MD Anderson called Reid a little while ago and told him that there are no empty beds. So, he will not be admitted tonight. They expect him to be admitted tomorrow and hopefully this will not effect the treatment plan. He had chemo yesterday in anticipation of being admitted today. They were not planning to give him chemo today, so I'm hoping they'll be able to stay on schedule with the chemo tomorrow and still be able to infuse him with Keith's stem cells on the 20th.
Since I now have a little extra time tonight I thought I'd post a few pictures and then get to bed early! All of these pictures were taken with my cell phone because I forgot my camera.
This is Keith the day he donated his stem cells for Reid.
He had to keep squeezing that red thing in his right hand so the blood would keep flowing. It went through the machine, the stem cells were extracted, and the blood returned to Keith in his left arm.
He was a little uncomfortable because they had been giving his two shots daily for a few days so his body would produce more stem cells. That caused the larger bones in his body to ache and gave him headaches.
He couldn't move his arms for three hours, so I changed the TV stations for him. The stem cells are now frozen in a lab somewhere at MD Anderson.
The hospital is decorated for Christmas and they have a decorating contest. Personally, I thought the 10th floor pharmacy went the extra mile with their decorations.
The staff dressed as elves and graciously posed for my picture.
The stem cell recipient and the stem cell donor got to pose by their tree. That's Reid on the left and Keith on the right. The tree was decorated with the staff's pictures, but you probably can't really see that in this picture.
One of the elves took my picture with Reid. These are probably the only Christmas pictures we'll have this year.
They even had a fireplace.
They also had fake milk and cookies for Santa, but I neglected to take a picture.
Thank you for your prayers and support!
I would have thought his bed would have been reserved since he was scheduled to go in today. I guess that would be too easy to do! lol I hope they can keep things on schedule from now on. May the Lord Bless Keith for doing that for his brother! I can't imagine having to do that myself. Actually when I think about it I probably can't donate blood or anything at all anymore. They did do a great job decorating at the hospital. Great pictures! I hope everything goes as planned for tomorrow. I will keep you and your family in my prayers.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Angela
Well everything Angela said. Gosh to see two brothers like that. It does a heart good on a day like this. So wonderful to see a photo of you. You are beautiful. How long was Keith in the hospital? Is it safe to give bone marrow I guess. And I am glad they are dressing up and trying to keep the spirits up. I am praying for you all.
ReplyDeletesandie
I too would have thought a bed would be reserved, since they knew he was coming. Guess it doesn't work that way.
ReplyDeleteWishing the best for things to get back on schedule and no more glitches.
Thoughts and prayers, still.
The staff do seem to be making a good Xmas effort. Always thinking of you all, Betty. x
ReplyDeleteBetty, my prayers continue for you all! Every day.
ReplyDeleteBless the caring and loving staff there.
And the courage you face each day with.