This blog I wanted to direct to everyone else reading who may be following Shawna's progress and are maybe considering their own journey to China.

Though the coordinators are absolutely wonderful and the www.stemcellschina.com site is very informative in helping you make your decision, the following is what I feel anyone considering this trip needs to know:

1. Power converters from 220V to 110V are necessary, but you also need to make sure and purchase any suitable adapters as well; i.e., in our instance, our converter could only accommodate 2-prong plugs and all of our equipment had 3 prongs. We had to buy adapters to go from 2-prong to 3-prong.

2. If your loved one is tube fed, take enough cans of food to tide you over for at least a week. You will need your equipment as well ... they do not have the machines (pumps) here. The hospital staff will be able to order powdered equivalent food for you, but you need to bring your bags to put it in. We ended up purchasing a blender here to mix it thoroughly.

3. You need to pack enough incontinence products (briefs and pads), as the hospital does not supply these either. Once you are settled in, your coordinator will order them for you and have them delivered to the hospital, but you must purchase them.

4. Bring a couple of rolls of toilet paper so you don't have to run out shopping immediately. The hospital provides you with one roll, but their rolls are much smaller than the ones we are used to in the U.S. So just come prepared.

5. Pack some salt/pepper, sugar or Sweet 'N Low packets ... finding these items on the store shelves can be challenging. There is a store here that caters to Westerners, but the prices are absolutely ridiculous due to the items being imported. Accordingly, if there's something you just can't live without, bring it with you!

That's about all I have to suggest for now.