[mausmish]

I had my consultation at Johns Hopkins today and, like The Hutch consult last month, it went very well. The staff was friendly, timely, and knowledgable, and the facilities beautiful. The doctor spent about an hour with my husband and me and answered most of our questions without our even having to ask. He encouraged us to interrupt whenever we did have questions, and answered all that we asked in clear terms. Although I was disappointed that they aren't offering anything like the radiolabeled antibody trial that's being done in Seattle, they do offer encouraging pre- and post-transplant regimens targeted at reducing gvhd and trying to prevent relapse. In the end, the fact that they are so much closer to home weighed heavily since all else seemed close to equal between the facilities. I like the idea of my transplant center being an hour away instead of 3000 miles if issues arise in the long term, post-transplant. Also, it will be much easier on my caregivers and other local family for me to stay here. Again, I am thankful for the opportunity to have so many excellent centers to choose among and good insurance coverage as well. I'm very happy that I did all the consultations. It made both my husband and me much more comfortable with our ultimate decision.