On Friday, we received a little bit of good news about those lingering T cells. The lab looked again at whether the T cells were Ezra's cells or the donor's cells. This time, there were triple the number of donor T cells from the prior week's test. The doctor says this is good news because it is an indication that the donor cells in the marrow are growing. However, the donor cells are only 5% of the T cells present - the rest are Ezra's cells and could potentially fight off the donor cells. We're definitely not out of the woods yet by any means, but we'll take this little piece of good news.
Day +21 is the average time it takes for the first cells to grow back, neutrophils, to appear for a cord blood transplant. It can sometimes take more than 30-40 days for engraftment with a cord blood transplant. We're obviously praying that the neutrophils appear as soon as possible. Thursday will be day +21, so let's start thinking grow, cells grow for the week ahead.
Ezra continues to amaze us with his resiliency. He is absolutely making the most of being stuck in a tiny room, and enjoyed spending lots of time playing with Grandma who was back in town this week. His latest interest is volcanoes. When Jessica from Child Life heard about his new love, she proposed we make a volcano. And soon enough Ezra was making vinegar and baking soda eruptions over and over again. This is the new daily activity in Room 922. Pretty amazing what can be accomplished in a tiny hospital room.
