People often ask me- How do you
always have that “my glass is half-full attitude?” It has taken me awhile to
arrive at the right answer. And, the truth is… my glass isn’t always half full.
Sometimes it’s cracked a little, or maybe even shattered. But when it is that
way, I break out the super glue and glue it back together. It still may not be
perfect, but it’s always better than it was. Life really isn’t always perfect,
or ideal. Sometimes, its down right hard. But, I honestly believe that we get
thrown these little curve balls in life, that make us stronger. These little
curve balls… they do nothing but change us, mold us, make us into better,
stronger, and more beautiful versions of ourselves. That is life!
This last week has reminded me so
much about how blessed our family really is. As I get older, I realize that
changes can be good, and I have learned to embrace changes… because changes
remind me how capable I am.
I am capable of so much! If
anything, this past year has taught me so.
However, I still struggle with some
things. I have been struggling to be a friend is fully present, a parent who
gets on the floor and PLAYS. I struggle with finding the time to work out and
also to do things that I enjoy – you know, to be just BE me. And these things
are very important to me.
I often find myself overwhelmed by
what people need and also what I expected of myself. I have high
expectations, people!
We’ve all been there, yes? It’s a topic
of conversation for women/ parents/ mothers all over the place.
But some seem to have it figured
out better than others. who I yearn to be that woman who is always calm, put
together, and with it. The woman who gets to work out early in the morning, the
woman who always feeds her kids healthy meals, the woman who always has the dishes
done and the flowers watered. And she comes home skinnier than she left and to
a house that’s put together and to kids who are ready to see her.
As hard as I tried this summer… I
didn’t get that dang lucky. And, I am okay with it. I am okay with it, because
I know that I am capable of so much more than the things that I just listed.
These years go by so fast. As much
as being skinny, and the “perfect wife” sound like good descriptions, they
don’t work for me. Being the mom that made each day count… seems more fitting.
So, that is my goal.
Am I boring you to death? Okay… on
to the good stuff. We spent last Monday in St. Louis for doctor’s appointments
galore. We just passed Daniel’s one-year anniversary of his bone marrow
transplant. Things look very different now than they did one year ago. Which,
is very much a good thing! So, this is what we know as of today (some tests are
still pending). Daniel’s dry eyes are no better, but no worse. He is still
cancer free! No signs of any leukemia!!! Yes, to that! Dr. DiPersio seems very
happy with how everything looks. Daniel had a bone density scan. The steroid to
control the GVHD can be very tough on your muscles and bones. His spine shows
mild osteoporosis and right now, there is nothing that we can do to improve it.
Maintenance is key. His immune system is
still pretty weak. So, for the next several months, he will be receiving
antibodies via IV for 4 hours a setting, once per month. This is very routine
for someone like Daniel. No worries there! It would be nice to have him
healthier for the upcoming fall/ winter. We have also gotten the okay to
immunize Avery and Mia. Avery turns 5 in November and will need her
kindergarten immunizations. Mia has not had vaccines since she was 6 months
old. I am trying to figure out the best way to go about this, factoring in
school, which is making it tough. I would like to get done at the same time.
However, Daniel cannot be around them for 2 weeks. If anyone has any ideas on
what would be the best way to go about this, I am very open to them.
Other news: Through Be The Match
(the service that was used to find Daniel’s match), most recipients of a bone
marrow transplant can begin paperwork to establish contact with their donor.
Notice, I said most. Unfortunately, Daniel’s donor went through a “sister”
agency of Be The Match. The agency that he went through, does not allow contact
between donor/ recipient for 2 years, given that both parties agree to the
paperwork. However, we can send anonymous letters, cards, etc. to the donor,
and hopefully, he will respond by snail mail. While this may seem somewhat
disappointing, we are still very excited about the potential relationship that
we may have with this guy. Hopefully, I will be able to tell you all about it!
August 18th, we head to
St. Louis for the bone marrow and blood cancer celebration hosted by Siteman
Cancer Center. We are very excited to be a part of such a wonderful facility.
If you are a friend of mine on Facebook, then you may have seen the exciting
things that are happening in regards to research- especially, with Daniel’s
physician. Again, we are very blessed to have such a wonderful team of
physician’s.
We will wrap up our last week of
summer this week. Our summer is almost expired. Ashlynn starts school on
Friday. Enjoy your week!
XOXO Kristin
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