The first step for me in the Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) process was finding a donor. I don't have a sibling match (or any siblings for that matter) so I needed to find an unrelated bone marrow donor. My transplant coordinator searched the National Marrow Donor Registry and I found my 9/10 match. A 10/10 match is considered the best, but a 9/10 is very good. All I can know about my donor for the next year is that he is a 50-year-old man. After one year I can request to meet him and if he agrees I would love to give him a big hug and kiss and tell him how grateful I am for his selfless bravery and generosity! After a few weeks of outpatient exams and some dental work I'll be ready for the hospital. I will check into the hospital about a week prior to the actual SCT. They will be putting a central line into a vein in my chest for medicine, blood products and fluids. I will begin the "conditioning" process by receiving heavy-duty chemotherapy that will kill the cancer cells and my immune system. At this point I will need to be very careful because I won't be able to fight infection very well. Anyone who enters my room will need to wash there hands and probably wear a mask. The day of transplant is called "day 0" and I think it should be a day to celebrate since it's truly like having a second birthday. The SCT is painless and works much like a blood transfusion. I will be in the hospital for several weeks after transplant waiting for engraftment (when donor's cells begin to grow in my body) and letting my immune system recover. I will be watched very closely during this time and doctors and nurses will be on the lookout for Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD). GVHD can affect the skin and pretty much all major organs and make life very uncomfortable for a while. It can also range from mild to severe and can occur up to two years post transplant. Once I am released from the hospital (6-8weeks from admission date), I will need to stay in a 10-15 minute radius for the next 30-40 days, making the total time away from home about 100 days. The next one to two years after transplant is spent playing catch-up and fully recovering. To see a video of the entire transplant process I will be experiencing at Moffitt Cancer Center, click on the link below and then click on allogeneic video. Moffitt Transplant Video