DAY 0

Most of Tuesday 10/6, a day that will go down in infamy, was spent waiting to hear the whereabouts of those precious stem cells from that precious donor. Finally, about 2:00 PM, we got word that they arrived in the area and we were given 5:00 to 6:00 PM as "transplant time". Around 5:15 PM, the nurse brought in the precious bag containing the precious cells - long explanations followed and at 6:00 PM exactly, Jen was hooked up by that precious nurse to those precious cells. We were told that the transplant would take about 3-3 1/2 hrs with a slow drip but, if after the first 15 min there were no problems, they could increase the drip time. Well, Jen experienced no symptoms, all vital signs normal, no side effects, etc. so the drip was increased and the entire transplant was done by 8:30. I don't think she could have had a better experience. She's proving all the statistics wrong, so far: no mouth sores, limited vomiting, no hair loss. They tell us the next few days will be crucial and the above problems might show up but because she has "dodged the bullet" so well, they might be less severe.

All those prayers and good wishes from you all has so far paid off. We are feeling very confident that this transplant is going to be a success! We will definitely keep you informed when time allows as we try to spend as much time with Jen as possible. Just in case, please keep up the good work and we promise you Jen will also.

jo/mom/granny