Day -1. Transplant Tomorrow!

The Last Chemo Treatment EVER!

The Cytoxin treatments were uneventful.  He had his first dose on Saturday night and tolerated it well with no side effects.  Dr. Laport came to check in on Sunday afternoon.
"So you are telling me you had no nausea or pain from the chemo?" she asked in unbelief when Willie reported he felt fine.
She put her hands on her tiny hips and tilted her head sideways as she observed him.
"Wow!" she said, her eyes widening "You look great!" 
Everyone is required to wear yellow masks on the transplant floor at all times so we couldn't see anything but her eyes which showed her surprise.  I imagine she was smiling below the mask.
"You are the first patient I've had that experienced nothing from the Cytoxin, which is good.  The other good news is tonight you will receive your last dose of chemo EVER."  She said the last word with deep emphasis.
"I like the way that sounds," Willie said, smiling.
"You're going to do fine," Dr. Laport patted Willie on the leg "Judging by the way you have handled the chemo, you are going to handle everything well."
It was a good thing to hear.
Willie got his last dose of chemo EVER late last night and woke up feeling fine today.  He got a new roommate last night that was a much welcomed relief from the previous talkative roommate.  The new guy is a young Doctor in his mid 30's who only got diagnosed in August.  His sister was a perfect match so he went straight to transplant and he just got released from isolation.  He looked fantastic for only having the transplant 3 weeks ago.  He was exactly the inspiration we needed and he and Willie spent the day talking about their experiences.  I really enjoyed talking to his wife and we struck up an instant friendship. They got released late this afternoon and they are currently moving in a new roommate. 
This floor of the hospital is certainly busy!
Tomorrow is transplant day.  The drs refer to tomorrow as "day zero."  Every day after transplant is counted upward after that.  They also refer to this day as Willie's new birthday.  It is the day that he will be given a new shot at a cancer free life. 
We are most grateful to the donor today for her selfless gift to us.  She should have had the procedure done yesterday so we kept her in our thoughts and prayers that all went well and she is recovering quickly.  There are no words powerful enough to express our thanks to her.  She is literally giving Willie a new life. We are so blessed to live in a time of such great medical miracles that this procedure exists.   It boggles my mind that it is even possible to destroy one persons immune system and replace it with another.
That to me, that is magic.
Please keep Willie in your prayers tomorrow and if you feel so inclined, you can sing "Happy New Birthday" to him in your mind.