A Real Life Hero!

Guest Blog Entry from Kyle (the brother/perfect match/hero) J

Thursday - Day 1 - Frontier Airlines sucks! I spend the entire day at work at the pentagram... I mean Pentagon and headed to the airport around 1600. My flight was supposed to leave at 1800 so I had plenty of time. I made it through security (TSA took my toothpaste which was a bummer cuz I had just bought it!)  I was at my gate by 1700, just in time to hear that the flight was delayed 3 hours (BUMMER!). I called the rental car company to let them know I would be late but they said that they had already canceled my car and it would be 50 extra bucks to re-reserve it. (Reminds me of that Seinfeld episode about car rental reservations!) My trip out to Denver was not going so well at this point. I finally got to Denver around 2330 and Chellie came to get me and lent me one of their cars for the week. 

Friday - Day 2 - Got checked into my hotel at around 0045 and hit the rack. I was up at 0400 because that is what my body is used to and I was still on DC time. Needless to say, I was plenty early to my 0800 appointment at the hospital and I got my first set of neupogen injections of without any problems. They did have to give me 900mg so they had to do it with two shots (it wouldn't all fit in one syringe). I didn't get any of the painful side effects that everyone warned me about on the first day, so I was a happy camper. I got to pick Chellie up from the hospital after her surgery that afternoon to install the new 'life lines' and we grabbed a quick bite to eat before I dropped her off for her last night at home as a “sicky”... next time she goes back home she'll be cancer free and my stem cells will be working overtime to churn out a new immune system for her!!!

Saturday - Day 3 - Woke up feeling like someone hit me in the chest with a bat. apparently your breastbone is one of the bones that the neupogen goes to town on! i took my tylenol and it took the edge off and i went in for my second set of shots. As the nurse was getting the medicine ready she had way bigger needles than the day before on the syringes (apparently it is easier to get it ready with the big needle and put the little one on after it is ready). I told her that they used smaller needles yesterday and she just made fun of me and said she likes to use the big ones to make people squirm but then she told me the real reason and put the small needle on and all was well. I went through the day keeping up on my tylenol and i was no worse for the wear.

Sunday - Day 4 - Woke up in the worst pain I had felt in for as long as I can remember. I went in to the hospital & got my shots and the doc gave me a prescription for some stronger pain medicine. They did a throat swab (one thing I like less than shots) and “water boarded” me with saline solution to check to see if I had a sinus infection before I was allowed onto the isolation unit (Chell’s new digs). All the tests came back negative and the new pain meds were awesome!

Monday - Day 5 - Got what I thought were going to be my last set of neupogen injections and went to visit Chellie for a few hours in the morning. We had a good time and we walked half a mile in her hallway (100 feet at a time).  That’s as far as she gets to go…her hospital room and that 100 ft hallway because it is a positive pressure HEPA filtered unit and she’s not allowed to leave, for her protection. I picked my Dad up at the airport around 1700 and we went to John & Chellie’s house to visit John and Scott for a quick hello.  Then we headed back to the hospital to visit Chell and hung out for another hour or so. It was a pretty good day and we had a good time chatting (I was doing well with my new pain medicine).

Tuesday - Day 6 – STEM CELL DONATION DAY! My dad and I headed into the hospital nice and early and got started with the IV.  The nurse got it on the second time and drew some blood to run a few tests before they got started with the actual donation process. Turned out that I needed one more set of neupogen injections to get my counts up to par. Got the injections and they stuck a HUGE needle in my arm and got the party started. My dad bounced back and forth between my room (down the hall & around the corner) and my sisters room and before we knew it I was all done.  All in all it took about 5 hours.  The hospital called two hours later to tell me they got all they needed and I was clear go get on the plane and go home the next day.

Wednesday - Day 7 - Woke up at 0415 and headed to the airport. Thankfully this flight home went without incident and I was back in my own house getting hugs and kisses from my little girls by 1400.

My cells are on ice right now with Transplant Day at the end of the week.  I hope the transplant goes well for Chellie on Friday. I will be sitting on the beach in St Thomas USVI on Friday having a drink for ya & thinking about ya Chell!

PS From Brother-in-law Jim (quit complaining, you can have a PS when it's your blog...) - As a guy who faints at the sight of needles (literally - I have fainted in all sorts of fun places), this post from Kyle really had my emotions high (I was stressed the entire time reading this). When he got to the part about getting hugs and kisses from his girls it really struck me what a truly awesome thing he did this week. Way to go Kyle - you provided the way for Chellie to get those future hugs and kisses from Scotty! Your act of love for your sister is a great inspiration to me. Thank You!