October. "Finally, they found it during a routine check-up."

The good news was that a potential donor was found last fall, appropriately enough, right before the Light the Night Walk, which is a fund-raiser for leukemia research. MacIver's sister was a five-sixth match, but a perfect match substantially increases the recovery rate.

Last Saturday, that match's marrow was infused into MacIver's body, but not before all of her own troubling marrow was killed off through a week of extensive radiation and chemotherapy.

"It was pretty extreme, but it greatly increases her odds of it not coming back. You need the best odds you can get," Day said. "She's having some trouble with the mucus lining in her throat and her mouth, because that's what the chemo does, but she's staying positive."

Day said doctors were thrilled with the fact that there was a lot more marrow available from her donor than normal.

"Dawn said the doctors where really happy that there was a huge amount of marrow they could work with," Day said. "That was good to hear."

The MacIver family is currently in Seattle, where Kara will stay until at least October. She is extremely susceptible to germs right now, and has to be closely monitored.

"She's really missing getting to see her son," Day said. "He is staying with their oldest daughter, whose husband is a submariner in Bremerton. She's looking forward to seeing him every day."

One of MacIver's best friends is down there as well, Day said, giving Kara as much support as possible. Throughout the process, the MacIver family has gotten tremendous support from the community, and Day said that is heartwarming.

Fund-raisers have been held for the medical procedure, and the Mat-Su Home Builders are currently building the MacIvers a new home in Wasilla that is specially-built to repel any microscopic germs that could be dangerous for Kara.

"The first thing Kara asked me on the phone was how her house was going," Day said with a chuckle.

MacIver's parents are staying with Kara in Seattle, and Day said collection jars will remain around town to help the family with expenses.

"Dawn's not working, and Billy [her father] isn't at work because he's down there with his daughter," Day said. "But the gas bill still comes due. The light bill still comes. And they have a lot of expenses down there. They know that Kara is the most important thing right now, though."