Yesterday, Anniversary and Thank U neighbor..

Had a great anniversary dinner yesterday...and of course, we ate "in" at home, but with a delicious Cheesecake Factory extravaganza before us. Ummmm good...We were just glad to be together at home celebrating 19 years..simple but oh so satisfiying..
Becky still weak, but mobility seems to be improving..Her mental attitude holding steady...not too high, not too low..well, some days it is low..but she does her best to look ahead and anticipate those 'normal', strength-filled days. Her endurance has been and is amazing.
Hey, I want to give a big 'shout out' recognition and thank you to a neighbor who will be leaving the state in a day or so with his lovely wife.. moving on to a chapter in his life that he has yearned for..and has worked very hard for..He deserves the wide open space he is going too.I pray he and his wife have great health for many years to come. I just wanted to publicly state what a great friend, mentor, 'fix anything' guy he has been to be me...And his listening ears have been therapeutic and consoling to me. I will miss him, but I am truly very excited for him. I know this is just going to be a great adventure and great move for him...I am thankful for the time we really got to know each other over the past year or so..it was truly God-ordained.

Hope you all have good neighbors...give thanks for them...

Celebrate life..

Much Love,

Bill, Becky and Abbey..

Onward..

Becky had a good day Sunday..was more alert and awake than in previous days..
Today, Monday, the morning was a little issue-filled, but had a good afternoon...
She is taking approx. 40 pills a day. What a pharmacy.
We celebrate 19 years of marriage tomorrow! 19 years ago we got married on a hot July day in Chatsworth, CA, under a big, bold, beautful, yellow and white tent. We are so grateful to celebrate 19 years together under any roof...Thank you Lord.

Hope you day was/is celebratory.

Much Love,

Bill, Becky and Abbey

Keep on...

Hospital today..long day..Labs, Doctor consultation and then an IV that alone lasted 4 hours..As mentioned, this special IV is getting rid of the some of Becky's 'old' anti-bodies (not the donor's)..allowing the new to do a more hostile takeover and change the blood type more rapidly...which is and has been desired. Becky is weak from just being in the hospital for over a month, weak from the meds, and a bit weighed-down from the undesired fluid in her legs & feet. But, we know in time this will disappear. It will. Dr. Snyder said he hoped this bout with Graft vs. Host would be a 'one and done' encounter. We pray this will not reoccur within a few months. We ask you to pray this...
Becky is in a decent frame of mind..just tired..simply tired. But, she is absolutely amazing in her pill-intake organization. (takes approx. 40 per day!) Incredible. We continue to infuse an IV nightly for the next three weeks...but it is not as time consuming as first onset. It has been tapered down..yip-pee..

Hope you are having a yip-pee day or night. Good health and blessings to you..

Celebrate life..

Bill, Becky and Abbey..

Slow..but slow-K

Yes, doin OK, takin it one hour at a time....Becky getting good rest. Had some great naps today. Eating actually quite well. The IV is going smoothly also.
Had a decent checkup yesterday at the hospital. Becky has indeed been an eventful case for them. We pray for the anti-bodies she is harboring from her 'old' blood to show themselves out the door and the let new take the stage and perform with vigor.
We hope your day or night is a good one.. Perform with vigor!

Onward forward..

Much Love,

Bill, Becky and Abbey

More Home..and @#%@%&$^*%*!!!

Home going OK...The IV is a time consumer, but still so glad to have sweet Becky home.. OK, a little truth serum. Ready? Part of this journey has indeed sucked...sorry to be so like teenage blunt...But it has, and I know many of you are perhaps chuckling at the 'duhness factor' of this revelation.. And as many of you know, we have always tried to express the positive in the blogosphere..but there's just no gettin' around saying that some days have just plain ol' sucked, and just sucked the life out of ya.. But if one reads only two or three blog postings, you can see our Christian faith threaded throughout. And yes, this indeed does keep us looking toward the positive. But God knows our heart, soul and mind, and He knows some days or moments we are just gonna say, 'this sucks'. Again, forgive the street language but some days, chronic illness can just indeed be a 'ball and chain' walk. Not necessarily today, for today was a good day..and again, just having Becky home has been good. And YES!, We still remain hopeful and positive for the future..But I was talking with a long time woman of faith, and she said, 'some days, ya just have to say this sucks'..and so, I said it now in the blog..But, I can't help but end on the note of how this illness has surfaced some of the absolute best moments in our lives..and I mean it. To name a few: Strength beyond capability, compassion deeper that imagined, focus, clarity, LOVE and respect more than otherwise may not have been felt or seen. So yes, there have been the truly 'sucky' days and nights,along with the truly wonderful days.. and we still cling to hope, we still pray when we have the strength, and we still love each other, and we love God. Yeah, just good simple statements that resonate within the maze of our world..

