Monday, January 30, 2012

Finally Back...

Some of you might have noticed the blog has been very quiet in the last couple of weeks. It was for a very good reason! You might remember months ago when I mentioned my brother had cancer and needed a stem cell transplant? And I was a match? After all the waiting and setbacks the transplant finally took place last week!


Look! Snow! Big deal since I haven't seen snow in nearly 20 years. I actually stood outside and got snowed on! LOL

I spent 9 days in Denver getting poked and prodded and poked some more while my brother got ready with 5 days of chemo and 2 full body radiation treatments leading up to the transplant. So far everything is going as the doctors expected which means big brother is feeling like crap while his immune system bottoms out so my stem cells can take over. That's a very basic explanation so if you want to know more you can read about the process here.

I got home late Friday night and spent the weekend with hubs and kids taking it easy. Lots of sleeping while my body works to get back to normal after the process. It's been an emotional past few weeks and now we waiting to see if the transplant worked. I'm so proud and amazed by my brother for his strength and his positive outlook through all of this. I just hope this horrible thing called cancer never touches any of you or your loved ones!

So now it's time to get back into blogging. It might take me a little while to get back into the groove. :) I did get some reading done while I was gone and hope to post some reviews this week. It was freeing in a way to get away from the computer and the internet. But I will say I missed you guys so much! It still amazes me what strong friendships we create without ever meeting yet still feeling such a close bond.

10 comments:

  1. Oh, Leslie. I'm so glad that you were able to do the transplant! I will hope & pray that it's completely successful.

    You just hang out and get your strength back up and relax. What a perfect excuse to read!

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  2. Yay! I'm glad to hear everything went well! Hope it was a success and keeping your big brother in my thoughts!

    LOL, snow. Twenty years you haven't seen? You've been spoiled :)

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  3. WooHoo! Glad to hear things went well! Sounds like real draining experience though - both physically and emotionally! Here's to lots of time for relaxation and reading while you recoup......

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  4. Happy that all went well with the transplant and I'm hopeful that things go well for your brother's recovery. Wishing you all the best!

    Boy, how I miss snow and real winters! Cool that you got to see it while in Denver.

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  5. Leslie, get some rest and your strength back. It's good to know that everything went as expected, and you know that I'm hoping that everything turns gold for your brother! I'm keeping him and your family in my thoughts.

    It's lovely to have you back. We missed you.

    Snow? I love that picture. :)

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  6. Lori ~ Thanks! Ha - I'll take any excuse to read. Blew through 4 Kathryn Shay books - Wendy's blogger bundle no less. :)

    Nath ~ Thanks Nathie! Yeah, my SIL thought I was crazy when I stood outside and let it snow on me. LOL

    Wendy ~ Physically - some rough spots but nothing compared to what cancer patients go through. Emotionally - wiped out. The reading helped me take my mind off of it.

    Brie ~ I miss real winters too! I'd forgotten the quietness of falling snow.

    Hils ~ I missed you guys too!

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  7. Glad to hear that the transplant went well, and now that you can take some time to recover!

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  8. Leslie, please forgive me for only reading and commenting on this post now. xo

    I'm so SO happy to hear that everything with the transplant has gone well so far. I hope the news continues to be good and the transplant works completely!!! My eyes teared up when you wrote of how proud you are of your brother's strength and positive outlook. That IS wonderful. But SO ARE YOU! I am so proud and amazed of the role YOU have taken to help your brother fight this terrible disease... giving him your strength. Literally. You're awesome, Leslie. I'm proud to be your friend. xo

    Please keep us posted! Hoping for the best! :)

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  9. Marg ~ Thanks! It was such a relief to finally do it!

    Tracy ~ Thanks!

    Christine ~ Thank you so much for your kind words. They really mean a lot!

    And the snow was beautiful but a week later they were snowed in! That would have been too much for me. LOL

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