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| Double perfect rainbow on the way to Portland on Monday. |
Monday afternoon we left for Portland. How perfect that as we were driving we saw a double perfect rainbow. What a great way to start of this amazing journey. Monday evening we had a wonderful dinner with our new friends L & D. It really did help relax Bear, it was great to just kibitz with everyone.
Tuesday morning we were up early and checked into the hospital by 6:30am. I had a cup of lousy hotel room tea and I was cranky. Bear of course was upbeat, smiling and not complaining at all. I think I do enough bitching for the both of us. Our wonderful nurse, Karen, from the American Red Cross arrived and explained the entire procedure. She would stay with us throughout the day. Bear had his carbo load breakfast and things began to get moving. Machines were then wheeled in and Bear was prepped and ready. I had to leave the room. I don't do well with needles.
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| View from our hospital window |
We had a gorgeous room and the view was great. A perfect fall day. The nurses of the oncology unit each stopped by to introduce themselves and to thank Bear for his incredible gift. It was very touching and some had me a little choked up. I guess with what they deal with everyday, to see someone give of their time to save a life, gives them something to grab onto in those dark times.
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| Our incredible nurse Karen with Bear. |
Once the needles were inserted Bear was unable to move his arms so I had to feed him. It was rather cute. At lunch time he didn't want his tomato and he said he was full, but I made the tjoo-tjoo noises and told him to open the tunnel for the train. Yes, I was bored and had to entertain myself. Bear had no option, but to lay there and appease the Princess.
In the above picture you can see the bag hanging above the machine. The stem cells (orange) were starting to collect and it went great. Bear lay there for 6 hours. Karen was amazing. We kept each other entertained while Bear tried to take a nap. We watched Planet Earth as there was a DVD player in the room. As the stem cell collection was almost complete I decided to liven things up a little. I was sitting on the Lazy Boy and removed my wedding band which promptly rolled into the crease of the chair and underneath. There was no way for me to get my ring other then trying to push my hand down the side. I did and pricked my finger on something sharp. This then sent the nurses into a little panic. Next thing four nurses are in the room, lazy boy recliner is upside down and they are shaking, kicking, bouncing on the chair to find my ring and the object that pricked me. It really was comical and am so sorry I didn't get a picture. Karen looked at Bear and said "I guess your wife was tired of you getting the attention." Spent 7 hours with that lady and she already figured me out. Ring fell out, and the object that pricked me was a staple. So calm once again reigned over the room. Until I got the DVD stuck in the player. Yes, I am a winner.
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| Relief |
After being on the machine for six hours Bear was finally done. The courier arrived to take the stem cells to their destination and Bear was finally able to sit up. The smile on his face just shows his relief at being able to move his arms. We are home now and Bear is currently fast asleep. He has a headache, but that was to be expected. What an incredible day this has been. Have you signed up yet? Click on Be The Match and this will take you directly to the sign up page.
One other thing. There are 9 million on the registry. We had a double rainbow on the way to Portland. I am taking Bear to the store tomorrow to purchase a Lottery ticket.
