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this photo is in these categories: reset photo

This is my brother, Marc, while at UCLA for a stem cell transplant. He received his stem cells the day before.

He has begun suffering from mucositis due to the high dose chemotherapy he received earlier. He is using a suction wand because the mucositis has made his mouth too sore for him to swallow. The IV stand on the right has a PCA pump with dilaudid.

His white count is .14 -- normal is about 3.2 - 9.8, so he is about 5% of the minimum normal white count. The stem cells he received will begin to take root over the next week, and his white count will slowly climb back to normal.