Happy New Birthday PART 2

The infusion of the bone marrow went well for Jason. No real reactions. And now his brother’s marrow can attach itself to Jason and slowly grow. In two to three weeks hopefully we will see some results. As the months go by things will become less and less serious and more and more exciting.

Today was exciting but more than excitement we are touched and blessed. After all, only 30% of siblings are possible bone marrow transplant donors. And it is not likely for the donor to be a perfect match. Jason has two perfect matches and both were willing to give to him.

One of Jason’s favorite nurses was along for the ride and took a picture with him. You can see Holly’s pic below.

And when Aaron woke up (funny stories to come) he was able to join his brother and watch as the first cells entered his body. Parents and siblings were also invited to the event, which is about as anti-climactic as a blood transfusion. Risks for Jason would have been reactions to the small bits of Aaron's red cells that they were unable to extract fully from the marrow. You can see the bag of marrow labeled "biohazard" in Jason's hands in the image below. Jason could have reacted to the marrow with shaking, chills, or other almost "allergic" reactions. Aaron's blood type is A-, and Jason's is O- so if a few red blood cells from Aaron enter his blood stream his body could try to harm them and a reaction would begin. Between Cytoxin chemotherapy, ATG (A horse enzyme called Anti-Thymacite Globulin) and Steroids, Jason's immune system was all but gone so fighting Aaron's blood during the transfusion didn't occur. 

Obviously Aaron has been through a lot. His back has received 300 harvests. And, after the “washing” process, 500 ml of his marrow was taken to give to Jason. His back hurts, he’s going to be appreciative of pain pills and time off. We are so happy that he was willing to go through this surgery and time of discomfort so that Jason could hopefully be well. If he lets you look at his back you will see a couple of decent-sized holes. I would compare them to the diameter of a Culver’s straw but I only saw them for a second. Either way, those are some big holes in his back!

I heard through the grapevine that Aaron woke up from his surgery swinging his fists at the nurses. Hilariously enough, he had told Jason that he would wake up swingin’.

For now, all is well. Aaron is resting, Jason is not in any pain tonight but he is emotional about the process his brother has undergone so that he could live. He read a particularly touching text message from his brother last night that brought tears to his eyes.

Be sure to ask Erica about the “caveman” nurse, and how the doctors yanked Aaron's bandages off of his back.

That’s all for now! We are going to bed early . . .