Winding down

 The Olympics are over, but my leukemia journey continues. 

I was diagnosed in July when the Summer Games dominated the airwaves. At the time, I drew some parallels to the struggle of athletes and my body to fight this invader. 

And now, as the Winter Games wind down, so goes my fight. Weekly lab tests indicate no bad cells, and the team is weaning me off many of the 18 medications I once took to combat the assorted effects of chemo, radiation and a new immune system. 

All goes well. I got to get my new Covid vaccine (since the above treatments wiped out the first one). No side effects! I love this new immune system! 

The true test will be the next biopsy, probably in late March, so let's keep our fingers crossed for no sign of mean ol' leukemia cells.

More hope and some change

My most recent visit with my Colorado Blood Cancer Center doc was very positive: (Should I see it as a sign that his name is Mountjoy)

No indications of leukemia in the blood! We'll wait a bit for another biopsy to see what's lurking in the marrow, but things are looking good.

We've cut out the steroid prednisone, and that in turn reversed the hypoglycemia, so I no longer have to draw blood and inject insulin 4 times a day!!

Throughout this very roller-coasterish journey since the transplant, I have spent many sleepless nights (another joy of prednisone) thinking about what I want my life to be, however long that may be.

None of us knows how much time we have, after all. We could be killed in a car wreck or set a new record for oldest human.

But I did determine that I want to be closer to the people that matter to me, and living in a too-big house in the beautiful forested mountains of Evergreen is not doing that.

So, much to my husband's dismay, we have agreed to sell the house we bought just 9 months ago. My vision has been that someone who lost everything in the December fires in Louisville and Superior will find solace in our home. It's not close to the affected areas so schools and jobs have to be considered, but I am asking the universe to let the right person find our home.

And that means we have to find a new refuge. I would prefer to return to the mountain-hugging environs of Boulder.but supply, demand and finances are major challenges (along with the loss of 1000 homes)

So, in addition, to the battle going on inside my body, I get to balance selling a house, buying a new one and moving in the next few months. Your continued thoughts are all that sustain me!