Happy August! Mom heads down to Davis again this week to have her appointment to schedule and fine tune the logistics for her stem cell transplant that will happen soon! I went with Mom to her second bone marrow biopsy appointment in mid-July. It was an amazing experience to watch the person I know to be so strong exhibit super human strength. That procedure is not for the faint of heart and Mom handles it like a champ, barely even a flinch, it was inspiring! The results from the biopsy were positive and put mom on the right rack for her stem cell transplant. 

The next few steps include self administration of stimulating shots to make Mom's body produce more stem cells, then a harvest of those cells, a port placement to be able to administer her high dose chemo prior to the transplant and to give any medicines or nutrition she made need after the chemo, and them the transplant of her healthy stem cells back to her. This process will be intense and involves the need for Mom and Dad to isolate. They will be in Sacramento for this outpatient treatment, anywhere from 2-3 weeks, to up to 6-8 weeks. We just don't know the exact timeline at this point, but we will soon. 

In the meantime, if you know of any short term rentals in the Med Park area of West Sacramento near the UC Davis Cancer Center we would love to chat with you, or any secret Air BnB's that we may have missed. We are also in the process of organizing logistics for food (the delivered meals and pre-ordered groceries will be essential as Mom will basically have no immune system and can not go out and about, and Dad will have to be super careful about going out and coming back). If you feel called to donate to the fund for these items we are so appreciative. 

We enjoyed an amazing few days all together in Brookings at the end of July, a last hurrah party before treatment begins and we all have to keep our distance. We had great mornings tide pooling on beaches that were accessible for Mom, and afternoons spent doing puzzles and playing horses and exploring the Chetco River out the backdoor of the house we are stayed in. It was great to just be together with Clint and Elli and Evie and Mom. Dad is off enjoying Alaska with his sister, his last hurrah party before he becomes the caregiver during isolation. 

The nurse during the bone marrow biopsy mentioned that Mom is going to have two birthdays this year, one on her normal date 8/29 at the end of the month, and then another the day they give her her transplant and her immune system starts all over. We are eager to celebrate both and look to the future of celebrating life and recovery and remission, and being able to be together with less fear and anxiety. 

Thank you for your continued support and fervent prayers for healing and recovery and a successful transplant that leads to remission. We are optimistic and hopeful that the days ahead will be challenging, but will ultimately be successful and healing and this tough year will be able to be behind us.