Christmas 2013

Christmas Day, a celebration of a birth.
Christmas is here and it is now over. It has been been excellent. We are in Washington with our son, Chris and wife, Denise, and their families. We have spent  time with our grand kids here and certainly eaten abundantly. It is our first major trip since the transplant and we had to navigate the coughs and sneezes of airports and airlines. So far, so good. Tomorrow, Denise and Chris, and Lynne and I will get to meet my stem cell donor, Brian Re and his wife Shannon. Since April I have looked forward to this day, a day when I would see Brian face to face and be able to thank him for his gift to me and I know, to my family as well. I have been wondering what to say to him. How do you thank someone for the gift of new life? All is set to meet them at a restaurant in downtown Tacoma, thanks to Denise. So who are they, what are they like, will it be a good and comfortable get together, so many things.

The Day and every day after, a celebration of new birth for me.
It went fantastic. They are a younger couple,(relative to us) with 3 teenage children. Shannon is a pediatric nurse at a clinic with aspirations of becoming a nurse practitioner. Brian, my donor, is a lieutenant in the navy and in charge of the refitting of the nuclear submarine, the USS Kentucky. It was good visit and the flow of conversation was so enjoyable as we broke bread and drank wine and celebrated the gift of new life As the evening drew to a close Brian gave me a medallion of the USS Kentucky, something I will cherish forever. Thanks again Brian. On the way home, Lynne said, "You have good blood".