Day 0

It's on. It's scheduled for 10:30 a.m. It will take awhile to get through all the protocols, but Mom and I are headed to the hospital soon.

His counts: White Blood Cells 0.5; neutrophils 0.48; hemoglobin 8.4; and platelets 165. He is neutropenic.

He will get pre-transplant meds around 10 a.m., Benadryl and steroids. The transplant will have the same possible side effects as a blood transfusion, Jerusha said.

He's going to probably have an odd odor and taste in his mouth for about 24 hours because of one of the drugs, DMSO. It's been described as smelling like garlic or rotten milk, so lucky him?

They're also watching out for a side effect, which manifests as a heaviness in the chest. If it happens, they just slow down the infusion rate.

He's feeling pretty good this morning, despite his blood numbers. He is anxious, of course, but is being a brave puppy.