Be The Match!

Friday we went to the hospital for a check-up.  This will be a regular event, three days a week in fact, so I will tell you a little bit about what happens.  As soon as we arrive, they take blood, always three tubes sometimes more.  Since Kevin has a central line, that means they don't have to find a vein, they just hook him up and take what they need.  We then go to an exam room and wait.  Wait for the results from the lab on the blood work.  The 40 or so pills a day that Kevin takes, are for many purposes.  Several antibiotics, to keep Kevin protected from any bacteria or virus.  Two of the medications are needed to keep him from rejecting the donor stem cells.  They keep Kevin's immune system low so that his cells won't want to fight the donor cells.  It is important that this drug remain at a perfect level at all times, therefore they have to check it 3 times a week and then the number of pills are adjusted accordingly.  Other drugs are to protect his organs.  The rejection medicine makes his magnesium level low, and low magnesium means trouble for the kidneys.  So he has to take magnesium.  You can see that this entire process is a balancing act.  Enough medicine to ensure that the stem cells graft, but not too much and medicine to protect what the other medicines cause.  This is a science and every step of this process has been studied.  When the lab work comes back, we meet with a Physician Assistant who goes over the results and examines Kevin.  If even the smallest concern arises, then we see the transplant doctors who is in that day.  Friday, results were pretty good.  Kevin's magnesium was low and they suggested he might need to have someone come to the home and give him magnesium through his line.  Kevin said he was willing to increase the number of pills he takes and try that.  The hospital called this morning and increased his tacrolimus dose, so we are beginning to understand this ever-changing process.  
Kevin feels pretty good today.  He still feels a little nauseated throughout the day, particularly when he takes his medications. He doesn't feel like eating much, but knows he has to take the pills, so he tries to make that all work.  He has felt a little exhausted, so he just had to rest, which was kind of hard for him.  The kids and I were working in the yard and Kevin had a hard time sitting by and watching.  This won't be an easy part of the process for Kevin.  We had to tell him several times, he couldn't play in the dirt or touch the plants he could only supervise.  We're starting to figure out the do's and don'ts of keeping Kevin healthy.  

Everyday for the past 8 days I think about the donor.  We have been told that day 8 usually the donor's stem cells begin to graft and produce new healthy cells.  It is just amazing to me when I think about new healthy cells being produced every day.  I wanted to share a little bit more about the process of being a donor.  There is a National Bone Marrow Donor Registry.  This is where we turned, when Kevin's siblings weren't a match.  To be placed on the donor registry, an individual only needs to have a cheek swab.  A cheek swab will provide 6 of the 10 indicators of a match.  When someone needs a donor they find someone with 6 out of 6 on the list and request that they give blood.  With the blood sample they are able to test the other 4 indicators.  And when they have found 10 out of 10, they have a match.  Once they find the match, then they explain the donation process to the donor and have them sign that they are willing to be a donor.  The donor then receives a physical exam to ensure he is healthy enough to donate.  Kevin's donor was a 19 or 20 year old young man.  That's all we know.  We don't know how long he has been on the list, or why he chose to be a donor.  I wonder about all those things.  Our transplant coordinator then worked with the national registry to request a transplant date.  This would be according to the donor's schedule.  Everything the donor is required to do all happens wherever the donor lives.  The transplant was on a Friday.  Monday and Tuesday that week the donor received a neupogen shot which stimulates the stem cells to leave the bone marrow and go into the bloodstream.  On Wednesday and Thursday, the donor would go in and have an IV in each arm.  One side they take the blood out, the blood goes through a machine and it separates the stem cells from the blood, and then the blood goes back into the donor in the other arm.  This is called a peripheral donation.  Thursday after the donor donated, the stem cells were flown to SLC for Kevin's transplant on Friday.  The donor incurs no medical expenses, those are paid by our health insurance.  The donor does give of his time to make those many trips to the hospital.  Why do I tell you all this?  Our family feels the need to give back. When our schedule at home settles down a little bit, Brandon is considering organizing a donor drive for his Eagle Scout project.  We hope many will consider being a donor. You could "BE THE MATCH" that someone like our family needs.   We thank you for your prayers for Kevin and I would ask that you also remember the donor in your prayers, he gave a lot and we pray that his life will be blessed for what he so willingly gave to us.