But first, today was a big day, Michael finished his radiation--all 25 treatments. The next step will be a PET scan on Jan 31. So we will start home on this Friday and be home about 3 weeks. Michael's labs yesterday showed his white count is still low, so he is more susceptible to infections.
About potential donors, we have had several friends approach us about being a donor for the transplant. And thank you as well to those who have let us know they are already on the Donor Registry. Through the traditional (and free way), it is sounds like it will take too long to determine if someone is a match prior to his need.
However, there is a private lab that for a fee of $175 will run the initial screening (and there are several scholarships available). If someone wants to be checked, it is an initial cheek swab, if that is a match, then more tests are done. As time is a factor, we need to proceed quickly.
This is only a brief overview, for more info if interested you can go to www.dkmsamericas.org to find out more of what is required and restrictions. Please feel free to e-mail at mrsmrhilltop@aol.com or call or text Michael at 816-807-6015 or Brenda at 816-807-6014.
Also, please note that if anyone is interested in checking to be a donor, that they should know it is unlikely that they would be a match for Michael--and if you're not a match, you can take the next step if you want and join the Donor Registry to potentially help someone in the future. Michael's best chance of someone he knows being a match is his sister, Melissa, whose chance of being a good match is one out of four. We will not find out if she is a match for at least two weeks. The transplant could start as soon as 3 1/2 weeks or it could be later.
Time to get back to packing.
And as always, thank you for your prayers
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