You are not going to believe this but...

It is on again...NY, the transplant. At the 11th hour a lady from MSK (Memorial Sloan Kettering) managed to change someones mind or twist an arm or something. I have spoken to her a few times as has Kristy and she has been the only person who seemed passionate about finding a way to get me the transplant - and she did it!  I will meet her before I get transplanted to say thank you and maybe then I'll get the details of just how she managed when no one else could. But as of now the financial/insurance barriers are gone and I will be admitted August 26th and the next phase of my treatment begins!
The last few weeks have been quite the rollercoaster and I kind of had my mind set on staying in KC with my family - the idea of being in NY for the next 4-6 months is not a fun one. However speaking to my doctor here and in NY this is by far the best option to stay alive long term - so there really isn't a discussion as to will I or won't I. It is a great opportunity. The risks are not too bad, when I spoke to Dr Koehne (pronounced Kona) He was able to tell me:
Over the past 4 years 40 people with MM have had t-cell depleted transplants, of those 70% are still alive.
In the first 100 days post transplant the risk of death is very low, near zero he said if he had to give a percentage it would be about 2.25%.
Infections are not uncommon, in the first 100 days they are both bacterial and viral but rarely are they bad enough to land you in ICU, they are routinely treated with antibiotics.
3 months to one year post transplant the biggest danger is viral infections such as CMV and EBV and of course myeloma coming back.
Over the first year risk of death is between 10-15%.
Of the 3 people he transplanted 4 years ago, 2 are still in complete remission and the other has relapsed.
So not bad all in all.
So we will get ready again, this time with no delays hopefully!