Transplant - What Happens Now.

Over the last 9 months Drew has had intensive chemotherapy, which has kept the leukaemia in remission and also prepared Drew for a bone marrow transplant. Over the last week in hospital, he has had total body irradiation, which kills any remaining cancer cells, and also suppresses Drew's immune system . He has also had chemotherapy to destroy his own bone marrow and immune suppression drugs. The total process will hopefully eradicate all remaining cancer cells, destroy Drew's bone marrow to make space for the new bone marrow and suppress his immune system so it does not attack the new cord blood and allows it to engraft. A day after this treatment cycle is given Drew had his fully matched umbilical cord blood transplant. It will take between 10 and 34 days to engraft (start making new bone marrow), during this time Drew will be very susceptible to infections, when this happens Drew will then be placed on antibiotics, as well as the numerous drugs he is already on. Once engraftment happens Drew's body will begin to make its own bone marrow again, but the engraftment also has its own complications, which Drew will hopefully have minimal and mildly, the transplant was the easy part the hard road could possibly and probably still lie ahead - but one thing is for sure he has been a champion throughout.