The results of Ryan's most recent bone marrow biopsy are as follows:

"None of the cells examined had evidence of a BCR:ABL1 fusion; no evidence of involvement by this patient's previously diagnosed chronic myelogenous leukemia."

This implies that the cancer is gone, the transplant worked.

(This space left intentionally blank, to allow ample room for celebration)

Current status of all sorts of things:

• Ryan feels nauseous at times and is experiencing mouth pain/slight swelling still, but ultimately he is doing really well at home.
• His energy levels are generally improved, some low days, still not 100% - but he can take the stairs sometimes instead of the elevator, as an example.
• His doctors are happy with how his blood counts have improved and are continuing to improve.
• We are going to appointments about twice per week.
• I am giving him home infusions of a medication, that will be done in the next 2 weeks.
  • Upon completion, he can get his central line removed, too.
• We are allowed to socialize/have guests to the house, however obviously not very many at one time and no one who has recently been ill/exposed to someone ill.
  • We are also hesitant about guests who have recently travelled through an airport.
• Ryan is not allowed to drive himself around yet.
• He is allowed to be at our home and at the clinic, but really no where else.
• His sense of taste is significantly improved from when he was in the hospital, but still not 100% - savory food tastes mostly normal (and delicious compared to nutritional shakes), but sweets are still weird for him.
• He still has a few food restrictions - like runny eggs, sushi, etc. 
• His hair has not started to grow back yet.

People have asked about getting "back to normal" - no such thing! Our new normal will look really similar to our old normal, but it'll be different at the end of the day. Continued recovery from here is still a long process - it will be measured in weeks and months, not in days. Today is only day +38 from transplant - the 100 days after transplant is the period that he needs to have a 24/7 caregiver. His care team has said that he should hopefully feel "back to normal" (in his body, as in - back to prior energy levels, not immunocompromised, tastes returned, probably hair grown back) about 1 year after transplant. This is a marathon, not a sprint!

Updates from here on out will likely be few and far between. Not that I don't love updating you, but with the pace of recovery and (knock on wood) limited complications, there shouldn't ever be much to say other than, "a little better than yesterday, looking forward to tomorrow".

Onwards to day +39, with hope and love and relief,

Emily