Our Journey Begins

Well here we are.  Day 1.  We checked in at 1:00 today.  Nick was feeling a little nervous, but he was as optimistic as ever.  His brother, Greg called first thing this morning and shared a beautiful prayer as Nick sat, eyes closed and head bowed while balancing an ice bag pressed onto his incision site from the catheter procedure the day before.  The prayer was just what he needed to get the day started.  Thank you Greg!
After last minute packing and a quick puppy walk, we headed out to visit his Mom before making the short journey to Moffitt.  Nick told his Mother (who suffers from dementia) that he was going to be in the hospital for a while.  He further explained that Sandy (my sister) would be stopping by for weekly visits and his Mom responded, "That would be wonderful."  Nick promised to call and check in with her and she said, "That would be nice."  Nick's older brother, Denny will also be stopping through to visit their Mom this week, so I think Nick is finally at a place where he can focus on his transplant and recovery without such worry about who will "be there" for his Mom.  Thank you all for taking this responsibility off Nick's shoulders for a while.  It will surely give him strength for this battle he have begun.
The transition into Moffitt has gone smoothly thus far.  Many nurses and techs stopping through to gather information, clean Nick's catheter site, and run further tests.  Nick seems to be settling in and getting to know the staff...personally and by name of course!  Strong chemo (busulfan and flutarabine or "FluBu") will begin tonight and will be given the next 4 evenings. Nurses have already noted that fresh flowers are not accepted on the BMT floor, so cards, letters, email, and/or texts are the best way to wish him well.  For cards/letters, you can send them to our home and we'll deliver:
3424 Cypress Landing Drive, Valrico, FL  33596
or to send directly to the hospital:
Moffitt Cancer Center 12902 USF Magnolia Drive, c/o Nick Vojnovic Room 3717, Tampa, FL  33612