Arghh Matey!

Today was an eventful day. Henry received his second stem cell transplant. This is the second treatment of this sort which is intended to give his immune system a much needed boost in light of it's destruction from the high doses of chemotherapy agents.

Henry had some high blood pressure and a low heart rate immediately prior to his transplant which caused a bit of concern and delay in administering his stem cells. There are several possibilities for this, most likely of which is simply a reaction to some of his medications. They are treating it now by removing the suspected drug and additionally supplementing with platelets in the less likely case of some sort of internal bleeding. This causes some increased anxiety for Tara and I and we're hoping that this resolves itself quickly.

On top of all that excitement, and in an effort to keep the endlessly long days at the hospital amusing and distracting for all involved, Tara and I came up with the idea of themed days. After today's success of our first theme day, Pirate Day, we may yet attempt more. We may have to ask the nurses, doctors, and child life specialists if they can take it before we attempt another as today they all had to don eye patches, talk like pirates, assist with a treasure hunt and most importantly sword fight with Henry. While on the surface this was a game, it really warms our hearts to know that the team here bends over backwards to help these kids any way they can and they have our eternal gratitude.

Now, after repeating his mantra of "I'm really not tired." over the course of the last hour and a half while yawning voraciously, Henry has fallen asleep. Tonight will involve the above mentioned platelets being administered as well as some more attentive monitoring to ensure his stability. Because the combined Pirate Day (fun) and Transplant Day (a bit stressful) kept us so busy today, we're hoping for smoother sailing tomorrow.