We feel like we’re on the launch pad to Paul’s bone marrow transplant. But, we’re not exactly sure where this rocket ship will land.

On October 26, we began the process of restricting our activities and interactions. No person-to-person contact for the next few months. For Paul, there will be additional restrictions soon: no eating out, no take-out, no gardening, and a list of foods that are “off the table” so to speak. And, he has to wear a Darth Vader-like hepa filter mask whenever he goes out of the house (or apartment when we’re over at Stanford). Although Tim doesn’t have to follow such strict guidelines for himself, because he’s Paul’s primary caretaker he also has to take many similar precautions as well.

We were asked by several friends how on earth would we get food if both of us had to stay isolated for several months. In Paul’s case, he’s stuck. But, Tim can go out and buy groceries if he selects carefully, avoids contact with other people, removes his shoes and uses a ton of hand sanitizer before entering the house. We even have “indoor” shoes and “outdoor” shoes so that we don’t bring germs into the house.

We also realized that many of our friends assumed we’d be staying in all the time. Reading, watching TV or working on our plant photos and database. Actually, almost every day Paul will have at least one or more procedures – ranging from chemotherapy, lab tests, xrays, Neupogen shots, and meeting with his Stanford oncology team. Some of his chemo infusions will last for 5-6 hours. And, he’ll have to deal with several significant side-effects from his chemo. The thee different chemos will wipe out Paul’s immune system – which is why his vulnerability to infection is so high.

We’ll be at Stanford next week for a two-day stint, and then several more times over the next two months for more extended stays. In December, Paul will be there for almost the entire month. The actual transplant isn’t until December 12, but there will be lots of procedures between now and then… plus a couple months of recovery afterwards.

We’ll try to put up something on this blog as we proceed, but it may be a little irregular depending on how things are going.

*Quokkas on Rottnest Island off Perth, Australia"