VERY ENCOURAGED

Lindsey and Jacob had their orientation at the Blood & Marrow Transplant Group today, and were very encouraged by what they were told. First of all, Lindsey's latest PET Scan shows that she is just about in remission ~ which is very important to the success of the transplant. Having had the original transplant, followed by the Cyberknife, followed by the limited chemo's that she just completed have combined to do the trick. Before cyberknife, her Scan number value was 15, and now it's down to 3.1, which means there is barely a trace of disease left in her body. Praise God! Secondly, we were "educated" about the huge difference it makes having Shelley be a perfect 10 for 10 "sibling match". Recent research shows that having a sibling that matches all 10 markers is the absolute best scenario for Lindsey - it will make her Graft vs. Host disease much milder, and result in a much easier road for Lindsey overall. The doctor's want you to get Graft vs. Host so that they know that Shelley's cells are being engrafted into your body and replacing your immune system. However, if it is too severe, it could result in much more serious side effects and dangerous complications for the patient. The combination of "sibling" and "perfect 10" will make Lindsey's treatment much more tolerable. Just to give you an example, they are finding that it is better to take a sibling that only has 50% of the matching markers, over a stranger that has 100% matching markers. For us to have all of that is remarkable ! Our last piece of good news is that they have developed a drug that Lindsey will be given in the hospital that will make Shelley's cells engraft quicker and easier. Also, Lindsey will NOT be sick for Christmas ! YAY! Today Shelley had her physical and passed it with flying colors. They said she makes a perfect donor candidate because she is in such great shape. We knew that . . . !