16 days post transplant

Hello friends of William near and far!

We are currently 16 days post transplant.  It takes, on average, 28 days (sigh) for the white blood count to show up on his blood work.  We were hoping that they would start to show up after about a week post transplant due to William's current status (his mouth sores were healing on their own), but it is taking a bit longer.  Nothing out of the ordinary according to William's care team, but we were really hoping it would be sooner than later for our peace of mind and for a quick(ish) recovery.  We are right where we should be based on averages.

Just a little FYI on what the blood draw actually measures:  currently, William's white blood count is measuring <300 mm^3.  His doctor on the BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) team looked at his blood work microscopically and it actually displayed immature cells, just not enough to show up on the WBC.  The reason his mucositis is healing on its own (mouth sores, GI sores), is because the few white blood cells that are growing are going to the areas that are needed the most.  I'm sorry for my laymen ability to explain pediatric nursing, but this is how I processed it all.

He currently is on continuous medication to help a variety of things, and his pain, infections and overall comfort seem to be under control.  Grandma Carolyn​ has been a tremendous help for us; Robert and I have been able to escape the confinement of the hospital and tour the town now and then (Pittsburgh is amazing!)  Robert​ continues to fly to Salt Lake City from Pittsburgh for work weekly.  Our friends' and families' generosity donating sky miles has covered his flights for the month of February.  We are going to be reevaluating William's condition in a few weeks to see how March thereafter needs to be approached with Robert's travel plans.

 Sara Hoffman​ and Megan Egerton Hirko​ are going to come visit next week!  Yay!!

We have received numerous gifts, care packages and decor for William's hospital room.  The nurses and doctors are amazed by the amount of love and support that our sweet boy has.  We are truly thankful for everything everyone has done for us.  This has been a crazy ride and will continue to be and we couldn't do it without the support.

Love, The Branches