Day 180
When it became clear that John would require a transplant, the doctors said it would take about six months to complete. Today is 180 days from the day John was diagnosed. Looking back, other than the infection he suffered in January, the slow recovery of his immune system from January's chemotherapy, and the ups and downs of finding and keeping a donor, the process has gone well. ("Other than that that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play," so the joke goes.)
John had some digestive problems yesterday that are unpleasant but common. Otherwise, he has kept eating a bit, resting at times and has been otherwise alert enough to be bored. His hair won't start falling out for a few days, he will grow tired from the aftereffects of the chemo and will develop mouth sores. For now though, he looks like anyone else, or at least himself, except for the tubes coming out of his chest.
Today is special because it is the "big" day. The stem cells will arrive carried by a staff member of the clinic, serving as a courier, carrying a styrofoam cooler. We don't know the donor, other than that he is a 36 year old male with similar genetic makeup to John's - a generic Anglo-American.
Immune systems are complex and hereditary, so the closer the relationship the better the match. We were told that many donors for US patients come from Germany, because when a person needs a transplant there, the whole village volunteers to be tested to find a match. The pool of donors for minority or mixed race persons can be small, and a match harder to find, which is something to keep in mind if you might be of help to someone.
We don't know when the transplant will occur, but afternoon or later seems likely. I'm sure we will know when the hospital does. Unlike other transplants, it is not much of a show. The stem cells (someday when I need to rant, I might do it over stem cell research) that have been coaxed out of the donor's marrow and harvested arrive in a bag and will be infused into John's blood through the Hickman line in his chest. He will receive treatments to avoid conflicts between his current A positive blood type and the O negative type from the donor, John's blood type to be.
It will take two to three weeks for the stem cells to start making blood. Then the risk of infection that exists now reduces and the danger that his blood will reject his body arises. To borrow a line from Peggy Mitchell, "I'll worry about that tomorrow."
I will never win an Academy Award, and this prize is much bigger, but I think my acceptance speech would be much like the appreciation I feel now for "everyone who has helped make this possible." There are family members, friends, co-workers, thoughtful strangers and many I may never know by name. We have every hope that this will work out well and when it does, I plan to thank each and every one of you individually. The community of those who have made this possible is our family's own generous village.
John had some digestive problems yesterday that are unpleasant but common. Otherwise, he has kept eating a bit, resting at times and has been otherwise alert enough to be bored. His hair won't start falling out for a few days, he will grow tired from the aftereffects of the chemo and will develop mouth sores. For now though, he looks like anyone else, or at least himself, except for the tubes coming out of his chest.
Today is special because it is the "big" day. The stem cells will arrive carried by a staff member of the clinic, serving as a courier, carrying a styrofoam cooler. We don't know the donor, other than that he is a 36 year old male with similar genetic makeup to John's - a generic Anglo-American.
Immune systems are complex and hereditary, so the closer the relationship the better the match. We were told that many donors for US patients come from Germany, because when a person needs a transplant there, the whole village volunteers to be tested to find a match. The pool of donors for minority or mixed race persons can be small, and a match harder to find, which is something to keep in mind if you might be of help to someone.
We don't know when the transplant will occur, but afternoon or later seems likely. I'm sure we will know when the hospital does. Unlike other transplants, it is not much of a show. The stem cells (someday when I need to rant, I might do it over stem cell research) that have been coaxed out of the donor's marrow and harvested arrive in a bag and will be infused into John's blood through the Hickman line in his chest. He will receive treatments to avoid conflicts between his current A positive blood type and the O negative type from the donor, John's blood type to be.
It will take two to three weeks for the stem cells to start making blood. Then the risk of infection that exists now reduces and the danger that his blood will reject his body arises. To borrow a line from Peggy Mitchell, "I'll worry about that tomorrow."
I will never win an Academy Award, and this prize is much bigger, but I think my acceptance speech would be much like the appreciation I feel now for "everyone who has helped make this possible." There are family members, friends, co-workers, thoughtful strangers and many I may never know by name. We have every hope that this will work out well and when it does, I plan to thank each and every one of you individually. The community of those who have made this possible is our family's own generous village.
