I just need to say this.

[fowltemptress]

My best friends are moving north for a year or so. Their infant needs an experimental treatment for an extremely rare condition, as well as a bone marrow transplant, which will be even more risky because of the condition.
I don't like children, and will never have any, but I love being around this family as they dote on their smiling child. A smiling, happy child, despite having been poked and prodded, doused with medications, and confined to a clean room in the hospital since birth. It is the brightest, most sincere smile you could ever see.
My best friends left yesterday, and I am sorry I could not see them off. They are the bravest people I know. I love them, and I wish them well.

 

[carugoman]

The power of prayer or have you, meditation,does help to calm your soul after a tribulation;such as you describe. Many have prayed on my behalf...I've diseases...one choice was amputation and then insulin dependency after the pancreas nearly shut down OR death. Count your blessings
and be well!

All y'all take care!

 

[RedStickLA]

Having just gone through a similar situation myself I can understand how you and they are feeling. It is tough! My husband just had a Stem Cell Transplant which is another name for Bone Marrow Transplant to treat his cancer. We had to leave our three children for 3 months and had been gone on and off for the 3 months before that. We are fortunate that our children are older teens but it was hard on all of us being separated…we are a very close family and spend a lot of time together. We were gone through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s but you just do what you have to and make the best of it…A positive attitude is so important and our faith was our anchor.

Be sure to call your friend, I really enjoyed when my friends would call me. I was so caught up in all we were going through I would not even know what day of the week it was some times…much less think about making a phone call but I was always very happy to hear from them when they called me. Also my husband’s brother set us up a web site and I would put weekly updates on it and people would post messages to us. I can not tell you how many times a day we would check it to see if we had messages. It helped to keep us in touch with home and let every one at home know what was going on with us. Maybe you could set up something for your friends like that to help you all to keep in touch…maybe a careingbridge.com page?
Mitzi

 

[sara]

RedStick,
How is your DH doing? I also just had a stem cell transplant in october. I'm feeling pretty good, but tired. I hope he is doing well, and I'll be thinking about him. Yesterday was actually my one year anniversary of my diagnosis, it was a weird day..

 

[RedStickLA]

Hi Sara,
Today is Day 47 for my husband...He is doing really well but he still gets hit every now and then with not feeling well. He feels he is back to about 80% of his strength…but he does get tired very easily. Most days he takes a nap which he normally does not do. He is anxious to return to work. He had his transplant at MD Anderson, if you don't mine me asking where did you have yours at? And if you don't mine telling me PM me so we don't hijack Fowltemptress's thread.

My daughter came down with the flu last week so that was scary for us but we think we have been able to contain it to just her. Thanks for asking about him and I pray you continue to get your strength back.
Take care

Hey Fowltemptress…
I hope all is well with you today and your friends had a safe trip.
Mitzi

 

[fowltemptress]

Thank you for being so kind. That is an excellent idea, and I will look into setting them up a page immediately (well, not me personally, computers have me flummuxed most of the time). Thanks so much for the suggestion!

 

[RedStickLA]

Your Welcome...I hope it works out.

Mitzi