Steve's MDS and Stem Cell Journey

07/28/2026

Steve's Celebration of Life service on Saturday will be live streamed on this page. It starts at 10am CDT.

07/23/2026

Stephen Douglas Fowler
June 9, 1952 – July 11, 2026

Stephen Douglas Fowler, age 74, passed away peacefully on July 11, 2026, following a brief battle with pneumonia.

Steve was born on June 9, 1952, in Brady, Texas, to Dr. Leray Fowler and Rosemary Fowler. He lived a life marked by love, faith, kindness, and unwavering devotion to his family. Most of all, he lived his life to serve Jesus and to make him known. Those who knew Steve will remember his boisterous spirit, quiet strength, and generous heart. He cherished the time he spent with his loved ones and found his greatest joy in being a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Steve is survived by his beloved wife of 45 years, Kathy Fowler; his daughters, Mandi Smith and Dawn Bennett and her husband, Ed; his grandchildren, Hunter Smith and his wife, Lauren; Cameron Smith and his wife, Kacey; and Malia Vargas; his treasured great-grandchildren, Remy Comeaux, Marcy Smith, Olivia Smith, and Josie Smith; brother Mark Fowler and wife Brenda; and nieces and nephews--Kelsey Lemke and husband Stephen; Kimber Ozols and husband Brian; Krista Grether and husband Mark; and Keith Philips.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Leray Fowler and Rosemary Fowler.

Steve's legacy lives on through the love he shared, the lives he touched, and the family he cherished. He will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him, but his memory will remain forever in the hearts of those who loved him.

"Well done, good and faithful servant." — Matthew 25:23

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7

07/22/2026

Steve's memorial service is 10 days out and I've had some questions about it. As far as dress, he loved bright colors, ESPECIALLY Red (for his beloved Houston Cougars). Please wear whatever you're comfortable in--you don't have to dress up--but PLEASE respect the fact that you are in a church so dress accordingly.

If you would like to commemorate Steve's memory, you may make donations to the following organizations:

1) Woodlands Church, 1 Fellowship Dr., Houston, TX 77384

2) The Lymphoma and Leukemia Society
https://givenow.bloodcancerunited.org/campaign/717321/donate #!/donation/checkout

3) MD Anderson, P. O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486

4) Fellowship of Christian Athletes
https://www.fca.org/donate

07/22/2026

07/13/2026

I am heartbroken 💔 Steve lost his battle this past Saturday because of pneumonia. His body was so immunocompromised from the transplant that he could no longer fight infection. The pneumonia was too severe and widespread, and although he had the best care, he was too weak to fight it.

We will be holding a celebration of life sometime in early August. I will post the details once I have them.

Thank you for all of your support and prayers. ❤️

05/30/2026

WE ARE HOME! 🏡

Steve was discharged this morning! He has several new medications and the doctor put him back on tacrolimus for his skin GVHD. He has an appointment with his nurse practitioner on Tuesday and with his stem cell doctor on Friday. He will be getting a barium swallow at some point because he has been having trouble swallowing, even the tiniest of pills. His mother had the same issue so this may be hereditary.

Overall, he is exhausted. Nothing like being awakened every 3 hours while he was in the hospital! Now that he's home, he'll be better rested.

05/29/2026

UPDATE 5/29/2026.

I haven't posted an update since his admission to the hospital, but I am happy to say that when I spoke with him this morning, he said he feels a LOT better. He is on only one IV antibiotic and the team has started him on oral steroids for his skin GVHD (graft vs host disease which is very common in stem cell transplants). This does lead to a spike in his blood sugar, which the team is addressing but believe it to be temporary. They have also restarted his tacrolimus, which is a drug given to everyone who has had a stem cell transplant and is meant to keep GVHD at bay. Sadly, his transplant team just discontinued it from his daily regimen two weeks ago, so he will be back on it indefinitely.

He is still hoping to be discharged this weekend, but that is up to the doctor. Steve and I have discussed it and while we would love for him to be home, we want to be 100% sure that the pneumonia is GONE! This has certainly been a wake up call to how quickly pneumonia can develop and that we need to see the docs at MD Anderson ASAP.

I have been going to the hospital around mid morning and leaving around 6 to come home and take care of our pups. I do enjoy sleeping in my own bed! I will be going a little later today because Steve's brother will be there to keep him company.

Thank you for walking with us on this journey and for your continued support and prayers. God is good ALL of the time!

05/27/2026

I brought Steve to the emergency room at MD Anderson this afternoon. Poor guy practically begged me 😔 It turns out he has pneumonia! The doctor said fortunately it's a fairly mild case, so they started him on two different antibiotics and will keep him overnight for at least two nights.

05/26/2026

Today is the 11th month post-transplant, and Steve has been battling an upper respiratory virus (sneezing and coughing but thankfully no fever) for 4 weeks now. His care team at MD Anderson swabbed his nose on May 8 and determined it was a virus, most likely a cold, but it has lingered and lingered and he can't seem to get rid of it. I did take him to Urgent Care last week where they did a chest X-ray and said it was clear, and he was prescribed an antibiotic for the beginning of an ear infection; however, his ears are still stopped up. I have encouraged him to call his care team tomorrow and let them know he is still sick. In addition, he has very little energy and sleeps a lot.We are hoping this is just a small blip in his recovery.

03/26/2026

I was remiss in not posting yesterday because yesterday was the 9 month anniversary of Steve's stem cell transplant! He is doing well, much better than we expected at this point, although he still struggles with GI issues. He continues to get regular blood work and has regular visits with his doctor, and we know this will be his pattern for quite a while. Thankfully, he has not had any major illness that would require hospitalization. God continues to be faithful in protecting Steve (and myself) from that. Praise Him for His hedge of protection!