Page 40 - The Exceptional Harley Fetterman

JUDY K JOHNSON

received his first blood transfusion. Harley was known for being quite
courageous during all his medical procedures. But somehow, he was
concerned with his mistaken idea that a blood transfusion included
removing all his own blood before it was replaced with all new blood.
Dr. Wells explained that for lab work nurses removed small amounts
of blood for testing. For a transfusion, they wouldn't remove any of
his own blood.
“Will I get taller or fatter after getting the new blood?”

Harley had hilarious reactions with friends. Evidently, he recalled
watching his favorite “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer” movies with his
mother multiple times. He began teasing others that he was becoming
a vampire since he was getting blood transfusions. Humor was always
actually a source of coping strength for Harley. He'd create popular,
funny scenarios about his situation to ease the worry of others.

This new round of chemotherapy introduced several health issues.
Harley's special diet resulted in him losing over 15 pounds. He
suffered several severe migraines necessitating hospital care in PICU.
It was eventually determined that the source of his migraines was
severe reaction to peanut butter he consumed in his special diet. He
also started having lengthy nosebleeds any time or place. This second
round of chemotherapy lasted throughout the entire year of 2005,
extremely demanding and burdensome from beginning to end.
Harley's first post-chemotherapy MRI was scheduled for January
rd
3 , 2006. Anxiously, Harley and his parents met with Dr. Wells and
the Radiologist to look at the films. The report simply showed “NO
SIGNIFICANT CHANGE!” This was great news. But Harley's vision
was still very compromised. A slight hope remained that after the
chemotherapy drugs completely left his system, Harley's vision would
improve. But his continuing blindness caused his parents to realize
and reluctantly consider the fact that this was an issue that might
never go away. Their forward moving mission needed to proactively
address ways/means/methods to help Harley boost his skills and self-
confidence, to be successful initially in his education and thereafter
following onward to all life's demands.

Harley was once again officially off cancer treatment. His tumor
had not grown for over a year now. To celebrate, Harley and Beth

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