Transplant at City of Hope

Well finally I made the decision to go to the City of Hope in Duarte. Duarte you say. Where the heck is that? It is in fact in Southern California right next to its more famous neighbor, Pasadena. My doctor there will be Ryotaro Nakamura with whom I have consulted in the last year and who has followed my case with great care. I feel very comfortable in his hands which really was the deciding factor in the decision.

The hardest part was knowing that I would be away from all of you.

I will go down in early September for some more tests---the story of my life. I will be joined by my brother Frank. Then in or around September 23rd (my 65th  birthday is the 22nd!) day - 9 begins. Everything BEFORE the transplant is minus. The day of the transplant is 0 and everything afterwards is plus.

For 4 days I will be an outpatient getting chemo. Then into hospital for more chemo followed by the BIG DAY---Day 0. I will stay in the hospital for around 3 weeks then I am discharged into my casita---little studio cottages on the grounds of City of Hope. While at my casita, I have to have a minder 24/7. And I will be there for around 100 days. A long time.