Treatment Schedule:

Thursday, November 8th- Admission date

Tuesday, November 13th- Transplant day

In preparation for the transplant, Bill will be admitted to Roswell in two days. There, he will receive his third encounter with high-dose chemotherapy and two sessions of total body radiation. This complex treatment suppresses Bill’s immune system to help prevent his body from rejecting the donated stem cells. Not only does radiation eradicate remaining cancer cells, it also destroys precursor stem cells within his blood and makes room for the transplanted stem cells.

Because chemotherapy and radiation cannot distinguish healthy cells from abnormal cells, some toxicity is to be expected. During this intense treatment, Bill will be supported by a team of specialists to closely monitor side effects. He is in good hands at Roswell.

 Then, one week from today, Bill will receive his sister Phyllis’s stem cells. We are SO thankful Phyllis is a complete match- many patients’ treatment is delayed because they cannot find a donor match.

Once administered intravenously, Phyllis’s healthy cells will travel through Bill’s bloodstream to his bone marrow, where they can start producing healthy blood cells.

 The recovery stage begins after the stem cell infusion. To reduce the chance of infection Bill will stay in the hospital for about four to six weeks in a private room with special air filters and an air pressure system to make sure no unclean air gets into the room.

We will continue to provide updates as Bill works his way through this process. We sincerely appreciate all of your love and support! The wild man will be good as new soon enough- watch out!