September 25: Transplant Day

September 25, 2006
Bone Marrow Transplant Day

On the preceding day, John (the donor) was admitted at Yam’s adjacent room (714). He was given the Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (GCSF) for the fourth day. Even after admission, John attended to Yam’s blood donors who waited patiently in the long queue. In effect, he was the only patient in the hospital who was doing errands. In the evening, John downed four pieces of oranges and six pieces of bananas in preparation for the harvest.

On BMT Day, a precision-timed series of events unfolded. John woke up early, prepared himself and finished breakfast by 7am. A few minutes after, surgeon Dr. Salvador Abad Santos with an assistant, came into the room to insert the central line for John’s blood extraction. He bantered and pep-talked. Then Med Tech Aura Posada came in with the apheresis machine just when John was ready for it. The contraptions were prepared and at 7:30am, the machine began its job. By 1:30pm, 160 ml of stem cells was harvested and brought to the laboratory for analysis and counting.

Meanwhile, Yam was being prepared at the other room. Mixtures of medicines were administered while she was emotionally being revved up. Yam’s physicians, Drs. Francis Lopez and Allan Racho and the team of nurses were all in the room. Dr Lopez explained the BMT process and as soon as the stem cells arrived from the lab, transfusion to Yam started in no time at all.

While the stem cells were being received by Yam, the well-mannered physicians spent time to narrate stories about their BMT patients. Dad and Mom were inquisitive and the physicians patiently fielded and answered all queries, trivial or not. Yam is the 23rd BMT patient since the first was done in December 2002 and is the 9th pediatric case. She is the third patient this year after Nina Surban and a certain Mr Wang. A fourth, whose case is very similar to Yam’s, was just admitted. Two others are waiting and may undergo the process before the year ends.