Life after the Transplant

My husband was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma last December and is now 34 days past his stem cell transplant. For now he is just concentrating on recovering. He fractured a couple of vertebrae in Nov 2008 and that is how the tests were done to find out what was wrong. He was on bed rest for a few months and taking Revlimid which is a type of maintenance chemo. That prepared him for the stem cell transplant in June. All is looking good and only time will tell. We plan on enjoying as much time as we can together. Life is too short. He cannot go anywhere public as there is too much risk for his immune system which has been stripped. We limit his exposure to friends and strangers just to be safe. After all we have been through these last 8 months it wouldn't be worth it to do something stupid now and give him the flu or something! We just deal with it.

He was a 55 yr old police officer when all this happened. I was a housewife with a small part-time job. He is not sure what his career holds now and we won't find out for a few months yet. I am looking to go back to work. If he stays home he will get to be the one to shuttle girls after school and thats okay too.

Like I said in the header, my role in life has changed several times the last year and it continues to change. I just take each day as it comes and don't do much planning at this point. I think the kids are starting to realize that their parents don't actually have their lives planned out moment by moment. We don't predict the future but how we react to it molds our children. Only God knows what will happen and its very liberating to just let everything go and let Him have control. God is in the small stuff and He has proven over and over that he cares and loves us very much.

I am a very proactive personality. I would rather plan for the variables than have to react to them. This whole year has turned that personality trait on its ear! I have not reacted with despair at the thought that my husband may not be around in a few years. I react with hope that research has come so far in just the past few years. Hope is what I have.....It comes from God - NOT Obama.

Sara P Duke Gardens, Durham NC