HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR RESIDENT SUPERHERO, "LEAPIN' LEROY LOGGINS"!
On this day last year you were transplanted into your host, Shane, with the tough task of recreating a complex immune system and fighting some very little and inconvenient cancer cells. So far, you have done a wonderful job (sometimes a little too good a job!) and I am very so grateful!
To my beloved Husband, you have been so brave in the way you face every day head on. You never complain about the crap that you have to live with every day - including me, your multitude of medications, long waits at the hospital and being on you own 5 days out of 7. This journey has been the most difficult for you, but I can assure you, we were all with you every step of the way!
To the very generous Donor, we are coming for you! It has been a long wait, but I think it will be worth it! Freedom of Information means we can contact you to give you the thanks you deserve! (wouldn't it be quite the coincidence if his name was Leroy?!).
The past 12 months have certainly been a challenge but I am so ecstatic that we have made it this far! This week Shane has had all of his check ups with all sorts of tests and Doctors. This included his Bone Marrow Aspirate yesterday. It will take about four weeks to get the full results, so its a long wait, but if it was any shorter, its not good news. So we're happy to wait!
Shane is otherwise going well. He has had some more complications in his right eye associated with burst blood vessels, but thankfully, another CMV infection has now been ruled out. Unfortunately for Shane he has very limited vision in that eye and it has been quite a bit of adjustment for him. The Ophthalmologists say that it is improving.
Shane is also looking to get back to work again very soon! What an achievement that will be for him. He's very ready for it, but also a little bit anxious. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to return to the workforce after such a long time off. But Im sure his colleagues will make him feel right at home. Did I ever mention the time they dressed in drag and came to visit in the hospital??? That might have to wait until another blog...
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| Shane - Day 0 Transplant Day |
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| The Stem Cells |
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| Shane looks so different now! |
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| Cuddles with newest family member, Dizzee. |
We have finally ticked off one of our long standing life goals - getting a Puppy! Dizzee came to us in early December and she has been an amazing distraction for us. A Journey like ours puts all of your life goals on hold. All the big and little dreams that you have stored in you mind for the future are very quickly vanquished. Getting a Puppy was the first thing Shane talked about the day he left ICU. If I had my way, there would have been one waiting for him to return home. But, as a responsible pet owner, we had to wait until the time was right!
Dizzee is an amazingly sweet puppy who loves lots of cuddles and affection! A very healing personality!
We have some amazing goals for this year. One of which is transforming this blog from being all about Shane, to being about helping others going through cancer treatment. There is a lot of mis-information out there, and people who are battling cancer are very vulnerable to poor guidance. From all of the experience we have, it would be great to be able to help others and give back to the universe the way the universe gave to us.
Cheers to an AMAZING 2014!
xx
