The Curse of the Stale Blog

Ouch, I've been away for quite some time. I guess that's what the holidays do to you. It is not for lack of things happening that I haven't posted. No, that is not the case. I love blogging when I have the time. But, I have been busy with living. That is a good thing.

I have finally made it through all of my one year anniversaries. Phew! It is a great relief to get through all of that. I had my first birthday on the 7th. It feels amazing to be one year out from transplant. The photo is of the stem cells my sister donated to save my life. I asked my doctor what the statistics look like for me now that I'm a year out. I had asked him at 6 months and he said my chances were 50/50 for relapse. I figured by one year out I would probably lop that number in half. I didn't get the answer I wanted. He said 30-40% chance for relapse. Grrrr..... I know numbers are just numbers and they are generic and not about me specifically, but, I wanted to shut the door more on the chance for relapse. I did finally get the results for my liver biopsy and I did have a bit of GVHD going on there. So, I got that in the bank to help keep the cancer away. It is still, as it has always been, a balancing act that you have to find a way to live through as best you can. I do have more and more days now that the cancer is not top of mind. I thought I would never get to that point. But, it's happening. Slowly.

To thank all of my amazing nurses that took such great care of me while I was in the hospital, I had them over for a home cooked meal, Italian family style. What a night! It was great. I am so luck to have these amazing women in my life. A couple of my nurses could make it. So, Caroline and I went out on my first birthday. She was there the day of my transplant. What a stark contrast! Last year she was hooking me up to my stem cells while I was bald, sick and laying in a hospital bed. This year we were out lunch, chowing down and chatting away. Wow....I am a lucky woman.