Transplant update

Can’t believe that it’s been 6 months since that fateful day last December when I went into the ER and my life was flipped upside down having gotten the diagnosis of leukemia.

It’s certainly been a rocky road since then, but we’ve been sustained by God’s grace and strength to keep pressing on day by day. And now as we look ahead to this next chapter of transplant, we cling on all the more to that same unchanging grace. He’s been good and faithful through all the ups and downs. 

Thanks for your continued prayers for my transplant and donor. We recently found out that one of my cousins in Chicago, Bo, turned out to be a 50% match. There was a 25% chance of this happening (just like my brother!) And, after discussions with my oncologist and transplant doc at Penn, we’ve decided to proceed with him as my donor. 

Though there was a feeling of loss after we came to grips that my brother Dan would not end up being my donor, we are very much thankful for my dear cousin Bo who will take his place. Just like Dan who would give his right arm for me, Bo would do likewise. In fact when I called him to let him know that he matched to be my donor, I knew in my heart that I wouldn’t even have to ask the follow-up question of if he’d be willing to do it. His immediate response was “let’s get this done!” and was already all in and ready to go. Bo has always been like a little brother to me. And now he will literally become like a “blood brother“ as he gives of himself to afford me the life saving bone marrow/stem cell transplant I need. 😌

In addition to Bo, we’re thankful for a “haplo” procedure that my transplant doc specializes in that has had comparable success rates and outcomes to a full-match transplant. The haplo transplant is a relatively new technique which has been around for the past 20 years which allows for half-matched donors to be a viable option through the use of a post-transplant chemo regimen. 

With that said, after much thought and prayer, Grace and I are at peace proceeding with transplant at Penn, acknowledging that all the options on the table have pros and cons in terms of relapse, graft vs. host disease, etc. But, we do see and truly appreciate my docs' wisdom and care in really considering my history and condition in making their specific recommendations for me. Nevertheless, it's still hard diving into this esp. with the many variables and uncertainties. At the end of the day, we’re realizing that this has been and is going forward all in our Great Physician’s hands. So, we can rest in His goodness and sovereignty. 

We’re waiting to hear back regarding details including timeframe/schedule but we're shooting for transplant in early July Lord-willing. Please pray for Bo’s health and the logistics as he will undergo evaluation and tests in the near future. Thankfully, he will most likely be able to do these as well as the ultimate stem cell collection locally in Chicago and they will be able to ship the cells to Philly for transplant... amazing! And please pray for faith and courage as we prepare for this next phase of battle. 🙏 💪