A Glimmer of the Future

Tyler got a call on Friday that promised us a glimmer of our future. He has an appointment on August 20th to begin the testing process with SCCA. There will be two weeks of testing and conferences following that date, making sure his body is healthy enough to have a good chance with the surgery.

On September 15th, he will get a test dose of the antibody they are going to give him for his conditioning. I imagine that they need to check for adverse reactions prior to giving him a full dose.

Then, beginning on September 25th, Tyler will get a therapeutic dose of the antibody. He'll have to be in isolation for 5-10 days for that treatment. He tells me that he'll even have to monitor his own blood pressure and draw his own blood because even the nurses can't come in.

He'll finish up the remaining conditioning as an outpatient, in preparation for a transplant on October 7th. Whichever parent is selected as a donor will have their marrow drawn very early in the morning on the 7th and then Tyler will have it infused later that day.

It suddenly seems like this is happening really fast, so please forgive us if we can't see you in person before Tyler starts his treatment. He has to avoid people with signs of illness so that he doesn't accidently catch a bug that will delay his surgery. Added to that, we have many doctors appointments to attend and chores to complete over the next few weeks.

For those of you who know me well, you know that cleaning house is pretty low on my list of fun things to do. However, we are going to be completely purging our house and cleaning it from top to bottom in preparation for Tyler's return from the hospital. I've decided this is yet another excuse to give away more of my stuff. I've got a little pack rat burrowed somewhere deep inside of me and it's a constant tug of war to keep my personal pack rat from running rampant. My sisters can definitely confirm the existence of my pack rat. :) Wish us luck as we attempt to pack and purge over the next few weeks!

Thanks for all of the prayers, the well wishes, and the friendship that you provide!