Open Letter Fom Greg Smit

Hi everyone,

I'm pretty slow at reading my emails and just finally opened this one. Just wanted to let you all know how much we appreciate the love and support we've received from family and friends to help us through this challenging time in our lives.

The doctors continue to monitor Jenny's blood counts closely and she has been receiving transfusions of 2-3 pints of red blood cells every five or six weeks to help keep her energy level high. The folks up at OHSU want to continue with this plan for awhile to give her bone marrow every chance possible to start producing good cells again before moving ahead with a transplant. We're not sure exactly how long they'll want to put it off if things don't change. Given the risks and issues associated with a transplant, however, we're happy to go this route as long as they feel it's the best option for Jenny.

We're planning to be at Wallowa Lake for most of the week during the reunion this year. It's going to be great to spend time with each of you and hopefully we can give a better status update than I'm able to provide in an email. Thanks again for all of your support and prayers. Praise God for the grace and love he shows us through family and friends.

Greg

Living Large on Country Sunday

Apologies for the long period since the last post. The donations, time, and energy everyone has been putting in have been tremendous. Jenny's health has been stable, with occasional blood transfusions. It is important for people to know why a transplant has not happened yet. The doctors have not said that it is absolutely imperative, yet. That is our general anticipation and we are planning for that. Our prayers have been for a miracle that the symptoms would disappear completely. While rare, it does occasionally happen. In the meantime, there is nothing better than worship with family and friends. Here is a photo of the annual country Sunday worship service yesterday.

Doctor Visit Update

On February 28th, Jenny had her donor consultation at OHSU. They have located a potential donor with a 12/12 point DNA match. Jenny is scheduled for another bone marrow biopsy on March 14th so her doctors can determine how best to proceed. If her results indicate that an immediate transplant is the best option, the potential donor will be contacted. If this person is still willing and available, further screening will be done to determine compatibility.

Church Scrapbooking Event

Scrapbooking Event Sponsored by:

www.personalscrapper.com
DATE: Saturday, April 2nd

TIME: 11 am – 4 pm

PLACE: Tigard First Baptist (Jenny's church)

We will have raffles, give-away’s, and more! All crop and auction proceeds will go directly to the Jenny Smit Donation Account.

If you would like to reserve a spot, please contact: Carrie or Erica

Scrapping for A Cause

Time for You, Support for Our Teacher

Scrapping for A Cause
Sat., April 23rd
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
$30.00
(Includes Light Breakfast, Refreshments, Lunch, Prizes and Plenty of Work Space)
Supplies Available for Purchase
Deer Creek Elementary
16155 SW 131st Avenue Tigard, OR 97224

Proceeds benefit the Jenny Smit Donation Fund for Bone Marrow Transplant
Deer Creek Elementary teacher Jenny Smit (daughter of Mary Woodward teacher Nancy Broer) has recently been diagnosed with myelodysplasia. This disease compromises her immune system, blocking her body from producing healthy blood cells to fight off germs. The current treatment involves a bone marrow transplant. The proceeds from this event will help offset the expenses of finding a donor, surgery, and aftercare.

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Registration due Mon., April 11, 2005
Name __________________________________________
Address __________________________________________
Phone __________________________________________
Email __________________________________________

Make checks payable to Jenny Smit Donation Account
Mail registration to: Deer Creek PSO
16155 SW 131st Avenue
Tigard, OR 97224
Registration Confirmation will be sent via email, if provided
Questions: Call Staci Otto 503-639-1628

Community Garage Sale

Community Garage Sale
Where everyone gets what they need

Deer Creek Elementary
16155 SW 131st Ave. (Corner of Beef Bend Rd and 131st Ave.)

Thurs., March 10th 8:00 am to 8:00 pm
Fri., March 11th 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Sat., March 12th 8:00 am to 4:00 pm

Help our teacher get the bone marrow she needs.

Proceeds benefit the Jenny Smit Donation Fund for Bone Marrow Transplant

Wanted:
· Clean, usable items available for resale (please mark items with a suggested price)
Unsold items will be donated to a charitable organization at end of event.
· Volunteers to help sort, setup, operate and cleanup

Deliver Items to Deer Creek Elementary on:
· Tues., March 8th from 3:30 pm to 7:00 pm
· Wed., March 9th from 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm

Purpose
Deer Creek Elementary teacher Jenny Smit (daughter of Mary Woodward teacher Nancy Broer) has recently been diagnosed with myelodysplasia. This disease compromises her immune system, blocking her body from producing healthy blood cells to fight off germs. The current treatment involves a bone marrow transplant. The proceeds from this event will help offset the expenses of finding a donor, the surgery, and aftercare.

Questions:
Contact Rachel VanHorn at 503-524-7496 or dvhnet@comcast.net

Deer Creek Staff & Students Make Beads Count

This is a picture of the Deer Creek staff wearing their "Beads of Hope" pins. The sales are going well. They started out slow but have picked up speed as the week has gone on. The kids are proudly wearing them. Some of their stories are so touching - one little girl brought in a bag of pennies which is all the money she has saved to go shopping when she is a teenage, another brought in all her tooth fairy money. They are just so adorable. We will continue the sales at Deer Creek next week and start them at Mary Woodward.

