A Slot Date of July 10th has been set...

 I received some great news from Kate at MD Anderson. I have officially been given a slot date of July 10th.

This timeline works well for us, as we already have a flight scheduled for June 28th. Following my discussion with Kate last week regarding the four available donors, she outlined the next steps: I will undergo outpatient testing with results expected by July 3rd. If everything looks good, I will begin the pre-transplant chemotherapy drugs then.

I was surprised to learn that my doctor will be administering the pre-transplant chemotherapy on an outpatient basis. Although I expressed concern about the side effects, Kate assured me that I should be fine. She did note that I will likely feel quite poorly for a while after the stem cell transplant on the 10th. However, a major advantage of the Orca Trial is that it aims for a better outcome with a less intensive chemotherapy regimen beforehand.

They say the date of a stem cell transplant is like a second birthday. Since I had my heart transplant on January 29, 1993, July 10th will mark my third birthday and the official start of "The Double Bonus Round."