Bone marrow donation #2

Seth was surprised when, over nine years after he last donated bone marrow, Be the Match contacted him to see if he was still willing to donate. After some blood draws and tests to see if he was compatible with a leukemia patient in France, he was asked if he'd be willing to go to the Be the Match donation center in Seattle to undergo the harvesting procedure. We checked our calendars and decided that although we'd miss the older girls' first day of school, the patient's need outweighed any inconvenience on our part. 

Seth needed to receive injections to increase his stem cell production, but rather than needing to do those on site like last time, he was able to stay home until the day before the harvesting procedure and get his injections from a home health nurse. After three days of injections, we boarded a plane in Idaho Falls on Tuesday, August 30.

Seth and Andrea on our flight to Seattle.

We flew to Seattle, hopped on a Lyft bound for our hotel and dropped off our suitcases before exploring a little bit of the city. The last time we went to Seattle (a little trip with just Seth and me in 2011), we spent a lot of time at museums and landmarks. We didn't dedicate a lot of time to Pike's Place, so we started there. Both us and the Lyft driver was a little confused about where to drop us off, so once we excited his vehicle, we realized we were still quite a distance from Pike's. So that's how I had my first shared electric scooter experience. We found a couple near where we were, downloaded the app, unlocked the scooters and relied on Google Maps to help us get to where we really wanted to go. We checked out a bunch of stalls and shops. I spied the gum wall from above, so we went down to see it. It was truly disgusting.

Why? Just why?! What would possess you to contribute to this repugnancy?

Then we stopped by the Be the Match donation center located just outside Pike's Place for Seth's final injection.

Selfie at the donation center.

Then we went back to Pike's Place for lunch (blackened salmon sandwich, the BEST clam chowder I've ever experienced in my life ... and I generally don't like clam chowder, and a poke bowl) and more sightseeing.

Selfie with the accordion cat playing outside Pike's. There were always people busking around here. The accordion cat was, by far, my favorite. 

Then we went back to Pike's Place for lunch (blackened salmon sandwich, the BEST clam chowder I've ever experienced in my life ... and I generally don't like clam chowder, and a poke bowl) and more sightseeing.

That evening we took some long walks around our hotel area to go to--not one--but TWO Goodwill stores in the area. The only thing we bought was a shower stool (at least $50 on Amazon, but just a couple of bucks on sale at the thrift store), which gratefully fit into our backpack as we hiked a couple miles along the hilly streets. Once we got back, we Door Dashed some mediocre Mediterranean food.

The giant Pac Man we saw while walking around South Lake Union.

Seth headed back down the hill.

Seth's donation time was at 7 a.m. the next day, so we woke up, ate breakfast at the hotel and took a Lyft to the Donation Center. It took a while to get him ready and pumping, but once we were settled in, we enjoyed the comforts of the donation center and watched Stranger Things with the help of our in-room TV and bone-conducting headphones. It took Seth about four hours of apheresis to get the amount of stem cells they needed.

Pumping away.

Seth with his donation.

The last time Seth donated, the injections made him feel pretty crummy, but he felt well after the donation. This time, he felt well after the injections, but crummy after the donation. We did walk around a little more at Pike's Place to get souvenirs for the girls (Ana: hand-dyed yarn. Miri: treble clef earrings, other pretty earrings, a hand of Miriam necklace. Winnie: a spiral hair wrap with star beads on the end). We picked up the chowder sampler from Pike Place Chowder (the seafood bisque was ah. maze. ing) and headed back to the hotel for the afternoon.

Due to the feelings of crumminess, we took it easy for the rest of the day; we took a nap and watched TV. Around dinnertime, we looked at getting Door Dash again, but the app was wigging out on us, so we ventured out to an incredible Indian restaurant (MotherIndia) just a little ways from our hotel. The food was delicious, and the building was interestingly triangular.

On the walk to the restaurant.

The day after the donation, we bummed around the hotel for a few hours as Seth was still feeling a bit under the weather. Later in the morning we walked over to The Museum of History and Innovation. ("Museum of Innovation" = Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. "Museum of History" = much political correctness.)

Seth checking out the historic ships docked outside the museum.

Andrea looking through the periscope in the museum.

We still had a little bit of souvenir shopping for our girls, so we checked out of our hotel, hitched a ride back to Pike's Place, and deposited our suitcases at a sketchy tobacco store that also apparently moonlights as a suitcase locker, and agonized over what to get Rebekah. (The final answer: owl salt and pepper shakers with googly eyes.) We ate a late lunch at The Pink Door, then headed to the airport so we could get home to our girls.

Seth eating octopus at The Pink Door, an unmarked restaurant at Pike's Place. Their lasagna was AMAZING.