The Light Is Almost Green, Wait for It, Wait for It...

We heard yesterday that the donor had accepted the proposed schedule for Elise's transplant. There was the chance that they'd have conflicting plans or some need to move the dates around a bit, but apparently the proposed schedule works for them. So the current schedule has the actual transplant (aka "Day 0") occurring on 6 June '14 with a week of medical tests and then 12-14 days of "conditioning" prior to that. So we'll need to be in Bethesda on 19 May.

So now we can start working some of the details like finding an apartment, etc. I can feel my anxiety level creeping up just typing this...

In my phone call to NIH I also learned another tidbit. I'd asked "What happens if the donor's CD34+ cells don't mobilize for apheresis like Elise's?" That would be a bad thing since they do the donation nearly at the end of the "conditioning" process when Elise is totally medically committed to the transplant. The answer was reassuring (to me but maybe not the donor): they will do the old school method of getting the bone marrow directly through "aspiration" (i.e. a big needle), like they did when Becky donated 20 years ago.

We've got LOTS planned between now and when we have to leave. Elise is getting baptized on Sunday at Easter service; has a trip to Knotts Berry Farm with CJSF; has a performance at Disneyland. I have to complete an Arts & Crafts style lamp for the local museum auction; close out my ongoing projects and bring my temp backfill up to speed at work; finalize arrangements for house care; find an apartment; arrange to buy a car in Bethesda (which we'll drive home); etc. Becky has to wrap up things at the office; decide what we need to bring/have to make it through 4-5 months away from home; and deal with Elise and I panicking.

The next milestone will be the donor's full medical screening 30 days prior to transplant. That would be around 7 May '14. There's still the possibility that they could find something at that time that would require a replan that would impact the schedule.

By the way, in case you're wondering, the picture of the purple sage in bloom has nothing (intentional) to do with this post. I just thought it was nice (in a Mojave desert kind of way).