Anniversary

I've had a great week. I woke up on March 13th, a year from the day this journey began. It feels like it was so long ago, but I remember it very clearly. I was crying while packing my suitcase. We were leaving the next day for Oklahoma. I didn't have much strength. I was extremely fatigued and when my Mom walked in my room I told her I just couldn't go. As it turns out the next place I'd be packing for would be the hospital. I had labs drawn the day before and the doctor called with the results. My hemoglobin was 6. We were immediately sent to the hospital, but first I had to take a shower (I heard the hospital didn't have good shampoo). "Ceci's Climb" was born. I’m happy to be sitting here today and looking back at how far I’ve come.

Something I've been really excited about is writing Oprah about Ceci's Climb. I feel so passionate about it. I've written way too many drafts and finally I think I've got my final draft. So the process begins. I sent an e-mail, next will be the letter, a video, etc until our cause is heard! But, if anyone has connections, please speak up!

We went to clinic today and actually left the doctor speechless. She looked at my chart and back at me. She didn't have anything to say. It was fantastic. We waited on my lab results to find that my counts were lower. It gave the doctor something to say. She said counts could fluctuate; which we already knew. It's always upsetting to hear you're counts are down. My platelets were 90, WBC-1.4, ANC-770, but my hemoglobin was holding at 10.7. We had to go over the entire list of things that could be affecting them. So much for speechless. They like to discuss every option. Bacterial, fungal, the meds. could have side effects, etc. It almost seems premature to hear "if it's this, we'll do this." My opinion is that we should just wait and find out what it actually is!

I'm officially off of the tacro(anti-rejection)! This is wonderful news. Not only can I sleep through the morning, but it is a big step to freedom. I take that back a HUGE step. First, I get off of the tacro. Second, say goodbye to IV fluids. Third, the Broviac comes out. And three to six short months later I'll be reciting Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech "Free at last, God almighty, I'm free at last." Well there's a little more to it than that but you get the gist. Actually, they told us that not many people are off of Tacrolimus before day one-hundred. I am so blessed. Makes you want to drop to your knees and say thank you. As a matter of fact, I did. The word I'd use to describe clinic today is bittersweet.

In the picture, I'm holding volume three of my file. Hopefully, the final volume.