We've decided to add another event. On April 9th, we are holding a scrap booking and cropping event. We are finalizing some details and hope to publish them next week. We are discussing the possibility of holding a craft fair on the same date. So, check back often to get details.

The Match Process

Jenny will be going to the doctor on February 22nd, for a blood count. This is to check the number of blood cells within a given volume. Depending on the result of that test, doctors will schedule next steps.
On February 28th, Greg and Jenny will meet with people at OHSU to go over the process of transplantation. There are really two facets of a bone marrow transplant process. There is, of course, the transplant procedure. But, the first step is to find a donor. This link helps explain the breadth and complexity of the process that makes it take so long and cost so much.
The Search Process

Proud Supporters

Abigail VanHorn (blonde) and Madison Downing (brunette) proudly displaying their pins.

Making Bead Pins

This is our principal, Vanessa Bunker, explaining the pins to Jenny's class on Friday. We are also planning a scrapbooking event for April 2nd. Check back for more details.

Upcoming Fund Raisers

Information will go out next week about a garage sale scheduled for March 11th and 12th at Deer Creek. We are asking for clean, usable items to be priced and delivered to the school. All proceeds from this sale will go towards Jenny.

Directions to school

Beginning immediately thru the end of the school year, Deer Creek PSO will allocate all proceeds from the purchase of scrip by parents and community members towards Jenny.

Lastly, our PSO wrote a check last night to the Jenny Smit Donation Fund to cover the cost of 2 potential donors.

For more information, please contact:
Kathy Stallkamp (Deer Creek PSO President)
kstallkamp@yahoo.com
503-639-3274

"Beads of Hope"

Deer Creek PSO is beginning a "Beads of Hope" pin drive. Anyone who provides a donation to the Jenny Smit Donation Fund (US Bank Account) will receive a purple beaded pin to wear on their clothing or backpack as a show of support for Jenny. (Purple is Jenny's favorite color.) Deer Creek PSO is providing funds for the pins and various individuals are signed up to make them this weekend. Each student in Jenny's class will receive a pin this Friday and pins will be for sale to others starting Monday, Feb. 14th. We would love to extend this donation drive to other schools and Jenny's church.

OHSU Release

OHSU has began preparing a release for Jenny today. These are not the standard forms that they handout for routine procedures. They are putting it together specifically for her and should have it complete soon. That is about all we know right now.

To Make a Donation

We have set up an account at US Bank for donations. The account number is 1536 5667 8650. The account is named Jenny Smit Donation Account. People can also mail a check to:

Jenny Smit Donation Account
18755 S. Cathy Adams Dr.
Oregon City, OR 97045

Here is a photo of Jenny with her husband and baby last summer. The baby is the one in the middle. Her mom is in the foreground. Several very generous people have come forward and donated enough to begin the search for a donor! Thank you so much! Everyone is so grateful! However, we still have a long way to go. The next step is to begin the search at OHSU on Monday. The hospital will build a list of likely candidates. They may come back with 5 names or 50. Whatever they say, we need to be ready to test as many as possible at once to avoid delays or additional administrative costs (not ours, the hospital's). We will post as soon as we know more. Thanks again to those who have made this quick start possible. Don't forget to pray...

What is Myelodysplasia?

www.emedicine.com/ped/topic1526.htm

Letters Away!

We mailed out letters this morning and began spreading the word in earnest. We already have a few pledges amounting to several hundred dollars. That is great! You see, each test will cost about $1500 and the doctors have said that it is not unusual to need 30-50 people tested before a donor is found. Insurance is going to cover zero for the donor search. For those of you that may have just stumbled onto this site without receiving the letter, here is what we are doing. Jenny is our beloved sister-in-law. She is 32 this month, a second grade teacher, mother of a 2-year old, and married to a really great guy. This last summer she began feeling weak and bruising. After a series of tests, the diagnosis has been myelodysplasia. The treatment for this is a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, the entire cost of the donor search will be an out-of-pocket expense. By doing the math above we have come to realize that there is an urgent need to raise a lot of money. Due to the way the illness affects the immune system, she has been unable to work and be around a lot of children. This Friday she had her third blood transfusion in four months. She feels better, but it's only a short-term fix. We are asking everyone we know, and many we don't, to donate money to help. Every amount, small and large, will make a difference. We have set up an account at US Bank for donations. The account number is 1536 5667 8650. The account is named Jenny Smit Donation Account. People can also mail a check to:

Jenny Smit Donation Account
18755 S. Cathy Adams Dr.
Oregon City, OR 97045

We would be glad to deposit the funds and mail you a receipt if you provide your address. We promise to be good stewards of any funds given. None of it will be used for administrative costs. It all goes to pay for Jenny’s transplant. In the wonderful event that we end up receiving more money than is needed, the remainder will be donated to help others suffering from MDS, leukemia and other related diseases. Also, we are not a non-profit company, just a family that very much wants our sister-in-law to be healed. To that end, in addition to your donations, we need your prayers. Jenny and her family turned their ultimate hopes over to Christ, who has told us whenever we pray together in common request, He will not only be with us, but grant our prayer (MT 18:18-19). So please, pray together and often to Jesus for Jenny. We’ll keep everyone updated on this website.

First Day

Today we begin our drive to help Jenny. Our prayers are that the Lord would bless our efforts and bring her to full recovery, while enabling us to do our best to fulfill His will in the world.