Transplant Day!

Steve finally had his Periferal Blood Stem Cells transplant on Tuesday March 23! The stem cells arrived from the anonymous donor (from the national donor registry) at about 2:30 p.m. in a red cooler, carried by a courier in a white lab coat. Just seeing the all-important red cooler sent a thrill through my body, since we had waited for this moment for a long time.

We were just waiting for the doctor to arrive to get things started. Steve’s family and fiancée Taryn gathered either in the room, or on laptop through “Skype” (including Romney, Christy, & Eva from Boston). Next the doctor and all his staff entered with outrageous hats, a Happy Birthday banner, and singing a rousing version of Happy BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) Birthday To You!”

Doctor Pulsipher is a special doctor. He is the head of Bone Marrow Transplants at Primary Children’s Hospital, and quite well known in this field nationally. However, more importantly, our two families have been neighbors for nearly 20 years and raised our families together in the same LDS Ward. His daughter Katie, as well as Katie’s husband Jeff, went through school with Steve and John. We know their family to be full of talent, and of the highest character. We count this having Dr. Pulsipher as Steve’s doctor as one of the most special miracles of this whole adversity.

Dr. Pulsipher informed us that the donor had given Steve a very generous harvest of stem cells-enough in fact to do 5 transplants! Because of this, they infused Steve with twice the amount of stem cells as they usually do. They were also able to freeze enough stem cells for future infusions for Steve if the need comes up. The cells were then infused into Steve through the port in his chest, over 48 minutes time and began to flow into his bloodstream.

We, as a family, are so thankful for the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ, in whom we place our faith and trust that He is watching over and blessing Steve, as we go through this process.

Steve started his pre-transplant treatment on March 15 with three days at Huntsman Cancer Institute as an outpatient. Steve went to two sessions/day of full-body radiation to get rid of all his own bone marrow. He was able to tolerate this treatment pretty well with minimum side effects. On Thursday March 18 Steve was admitted to Primary Childrens Medical Center for the final preparations for the transplant. He has been having four days of heavy-duty chemo. One chemo he was given actually sweats out onto his skin and can cause skin burns. So to avoid that, he showers three times a day-which has kept him pretty busy.

Monday March 22 Steve gets to just rest. However, this is the day that his donor from the national donor registry will donate his stem cells. We found out that this will be a tranplant of periferal blood stem cells, rather than a transplant of the donor's bone marrow. These stem cells will be infused into Steve like a transfusion, then they will travel through his veins and find a place in the cavities of his bones, and there set up residency and prepare to "engraft" into Steve's body and start making blood for Steve.

Steve will have his transplant of stem cells on Tuesday March 23. This day will become "day Zero" and we will begin counting Steve's progress from here on out as "day 1, day 10, day 30, etc. from the day of the transplant. The doctors will be waiting to see when the new cells engraft into Steve's body, which will take about 2-3 weeks.

Steve and we all know that he can't move forward in this quest to be cured until he goes through this coming hard but important part of the treatment. Steve is upbeat and positive for these next 3 weeks, as are we his family. Thanks again to all family and friends for your support, faith, prayers, fasting and kind wishes. We couldn't make it without you.

Photo: Steve with his neice, Katie. They both were going into PCMC that day for treatments. Steve was having surgery to install a new port in his chest, and Katie was having an echocardiogram, a periodic check-up on her heart. Katie was sharing her Curious George in doctor's coat with Steve for comfort.

New Date for Bone Marrow Transplant

Steve had a little change in scheduling; On Feb. 23 he went into the hospital to be treated for the RSV virus. He had to go to University Hospital because Primary Children's was completely full with RSV patients from this recent outbreak. It was a wild new world at this hospital. One day I arrived to visit Steve and there was an armed guard outside his door. I thought maybe I had violated visiting hours, but came to find out that an inmate was being treated next door to Steve. We are glad that Steve has almost completed the treatment for RSV and will be coming home on Mar. 5.
This illness has meant that Steve's bone marrow transplant had to be re-scheduled. He will now enter the hospital on March 15 to begin the radiation treatments prior to his transplant. He will stay in the hospital and undergo the actual transplant on Tues. March 23, just a day before the expected birth of Steve's new little niece, Tyler & Amanda's baby. Then it is onward and upward to recovery!! He will go through a six-week stay that helps him heal while the new marrow grafts to his body and starts producing new bone marrow, about a three-week process. The doctors will help Steve fight off some of the early rejection issues that most likely will come up.
We are having a family fast for Steve this Sunday March 7, and invite any friends and family who would like to, to join in and combine their faith and prayers for Steve with ours. Thanks to everyone for all you have done for Steve and us already!
1 Nephi 7:12 (Book of Mormon)"Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him."

Photo: Steve and his friend, Michael Hurst, also going through Chemo treatment for cancer; two great guys!