Stem Cell Transplant Team at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus
November 2024
Stem Cell Transplant Team
at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus
Oncology
Inova Fairfax Medical Campus
Falls Church
,
VA
United States
Let me first start this story with nothing rocks your world harder than receiving a Cancer diagnosis. That was the journey, our family started in in December of 2023. D had recently retired from his over 40-year accounting practice and was enjoying life to the fullest. He was active, volunteering in the community on the Board of the Army Historical Foundation at the Army Museum and spent his time shuttling our seven grandchildren to their many activities around the area. After a routine physical, his blood work came back abnormal, and his very astute primary care provider repeated it …with the same results. He was referred to Dr. Ajebo, a hematology-oncologist at ISCI and the short journey towards receiving a diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma in December of 2023 was begun. D began 4 months of primary induction chemotherapy in January of 2024 and was deemed a Stem Cell Transplant candidate because of this good response in April of 2024. His care was seamlessly transferred to Dr. Stephen Medlin and the stem cell transplant program.
The stem cell transplant program is made up of several individuals of whom I am sure I will forget someone… nurses, nurse navigators, nutritionists, social work, life with cancer specialists, finance who all helped us navigate to be considered a transplant candidate. As we prepared to potentially be accepted into the transplant program there were many lab visits, clinic visits, radiology visits for imaging, pathology biopsies and every step of the way we were treated with the kindness, compassion and patient always approach we expected to get at Inova. Teamwork and communication between team members were superb and when D arrived at each venue the team knew he was being worked up for Stem Cell transplant and each time what had to be done to accomplish getting him to the next phase of care. He was deemed ready for transplant in early May and the coordination to get him ready truly began.
D’s care traversed multiple care sites and multiple care teams, with nursing at the core of each team, all under the larger stem cell transplant umbrella. Whether it was the infusion clinic where his medications were skillfully given to complete his induction therapy, to the IR labs who guided him through his bone marrow biopsies and central line insertions, to the highly skilled apheresis team and then to the South Tower 9 team at IFMC, the nurses and team members treated us with true compassion and ultimate skill. Everyone was excited about our privilege to be Patient #1 and start the program at Inova. One might look at this opportunity with trepidation, D on the other hand embraced the opportunity to be Patient #1, and we were very thankful to be able to receive world class care at Inova in our own community hospital where I have personally worked for so many years.
Each step of the way, the team prepared us. First by Dr. Medlin and his nurse navigator who completely outlined the process and garnered our consent. Then, by the Apheresis nursing team and Dr. Sese who allowed us to do a procedure Apheresis visit for education and logistics before the actual collection day. His initial stem cell collection was so successful that it was completed in one day (6 hours). Two nurses worked at D’s bedside the entire day, neither taking a break to make sure everything was perfect, and that D’s needs were taken care of as he was lying flat in bed for the full collection. We received the thumbs up that evening after collection that the transplant was a go!
Irene, clinical director of the unit called me to let me know everything was set for D’s admission to South Tower 9. You could hear her excitement as she spoke about the way the team had prepared and was finally getting ready to admit patient #1. She offered D a tour which we readily accepted, and he was able to see where he was going to be for the next few weeks as well as meet some of the nurses working on the unit that day. Everyone had big smiles and you could feel their genuine care and pride about starting the Stem Cell Program at Inova.
On the morning of his admission, D walked on to South Tower 9 Oncology Unit at IFMC officially as patient #1! We were told to arrive at 8:00 so that change of shift would be complete. He was greeted like a celebrity at the front desk. The nurses and clinical technicians lined up to meet him and introduce themselves, Irene and Lisa came to escort him to his room. It reminded me of an honor walk as folks seemed to appear and line up from everywhere cheering him on as he went to his special room designed specifically for the transplant patients.
The first 12 hours were a blur as he was settled and then the pivotal chemotherapy was administered. He was assigned a primary nurse for the day, who went through everything you could imagine…she was truly knowledgeable regarding his history, and I am sure was completely briefed as a member of the collaborative transplant team. Every aspect of his care that day modeled the Inova mission vision and values. The team had an unyielding patient and family approach. They treated me as his spouse, not just as a nurse. They explained each action, all based on evidence and protocol. If they had a question, they called Dr. Medlin who was ever present and always available. He readily told the nurses to call my cell with any questions, and they did! Every day was a collaborative from one shift handoff to another, from one team member to another …. the epitome of teamwork and trust.
