Today was a good day. A really good day.
It began with the shots Rocky has to give me each morning to help my body increase stem cells to prepare for harvest. Its a powerful drug set out to do some magic in my body that will eventually work to my advantage.
You see in order for me to become my own stem cell donor I have to be able to harvest at least 2 million stem cells. That’s the final part to this Step 1/Phase 1 of 2 called the Harvest.
So I do whatever they tell me, I try to stay positive and live in gratitude. Until then we wait. We had to walk a block to get a couple of pedicures and a little “me time” this morning. We think it was well over due.
Its Valentines day and thinking back to how my heart is involved and has
been now for a few years I think its fitting we are trying to fix my body so that my heart will benefit as well. In fact here’s a little Valentines Heart for you from my broken one to yours:
And that brings me to my gratitude and love for all of you. I am not a private person anymore. I have spent decades not telling…. for some I have heard why are you being so public on this Betsy? Well I’ll tell you cause its for many reasons.
1. Maybe some day one of you or one of your family members will go through this.
2. A problem shared is cut in half and a joy shared is multiplied. Some days are not joys but always you folks are there for me.
3. I appreciate the love and fellowship during what could be the loneliest time of my life.
4 . There is tremendous power in numbers. It brings ideas, thoughts, strength and connections that would not be possible without being public.
5. I have made a personal commitment to show and share love at every single opportunity. This is a big opportunity but that decision does not waver.
Finally, this is the amazing dinner we split in honor of Valentines day then I made warm fresh baked chocolate chip cookies with a few cannoli’s on stand by for munchies during the Olympics this evening. Life is so simple and easy some days. Today (all things considered) was one of those days.
The week has been spent here in Chicago getting all the boxes checked before I report to begin phase one of this stem cell transplant. Making sure I am completely healthy and that my body systems can handle the stress they need to do to it to begin. I passed. We are a go for launch as they say at NASA.
