Discharged!

Hi Everyone! We are happy to report that Dad has been discharged from the hospital and is now able to stay in his motor home which is parked on hospital grounds!! Yahoo!!! They are beyond thrilled to be out of the confinements of the hospital, despite being far from through with this entire process.

Typically when a bone marrow transplant patient is discharged at this point in their journey, and don't live in close proximity (many patients travel from all over the world to be treated at City of Hope) they go to stay at an onsite 'village', which is like an apartment.  Patients are still fragile at this point and need to be as close to the main hospital as possible for quite some time after transplant to continue to be closely monitored in case a fever arises, any other signs of complications or host vs. graft disease.  Instead of staying in the village, they are camping in their RV, and for the next couple weeks they will travel to the hospital at least two times a week to have blood work done and check in with the team of doctors.  My parents are blessed that they have a little piece of home there with them and are now in their own space, even though they aren't officially home yet.

These photos are from discharge day - excited to be OUT!

Additionally, in the last post we put out a call to action with regards to a card drive.  We wanted to express our sincerest thanks to everyone who took the time to get a card and mail it to my parents.  My mom would send us a text daily saying, "look what we got today!!" It is a tangible reminder of how many people are thinking and praying for him.  We are so incredibly thankful!! Family, friends of Nicole, friends of mine, and friends of theirs all participated.  Thanks a million you guys! It's not too late...if you'd still like to send a card (and make their day!), here is the address:

City of Hope-Helford Bldg.

C/O William Ray
1500 East Duarte Road

Duarte, CA 91010

Dad is taking life one day at a time and is making progress every day.  Most of the important numbers they are watching are back in normal range, and dad is working very hard to gain strength back.  The recovery will be a long process but he is more than up for the challenge and we know he will continue to persevere. 

Love to you all,

Jen and Nicole