Today was a stressful day as the start of our transplant process. Duke’s team couldn’t have been better, but I think there was really no way around our being a little tense at the outset of this.

Among the topics discussed was the possibility of a Reduced Intensity Conditioning regimen. Originally we had thought this was ruled out, I brought it up specifically at our transplant Q&A, but it has come up again. Through discussions with Dr. M and closely following Maya G’s story, as well as some discussions with other parents via email, we continued to stir the pot a bit about the possibility of Zoe being a candidate for RIC.

As it happens, Zoe was a big topic of conversation in the PBMT team meeting, and one of the docs had recently heard Dr. Filipovich speak on the subject. Between our agitating and this coincidence, we’re now back to considering this procedure.

There is a lot to learn, and we have a big decision to make if she is a candidate. We’ll know more later in the week and I will cover the details, but in the meantime I am working through two journal articles on the subject for those hearty travelers who wish to follow along:

The Use of RIC in HLH and LCH Patients (2008 study)

RIC and ASCT in children with malignant and non-malignant diseases (2008)

Invigorating reading, let me tell you.