Much Love to you all..and we mean it..

Bill, Becky & Abbey..

HOME! (again)

Yes, HOME again-the sequel, the second stay....after almost five weeks at City Of Hope..This morning, the Dr. hinted at keeping her a few more days, but Becky said NO! I need to go home! A few issues were not health perfect to the Doctor. Yet, he saw Becky's resolve and yes, he medically assesed she could and should go. Of course, we have to go back two times a week for the next few weeks, but we know that's just the way it is..
We have been home a few hours. A nurse has already been here tutoring us on the administration of an IV..which she is receiving now. Becky and/or I will administer the IV..just not sure of the duration as far days or weeks..BUT hey! Again, it's home..It's where the heart medicine is administered/injected..No machines to infuse a myriad of fluids, versus the two fluids which are infused in parallel over a two or three hour period here at home. But, I repeat, she is home.. with the family and the loyal canine..that is also a source of good heart and soul medicine..
More later...we are all a little weary..well, more than a little weary...just mentally worn for now..But it is painted/draped with the relief and thankfulness of my sweet wife, my daughter's incredulous mother being home..
Lord, thank you..Help us in our unbelief...The unbelief that you are not in control at all times..though we know in the deep canals of our heart..you are! We are in praise of His sovereignty..even where the dark is all we see..We just know and love the Father of Lights, who can and will overcome..
Love to you all..A Big shout out love to you for your prayers..Put on some music and dance to your favorite song..get out there and celebrate life...

Home..ahhhh..

Bill, Becky and Abbey..

Still closer..

Yes..it appears Friday will be discharge day..but as said countless times..will really know it when Becky is wheeled out the front door and in the car, and even then we look in the rear view mirror..making sure no one is chasing us down with an IV med..Ok, they really wouldn't do that..just a little venting. Becky is, of course, SO mentally ready. Physically, she will have the Dr,'s discharge approval, but we also know the road to restored health will take much 'homework'...Yet, we are ever so thankful for her release from the 4 white walls she has seen for the last 5 weeks and countless pokes and prods, to the comforts of home, that will still have a few pokes, but hey, it's home!
But we are so very grateful for City Of Hope and Dr. Snyder. We see him as a physician of great integrity, care and of course, immense knowledge of this disease and others related to Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.
Thank you, Thank you all for your love and prayers, so many prayers. Thus onward-forward..we press on...
Just as the sun has finally decided to shine brightly in the morning here in LA, after what has seemed like countless weeks of the gray May, June gloom, so do our lives..they too can shine after a season of clouds....

Peace out..Celebrate life..

Bill, Becky and Abbey...

Closer..

Yes, perhaps closer to discharge. Maybe, maybe in about 4 or 5 days. Just gotta make sure the new med is doing and will do it's thing, and we believe it is. Becky ate good today, she had a good appetite,more than the norm...this is good. The Dr. has her changed over to almost all oral meds, which of course is absolutely necessary before any discharge can be realized. Most all the old friends/meds are back...boo..The predisone, the tacrolimus and more..But it is what it is..She will do what it takes to cross the next 'line in the sand' toward a stronger, healthier Becky. This is not easy, no one said it would be..but we know living as we were living/existing before the stem cell transplant was also not easy. We did what probably 100% of all humans suffering from this disease (myelofibrosis) would do...listen to what curative path was available and then agree to walk it...We trusted and still trust the Lord has His hand in every minute detail. We do. And even when our trust was/is weak, our faith was/is faltering..countless others, including the Lord Jesus Himself, intereceded and still intercede for us.
Others, and the Lord knew what we needed in the valley...and still know what we need in the sometimes deep abyss of uncertainty..
OK, lighter note: We had a nice time the three of us on Saturday..this is always needed! We watched the classic movie, "The Music Man"..a classic indeed. I tell ya when little Ronny Howard sings "shapoopy, shapoopy" (sp?)...ya can't help but feel good about life in that small moment...and when that band goes marchin' down the main street of River City Iowa and everyone is getting along, well that is indeed a warm and fuzzalicious moment...the three of us absorbed it in that hospital room, the warm moment of just getting along, just being together..
Hope you have some warm and fuzzalicious moments..

