We will be back in St. Louis on September 20th for the transplant procedure to begin. This time Bob will be checked into a 17-patient hospital floor dedicated to patients receiving stem cell transplants. On the 20th and 21st he’ll be given powerful “poisons” to kill any remaining cancer cells (and we’ve been told that a week later not only will his hair begin falling out but he‘ll experience the harsh side effects from the poisons and incredible fatigue). Sunday (22) will be a day of rest. Ah, the Sabbath. And then Monday (23) will be Bob’s “second birthday,” when he will be given back his harvested stem cells (intravenously in a one-hour procedure). We’ve been told it’s rather anti-climatic, however, this really does provide him with a second chance at life - a fight against the cancer and a return to having an immune system. The stem cells will enter the blood stream, travel to the bone marrow, and start to make new blood cells, a process called engraftment.
Based on averages, Bob will be in the hospital for about three weeks, and then he’ll join me at The Parkway Hotel (connected to the medical center by a third floor bridge) for another week to recuperate and be closely followed.
Back in Savoy, Bob will have to “live in a bubble” for 100 days or so. He’ll have no immunity to childhood diseases or viruses, and it isn’t until he’s recovered for that period of time that he can begin receiving all those childhood shots for mumps, chicken pox, etc.. He can only be around very healthy adults (no children) and has to avoid any place that may be crowded--stores, churches, airports, movie theaters, and so on. Thank goodness for Skype, football weekends, Netflix streaming, Hulu, and so on.
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