SubscribeIn searching for a suitable donor, it was found that my sister, Nancy, and both of my daughters, Aprille and Meredith, were half matches. In that Aprille volunteered to be my caregiver during the 2 to 3 month transplant process, Meredith was then chosen as the bone marrow donor.
Preparations were made to relocate to Baltimore for several months for the procedure. The transplant date was set for January 20th. Extensive tests were performed on Meredith and me the first week of January. The day before I was to begin pre-transplant treatment of chemotherapy and radiation, the final matching and mixing of our blood threw up a red flag. A rare situation occurred as a result of one or more of the blood transfusions received since October 2008. That is a white cell or two eeked through and I developed a B-cell antibody. This B-cell antibody makes the possibility of engraftment of the new marrow from Meredith almost nil.
So, the plan was to send me back home and to put me on a medication that is to kill off the B-cell antibodies. This medicine has been used for whole organ transplants for years to kill off the B-cell antibodies after the transplant to prevent rejection, but it has never been used in a pre-bonemarrow transplant situation. The plan is to test me after 3 or 4 months to see if the B-cell antibodies have been removed from my system and then move forward with the transplant.
I will continue to need blood over the next couple of months as well as during the transplant period. So, now we wait and continue to pray.
Preparations were made to relocate to Baltimore for several months for the procedure. The transplant date was set for January 20th. Extensive tests were performed on Meredith and me the first week of January. The day before I was to begin pre-transplant treatment of chemotherapy and radiation, the final matching and mixing of our blood threw up a red flag. A rare situation occurred as a result of one or more of the blood transfusions received since October 2008. That is a white cell or two eeked through and I developed a B-cell antibody. This B-cell antibody makes the possibility of engraftment of the new marrow from Meredith almost nil.
So, the plan was to send me back home and to put me on a medication that is to kill off the B-cell antibodies. This medicine has been used for whole organ transplants for years to kill off the B-cell antibodies after the transplant to prevent rejection, but it has never been used in a pre-bonemarrow transplant situation. The plan is to test me after 3 or 4 months to see if the B-cell antibodies have been removed from my system and then move forward with the transplant.
I will continue to need blood over the next couple of months as well as during the transplant period. So, now we wait and continue to pray.
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