Transplant day was the following day. The moment the stem cells arrived on the unit you could feel the electricity in the air! Mid-afternoon the entire team assembled with nursing, lab, social work, program coordinators even our outpatient infusion nurse was there, to be present for the reinfusion. We almost needed crowd control! The nurses were so impressive ...discussing the steps and protocol with Dr. Medlin (who was sitting at D’s bedside) eagerly asking questions and creating an opera-like dialogue among team members to successfully administer the cells in a safe manner. After the cells were infused, they brought D birthday balloons and a birthday cake to symbolize his new birthday and in our minds his start of recovery!
The next few days were up and down as his chemo side effects increased and his counts dropped. Every single nurse became like a member of our family. Everyone knew or knew about D by this point and each time he had to call for assistance came in with a smile to compassionately care for him in some of his worst times…. usually, they were in the room before he even called them as they were that attentive to his symptoms and care needs. One nurse brought a special bottle of fruit punch from the cafeteria to try and get him to drink as she heard him say he liked that and the juice so far in floor stock had not tasted good to him, one nurse brought him a bible verse on a particularly bad day as she heard him talk about his faith the day before…every time, every touch was displayed by each action by this team. Each time there was a question, the nurses brought ideas up to Dr. Medlin in team rounds…what was so impressive was that no question was dismissed, and everyone had a chance to offer their opinions on what might help D improve, especially as his nutrition and GI status became a lingering issue.
His counts came up beautifully in the prescribed timeline however his nutrition status was poor, so he took a few extra days to work though how we were going to maintain him at home. Again, an amazing team effort of nursing and nutritionist collaborating to create a discharge plan that allowed him to go home approximately 3 weeks after admission.
While we all see his transplant as successful from an early lens, his oncology care at Inova has not stopped. We are on the continued journey to Day 100 and the official declaration of success. He comes back to the ISCI Stem Cell Transplant clinic two -three times per week for fluids and electrolytes and to monitor his blood counts. He interfaces with the clinic nursing team, his nurse navigator, the nutritionists, Dr. Medlin, the program coordinator Kathy Zimmerman, and others as he continues his journey. I have comfortably gone back to work, and now he just calls me when he checks in at the clinic.
In summary, the stem cell transplant team is made up of many nurses and others who are the ultimate definition of One Team. We should celebrate their skillful, compassionate care they provide to our patients every day. They are the ultimate role models of our Inova mission, vision, and values and the pinnacle of teamwork and collaboration. As Dr. J. Stephen Jones told me, as D and I were embarking on this journey, there is no greater privilege than allowing Inova to take care of one of their own family. D and I feel blessed to be able to access his Stem Cell transplant care at Inova, and we will be forever indebted to this amazing facility and group of caregivers.
The stem cell transplant program is made up of several individuals of whom I am sure I will forget someone… nurses, nurse navigators, nutritionists, social work, life with cancer specialists, finance who all helped us navigate to be considered a transplant candidate. As we prepared to potentially be accepted into the transplant program there were many lab visits, clinic visits, radiology visits for imaging, pathology biopsies and every step of the way we were treated with the kindness, compassion and patient always approach we expected to get at Inova. Teamwork and communication between team members were superb and when D arrived at each venue the team knew he was being worked up for Stem Cell transplant and each time what had to be done to accomplish getting him to the next phase of care. He was deemed ready for transplant in early May and the coordination to get him ready truly began.
D’s care traversed multiple care sites and multiple care teams, with nursing at the core of each team, all under the larger stem cell transplant umbrella. Whether it was the infusion clinic where his medications were skillfully given to complete his induction therapy, to the IR labs who guided him through his bone marrow biopsies and central line insertions, to the highly skilled apheresis team and then to the South Tower 9 team at IFMC, the nurses and team members treated us with true compassion and ultimate skill. Everyone was excited about our privilege to be Patient #1 and start the program at Inova. One might look at this opportunity with trepidation, D on the other hand embraced the opportunity to be Patient #1, and we were very thankful to be able to receive world class care at Inova in our own community hospital where I have personally worked for so many years.
Each step of the way, the team prepared us. First by Dr. Medlin and his nurse navigator who completely outlined the process and garnered our consent. Then, by the Apheresis nursing team and Dr. Sese who allowed us to do a procedure Apheresis visit for education and logistics before the actual collection day. His initial stem cell collection was so successful that it was completed in one day (6 hours). Two nurses worked at D’s bedside the entire day, neither taking a break to make sure everything was perfect, and that D’s needs were taken care of as he was lying flat in bed for the full collection. We received the thumbs up that evening after collection that the transplant was a go!
