© 2002 Chris Gregerson
Description
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. (date: 2002-01-24)