SEATTLE

The Trip:
The trip to Seattle was great!! We got a lot accomplished and had fun too. We toured a few places to live as well as the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) where Mark will receive out-patient care and University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) where Mark will receive in-patient care. We also got to stay in a nice hotel and go out to dinner for our 10 year wedding anniversary. We did end up in the ER Friday night (all night) but Mark got all checked out and back to Spokane Saturday afternoon. He is fine. Just another "new normal" situation for us.

The Doctor:
The Transplant Dr. we met with was very informative. He was able to answer all our questions and explain in depth some things about transplant, leukemia and donor matching that I just couldn't figure out from my reading. We have learned that in 19 million people, registered in the US and World lists there is 1 match for Mark. 1 in 19 million.... I always thought he was one of a kind.... now I know it is nearly true. The match lives in Great Britain and is currently being contacted to make sure they are still healthy and willing to donate. If so, they will have their stem cells collected in Europe and flown over to Seattle. The soonest that all this will happen is 6 weeks. If the match is unwilling or unable to donate there are 2 cord bloods (donated umbilical cords containing stem cells) that would work as a "last resort" donor plan for Mark. So a transplant is definitely in our future. We just don't know the source of the stem cells yet.

The Process:
2-3 weeks of out-patient appointments at SCCA followed by 2-3 weeks (maybe more depending on complications) of in-patient care at UWMC for the transplant. Then 3-4 months of out-patient care at SCCA in Seattle. For the actual transplant (in-patient at UWMC) Mark will undergo total body radiation over 3 days to kill off as much of his own bone marrow as possible, then introduce the donor stem cells. Then we pray for the donor stem cells to thrive in Mark's body and start taking over and cleaning up any of the remaining "broken" Mark stem and blood cells (the ones that know how to be leukemia). It is a long process but we are ready for it.

Changes & Help Needed:
We have changed our plan, and now think that we are going to take the boys over to Seattle with us, working out some sort of school option and staying together as a family. This is where I will need help from all those we know who live in the Seattle area. I have lots of questions like where to find things, resources I need to locate.... etc. I am putting together a list of questions and items I need to take care of. More on that later....

We are also finding out just how expensive this will all be and just how much the insurance will actually cover. We are definitely in need of some fundraisers. This week I will be working with the insurance company to get some real numbers and a clear idea of how this will all work out. Then we will be calling on all our friends and family for a little help. More on that later as well......

Pray:
Please pray for this match so far away. Pray that they are healthy and willing. Pray that God will bless them for their generosity. Pray that they will know the love of Christ. Pray that Mark and I can stay strong, that the scheduling will fall into place, that the housing option I really want will open up, that the doctors will clearly see the best options for treating Mark, that we will be placed with a great team of doctors that are going to know the right solutions to the problems Mark will face in treatment, for Marks lung infection to heal quickly and completely.  Pray for us as we prepare to move our little family to a strange city with lots of traffic, concrete and noise and ready us for the new adventures waiting there. Pray that we can meet another family or loving trust-worthy individuals to help with child care while we are over in Seattle. Pray for my boys to continue to adapt and have joy and peace each day. Thank the Lord today for his provision, grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit - because without His comfort and direction I would be lost.

Stay tuned for more soon......