Hello from Day 11 of Dad's transplant! We're so happy to report that all has continued to go pretty smoothly for Dad. Every day during the "Recovery Period", we report to the transplant recovery unit at Mayo where his vitals, medications, symptoms, bloodwork, and diet are reviewed. Dad's blood count levels had "bottomed out"/reached "0" this past Wednesday, and began to increase Thursday. This was great news, as it marks a turning of the corner for Dad. The doctor was happy to share that bloodwork from the past couple days has shown continued increase, meaning his bone marrow is beginning to make its own cancer-free blood cells. As his counts continue to slowly increase, he will begin to get more energy, and a stronger immune system. With his counts being low during this process, there are many precautions we have to take to ensure he protects his body from germs. One of the numbers the doctors are watching are the types of white blood cells that work to fight infections, sicknesses, etc  These cells have to reach a certain number before he will "graduate" from the transplant, as they do not send transplant patients home until, among other criteria, their counts are at a certain level which indicate that the body is able to fight off infections. They also need to make sure Dad is able to maintain a healthy diet with calories, protein, and liquids at a certain level, so we have been tracking his nutrition carefully. The chemo he had during the transplant is very hard on the digestive system, and Dad's appetite has been waning, but he has been trying hard to meet each nutrition requirement and for the most part has been able to.  In our appointments with Dad's transplant doctor prior to the transplant, we had been told to expect Dad to have some kind of "bump in the road".  Dad's "bump in the road" was a case of Diverticulitis which was discovered this past Monday. The Diverticulitis was brought on by the high-dose chemo which irritates the digestive tract. The doctors immediately started him on an IV and oral antibiotic for this which should take care of it. Thankfully they seem to be working and there have been no lingering issues. Dad has been in good spirits and enjoys going for walks almost every day despite his lower energy levels. We are thankful for the nice temperatures and beautiful weather in Rochester recently, which have allowed Dad to rest on the porch and enjoy the fresh air (despite having to wear a mask). Today was gorgeous out but he was a little low on energy, so after his appointment we enjoyed a car ride exploring Rochester while we listened to the Twins game. We hope to be able to do the same tomorrow, (only with a better outcome for the Twins :) ) as it's forecasted to be another beautiful day. 

We want to thank everyone again for their continued support, prayers, cards, calls, and messages. Dad has all his cards (with the most beautiful messages in them) displayed in the home we're staying in and it's wonderful being reminded every day of all the support he has getting him through this. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything.

We will look forward to sharing another update soon! <3