Pre-transplant conditioning therapy (Day -9 to -1; Sept 9 – 14, 2006)

The conditioning therapy is the high dose chemotherapy and radiation that patient receives before the stem cell transplant. The day that a patient receives the bone marrow or stem cell is called day 0. The days before Day 0 are the days patients receives the conditioning therapy. The goals of the conditioning therapy are to kill the remaining cancer cells in the body and to kill the normal cells in the marrow cavities of bones so that the new marrow will have room to grow. In addition, it also suppresses the patient’s immune system to minimize graft-versus-host disease. Charley finished the 9 days conditioning therapy on September 14. He copes with it very well. After the third day of total body XRT, Charley said “Bye-bye” XRT in bed. When he was asked to whom he wanted to say Bye-Bye, Charley replied: “To my old bone marrow.” Charley is not allowed to eat homemade food this time. He can only eat hospital food (bacteria-control) or frozen/canned food. He has not had a good appetite for some time. Nevertheless, doctors comforted the parents that they do not have to worry too much since Charley gets all the nutrients he needs through IV. Charley’s aunt and her family came from Connecticut to play with Charley. His cousins, Josh and Maria, played with him on his first Saturday at hospital. Charley had a lot of fun and good appetite on that day. Pastors Don Whitesel, John Taylor and Adam Randazzo came to visit Charley and prayed for him.