Moving Along...

Well it's been a busy few weeks... Eric has been back work plugging away working 12 hour days with no end in sight. Whewwww... he comes home pretty spent and tired but I know he is grateful to be back to work and getting back to "NORMAL." We laugh that we should be careful what we wish for right but seriously we are so grateful that we are where we are right now. It's exactly the month mark from when we started Eric's transplant journey. Last year at this time we had just found his donor and in two more weeks we were getting ready to fly down to start his bone marrow transplant! WOW!! I am so thankful to be at this point and seeing how far Eric has came.

We have had alot of reminders of how lucky we are, what a miracle Eric is recently with Eric's good friend Patrick passing away in June ( Eric and Patrick had the same cancer and started their bone marrow transplants together at the same time), Eric's Aunt Carol passing away a few weeks ago from her valiant battle with her cancer. We recognize the blessings and we cherish each day and moment we have as the gift it truly is! I reflect on my emotions I was feeling last year at this time I was crying alot , preparing to leave the kids for 5 months, getting them ready for school and knowing that we were about to embark on the hardest journey yet as a family!

What a difference a year can make! I am so thankful to the Lord for his countless tender mercies and blessings we have received. Sometimes you feel if this makes any sense a little guilty that Eric has made it and that he is doing good, you question things and wonder..." Why couldn't Patrick have made it then? " Why couldn't Aunt Carol have made it?" but then I remind myself that just because they passed doesn't mean that they are gone from us..we all have a mission and purpose in life and just because their physical body could not hold on any longer their spirits are fulfilling a greater purpose. They both are such amazing and wonderful people whom changed our lives for the better and we would not be who we are if we did not know them and have them touch our lives as they did!

Eric and I both know that our journey is not complete and we will still have trials, bumps in the road but we recognize with the Lord all things are possible and we can do anything. On paper this was a horrible, sad tragedy that shouldn't have worked out. Many times I had doctors look at me and tell me that this is nearing the end and that they would try to do all they can do to give him more time, keep him comfortable but I am so thankful that in those moments, those dark lonely hours I could turn to the Lord and feel his arms wrap around me and provide peace and comfort. Sometimes it would be just enough to give me a sense of calmness so I could close my eyes and fall asleep and wake up with a new outlook, more faith and hope, peace. That is what the Lord provides all of us..that overwhelming unconditional love.

Eric went to the doctors yesterday and he lost again 5 pounds.. his doctor was a concerned and said " Seriously Eric are you not eating I need you to quit losing weight!" I told his doctor that he really is eating more than he has in the last year and that I really don't understand why he keeps losing weight cause he is eating... Eric responded in his regular humorous way and said " Dr. Chandramouli I think my donor just must have an amazing metabolism and really in shape" we all just laughed! Eric's counts are pretty good his white cells fell a little to 4.1 (still good), red cells are 4.57 (they went up) and his hemoglobin is 45.8 with his platelets going up to 112!! All these are really good some of these levels are the highest he has been in the last seven years! We are so grateful to Eric's donor whom we think of often and how he has given the gift of life, unconditional love to save a strangers life! We are so grateful the Lord for Eric's health recovery process and his body being able to fight and be strong, getting stronger each day! We are grateful to all of you as well for riding this roller coaster and traveling this journey.. providing us love and support! We couldn't have done this past year without all of you and the Lord, the gospel and faith in the journey!