Hello All, Ryan is resting comfortably after his spinal injection. There were no problems with the procedure and he seems to be OK. We are very happy that he was able to have the procedure this morning. Almost the entire floor, staff included, has been sick this last week. Ryan has been wearing a doctor’s mask whenever he is out of the room. It looks ridiculous, but if it keeps him healthy and on schedule, we’ll do it. On a happier note, we found out that our math was incorrect on the number of stem cells he received today. It was not 12 million, as we originally thought, but the lab was able to culture about 120 million stem cells from his bone marrow! This is the real benefit of doing the bone marrow aspiration. It remains to be seen if the cells produced are able to transform into brain cells, but that number is over 10 times what he usually gets in an umbilical stem cell treatment. Suzanne is having her day out tomorrow. She is traveling by train to Shanghai with another patient’s wife for a day of sight-seeing and shopping. I should have some more pictures up on flickr before most of you read this. Thanks for the thoughts and wishes. Take care. Dan, Suzanne and Ryan.
120 million opportunities now safely delivered. We’re thrilled it went well. Keeping Ryan in our thoughts daily. Mike, Naomi, Tom and Amy
You will be in our thoughts and prayers tonight that all those precious cells go to town. We’re “fixin’ to hunker down” here and ride out Ike tonight. Looks like it could be pretty bad. The storm eye is 10 hrs away and homes are already being washed to sea in Galvaston! Mother Nature is something else.
My Peace Corps training should come in handy over the next few days if we lose power. So if I don’t post for a few days, know I am thinking and praying for you from my closet!
Love ya,
Diane and the gang
Hey Ryan! I am so relived to hear that your bone marrow treatment went so well!! I cant wait to see you big guy! Keep up the good work I miss you so much!
Hi Suzanne, Dan and Ryan,
I have been trying to read and catch up with all that has been happening. Uncle Dick and I are thankful that everything went well with the bone marrow treatment. Ryan, you are such a brave guy. We are really proud of you. Love, Uncle Dick and Aunt Pat
Hi all. I am happy to be back from Nashville tonight and catch up on what you’ve been up to over the weekend. Thrilled to see you have this opportunity, though farther away than we’d prefer it, thankful that Ryan has been given the opportunity to have it. I’ll be praying that his body takes advantage of it to the extent possible. So adorable and genuine to see Sarah posting on here. Let us know about Suzanne’s big day out.
We went to Jillyn’s beautiful wedding this weekend. Pictures are starting to go up on Flickr. It was a steamy one for mid-September, but great to catch up with familiar faces I haven’t seen in a long time because of my travels. Diane is without power, for an unknown amount of time, and hasn’t left Houston, so you may not see here back on this for awhile. Devon likes to tell you that she was very brave. Bill’s house has been spared through grace. Diane and Bill both lost their fences, but can be easily replaced. Bill can’t go back home until later this week. Karyn helped set them up at Hyatt in Dallas, she is a sweetie. Hope I can see you all in October, I’m sorting that out this week.