Ground Hog Day Reflection

Happy Ground Hog Day, 2011! (February 2) In most parts of the country, with the weather the way it is, most probably want to cover the little critter’s doorway so there is no chance he’ll get out to see his shadow.

I looked back at the calendar, and Ground Hog Day, 2010, was my first appointment at Emory. That would be the beginning of the process that culminated with my stem cell transplant on March 19. I had already had fifteen weeks (five cycles) of chemotherapy in Augusta, and now I was ready, more or less, to get on with the critical next phase of treatment. Those transplant days weren’t much to brag about. Lots of days I felt pretty rough, but that passed. I was home from Emory by the end of Master’s week, and began to slowly get back into my routine. For several months now, I have felt good, other than the battles with allergies and sinus stuff, but that is nothing new. I continue with a maintenance chemo med, and a few other things, but it isn’t bad.

My medical reports are very good; I feel well enough now to get over-committed; And I have started getting my childhood immunizations again. Most of me is sixty, but my immune system is just a tad over ten months old. I cannot travel outside the USA until I get those done, and those of you that know me know that is a definite goal of mine.

As I look back over the past sixteen months or so, there are so many people, events and things to be thankful for:

• Thousands of people, some way around the world (and many I will not meet until Heaven)  prayed for me and still pray for me. The main ingredient in all my cancer treatment has been and is your prayers.
• The volunteers at church who kept things going while I was out for treatment.
• The men who came to my house to do some needed projects that I was unable to do.
• The many folks who provided meals for us during those treatment days.
• Those who transported R and P when needed while we were away at Emory.
• The doctors, nurses, technicians, and many other medical pros who have served me, treated me, stuck me, and cared for me during all this treatment stuff!

I have much to be thankful for.

In a month I will return to Emory for my one year post-transplant check up. It is a day of tests, including the ever popular bone marrow aspiration, along with many vials of blood given, and wouldn’t be surprised if they took some X-rays. Two weeks later I’ll go back to hear the report. Pray with me that the treatments are still doing their job, and keeping the cancer at bay.

Thanks for your prayers and support. My family and I are so blessed by what you have done and continue to do.

On a spiritual note, I have been enjoying reading a chronological one-year Bible. Reading large passages at a time is not my usual devotional strategy, but this is good. It helps remind me of the big picture of God’s redemptive work. In a few days, perhaps I’ll share an insight or two from that reading, but for now, I just wanted to get back to the blog and let you know what was happening.