What's a Stem Cell Transplant? Heather Carlberg, M.D., Helps us Understand the Process. Jud's Journal Entry Thirteen

Here’s a word from Heather, Jud and Jan’s daughter, on the medical situation.  Following her comments are a few lines from Psalm 139.

“Following the successful induction phase of the leukemia treatment, my dad has started the bone marrow transplant phase (also known as consolidation).  This treatment carries a high risk due to infection, possible end organ (liver, heart, kidneys) damage and graft vs. host disease (GVHD).  This past week he’s had more chemotherapy to again wipe clean his bone marrow.   Tomorrow, the stem cells of a healthy young donor will be transplanted into his blood stream.  Stem cells are the pluri-potential (or embryonic) blood cells that will differentiate into red blood cells (carry oxygen), white blood cells (fight infection) and the cells that produce platelets (used for blood clot formation).   This transplant is like a carefully monitored blood transfusion.  The stem cells go into the blood stream, and then, incredibly, they find their way to the bone marrow and set up shop differentiating into a new immune system.  Making the healthy blood cells that the bone marrow, sick with leukemia, could not.  My father will then be in the hospital, in isolation, as the team tries to minimize the complications, and cheer for the new stem cells to take root and thrive.  GVHD is the biggest issue, both in the acute phase (next twelve weeks) as well as chronically, over the coming years.”  

The body’s complexity—the complexity of our blood alone—evokes Psalm 139: Where can I go from your Spirit?     Where can I flee from your presence?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there;     if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn,     if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me,     your right hand will hold me fast.  If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me     and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you;     the night will shine like the day,     for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being;     you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;     your works are wonderful,     I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you     when I was made in the secret place,     when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body;     all the days ordained for me were written in your book     before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, oh God!     How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them,     they would outnumber the grains of sand—