I get by with a little help from my friends

So I've been home for over a month now and things are progressing slowly but surely, including writing a blog update.  Sorry for the delay.   When I first came home, I was not able to walk up a half flight of our stairs very easily and now I can come up from the basement with very little issue.  I have been more active, but am still surprised how some things can tucker me out completely. I've joined the ACE program which is a rehabilitation exercise program for cancer patients and tomorrow is my first day.  I did the fitness assessment last week and it was a little intimidating.  I was measured to see how far I could walk for 6 minutes at a brisk pace.  I almost tripped twice but got through it with my legs feeling the burn. That was only 6 minutes!  There were some aspects that I did well on (stretching and flexibility) and I credit that to the consistent Tai Chi that I have been doing through this journey.   One item that has been bugging me for...

Holy Moly, It's Happening!!   Happy Friday everyone! WOW!!  It is day 100. We have been in Calgary for 108 days. In some respects it seems like barely a week and others like an eternity.  We are currently attending Jackie’s last clinic day at the Tom Baker Outpatient Centre. They have drawn blood and are cleaning Jackie’s central line. Most patients have it removed by now, but since she is still on immunosuppressants she will keep it in until she is weened off most of them. Jackie’s care team is very happy with her progress right now as her cell counts are still moving in the right direction and her recovery from the graft vs host disease has been nothing short of remarkable. We are moving out of our apartment tomorrow and heading home.  Yup, you read that right…HOME!!!  Jackie’s care team has already started the process to transition her to the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton and she is already scheduled there for multiple appointments on Monday. I’m not sur...

 Hello all, As Mike referenced on the last blog, we were able to move into a very nice condo sponsored by a not for profit organization.  They work with other organizations and partners to provide a home away from home for cancer patients and their families. The place that we are in is so conducive to rest and recovery.  The condo is truly a home away from home and as we have been away from our home since Easter, this has been a much needed place to rejuvenate.  We have been very lucky to be given this opportunity and it is another example of how much kindness there is in our world.  We will be staying here until we return home which is looking to be the weekend of Aug 13/14th.   I can't believe that I will be released from Calgary so soon but prior to discharge there are a couple more tests that are needing to be done.  This Thursday is another bone marrow biopsy to see how my stem cells have engrafted in my bone marrow and next Tuesday is an ultrasou...

Duck, Duck ... Happy Friday everyone! This week has been really good.  Jackie is consistently feeling better each day and we try to get out and do different things to keep our days somewhat busy.  Apparently, if you get up and going early in the morning, no one else seems to be at malls, parks and other areas.  Although we are getting out, we have been able to avoid people as much as possible, I'm not sure if you are aware, but people are the worst!   Having said that, some people are simply delightful and we have had the opportunity to visit and be visited by friends as well.  I'm sure you can imagine how great that is.  Jackie has been getting plenty of exercise doing laps (well maybe lap) of different malls, getting out to Bowness park (If you have never been, I suggest you should) and even got out to see a few innings of a U18 baseball game.  The game was probably Jackie's highlight.  She loved the park but didn't care too much for the ge...

  Is It Hot Enough For Ya? It's 32 degrees outside, you're on the top floor of a 53 year old building with no air conditioning, you are at a place where there is no shortage of old folks wanting to chat, you know someone is gonna ask, "is it hot enough for ya?". Your internal dialogue goes something like, "no sir, I would like it better if my skin would instantly combust in the sun" or "actually, I would like to cook eggs on the hood of my black truck just a bit faster". But no, you muster a chuckle an respond with something like, "yeah, it's a scorcher". You're not gonna hear me complain though, in two months we're all gonna be saying, "where did the summer go?" as it starts to cool off.  As Jackie and I had this very conversation, we realized that it was the tail end of winter and beginning of spring when we got here and it's going to be the end of summer/early fall before we leave.  Were we here that long or i...

Steroids and Ice Cream Hi there and welcome back. It is DAY 68 and I am sure you are all wondering how I am coping with my new roommate. Thank you for your concern.  Well, I'm not gonna lie, as far as a roommate goes, she's a bit needy.  I need this and I need that, it's hot in here, it cold in here, is it time for my ice cream yet? Let's go to a bakery, but I can't eat that. You eat it and tell me if it is good.  Are you writing a post about me, what are you typing? It goes on and on.  So, that should answer your next question, yes, every day she seems to be getting closer to normal. This past week has definitely been a positive one.  Even though we are not at home, we are one step closer to some degree of normality.  Jackie is doing good and every day we try to get out for a walk and/or a drive.  She still has a ways to go to get off certain meds, but each day she makes progress.  Because of the GVHD she experienced, she is still on steroids, Cy...

Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Ice Cream   What a day.  Despite putting it out there in the universe, Jackie was discharged from the hospital this afternoon.  First of all, YAY!!  Secondly, my mind keeps returning to an image from probably many movies.  You know,  all you see is a dusty road, a huge brick wall with a normal sized door (sometimes the door is also ridiculously big) and someone outside waiting for their loved one to be released from jail.  Yup, you know the one.  Well just like Joliet Jake or Danny Ocean, it feels like my gal got sprung today. It has been a long road to get to this point. It was a road full of bumps, ups and downs, hairpin turns, loose gravel and absolutely no shoulders.  But we white knuckled it. There were a few stretches where we lost control and many sections where it felt like we were stuck spinning our tires. I'm sure we even had to walk a good portion, but we did.  Jackie did.   Typically, m...