Stem Cell Harvest - Entry #5

Stem Cell Harvest                        Feb. 5, 2015

Entry 5

     Last year at Dan's dad's request, we planted and harvested scads of tomatoes from Grandpa's 328 plants.  At times I felt there were "millions" of them, so many we couldn't (and didn't) pick them all.  Fast forward to today, and Dan has participated a miraculous harvest of his own.

     Today was the culmination of 10 days of the mobilization of his stem cells.  After morning blood work, and a 40 minute procedure in the interventional radiology department to insert a catheter into his jugular vein, we were off to return to the Northwestern Blood Center.   We weren't alone in this endeavor as there were 3 other of Dr. Burt's transplant patients on the same timeline as Dan.  It's uncanny the kinship that is felt when hearing the story of each of them and the course that brought them to participate in the stem cell harvest and transplant trial.



Hoping this 26 sec. video gives a hint of the
sights and sounds of the incredible machine.


    Dan was hooked up to an amazing machine that took a cup of blood from his vein and ran it through a centrifuge that separated plasma and stem cells from the blood.  Once processed, each was pumped into their respective collection bags and then the blood was rewarmed and returned back to the vein.  This was repeated many times over the course of the next 4 hours until 15 liters of blood had been processed.  In the end,  the bag of stem cells and plasma was picked up by the lab and taken for an official count.

Collection bags of plasma (left) and stem
cells (right).

     During the process Dan was lucky to have arranged for a visit with another CIDP patient who was in Chicago for her 6 month post transplant appointment.  Talking with Kasia was comforting as she related her transplant story.   She answered many of our questions and addressed concerns but mostly provided us with many words of encouragement and reassurance.    God has blessed her with a positive outcome as she has not needed any IVIG treatments since her transplant.

    Based on the morning blood count, Dan's nurse said it was estimated that he would have 12 million cells, far above the required 2 million to proceed with the stem cell transplant.  If there were fewer than 2 million, Dan would have to return the next day to undergo the process again.  The official count after collection would take two hours so we would need to wait for those numbers as well as his remaining platelet count.   Not until both were affirmed would the catheter be taken out.

Dan's blood center nurse, Buk was actually a
former coworker of my nephew Eric at the Dundee
Blood Center.  What a small world!

    The end result was a happy one, reaching 9.3 million cells harvested and sending us on our way after the stitches and catheter were removed and new dressing put over the incision.  We're going home!

Thanks for taking this photo, Tim!  It's been
a day of incredible blessings!