Last year about this time, my baby brother was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblasitc Leukemia. After a year of treatments, nasty infections, hospital stays, and many other fun side effects, he is in remission! God is good! The next step in his process is to receive a bone marrow transplant. This will prevent the cancer from coming back because it is not a matter of "if" it will return, it is "when" will it return. We were told the best chance for a donor match was with siblings, so my sister and I stepped up and got our blood drawn and sent it off to Chicago to see if either of us would be a match for him.
Turns out, I am a match! Of course, it was never a question whether or not I would donate. When they found a hospital that would accept his insurance, it was time to start his testing. It was then that we found out there was still cancer cells in his bone marrow so he had to be admitted to the hospital to receive some more medicine to kill the cancer cells. After 9 days, he came home with a pump administering more of the same medicine for 3 more weeks. After that, he received another bone marrow biopsy and we found out that he was at last cancer free! Next, it was my turn to get testing done to make sure I am healthy enough to donate. So, a couple weeks ago, my sister took my brother and I up to Chicago to get my tests done. My first stop was the Apheresis Department to have my veins checked to see if I have veins good enough to collect from or if a central line would have to be placed. I found out that I have good veins! The next stop was the lab for some blood tests, chest x-ray, urinalysis and an EKG before meeting with my transplant doctor. The doctor was a little concerned about my heart condition and wanted a letter from my cardiologist stating that I can donate with no problems.
As my tests started coming back, there were a few tests that I was going to need to have redone in a few days because some levels were elevated for some reason or another. I got those done and the cardiologist signed off. My brother has also been getting some additional testing and he and his wife had to take a class to prepare them for after the transplant.Prior to finding out that I was a match to donate, I had done my own research on what the process entailed and spoke to a friend that has donated to his brother. I knew that for 4 days prior to the transplant I would get injections 2 times a day and on the 5th day of injections, they would start the collection of my stem cells. This process will take 2 days for 4 hours each day. I planned to head to Chicago the night before the transplant and stay in a hotel 2 nights and head home after day 2 of the transplant. I had my ex lined up to keep our 4 kids and my older 2 kids were going to keep the baby in Chicago while I was at the hospital and we could hang out while I wasn't at the hospital. I was feeling pretty secure in my decision to donate. Was I scared? Not really. Nervous? Maybe just a little!
Last week while my brother was at the doctor for his class, he text me to tell me that, for insurance reasons, I was going to have to be in Chicago for the injections. This will require me to take a week off work and stay in a hotel for 6 days. While this little hiccup is an inconvenience for me, it is nothing compared to what my brother has been through and will continue to go through after the transplant.
If you are interested in coming along for the process, stay tuned as I will be doing updates during the next few weeks as we prepare for the transplant. If you are interested in donating to my brother's fundraiser for his expenses, click here.