Irene, clinical director of the unit called me to let me know everything was set for D’s admission to South Tower 9. You could hear her excitement as she spoke about the way the team had prepared and was finally getting ready to admit patient #1. She offered D a tour which we readily accepted, and he was able to see where he was going to be for the next few weeks as well as meet some of the nurses working on the unit that day. Everyone had big smiles and you could feel their genuine care and pride about starting the Stem Cell Program at Inova.
On the morning of his admission, D walked on to South Tower 9 Oncology Unit at IFMC officially as patient #1! We were told to arrive at 8:00 so that change of shift would be complete. He was greeted like a celebrity at the front desk. The nurses and clinical technicians lined up to meet him and introduce themselves, Irene and Lisa came to escort him to his room. It reminded me of an honor walk as folks seemed to appear and line up from everywhere cheering him on as he went to his special room designed specifically for the transplant patients.
The first 12 hours were a blur as he was settled and then the pivotal chemotherapy was administered. He was assigned a primary nurse for the day, who went through everything you could imagine…she was truly knowledgeable regarding his history, and I am sure was completely briefed as a member of the collaborative transplant team. Every aspect of his care that day modeled the Inova mission vision and values. The team had an unyielding patient and family approach. They treated me as his spouse, not just as a nurse. They explained each action, all based on evidence and protocol. If they had a question, they called Dr. Medlin who was ever present and always available. He readily told the nurses to call my cell with any questions, and they did! Every day was a collaborative from one shift handoff to another, from one team member to another …. the epitome of teamwork and trust.
Transplant day was the following day. The moment the stem cells arrived on the unit you could feel the electricity in the air! Mid-afternoon the entire team assembled with nursing, lab, social work, program coordinators even our outpatient infusion nurse was there, to be present for the reinfusion. We almost needed crowd control! The nurses were so impressive ...discussing the steps and protocol with Dr. Medlin (who was sitting at D’s bedside) eagerly asking questions and creating an opera-like dialogue among team members to successfully administer the cells in a safe manner. After the cells were infused, they brought D birthday balloons and a birthday cake to symbolize his new birthday and in our minds his start of recovery!
The next few days were up and down as his chemo side effects increased and his counts dropped. Every single nurse became like a member of our family. Everyone knew or knew about D by this point and each time he had to call for assistance came in with a smile to compassionately care for him in some of his worst times…. usually, they were in the room before he even called them as they were that attentive to his symptoms and care needs. One nurse brought a special bottle of fruit punch from the cafeteria to try and get him to drink as she heard him say he liked that and the juice so far in floor stock had not tasted good to him, one nurse brought him a bible verse on a particularly bad day as she heard him talk about his faith the day before…every time, every touch was displayed by each action by this team. Each time there was a question, the nurses brought ideas up to Dr. Medlin in team rounds…what was so impressive was that no question was dismissed, and everyone had a chance to offer their opinions on what might help D improve, especially as his nutrition and GI status became a lingering issue.
His counts came up beautifully in the prescribed timeline however his nutrition status was poor, so he took a few extra days to work though how we were going to maintain him at home. Again, an amazing team effort of nursing and nutritionist collaborating to create a discharge plan that allowed him to go home approximately 3 weeks after admission.
While we all see his transplant as successful from an early lens, his oncology care at Inova has not stopped. We are on the continued journey to Day 100 and the official declaration of success. He comes back to the ISCI Stem Cell Transplant clinic two -three times per week for fluids and electrolytes and to monitor his blood counts. He interfaces with the clinic nursing team, his nurse navigator, the nutritionists, Dr. Medlin, the program coordinator Kathy Zimmerman, and others as he continues his journey. I have comfortably gone back to work, and now he just calls me when he checks in at the clinic.
In summary, the stem cell transplant team is made up of many nurses and others who are the ultimate definition of One Team. We should celebrate their skillful, compassionate care they provide to our patients every day. They are the ultimate role models of our Inova mission, vision, and values and the pinnacle of teamwork and collaboration. As Dr. J. Stephen Jones told me, as D and I were embarking on this journey, there is no greater privilege than allowing Inova to take care of one of their own family. D and I feel blessed to be able to access his Stem Cell transplant care at Inova, and we will be forever indebted to this amazing facility and group of caregivers.