Admitted to Hospital Today

There's no looking back now. Ray was admitted to the Moffitt Cancer Center today to start the process of receiving a stem cell transplant. The first transfusion of chemo began tonight & it will be repeated for the next four nights. While Ray undergoes his days of chemo, the donor (whoever & wherever he is ??) will be receiving daily injections to stimulate his good stem cells & then those cells will be harvested from the donor's blood & shipped to the hospital here in Tampa. The donor's good life-saving stem cells will be transfused into Ray's body on Friday in the same manner a blood transfusion is given.
                                  

Receiving the chemo now

Many have asked us if Ray will have a phone in his room & what can he receive in his room. Because of all the precautions taken to avoid any germs, Ray will be in semi-isolation in the special Transplant   Unit of the hospital where they are very strict & cautious regarding what's permitted in his room. Therefore he is NOT permitted to have live plants or flowers. However cards are certainly welcome. And he will also have a phone. (Mailing address & phone number below.) Ray & I will both have our laptops with us & therefore any messages sent via email and/or Facebook will be seen by us quickly as well.

Modern technology - gotta love it! We have set up Skype on both our laptops so that we can actually communicate with family members via an application that allows us to see live video of each other on our laptop screens. Great G-pa & Randy really like it too! It's kind of comical to view their excitement when we're visiting with them this way.   It's the next best thing to being there since the distance makes it impossible for them to actually come to the hospital to see Ray. 

Address:
   Ray Beneker - Rm# 4717
   Moffitt Cancer Center
   12902 Magnolia Dr.
   Tampa, FL 33612

Rm. Ph. # 813-745-2457
Be aware however that Ray might not always be available to talk with all that will be going on with him, so please be understanding if  when you call, he can't talk just then.

Ray's hospital room is very spacious & comfortable, complete with a comfy recliner, cable TV, a sleep sofa for me & his own large private bath.  And we like it that there is a thermostat that allows us to set the room temperature that's most comfortable for us. The view outside from his window is nice. It overlooks a garden area & the USF (University of Florida) campus area beyond that, complete with lots of palm trees. The Moffitt Hospital sits in the middle  of the campus. I think Ray's going to be very comfortable here. And I am ever so grateful that we live only a 15 to 20 minute drive from it so I can slip home occasionally when I need to. 
 

Room setup. The mini couch under the window opens into a bed.

The 'View" from Ray's room.