Update from Houston - stem cell harvest

August 8, 2005

Hi all. Hope this finds everyone doing well and feeling good.

This is a quick update from (hot) Houston. I arrived last Tuesday

and had all my prep tests (bmb, bloodwork, cardio and pulm work ups)

on Wed. We were hopeful that I would start on the Neupogen on

Thursday but the bmb reports weren't in and they are required before

I can sign the trials 'Informed Consent' documents. They got the

prelim (no pcr) marrow results on Friday and I started my four

Neupogen shots a day on Saturday. So far, no problem. A bit of

achiness but it's manageable. I had a blood draw this AM to see

if my levels are ready to start the actual harvest today at 1 PM.

If not, the blood will be repeated again tomorrow and they'll again

determine if I can start the harvest. It's a slow process that

can't be hurried up! And I am really wanting to go home at this

point!

We've had the opportunity to do a few 'touristy' things while we are

here. We drove to Galveston and enjoyed a lunch over looking the

bay of Galveston then drove to the Houston Space Center but

unfortunately they were just about ready to close for the day and

the $22 ticket for only 30 minutes of touring seemed a bit steep so

we didn't go in. We went to the Houston Zoo which is located within

walking distance of MD. Unfortunately the heat was a

searing 101 degrees and between that and the achiness from the

Neupogen we didn't get to see a whole lot . . . (Baby giraffe Binti,

the reptile pavillion and the Koalas). For being a city zoo, we

were quite impressed with what we saw and if you are ever in Houston

it would be worth the time to visit - if it's not too hot!

When we initially arrived, we stayed at a hotel that was sub-par and

wound up moving to another hotel not too far (and only a few $'s

more a night) from MDA. We've been very pleased with the

accommodations so far. It's the Extended Stay Hotel on Braeswood.

It has a small stove, fridge and even a dishwasher and high speed

internet. All the modern conveniences of home. (Although I'd

really rather be in my own home)

We are just about to head over to the apheresis center and I'll post

a note later to let you know how I faired.

Thinking of everyone!

Barb Heathcote

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