← Return to My Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT/SCT) story: Will you share yours?

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@loribmt

Hi @mtoyne2021 Golly, my heart stopped a little when I saw your posting. Your daughter is only 19 and having to face this enormous life challenge. Children should never have to suffer from cancer. So I’m truly sorry she has to go through all of this, along with you and your family. It definitely ‘takes a village’.

I can promise you, that she could not be in better hands than the BMT teams at Mayo Clinic. She’ll hear this over and over…she is married for life to this amazing group of doctors, NPs, nurses and staff. They will be her lifeline and extended family. I’m 2.4 years out from AML/Transplant and I still receive regular communications with my doctor and team members, along with appointments at the clinic on a regular basis.

Never hesitate to call on any one of them via portal or directly with numbers for Station 94 (the team providing care the first month) and the transplant center. These numbers will be given to you when your daughter has her instructional courses. We’ll talk more about this as the date draws nearer for transplant.

In the meantime, finding housing… When your daughter has her transplant, it will be an outpatient procedure. Initially she’ll be in the hospital for only a few days pre-transplant and the day of transplant. Usually the day after transplant, she will be able to return to the hotel or wherever you’re staying. She’ll be expected to report to the clinic daily for blood tests, possibly infusions for anti-fungal meds and magnesium so you’ll want to be close.

Having a place connected to the subway is really convenient as you can borrow a wheel chair from the clinic to use while you stay. The first week or so your daughter will be weak and most likely need that chair. No worries, she’ll feel like a princess as she rides around to and from her appointments.

For my extended “vacation at Club Med”, my husband and I stayed at The Marriott Residence Inn. It’s connected to the clinic via the tunnel (subway). We had a 2 bedroom, 2 bath suite with a full kitchen, refrigerator, dishwasher, stove/oven, microwave. There are single bedrooms available. They are all suites though so even a one bedroom has sitting area with a sleeper sofa and a full kitchen.
Seeing that you’ll be there for several months, many hotels, including the Residence Inn, have leases whereby the rates are less and you don’t pay local and county room tax.
Check with your daughter’s insurance. Often they pay for a significant portion of lodging.
https://www.marriott.com/search/findHotels.mi
Lodging around the clinic is plentiful for transplant patients. One of my fellow mentors,who had a liver/kidney transplant, stayed at the Gift of life.
This is her reply to another member just yesterday. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/654424/
https://gift-of-life.org/
There are a number of VRBO homes nearby https://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/minnesota/rochester/mayo-clinic
Below are links to the clinic’s guides for hotels, what to bring, and the concierge services. Concierge is invaluable in helping to find lodging and answer questions you might have.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/minnesota/hotels-lodging
https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide
https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/preparing-for-your-visit
https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/minnesota/concierge-services
https://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/minnesota/rochester/mayo-clinic

When your daughter meets with the transplant team, she’ll also be assigned a social worker. They will be another outstanding source for lodging, financial concerns and emotional needs during transplant.

I know I tossed a lot of information out for you. Please take your time to narrow things down and we’ll go from there.

Your daughter has gone through her Induction phase of chemo for AML. So this will be an important BMBX for her. (Bone marrow biopsy and exam). Because her transplant will be a few months out, don’t be surprised if, after Consolidation, that she’ll need another round of maintenance chemo to keep her in remission until right before transplant. Much easier than Induction!
Your daughter is young and strong! She’s going to come out of this feeling invincible. I’m going to be 68 in January and I feel like I’m in my 20s!

How is she handling everything? And, how are YOU doing? Being the caregiver is incredibly stressful and emotional.

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Replies to "Hi @mtoyne2021 Golly, my heart stopped a little when I saw your posting. Your daughter is..."

Thank you for your reply and valuable information. We had a rough start to this journey (heartache and tears plus her induction was tough and took place at a different hospital) but are now encouraged by our doctor at Mayo who we met with on Monday. We also had bloodwork and many appointments (including meeting our social worker) that day and this week, we are able to enjoy some down time at home while her counts recover. She's in high spirits as this is the first time in weeks she's felt somewhat normal. We were hoping to check out some of these hotels/extended stays before we make our final decision. I will definitely add the Mariott location to our list. As far as how I am doing, I am doing much better than 6 weeks ago. God has his hand on her life and has been showing our family how much He loves us. I am so thankful for the incredible staff we've met so far, this Mayo forum, and for you for taking the time to respond.