[Laura]

I see you already got in contact with someone at NIH. But the best thing to do is contact one of the nurses...Olga or Barbara. I think I still have Barbara's phone number if you need it. One of these two people can get you hooked up with pretty much everything you need.

I did a few clinical trials at the NIH. I was out there numerous times. They will not pay for the initial consult. But once you are entered into a clinical trial they will pay for airplane tickets or mileage. When I was there they paid $60 a night for hotel. They do not cover food expenses. Otherwise they cover all medical expenses including prescriptions that you might need. So besides hotel and food and any taxi rides, it pretty much is covered. They have tons of shuttles that you can use to get around. I can recommend a place to stay while you are there if you head that direction.

It is nice to be there because you are in the best place for AA. They cover the majority of things. However, it can be very overwhelming at first until you figure out their routine and how to get vouchers and redeemed for the hotels, planes, etc. The place is huge and that can be overwhelming too. If you decide to go, I can give you tips to make things easier for you.

I think you need to have a physician that is willing to work with the NIH. That way you can do part of the clinical trial at your local hematologist. It just totally depends on which trial you are in if you have to do it all at the NIH or can do part of it at home.

Not to brag but I do consider myself pretty versed about info at the NIH. I spent a lot of time there and learned a lot along the way.

Laura