The University of Chicago Medical Center has accepted Bill for a bone marrow transplant. Yeah!!!! The doctors meet on Thursday, and official approval will be made then, but I think we are on our way. He is a candidate for the transplant that has been tried in Spain. With this procedure the patient receives stem cells from a related donor with a 50% match and cord blood stem cells that are also a 50% match. The doctors prefer a male donor over female because a female that has been pregnant can also have some of her baby’s stem cells in her bone marrow. This can complicate the recovery.
The first step is to see if our son, Jon, is eligible to be a donor. Over Christmas the family all did DNA testing, and from those results it appears Jon will be a 50% match. He will be sent a blood draw kit to take to a hospital in Knoxville. The blood samples will then be sent onto a lab that will analysis the antigens of his blood and we will pray for at least a 50% match. Loyola Hospital has already put a hold on a cord blood sample that is more then a 50% match. We pray that Loyola will release that hold to University of Chicago Hospital.
This first step will take about 2 weeks. During this time, Bill can continue to heal from the gall bladder surgery. He spent a couple of hours in a chair today, and played the Wii game with the recreational therapist. It seemed like he had a little less pain medication today, which is an improvement.
We are finally on our way to the next step. His cancer is returning. But the increase was only 16% blasts in his blood. It did not double as in previous days.
We pray for a 50% or better match with Jon’s blood test.
We pray that Loyola’s doctors will release the hold on the cord blood sample to U of C.
We pray that Bill’s biliary catheter continues to heal and the pain controlled.
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9 comments:
We are travelling up that hill slowly but surely! And we will pray for Jon's matching ability. I hope when he was a little kid he played the "match game" - and won! What a wonderful gift!
I hope Loyola has the compassion that they showed Bill in the past and truly want his recovery to be successful, no matter where it occurs.
We will keep praying for all the matches to happen!
Love, prayers, and good health,
Gail
:) :) What wonderful news about the transplant.
We will keep you all in our prayers that all the matches are right for Bill.
take care and praying often
Love,
Paula and Jim
Great news. We are still praying and still PUSHing. Tell Bill David is practicing wii and will take him on soon. Love you guys.
Becky
Hallelujah!! This is SUCH wonderful news - I've already started thinking about hooking up with others from LCC to have a fund raiser for Bill's Wii to use at home while he recovers. ;-)
Prayers for everything...
Jill, as always your fellow former London bell ringer
Praise the Lord!! That is good news. Our prayers continue for you all. Its been a long road, but remember the tortorise and the hare story. You will beat this.
This is great news! All prayers are duly noted and being applied!
We love you,
Ann and Jim Reego
That is awesome news...each day keeps getting a little bit better. May all of Jon's testing make a match and that cord blood be shared. Prayers are in overdrive!!! May God watch over Uncle Bill and keep him in improving health and lessen the pain.
Thinking and Praying often,
Much love,
E.b. & Brian
Hubers, keeping up on the blogs and pulling for Cousin Bill with all my might. Hoping for the very best.
P.F.M (praying for a match)
P.F.L.T.R.C.S. (praying for Loyola to release cord sample)
P.F.H.A.D.P. (praying for healing and diminished pain)
P.U.S.H is a much better acronym but it sounds like all sorts of stuff is beginning to happen.
Our love and prayers,
Kay & Barney
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