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Met with the Bone Marrow Transplant team last week. So much information, and for me, a lot scary.  It seems that with leukemia, we do not have the luxury of time to find a “perfect” match for the bone marrow donor.  Our donor is an 80% match.  The three things the transplant team worries about are: (1) Infections; (2) GVHD; (3) Relapse.  The one the team is most concerned about is relapse.

Because I do not like more than 1 weeks worth of info, I usually am not looking at the what could happens, just what will be happening now.  With transplant, it forces me to plan for the next 2 years.  IF (or when) Morgan stays “clean” for 2-years, this seems to be the indicator that she is on the right path, and we can begin to breathe in small pants.  YEAR FIVE after transplant and being clean, she is moved to the Survivors Club – What a Bat Mitzvah party she will be having!!

What this means now:  Morgan checks into the hospital May 13 (as far as we have been told) to begin preparing her for transplant.  Really hard chemo, some she has had, some, she has not.  She will also be getting full body radiation.  Both have some major side effects, but if it wasn’t necessary, believe me, I would not be allowing it!  UNFORTUNATELY, only HEALTHY adults are able to visit Morgan while she is in the hospital.  Those under 18 will not be allowed.  We hope to be out of the hospital by end of July, beginning of August.

Once out, Morgan will not be able to attend her regular school until March 2010, so she will be schooled at home.  She will only be able to have visits with a very small amount of her school friends.  The reason the number is limited, is that we need to minimize exposure to viruses.  A VIRUS can be fatal.  HOWEVER, we can meet friends OUTSIDE, and the good news is that we will be out in August, September, October and November, which are great months to meet friends outside!

The last thing the transplant team told us was to do as much as possible with Morgan before she is admitted.  So we are!  My sister came in over the weekend to visit.  I took Morgan and her friend Rebecca for manicures and pedicures.  We had a great pasta dinner with Max and her parents on Sunday.  Darlene spoke with Tania, who in turn started making calls galore, and VIOLA!  I will be driving Morgan, Max and Rebecca to the Mystic Aquarium Friday for Morgan to touch a whale!  We will then drive to New York, and stay with Darlene (where she is writing a piece for Discover Magazine) and have dinner and dessert.  Saturday morning, Morgan and her friends will be visiting the American Girl Doll store, where Tania arranged a personal shopper!!!  Monday, Morgan will be having a Sundae party with a few pals, and Tuesday, her dad is currently working on giving her the Zoo party she wanted to have this summer.

They said pack it in…So, we are!