homeward bound: a call for support

I am reposting this from the Facebook page, so if you have read it there, please disregard. We are humbly asking for assistance in preparing our home for our return. We aren’t going  home yet; we still probably have a couple of weeks here depending on Caemon’s progress. However, as you will see, the tasks ahead of us are plentiful, and we need to get started right away. Any offers of assistance are greatly appreciated.

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Dear Friends, Family, and Fans of Caemon:

As Caemon’s counts begin to recover, the inevitability of going home becomes clearer and clearer. This time, however, going home is going to be quite different for our little family. Caemon will have neutrophils to protect him against bacterial infections, but it can take from six months to a year for his T-cells and B-cells to recover. These are the cells that protect our bodies from viral and fungal infections. Without them, even common household dust can be incredibly dangerous.

Therefore, before going home from a bone marrow transplant, a patient’s home must be prepared in such a way that it will become a safe zone. A very thorough cleaning must be completed, including disinfecting of all surfaces, dusting with products that reduce and repel dust, having carpets professionally steam-cleaned, and so on. While we typically keep a clean home, leaving a house for months on end doesn’t allow for the thorough sort of cleaning that needs to happen to make for a safe environment for Caemon’s homecoming.

Because so many have asked how they can help, and because we are in need of quite a bit of help with preparing our home, we are humbly asking for any sort of assistance our Caring for Caemon community may have to offer. For example, do you know a carpet cleaning service who might offer a discount? A duct-cleaning service/chimney sweep who might cut us a deal? Someone who might haul away an old sofa (or someone you know who might want one)? Are you a local Sonoma County resident with some extra time and energy to help with cleaning or painting? We will certainly be working on a fair amount of this on our own, but if you have resources you might be able to share, please review the lists below for areas where we are seeking assistance.

If, instead, you would like to donate materials, items from our wish list, gift cards, or other funds for these projects, we won’t turn down any offers for assistance. You can go to the PayPal link here on the blog or email timaree.marston@gmail.com.

If you think you might be able to help, please contact us at timaree.marston@gmail.com, or if you have our number, you can certainly call. We so appreciate any and all offers of assistance as we prepare for the next stage in this journey of healing our beloved Caemon.

Humbly, and with so much love and gratitude,

Timaree and Jodi

Cleaning:

Our entire house will need a thorough cleaning/disinfecting. Walls will need to be washed, all surfaces cleaned, and floors steam-cleaned. We are seeking help with all of this (although the comprehensive list is below). Professional cleaning services could be helpful, but so could the help of some willing friends. Please note, however, that we will be required to use harsh cleaning agents/chemicals (despite our usual preference for anything but) in order to thoroughly disinfect the home from dangers to Caemon.

To clean:

• Carpets and floors (carpets must be professionally steam cleaned)
• Walls
• Curtains
• Bedding
• Walls, baseboards, and ceilings
• All countertops, bookshelves, dressers, tables, and other surfaces
• Cabinets
• Closets
• Screens and windows
• Ceiling fans
• Toys
• Fireplace
• Heating/air ducts
• Back patio
• Patio awning/gutters

Other Tasks:

In addition to seeking help with thoroughly disinfecting the house, we are looking for assistance with other projects that will make our homecoming safer, cleaner, and easier:

• Paint dining room and entryway (We already have paint and supplies, so we would just need the labor.)
• Repair fan in dining room (It is perpetually on, and we need to be able to turn it off)
• Plant low-maintenance plants/flowers in any exposed soil outside (to deter Caemon from digging)
• Remove old sofa (It is free to anyone who wants it.)
• Flooring (We are considering taking out the carpet in Caemon’s room—and possibly the master bedroom since we all often sleep there–and replacing it with wood laminate in order to keep any lingering molds/mildews away. If you know someone who can put in this flooring or know where we can get a good deal on flooring, this would be extraordinarily helpful.)

Wish List:

There are some items we are going to need to accommodate dietary and lifestyle changes after Bone Marrow Transplant. If you find that you would like to donate these products or funds toward the purchase of these products, we would be grateful:

Portable Hepa air filters for Cameon’s room, living room, master bedroom

Outdoor toys (can be used if they are free of mold and can be easily cleaned): small free-standing basketball hoop, small play structure, etc.

To be continued. Please check back for other wishlist items later.