Celebrating One Great Year

It is difficult to not reflect when you reach a milestone like this.

It is amazing to think about what has transpired over the last year. It was a year ago today that Sandy had the transplant (and Whipple—I don’t want to undersell the magnitude). Actually, it started on Valentine’s Day and ended today. Either way you look at it, here we are one wonderful year later.

Over the last year, Sandy suffered the pains of major surgery, the complications of an ornery, leaking pancreas, the discomfort of being in a hospital bed for a month, then being bedridden at home for weeks. Think about it—she didn’t even get to enjoy the food at Hopkins! Further, she endured the inconvenience of feeding from a TPN bag (Anna Nicole...rest her soul), a long and difficult physical rehabilitation, subsequent chemotherapy, a little kooky hair loss, and later, recurrence of the cancer, progression to her lungs and then into her spine, followed by spine surgery and reconstruction six weeks ago, and another physical rehabilitation effort that continues today. And medication. Lots of medications.

Fortunately, attendant with all the pain and discomfort, have been trips to the Jersey shore with friends, the annual summer pilgrimage to Bay Harbor, Michigan, to dozens of lacrosse fields across too many states to list here, swimming pools in and out of town, and gymnastics meets everywhere. And the practices. The practices never stop. During some seasons in this year, the girls combined for fifteen practices during each week (the low water mark was nine during a short period in August). Sandy squeezed in a few trips to the boat last summer and fall, a trip to the US Open with friends, a great birthday celebration (she’s 44, for those who are counting), numerous visits from family and friends, holidays with family here at home, and most recently, a trip to New York with the girls to see Wicked. The girls are still talking about it. And yes, it was Wicked Good.

A year is a pretty big milestone in the transplant community. It marks a time at which risk of rejection drops considerably. It marks a time at which survival rates climb. And, it marks a time at which things should be a lot less complicated than they are. Even with all the complications, the year doesn’t seem so bad.


On a side note: After seeing a little bit of the schedule, do you still wonder why I haven’t rebuilt the portico during this year?!?!?!? I swear, it’s because of the restrictions we’re under as a National Historic District (variances, variances, variances).
For those who don’t know, it was further damaged in a wind storm while Sandy was in the hospital a year ago. At least the rot held up in the high winds and you can't see duct tape. Who am I to mess with that?