Don't blink or you will miss it

There is a lot of hype about the day a bone marrow cancer patient receives his bone marrow transplant.  It is called "Day 0" and "your second birth day".  Prior to the big day the patient has a round of very aggressive chemotherapy to kill all the cancer cells, which pretty much kills all their bone marrow cells also.  With the aggressive chemo comes a lot of other aggressive drugs to protect your body from the chemo.  At times Eric's IV pole has looked like an over-decorated Christmas tree with numerous IV bags and pumps taking up every available inch. 

Yesterday, Day 0, his second birthday day, Eric didn't have a moment to himself.  In preparation for the bone marrow transplant he had even more pills to swallow, IV bags to be hung, injections into his central line to be given, vital signs to be taken.  Every time Eric tried to take a nap something new needed to be done or his IVs would start beeping.  It was a long day.

Finally, after all the build up, at 6:00 p.m. the Red Cross representative came in with a large box that contained Eric's  bone marrow transplant.  He very non-dramatically pulled out two small IV bags partially filled with bright red blood.  Our nurse hooked one up to Eric's IV and in 10 minutes it was gone.  He hooked up the next one and it disappeared just as fast.  It was all over before 6:30! 

That's it?  It all happened so quickly that it was a bit anticlimactic.  I don't know why they call it a bone marrow transplant because it is not bone marrow and it isn't a transplant.  It is stem cells dripping from an IV bag, which makes it an infusion.  It was so unremarkable that Eric could have easily slept through it.

And yet, because of something that seemed pretty small and unremarkable, something barely noticed amid all the other medical interventions and interruptions going on that day, Eric's life has been changed.  The bone marrow transplant team make no promises, but if things go well Eric has a fifty percent chance of being cancer free in five years.  There will be some ups and downs along the way, but Eric's life has been extended.  Pretty amazing.


Eric said it reminded him of the various scriptures where we are told that things that may seem small to us are the means the Lord uses to accomplish amazing things.  Two of my favorites are:

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 16:29 . . . And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things.

Doctrine and Covenants 64:33  Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work.  And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.