Bone Marrow Extraction

Bone Marrow Extraction

Oct 4, 2009. Our trip to Tel Aviv, Israel included Janice and Ryan, Bob and I. It is a memory to be with us forever. We spent a total of five days, visiting the Dead Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem. Our stay at the Hotel Vital in Tel Aviv was most convenient to CTCI as it is in the same building. Our rooms being on the 5th floor were one elevator ride away from the Doctors office where the bone marrow extraction took place. We met the staff at CTCI and Benjamin Gesundheit MD PhD. He is an associate of Professor Shimon Slavin MD(the brains behind the stem cells). Dr. Gesundheit took a thorough medical history and did a physical exam. He explained the procedure, and expected outcome.

The next day was the bone marrow extraction. Janice was taken into a small room with a beautiful view of Tel Aviv, attached to monitors, sedated via IV with propofol and bone marrow was extracted from her left hip. This is done with a syringe and needle and took all of half an hour. She was awakened immediately after and we drove to a nice restaurant on the beach and enjoyed lunch. After lunch we walked along the beach, one of my favorite memories of this trip, as it was so beautiful and calming. As the four of us walked along the beach that sunny day, I am sure there was only one set of footprints left in the sand.

Janice denied any pain, but thought she might have been slightly sore for a day or two.

Professor Slavin was not in Tel Aviv at the time of our visit therefore we have not yet met him. We were given the grand tour of his office though. He has a beautiful office Top Ichilov at the Weizman Center with views of the city and sea. I found it intriguing that he writes on his windows. In the movie ‘A Beautiful Mind’ John Forbes Nash Jr., a math prodigy/ mathematical genius also wrote on his windows. Now I know it may not be anything but seriously, who writes on their window?
Melinda