@williamsjen
I lost my first husband at an early age, also. He was a Vietnam Veteran, heavily exposed to Agent Orange, and 5 years after we married he was diagnosed with cancer. God gave us 19 years, and healed the cancer but he received a blood transfusion at MD Anderson (no one's fault since they didn't know anything about Hep C in those days) but years later we realized he had Hep C with no cure in those days and he was not a candidate for a liver transplant, though we tried. Died at 45 but he was able to help me raise our two boys. After 4 years of widowhood, I married my now husband. Married now for 28 years. Blessed. I appreciate your sharing your experiences. I think I have said it but I did have a blood clot when they diagnosed me with ET, My platelet count was 1,250,000. Alarming, but God had sent me to a brilliant Hematologist who treated me even while I was on the road (started me out at 5 capsules a day, while monitoring my blood work often and closely from a distance) but monitoring my numbers by email (he didn;t even live in my little town in the middle of Venezuela) and telling me how many Hydrea capsules to take each day until I was able to travel back to the USA and get in with an Oncologist. That was 11 1/2 years ago. I am blessed.

@williamsjen Jennifer, Congratulations! You will LOVE being a grandmother!!
I retired to help care for them. That’s my motivation for staying healthy.
My parents too are still very active and healthy in their late 80’s. So I understand how you feel.
It’s nice having the group here that you can chat with.

@williamsjen
Jennifer, I share quite a few of your feelings. I too have grandchildren although they are all now young adults. My husband was a vet of the cold war although that was before I met him. And I too trust in the Lord to see me through the rest of my earthly life and I am thankful for my many blessings. One of my family members was also forced to take the Covid shots or else lose her federal job.

I also share your concerns about the Covid shots and ET, although I feel I'm putting on a tin foil hat when I mention them, LOL. (I don't say Covid "vaccines," because they weren't like other vaccines and the approval was rushed. They affect our RNA and that type had never before been approved for use on humans.)

Regardless, my platelet count and some related bloodwork had always been perfectly normal until my checkup in October 2020, five months after I took the Moderna Covid shots in May 2020. They had an abrupt spike which continued to get worse after that and resulted in ET due to a JAK2 gene mutation.

My doctors use an online service named "My Chart" which allows patients to view our medical records. The "My Chart" graphs of my platelets and the related bloodwork (red cell abnormalities, etc.) are flat and normal for years, until the checkup in October 2020 when they first start going haywire. I know this could possibly be pure coincidence, but the timing is very suspect. But, either way what is done is done and I don't dwell on it. I'm just glad my ET can so far be managed although I was having some neuropathy.

Just know that you are not the only person with reason to suspect an ET connection to Covid shots. I suspect that too, because of the specific timing of the onset, although there's no way to know for sure. I do not take the booster shots.

God bless and congratulations on the grand baby-to-be!