Stem Cell Birthday

Stem Cell Birthday                               Feb. 24, 2015

Entry #8  Kicking CIDP to the Curb

Genesis 1:11English Standard Version 11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants[a] yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so.

The remaining portion of 9.3 million stem cells near the end of the transplant.

   When I called Dan from the hotel at 6:30 a.m. he was already showered, dressed, and ready for the day.  And why wouldn't he be?  His stem cells which had been harvested almost three weeks ago would be returned to him through an IV at 11:00. 
     Megan, Matt and I got breakfast and then walked the three blocks from the hotel to the hospital.  After going through what had become routine hand washing and sanitizing upon entering the 16th floor, we saw the transplant team moving from room to room.  Entering Dan's room, his attending nurse explained all the premeds that would be given half an hour before the scheduled transplant in preparation for the arrival of his stem cells from the lab.

Kelsey connecting the stem cells to infusion pump.

      In spite of the joy we all felt, there was also a sense of fearful anticipation that accompanies the moment when the longing for a wish to come true meets with reality.  Would the process be successful?  How long would it take to recover from hitting rock bottom of his white blood cell count?  Would there be any reactions to the infusion requiring some intervention?  Every question that was asked out loud was calmly answered by his nurse with assurance that everything would be fine.  

Here they come!  The lab delivers the cells to Room 1671.

    The minutes began to steamroll as the liquid nitrogen container at -192 degrees Celsius was wheeled into the room with their precious cargo.  We had requested a hospital chaplain to join us in prayerful celebration of Dan's stem cell birthday.  A gift bag was also brought to the room filled with all the traditional birthday party goodies from the nurses on the floor.  

    With everything in place, at exactly 11:00, the lab tech took the cells out of the liquid nitrogen using heavy gloves, and put them in a water bath to warm them up.  Eventually they were hung on the IV pole and attached to the infusion pump.  The chaplain gave a blessing for Mr. "Pansky" which added just the right amount of levity to keep the moment light and filled with joyful gratitude for the event  about to take place.  In that moment I think we all had a picture in our minds of our particular memory of the difficulties of the last three years.  Couple that with the relief we all prayed would be afforded Dan and you can imagine the emotional release of the next 20 minutes. 

Blessing the stem cells.

     The cells were run through an mix of IV fluids and at exactly 11:10 we watched the cells (which were surprisingly visible through the line) make their way into the port in Dan's arm.  Oddly enough he didn't want to look at them at all while we all ogled over the wonder of the science involved.  By 11:23 the entire bag of cells was completely empty.  That was it, sweet and simple. The cells were on their way through his blood and eventually finding a new home in his bone marrow.  

Changing color of IV shows the pinkish tint where stem cells
are moving through the line.

     The rest of the day required frequent checks on Dan's vitals with increasing time intervals.  Eventually Dan told the three of us to go have pizza and give him a chance to rest.  I also expect he may have needed some time to be alone.  

Jeremiah 33:6English Standard Version 

6 Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security.