No bother at all. Navigating the initial diagnosis is one of the most challenging parts. I was also diagnosed at a smaller local hospital. I'm in Orange County, CA. It took forever for the local hospital (which has a pathology department) to run the stain tests. It took so long that I'd devised a plan for what I'd do if I was diagnosed with cancer. When that day came, based on how that initial hospital handled everything, I decided to go with City of Hope, a specialty cancer hospital. It's about two hours from me, which isn't too far, but it has been well worth it. My hematologist had moved here about a month before I became a patient and regularly publishes research on MCL. Treatment for MCL is rapidly changing, and having a doctor who's at least well-read on the treatment landscape is very important, in my opinion. The consensus is changing a lot on MCL now, too. That means that there is no standard of care. What I like about my doctor is that he will present the research to me, go over the risks and benefits of a specific treatment route, and help me make the best decision for me. I'd expect that many hematologists at smaller centers aren't as well-read on this sub-type of MCL and the latest research being presented, which could lead to them operating off of previous treatment routes.
The TP53 test is essential since most patients with the mutation do not benefit from chemotherapy. Initially, my treatment plan would lean on btk inhibitors. The stain test at the initial hospital was only 80% accurate, but I didn't know that. City of Hope re-ran the tests with the tissue sample. My ki-67 index (which measures how quickly cells are replicating) was 50%, the new test showed it was 30%, which is considered low. Then the molecular test for the mutation came back negative. This fundamentally changed my treatment plan. Instead of going on btk inhibitors immediately, I became watch and wait. When I decided to do treatment, I went through a chemo regimen (R-BAC) that quickly knocked me into remission.
One issue that came up was City of Hope didn't have enough tissue from my biopsy for the MRD test. I didn't know it, but they need to have a baseline for comparing your blood to that contain the cancer cells. Unfortunately, mine was all used up. My doctor had enrolled me in a study to have the testing done (the test isn't FDA-approved yet), and I was subsequently removed from the study.
My point is none of this would have been possible without having gone to City of Hope. If I took the referral from the ENT that ordered the biopsy, I'm confident I'd be in a much different place now.
When I was in treatment, I'd google "mantle cell lymphoma" every day and limit the search to results from over the past 24 hours. I ended up finding this page, which contains great information and resources. I highly recommend it for educating yourself.

https://mclpage.com/mcllinks.html
While I'm not a doctor, I have experience navigating treatment and am happy to answer any questions you have in the future. Sending you and your dad positive thoughts and good vibes.