Today marks the one week anniversary of the bone marrow transplant! I’m so grateful to be at this point in the fight and recovery. Little by little I can see the progress Michelle is making.
Tender mercies come in all varieties. Yesterday was the day we all knew would come. Even though we’ve watched Shelly suffer through chemotherapy and be so sick, somehow it all became so much more real. At 12:45 pm yesterday, the sweetest nurse shaved Shelly’s quickly falling out hair off. The tender mercy was this. Michelle had just finished receiving a platelet transfusion and a hearty dose of Benadryl. So the event that could have been a little emotional was instead a nice groggy little slumber. Steve was quick to take lots of pictures, of which will never be posted for the public, but rather kept for a quiet memory for Michelle to view later. I stated in an earlier post, “bald is beautiful.” And that, my sister is, BEAUTIFUL.
Following the hair cut, I helped Shelly get showered. She completely woke up with the water on her back. Shelly touched her hair and said "huh, so this is what you do while I'm sleeping." Her sense of humor continued to be evident while placing the soft cap on her head:
"Robyn, be careful."
I replied, "why Shell. Is your head sensitive?"
"No, your messing up my hair."
I love this sister of mine! She is wonderful and continues to keep me laughing!
Her WBC continues to decline. This IS a good thing. We want them to crop to 0. Once it reaches 0 the bone marrow transplant will go in and do its thing and graph, and begin rebuilding those white blood cells. A few more sores have developed down her throat and of course the sores in her mouth are still there. All this will go away when the WBC begins to climb again. Today she received a red blood cell transfusion. This will help her perk up a bit. In fact, her appetite might be returning. Let’s cross our fingers.
9 comments:
Bald is your warrior look, Michelle. it is indeed beautiful as your sister has magnificently described. You won't have this warrior look for long in the context of your very long life, so document it, admire it, and celebrate it. It is the symbol of your fight, a fight that you will win. In the meantime, it seems appropriate to share with you a white blood cell song that Andi's brother David wrote for me on my day +13. Listen and laugh. It has the mysterious power of helping grow those precious, precious infection fighting cells.
http://www.box.com/shared/z9t2gha25x
Its back to rebirth all over again i believe u had very little hair when u were born could be mistaken. so we start all over again and you were pretty then and now.
Michelle - We're praying for you here in North Carolina. Keep fighting!
Chris and Elizabeth
Michelle you are so funny! Good job for keeping a smile on your face. Wish I was there to joke around with you!
Here's some sunshine from California...wish I were there too...I could joke and cry with you at the same time...
I am so grateful Robin keeps this blog for you...there are so many people who LOVE YOU and want to know how things are going...just imagine how sore your ears would be, if we all called each day, and how many times you would have to repeat the same story. Thanks for technology! Just want you to know that I am thinking about you, love you and so impressed with your fighting spirit. You are doing your part VERY WELL. I love your sweet smile under your little hat, maybe you will have red curly hair when it returns...that would be awesome!
Thanks for everyone's support. I do read all the comments and they usually keep in tears. I do love you all and I'm fighting the best I can. Robyn is doing a fabulous job keeping up the sight THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Michelle
You look beautiful as always!! Love you!!!
Look at what an exquisitely beautiful woman you are – both on the outside and In. You have the strength of a bazillion (Yes – that’s a number!) people behind you, pushing and pulling you along. We all know you can do this! We love you tons!! If you don’t have enough tears, a good time fulfiller is always mormon.org/videos. There are so many testimonies from the Apostles to remind us of the love that our Heavenly Father has for us, and they always help me to find the strength I need to fight the daily battles. Again – we love you tons!!
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