Treatment begins
Under Soiffer's care, Mayberger was admitted to the Dana-Farber/BWH unit on a Friday. She immediately had a minor surgical procedure to have a catheter inserted into a large blood vessel in her shoulder area — the tube through which medications, nutrition, and eventually her new marrow would be transported into her body.
Over the weekend, Mayberger received strong doses of chemotherapy, then radiation therapy twice a day, Monday through Thursday. A week after coming to the unit, the donor marrow arrived, late on a Friday night.
"The only time I cried was when I was told the marrow had arrived."
— Dianne Mayberger
"The only time I really cried was when I was told the marrow had arrived," says Mayberger. Facing the situation with their usual combination of determination and humor, the Maybergers had often spoken of their worries. What if the donor changes his or her mind? What if the person carrying the marrow accidentally trips on the way to their room? Despite their speculation, the marrow arrived, was processed in the laboratory, and the transplant was finally a reality — an emotional moment for the patient, even if the actual infusion was, by Mayberger's account, somewhat "anticlimactic."
A time of peace followed the transplant, before the effects of the chemotherapy, radiation, and a weakened immune system set in completely. On her best day, Mayberger's two daughters, who were then 11 and 13, made the three-hour trip to visit — their last contact in person for five weeks because of the severity of Mayberger's illness and the high risk of infection resulting from her weakened immune system. It was yet another challenge for parents who had never been away from their children for more than a few nights.
By the second week after transplant, Mayberger felt ill as a result of the treatments, and infections had caused many side effects, including severe mouth sores. Mayberger says she remembers little about the next week, including the pain. Her husband remembers it all. His only time away from the hospital was when he took breaks for sleep at the couple's temporary apartment in Boston, and when his sister-in-law came to provide much-needed support.
Medical technologist Kathy Kaminski readies donor marrow for transplantation.
During the hospital stay, Toni Dubeau, R.N., was Mayberger's primary caregiver, and her huband's greatest comfort. Dubeau, who has worked on the transplant unit for four years, says this nurse-patient relationship is one of the most intense in nursing. "We spend virtually 40 hours a week with one person for five weeks," says Dubeau. "We get to know the patient extremely well. We have to be very tuned in to what is going on, from hour to hour." Working with Soiffer and physicians on the unit, Dubeau monitored Mayberger's progress. Treatment was altered as each new symptom arose.
Dubeau was also instrumental in bolstering the spirits of Mayberger's husband and sister. Because infection is such a concern, caregivers and visitors must wear masks and gloves, and contact between patient and visitors becomes difficult. "When you see someone you love go through this, you wonder if she is ever going to be the same," says Dubeau. "I'm here to assure family members that it's all normal for transplant, that things will get better."
