The Adventure of the Transplant

 On July 16th, 2025, I began the process of receiving a stem cell transplant, and on July 22nd, I received the transplant. The stem cells came from my sister Kerri, and the cells were a 10 out of 10 match, a miracle. A stem cell transplant is similar to a blood transfusion, where it is all done through the blood and there is no need for any kind of surgery, a miracle. Once the stem cells have been transplanted, you wait to see if the cells will graft or not. You know they have grafted and started growing through blood work. There are several indicators, including white blood count. As these numbers increase, the more confident you can become that the cells are grafted. Once grafted, they continue to build strength, and over time, the brand-new immune system will be back to full strength. As of now, all is going according to plan, and we are confident that the new system will be strong and effective once again, a miracle. 

Now, how about my experience with the transplant? It has been quite the ride. I spent 37 days in the hospital when 20 to 30 at the most was the original hope. But it became necessary for me to stay longer, including a week ICU, as several side effects from the transplant kept me there. One major side effect is Mucositis, where the mucous membranes, which run the length of your GI tract,  break down and leave sores that are like massive canker sores. Some cases are mild, others severe. Mine was a severe case that required an extended hospital stay. In fact, things became so serious that they almost had to intubate me so I could breathe, but just one more blessing to add to the list, they didn't have to. The goal in dealing with nucusitus is to treat it as with nedication until the grafted stem cells start producing white blood cells that can heal the sores. Once the grafting started, my mucositis began to heal within a few days, and within a couple of weeks, it was gone completely, again, another huge blessing. 

I was happy to finally be home and in my own environment, with my own bed and my own food, though I still could not eat much, and freedom to move about without being tethered to an IV pole. I was enjoying my time at home, but unfortunately, my journey through the hospital has not ended because of what is called Graft Vs. Host Disease (GVHD). Essentially, my body wants to reject the transplant. This is very normal, but it still takes a lot of special medication to deal with it. It started as just a rash, and some special cream took care of it. About a week later, I got it in my stomach, and I could not eat or drink much at all. It made me sick to my stomach. It got so bad that I ended up spending another week in the hospital. I am at home now on medication to deal with the GVHD. So all told, I've spent approx. 45 days in the hospital. In addition, Sherrie and I spent almost 24 hours in the UofU ER when I had this last bout of GVHD. We waited almost 6 hours before we ever saw a provider, and then another 6 hours while they did all the work-ups, and then all the waiting in between it all before I was finally admitted to the hospital. Poor Sherrie had to sit in a chair the whole time and was exhausted. I was at least lying on a bed, though it was just like lying on a piece of plywood with a little cushion. Needless to say, it was very frustrating. We never want to go to the UofU ER ever again. In addition, we had to be put in a special room because I am immunocompromised, and the place was stacked with sick people. 

When we went to the Doctor on Monday, we looked over all my blood work and other things, and everything is doing great. My recovery is as good as it can be. So thank you for your prayers and support. We have passed the halfway mark of the 100 days that we have planned for a full recovery. So we are very excited.