My Birthday: T-0!

Birthdays, what fun!  We celebrate with our loved ones, the gift of life we have been given.  I'm one of the privileged people to have three different birthdays to celebrate.  My first birthday, my natural birth, is one each human has in common.  I was born on August 12, 1994, a special birthday I celebrate annually.  However, I also have a born-again birthday- March 3rd, 1999.  That was the day I accepted Christ as my Savior  and received the gift of eternal life.
Today, April 18th, 2012, I celebrated what will hopefully be my last birthday- a second chance at life- my bone marrow transplant birthday.  This morning, around 11a.m., I received my own stem cells, that had been harvested about two weeks ago.  Surrounded by my family, nurses, physician's assistant and five syringes of stem cells, more than half a dozen pukes, Morphine, Ativan, and Tylenol and Benadryl later, I'm doing OK!  The whole experience was VERY unique.  The cells are frozen in something that smells like creamed corn (or some say garlic).  However, even the tasty smells of summer couldn't settle my stomach.   As the kids got kinda antsy, Angela took them for a walk, to let them burn of a little energy.  However, Rachel stuck it out, and got the whole thing on video,!  Now we're expecting my blood counts to completely bottom out within the next few days, before they engraft themselves back into my bone marrow.

With Linda, the Physician's Assistant, and Krista, the Bone Marrow Nurse Practitioner

P.S. Notice prominent puke dishes, and sweet lotions :) 

Getting my cells back, one syringe at a time...

With my parents, following my new birthday!  

Krista, Linda, and Margie, my nurse 
Thanks guys- All done with transplant!!!!

Angela entertaining the masked bandits, or vise versa :)

A few prayers and praises...
Praise God that I have received my cells, with minimal complications
Praise God for the wonderful friends who visit, pray, email/text/write me.  I appreciate your thoughts and gestures!
Pray that my sugars numbers would come to normal levels
Pray that my severe nausea and sickness would abate quickly!
Pray that the stem cells would quickly engraft