Kalan Is Awesome!: March 2010

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Kalan is Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!

Great News!!!! We just got the results from Kalan's latest scan and he has "NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE!!!" We are incredibly relieved and soooo happy!!! He'll still have regular appointments at The Hutch for a bit longer but this is a HUGE step in the right direction.

So much love to you all on this amazing day!!

Love, Jennie and Kalan

What is an autologous stem cell transplant?

An autologous stem cell transplant includes:

* harvesting the stem cells
* high dose chemotherapy
* re-entry of the stem cells via infusion

So, what does this mean for Kalan?

In January, after some traditional chemotherapy, Kalan was hooked up to a dialysis machine that siphoned off 12,000,000 stem cells. He described this process as "boring" and "painless" (although the movie selection and lack of Internet were a real downer).

On March 8th, Kalan will begin a 7 day high dose chemotherapy program followed by the infusion of his stem cells back into his body. Stem cells can become whatever type of cells the body needs to function properly and thrive. As the stem cells enter, they will recognize that his immune system has been depleted and quickly start rebuilding it.

The entire transplant process is done on an outpatient basis. We will be making daily trips to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) for check ups and close monitoring for about 30 days after transplant. At that time, it is expected that Kalan will be cancer free!!

Kalan Is Awesome!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Kalan is Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!

We laugh a lot these days!

Helpful Information

Blog Archive

About Me

What is an autologous stem cell transplant?

Transplant Etiquette --sorry to be so blunt!