We have been waiting for this day for what seems like a very long time! Now that it’s here, and almost over, it seems like just yesterday we made the decision to move forward with the transplant. Today we are so very thankful! We are thankful to all of you, friends and family, the medical team, and especially God and the anonymous donor!!
Today is Araeya’s second birthday. Her second chance at a healthy and (more) normal life!
The doctors and nurses warned us it would be very anti-climactic. There was no dramatic surgery. They simply brought in the donated stem cells to her room, hung the bag, and hooked it up to her central line. 1.5 hours later it was over and she’s asleep, hopefully for the night.
What’s next: We wait
- Engraftment of the stem cells takes approximately 7-14 days. Once her neutrophil levels are above .5 for 3 days straight they consider the transplant a success.
- The first 100 days after today are the biggest danger. Her body can reject the transplant. The stem cells need to make their way to her bone marrow, and become multiplying and turning into her new immune system. Until then, she has no active immune system.
- The chemo will continue working in her body for a few more days. Until her levels start to raise, she will still feel the negative physical side effects.
