Roll With The Changes

One of my favorite 70's bands was REO Speedwagon. I was fortunate to see them open up for Ted Nugent in the late 70's and tear down the house at the good old Portland Memorial Coliseum. They are now remembered more for their 1980's ballads like Keep on loving you.  You can take what you want from Roll With The Changes, I think Kevin Cronin and company wrote it to mean something a little different to everyone... For the past few weeks I have been struggling with making a decision to undergo a second stem cell transplant, or take less risks and live out my life with the possibility of more relapses, chemo, and who knows.  I was still up in the air even up to yesterday (our first Fred Hutchinson consultation). I told Yvonne last night during the ride home that I wasn't sure I wanted to go through a second transplant mainly due to the lack of clear statistical efficacy data. I had a good nights sleep and hit the bike this AM with Roll With The Changes as the second song on my random playlist.  That was all it took to realize I needed to take some chances and stick to it.  I am actually feeling better and stronger now than I was last year for number one, here's what we learned yesterday:
My mini PBSCT (peripheral blood stem cell transplant)  is scheduled to occur on April 19th. My unrelated donor this time is a 41 year old woman with the same blood type as mine, she is a 100% match and has other blood markers which go well with mine. We have started the testing process to make sure all of the logistics are a go. Lab work, x rays, c t scans, bone marrow biopsy, nutrition, social work, finance, etc.  I don't look forward to most of it, but it pales in comparison to my first attempt. I am supposed to spend only one night in the hospital and do most of everything else in the Hutchinson clinic in downtown Seattle. I will be trying out some new chemo and light radiation to condition me before April 19.   So here's to a great St. Patrick's Day, I plan on enjoying a Guinness tonight!