Transplant Life: Day +4
All is quiet here in the corner room on the Bone Marrow Transplant unit at the KU Medical Center. All I hear is Matt’s IV pump and the circulation system that filters the air we are breathing. The blinds to his three windows are pulled down, but it doesn’t keep the west summer sun from warming my shoulder or illuminating the room.
Matt is resting soundly in the bed beside my chair. It is very peaceful here.
In fact, it is well with my soul here because this is a holy, healing place. A place where the Holy Spirit is undeniable and where each day He fills us with the faith and strength to live abundantly. #TeamMatt, don’t ever underestimate the power of your prayers and God’s faithfulness to share himself with us all. His peace is such a blessing.
Today is Day +4. It’s already late afternoon and I am amazed, once again, at how quickly today has gone by. According to the lab report, Matt now has “too few white blood cells for differential.” I guess this means the treatment has been successful in wiping out his immune system!
And so now we wait.
What are we waiting for? The new cells from his donor to begin creating a new immune system - a process called engraftment. We are told it typically happens between days +14 to +28. We’ve also been told about the 100 things that can go wrong between now and then and beyond day 28.
But the AMAZING news is that very few of those things have occurred at all, as of yet. Yes, Matt is battling nausea and fatigue. But both of them have been manageable and he continues to feel remarkably well most of the time. Yes, he sleeps a lot, but much of that is due to the medication for nausea and it helps his fatigue.
But when he isn’t sleeping, most of the time he is smiling and conversational. Last night, he even felt well enough to get on his computer and stayed up late gaming with his buddies. Whoever thought I would be so happy that Matt got to play computer games? It brought me so much joy for him to escape this reality for a few hours and get to be just one of the guys.
Join me in rejoicing for what God’s done - for all the ways, both seen and unseen, that He provides for us. Thank him for being a God who sends us according to His perfect plan, but who also goes before us to make a way, while also being our very present help. Thank him for limited side effects and for the reports that Matt’s transplant is “right on track.” Finally, would you continue to join me in prayers for my son; for Matt to be spared suffering and that this transplant would provide complete cure and restoration for his body?
You are a mighty army of prayer warriors and your prayers are making a difference in our lives. Thank you for loving us and walking with us. Each day we give thanks for you ALL and ask God to reveal himself more to us all as we take this journey together, one step at a time.