Celebrate life! Becky thanks you all for your love, care, prayer and support!

A new med...and Bingopalooza

Abbey and I had a nice visit with Mom yesterday...Becky and I even worked in a game or two of Bingo out in the lobby of her floor. A nice family-patient activity the hospital offers once a month...it got intense I tell ya. Becky won a game..She enjoyed it very much. A Bingopalooza it was.
We still think she will be home within a few days, but a new med was introduced due to some foreign anti-bodies present and needing some squelching. My explaination for introducing this new med will not be exact by any means..for I am not in full understanding of it's purpose, only that it will further the changeover of blood type, which hasn't been solidified. As I have mentioned in previous entries, Becky's blood type will actually change to the donor's, but in the past few days there has been a presence of some anti-bodies that are perhaps negating the complete transformation to the donor blood type. Again, I may not be properly relaying the correct medical information, so the above is subject to revision.
The new med takes about 4 hours to 'drip' into her sweetness of self..We can do this outpatient, once a week, for 3 more weeks..that's good, we can do it outpatient! So, again, she may be home soon. She was tired tonight..but still resolved to do all that needs to be done. Amazing, she is...

Well, that's our story for today and again, I don't know if I will stick to all of it..so stay tuned for any tweaks..

Hope your story is a good one today..

Much love..Celebrate life. God Bless.

Bill, Becky and Abbey =:)+= arms open for a hug..

Getting there..

Well, feels like we are close to discharge..Dr. Snyder is putting Becky on oral meds. That's definitely a stamp of 'going home' approval. But still don't have specific day. We think during the weekend. She is feeling like she is ready. Though a few small issues still exist, she is stronger and her walking is quite good. This will be a month long 'tune up' as they call it at the hospital. A month, who knew. Yet, as I have said, we are not shocked at this detour. I reluctantly say it could happen again within the next year.. Please pray not so. Please.
We know of others in this illness 'arena' who have experienced far less complications and we know of others who have endured catastrophic and seemingly endless complications. So, we just give thanks for the medical treatment we receive..for the advancement in medicine that has allowed Becky to be healed of the 'original' disease-Myelofibrosis...and even though the Graft vs. Host is powerful and debilitating in it's own right, we still know there is a City of Hope and an awesome God of Hope that is even more powerful..

Carry on..with faith, hope and love..and yes the greatest of these is love. A medicine one cannnot purchase with even the best of medical plans..

Celebrate life..wash the car with your own hands..

Love,

Bill, Becky and Abbey..

Another day..

Becky was in good spirits today..Abbey and I had a great visit with her....watched two old movies,the 'Wizard of Oz', which we've all seen ad infinitum, and "Meet me in ST. Louis"..never really seen that one from begin to end. Cute, Becky said it felt nice to watch together..no drama, just talk a little bit and then watch TV. She is eating some solid food, but still getting a lion's share of nutriton from the 'bag'...We took a walk around the entire floor, she did good..Her strength is gaining, and she doesn't need the leg brace she once had to have..The skin rash is indeed diminshing, but there is still quite a noticeable 'tattoo'...
So, onward forward we go..we just go..we just know she is where she should be..
We pray you are where you should be...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU AMERICA! Fly your flag...

Much love..celebate life..celebrate freedom..

Bill, Becky & Abbey

OK...

Becky sounded good today. Yet, the Dr. did say in the AM, the lung fungus was rearing it's head a bit, thus a CT scan necessary, which she had in the afternoon. Will hopefully receive results tomorrow..just how prevalent it is..
She has needed some red blood..hemoglobin low. But again, Becky generally feeling OK. Had a rough night of rest on Tuesday. The IGG med was not administered until 11pm, and constant monitoring is needed with this particular pharmaceutical offering. But she did catch up a bit the next day. We still do not have any specifics on her discharge..yet, as mentioned in earlier blog, the Dr. has expressed his willingness to talk about her discharge, as I have sometimes called it, from the 'hotel', but just don't know when that will be..
Good health and May the Lord bless you and keep you..We trust in Him, still.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Much Love..celebrate life..sweep the kitchen floor with happiness..

Bill, Becky and Abbey