Meeting at Stanford

Today I had an echo cardiogram at Kaiser hospital here in Santa Rosa. All went well and the technician said I have a very strong heart. Don't I know!!!!

He explained why I was taking the echo before the stem cell transplant. He talked about the electrodes and how the heart can be damaged during massive doses of chemo. Stanford requested the echo before the stem cell transplant and will take another after the stem cell transplant to compare. I remember Dr. Kevin saying how important your heart is during this procedure. It will bring you through it. I know how strong my shared heart is and I'm sure it will get me through it.

Tomorrow I have an appointment at Stanford to sign all the consent forms for the stem cell transplant. A week from now I will begin the first steps towards becoming healthy and living my new normal life. I know I will feel sick but what bothers me the most is being alone for so long in the hospital. I plan to bring plenty of movies, my crocheting, Italian tapes and books to read. I know there will be times where I don't want to see or talk to anyone because I will be tired and really sick. That's ok, I will deal with it. I'm just afraid of being alone through this. I did so well and felt so great after the heart transplant that I know this is going to be different.

I didn't feel very good over the weekend. The body soreness I get from Decadron was really bad and lasted through Monday. Today was much better. On Sunday, Mark and I, along with our neighbors Jeff and Christine drove out to Bodega Bay for lunch. I got to drive my new car with the sun roof open and the stereo blasting! The guys were not too happy but Christine and I sang songs along the way. It was so much fun! We took the route through Guerneville and along the Russian River. I like going out to the coast that way because you really see the beautiful countryside, vineyards and of course the coastline. The coastline is extremely beautiful with the big huge rocks in the ocean and how the waves crash on them. It was what I needed that day! I'm trying to take in as many sights as I can and I don't want to take those moments for granted! That is what life is all about! MOMENTS!

I'm so excited for this weekend because both of my hockey sons will be playing in the Snoopy Tournament. Not on the same teams, so this will be interesting! Maxwell can't wait to score on his big brother Mark! It will be lots of fun. I haven't seen Maxwell skate or play hockey for over two years because he has been away for so long. It has been so wonderful having him home. I know what I have been missing.

Make tonight a memorable moment in your life!

love,
Debbie