Shot of reality ...

Funny, how even though Ben’s had cancer since 2002 and we’ve had all those ups and downs (woah, those downs) ... we sometimes get complacent with the whole affair and go about our lives trying desperately to live a normal life and forget there’s any cancer. Well, today, we had a big shot of reality! We had a very informative meeting with Ben’s oncologist, Sheila, another oncologist, Jeff and nurse Juliana. They explained in detail what we can expect before, during and after the stem cell transplant procedure. One word ... scary! There are so many things that can go wrong ... and life-threatening things, not just high fevers, nausea, and infections. We’re talking major organ infections, bleeding or complete failure. These organs include the spleen, the bladder, the liver, the kidneys, the digestive tract and the heart. Damage to these organs can happen during the transplant and long after the transplant has occurred. So, to say the least, it’s going to be hell for the next few months and beyond.

His immune system has to be “blocked” from doing its job when the stem cells are infused. This allows the foreign stem cells to graft to his bone marrow and start producing blood cells. This is when all the diseases can attack him. If the stem cells are not accepted by his body, he’ll have graft vs. host disease which can cause major problems. It’s difficult to hear the doctors use the “D” word when talking about your child. We’ve never really had it mentioned to us, though we knew it was always a possibility.

Ben gets some tests done next week. He will have to have some loose teeth pulled, so no bacteria can get caught under them. He will have tests done on his liver, heart, kidneys and x-rays as well. All to check if everything is working properly. This will be the base line to compare when the effects of chemo and radiation start. He will also

have some hearing and vision tests done.

The entire process will commence July 26th (my father’s birthday!) He will receive a strong chemo drug (Fludarabine) for 3 days, followed by radiation, twice per day for 4 days in a row starting July 30th. Then he will receive 3 more chemo drugs for 3 days and “day zero” will be when he receives the stem cell transplant (August 5th).

Effects from all these drugs can last for at least one year. This will also cause sterility. One of the drugs he’ll be taking often causes temporary blindness (a few days).

So here we are trying to keep positive and hang on to whatever positive stuff we can. The butterflies in the stomach are getting bigger and there’s more of them.

Thank you to Sheila, Jeff and Juliana for walking us through everything in a positive way. You guys have such a tough job but I’m sure there are plenty of rewards. Let me know if some of the facts on this page are incorrect.