A Variety of Updates

Banana Bunch Update: All of you out there go beyond everyday, with emails and kind words and well wishes. I feel it and i love and have much gratitude for you each day. My kind friends have offered so much hope and encouragement. I wanted to share that one of very close friends, Ana, shared with me her 1000 paper cranes. They are thought to bring healing and I have been told are very powerful. They are hanging on a sculpture my grandfather made, blessing the house. Thank you Ana for sharing, I hope they bring some good fortune into this journey.




Finally, my new friends from the Power Of Two, took a picture in their shirts and shared it with me last night. I felt it NEEDED to be seen. Despite the long hours they are spending creating a fantastic movie, they spent a few silly moments thinking about me, and sending me the vibes. Here is the Director/Producer, Marc, and Editors, Tom and Matt as the silliest banana bunchers!


Health update: Since my transplant evaluation I have gained 4 pounds. I know that scares some people, but for me, it is great. The more weight i can have, the healthier BMI that i am at, the better. I feel really good in my body right now, and as the dietician at CF clinic said, I am "rock solid". So that is great!!! In lung news I blew a 0.85L for my FEV1 which is 27% Just exactly the same as my last visit to the transplant clinic. Again, we are doing really well. Stable, keeping on track, doing all the things right. My only complaint right now is this little rash i have from constantly having the oxygen cannula (cannolies as i call them) rubbing on my upper lip. I have like Cannoli burn. But that is the worst of it right now. They were very impressed at how well i am doing, and it is just really hopeful, so i can wait it out till the absolute right lungs come along.
I asked if there have been more offers for me, and Dr. Dhillion said that my name is coming up, but things like size haven't been quite right, and the perfect match hasn't come up yet, but it will. He again said he would be surprised if it didn't happen by the end of the year. So that is only 2 months away!!! SOON SOON SOON. He also emphasized that none of us know anything in this game and we can't predict, but he did say that this from previous experience, so i am hopeful.

Spiritual update: As we were walking the halls at Stanford we ran into my mom's friend, Bruce, a Chaplain at Stanford. They worked together back in her Chaplain days :) Anyways, we ran into him, and he wanted to talk with us, so we asked if he would be willing to give me a Jewish blessing. He took us to a little corner in a private waiting room, where he gave me a fantastic blessing. It was calling in the archangels, and all the positive energy for protection during this time. It was great. He also acknowledged the cycle of life, and the gift of transplant. It was so great and reassuring. It was another great experience that came out of this magical transplant journey.