Hello again family and friends. Happy (almost) Thanksgiving! We just celebrated a very special Thanksgiving Saturday night with my parents, and we have so much to be thankful for! First of all, I just want to say that we have the most amazing family, friends, and supporters. There is not a day that goes by that we dont receive some form of support from you all- a card in the mail, a kind message waiting in my inbox, a phone call to say hi, a smiling face to visit with me on my porch, a generous donation to help with medical bills, a yummy meal being delivered to our house, a fun gift for Brendan and Maggie, and the list goes on and on. Its so easy to feel very alone in our situation, but you all make sure that we are never without love and support. For that, I am so very thankful. Its absolutely crazy to think that in just 6 short weeks, Ryan will begin his transplant process. Its going to be such a difficult experience for all of us, but I am so thankful that we have the newborn screening in Ohio and that we know about Ryans condition before he has fallen ill. Sometimes it hits me as to how lucky we are... if we hadnt found out about Ryans immune deficiency, I shudder to think about when he would have fallen ill. I would have returned to work as a teacher (surrounded by germs), Brendan would be in kindergarten (surrounded by more germs), and Maggie and Ryan would be in daycare (again- more and more germs!). Someone (actually, probably everyone) would have gotten sick, and that would have been a horrible beginning to a long journey to find out about Ryans condition. Fortunately, we live in one of the 25 states that is currently testing for SCID in the newborn screening, and I am so thankful for the advocates who pushed to have Ohio join the other testing states. I also so extremely thankful for Ryans donor- whoever she is. In a few weeks (around December 21), she is going to go through a rigorous physical exam with a lot of blood work in order to make sure that she is in excellent physical health, that she has no viruses, and that she is still indeed the best match for Ryan. I dont even know her, and I already admire her so much. What a wonderful, wonderful person she is to agree to go through a tough procedure (Maybe its not so bad- Im just terrified of needles!) and to save the life of a stranger. For her, I am so incredibly thankful, and I hope someday that I get to meet her and to tell her that she is my hero. She is giving my son the greatest gift that anyone could ever give- a chance at life- and I will forever be grateful for her. Despite the reason for us being at home every day, I am so very thankful for this time with my kids and my husband. The kids and I are together 24/7, and while this is extremely exhausting for me (what mom isnt exhausted???!!!), I get to be with my precious babies every day. I get to see every smile and hear every laugh. I get to witness every new discovery. I get to be the one to wipe away every tear. It really is such an amazing gift- one that I have wanted for a very long time. I know that someday in the near future when Ryan has a functioning immune system that I will have to return to work, but for now, I am going to soak in every moment that I can with my three little munchkins. So until next time, enjoy your short work week, hug someone you love, and have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 04:51:06 +0000
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