Collection was going to be a 3 day process.  We were supposed to come home Thursday afternoon.  Yesterday, we took off at 4:30 am to head up to Mayo.  It was a long day for Todd.  He had to stay still for 5 hours and couldn't move anything.  For a man who never stops going, that was hard for him.  

They pulled him back and got him all arranged.  An hour later, they let me come back.  It was quite the ordeal to get him all set up that they don't allow family in until he is settled.  The nurse that was there couldn't leave his side those 5 hours.  He had to watch and monitor.  He would literally leave long enough to grab something and be back seconds later. He had to keep track of vitals, make sure the machine was operating correctly, nothing was clotting, that it was separating the blood correctly...he was busy the entire time.  We loved him!   

We finished around 1:30 and then you wait until after 4 and they let you know how many stem cells they collected. They called us with GREAT news!! The goal is to collect enough stem cells for 2 transplants. They have to collect 4 million stem cells within those 3 days.  Yesterday, they called and they had collected 7.2 million stem cells in just 1 day!  So he doesn't have to come back! 

He is really tired today, which is to be expected.  They take his blood and then the machine separates the components of the blood, red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, stem cells and platelets.  Then it filters it through the machine, the stem cells are collected and the rest of his blood is put back into him. They said it is a total of 5 liters of blood that day. They also add some vitamins, minerals and hydration into him to try and balance it out.  So of course, it is a lot on his body and can be exhausting.

But, truthfully, he is doing really well.  The nurses were talking about how "pretty" his blood looked and amazed at how well he is doing overall.  We hear over and over again that he is one of their healthiest patients, besides cancer. ;)  I believe it has a lot to do with his lifestyle.  

We are just so grateful for all the help we have received in every single way.  Having my in laws here helping already has been such a gift, too.  We truly are witnessing so many peaceful, beautiful and amazing moments and miracles this beautiful Holy week.