11/2/2010 - Happy Birthday to Me!

Yesterday was my birthday.  And boy, did I have a happy birthday!  Nothing spectacular happened on my birthday, but it was one of the best birthdays I ever had.  Part of it had to do with the gratitude of having survived to celebrate another year of life.  Part of it had to do with being able to celebrate it with my family.  And a lot of it had to do with all the love I received on my special day.

The day started with lots of hugs and kisses from my family. Katie and Ellie gave me their homemade cards - they are the best kind!  I started receiving calls and texts from friends and relatives who remembered my birthday.  That made for a great start for the day.

My sister went with me to the City of Hope for my regular Monday morning check-up.  I got plenty of greetings from the nurses, scheduler, and also my doctor.  Some of them sang the birthday song and even came up with a makeshift birthday cake and candle (a piece of brownie topped with a chocolate kiss).  I see them all so often that we have come to know each other better.  It is very nice to have such wonderful people take care of me all these months.  Once again, I cannot say enough good things about the care I receive(d) both as an inpatient and outpatient at the City of Hope.  Truly an excellent organization made up of outstanding professionals.

While waiting for my name to be called at the hospital,  I used my new netbook (my hubby's gift) to check my email and log in to Facebook.  To my pleasant surprise, there were already many greetings from relatives and friends from all over. The rest of the day was filled with more greetings and even a home made cheesecake from Bessie!  Delicious!  Now if that doesn't warm one's heart, I don't know what will.  I was so touched by the outpouring of love from my family, friends and relatives. 

Now, what's a birthday celebration without food?  Thanks to your prayers, I was allowed to eat in restaurants  on my birthday.  I usually take a day off from cooking on my birthday and on Mother's Day, so that worked out well.  We went to a couple of our favorite restaurants for lunch and dinner.

I feel so blessed to have a really nice family and relatives, and doubly blessed to have so many wonderful friends.  The best gift I got today was the reminder of how much richer my life has been because of the friends I've made along the way.  I can think of many fun, funny and fond memories with them.  Of course, there were also many challenges we had to go through that made our friendships stronger, but it is the bond and the good memories that I cherish most.  Oh, no!  I am beginning to sound like an old person!  I used to think nostalgia is for old people.  Oh well, we'll all get there sooner or later.  It's just great to be alive - young or old. :-)

The Lord continues to grant our request for an uneventful 100 days, and for my recovery.  The check-up went well.  The doctor was happy with the test results.  It didn't bother him that I was fighting a mild cold, some hives and a mild upset stomach.  He even allowed me to eat in restaurants.  As usual, if the doctor is happy, so am I.  I am scheduled to have another biopsy next week.  They normally take another biopsy near the 100th day to see whether all the cancer cells are gone.  Please pray that the biopsy will come out clean, and that I will get over the cold, hives and upset stomach.

Also please remember to thank God for His goodness.  Each time I go to for my check-up, I am reminded of how blessed I am to have to go through so little considering my situation.  A fellow patient I met at the hospital who also had AML is having a hard time recovering.  Although her sister was her transplant donor, and she went home a week before I did, she still cannot eat well because of nausea and problems with her digestion.  She had several blood and platelet transfusions.  On top of that, she even had spinal taps (that's painful) and was required to have chemo every other week for the next six months!  I really felt bad for her.  She is my age and also has two children.  It must be very tough on her.  There are many other stories of what other patients are going through as I meet them at the waiting area.  I cannot help letting out a "Thank you, Lord!" under my breath each time I hear about what other people had to go through, because "there, but for the grace of God, go I". 

Thank you all very much, because I know that without your prayers, the road would have been rougher for me and my family.  Please do not underestimate the impact your prayers have on our lives.  We certainly don't.  May God continue to bless you and your family!