Jeff Henderson Is Being Treated for Leukemia

Posted in Central Oklahoma Mensa on June 16, 2006

Readers of the Mensokie will recognize Jeff Henderson as our resident Wordsmith. Editor Nancy Park sent news of his recent health problems. Please “read more” for the fully story. Our thoughts are with Jeff and his wife as they work through a difficult recovery.

Jefferson Henderson was taken to Mercy Hospital in OKC on June 9th. After a quickly developing pneumonia sent him to Clinton Regional Hospital June 5th, they found that he has had acute myelogenous leukemia M2 for approximately 1 year. The oncologist assigned to his case said, “Your life expectancy, without immediate chemo, is somewhere in the neighborhood of one month.” He and Carol transferred on Friday, as soon as a bed was open; and chemo began on June 9th at 10:25.

Jeff has tolerated the chemo well. In fact, Dr. Reynolds said yesterday: “You are doing better than MOST of my leukemia patients do!” And the good doctor noted that it was a good thing that pneumonia brought him to the hospital at a point when he was still strong and active—a few days before, Jeff and Carol took the dogs to the farm; he mowed with the brush-hog at the farm, shot guns, watered their new trees and garden, ran on the Gazelle the day before for five minutes…….the doctor noted that some patients are not diagnosed until they’re crawling on the floor, attributing their getting weaker and a bit pale to heart trouble or other ailments. Those of you who pray, please do, and the rest of you generate warm thoughts or positive assertions for him.

Now he’s “neutropenic” (when they first saw that word, Jeff said he didn’t know what it meant … None of us suspected that that there were any words Jeff couldn’t figure out from the roots!). Well, he has no immune system left; so everyone entering the room has to rub hands with alcohol and wear a mask, and most visitors have stayed a few feet away from him, so as not to take any chances. Also, he can have no fresh fruits, vegetables, nor flowers in the room. That’s neutropenic.

His “vitals” are taken every two or four hours; he is checked by the nurse incredibly often; and he cannot leave the room while he’s hooked up to the chemo. Every day is so busy that they are both exhausted by 8 pm and try to go to bed by 9 pm. She is sleeping in a reclining chair in his room. They’ve been told that Jeff will be there five weeks. However, they’re hoping for a shorter stay. Carol has learned lots of nursing lessons; so they’re planning to head home just as soon as possible.

For someone who is no longer a college professor, he still has a “publish or perish” attitude. He sent me both the July and August installments of “Wordsmith” while he was in the hospital!

I have changed this very little from the message Carol Henderson sent me; it’s mostly her words. Although he can’t have flowers, cards are allowed and he enjoys them. His address for now is:

Jefferson Henderson
Room 446
Mercy Hospital
4300 W. Memorial Road
Oklahoma City, OK 73120