Mary and Dane… So, truth be told, I’m sitting here trying to type blinking through tears of joy. Heartfelt congratulations to both of you for enduring the trials and tribulations of this past year!
You’re right, it is a time of reflection. I think you’ll find it happens every year around the anniversary of the transplant. It has for me (us). My re-birth day is coming up on June 28th. It will be year 6 and I’m already reflecting on what I was doing six years ago at this time. This was an enormously emotional/arduous time in our lives so it deserves the reverence of reflection and celebration…every single year! The celebration never gets old, because we are alive to see another year which wouldn’t have been possible without our donors and our tenacious fight to stay ‘vertical and ventilated’. 😂

I remember our first conversations very well and the trepidation in both of your hearts and minds for what to anticipate, how to prepare for the logistics of long term stay away from home and even choosing the right center for the BMT. You went into this fully prepared. I’m so happy to have been a part of that journey, along with our other members who so valiantly jumped to the rescue to calm your jitters, listened to concerns, offered suggestions and extended the lifeline of hope!
Congratulations also on another wedding anniversary. Though it may take back seat to the BMT story, the love story continues because of it. It’s all part of your life journey together. For my husband and myself, my journey through AML/BMT brought us closer together. We’ve always been solid but it’s easy to take things for granted. Facing death and getting that second chance really drives home the point that we are not immortal and things can change in the blink of an eye. So we’ve both learned to take more time to appreciate the small things in life, or as I like to say, “Live life like they left the gate open!”

We actually saw that situation unfold one day and it will forever be a moment etched in my memory. We’re on the road a lot. One day we were driving past a farm we’d seen many times with milk cows in a fence-in area near the barn. But that day was different. There was a breach in the gate! And my gosh, the cows were running pell mell out of the pen into the field…a couple were tentatively hanging back though. But one of them, whom we affectionately dubbed, Bessie, was running full speed, utter flailing in the wind…she was on the lam!!
Rick and I were both yelling in the car while giggling, “Run, Bessie, Run gurl!!” Hehe. Well, it was short lived as the trip home past the same farm saw the cows back in the pen resigned to a life behind bars…with farmer fixing the fence. Le Sigh.
But for one brief moment, that feeling of freedom, the elation of liberation had that old girl having the time of her life! That’s what we all need to be doing, every moment of the day! Never wasting a moment of our freedom to live.
Hah, how’s that for a morning sermon without caffeine! 😁

Thank you, Mary and Dane, for celebrating with your Connect family! This deserves a happy dance 💃💃 and cake! (I love cake! LOL) A huge group hug for the both of you!
Wish Dane the best of luck on his fishing expedition! Even if he doesn’t catch anything, the warmth of the sun, the cooling breezes on the sea and the salt water have such healing qualities…enjoy the moment. Love to you both! Lori