Ada’s first transplant is set to start on Monday, and it is going to be an entirely new level in this marathon. Monday we will be busy with all the preadmission checks and tests, Tuesday we start 7 days straight of really intense chemo combinations, the aim is to completely wipe out the blood counts. After that, she will receive her own stem cells back, and we sit around and start the horror show that is recovery.

On average the process takes 6 to 8 weeks, although it has been done quicker, so we are preparing for a month minimum of intense hospital stay. We will be in a special unit with only the same 4 people allowed in (and a few of her medical team).

Throughout this period we know that all your support and love will help keep us going, and we will be eternally grateful as always. But just want to give everyone a heads up that we will be intensely stressed and fragile. To explain it better we decided to depart from our usual policy of keeping a lot of the horrific details to ourselves, and share just a small insight into what we are dealing with… for some of the drugs, the side effects include “death”. Just plain death. Not the usual preamble like anaphylaxis which could lead to death, or heart failure which could lead to death… just death.

Now don’t get too discouraged, the team at Starship are the best equipped and experienced in the country, and they have a pretty good track record, they are watching everything so closely and ready to jump all over it if something starts to come undone. So, at present, we are optimistic, sleep-deprived and frantically trying to plan things and prepare…but if that changes and we become blobs of rage and fear, just be a little patient and don’t take it too personally, we will always have nothing but love and gratitude to you all💜🌻👼