Caregiving Is Over For Now

On July 3, 2008 my husband entered Northwestern Memorial Hospital to begin a stem cell transplant. After receiving chemo for six days his own cancer-free stem cells were transfused into his blood stream. God directed the stem cells back to the bone marrow where they began to make new cells. This process usually takes 7-21 days. My husband's stem cells took 30 days. We had some anxious moments, days, and weeks as we anticipated the daily blood count reports. My husband had no immune system for almost the entire 30 days. He overcame what the doctors called pneumonia. We give God the glory for this. This could have been fatal, but it quickly disappeared. My husband was able to walk just about all of the 37 days he was hospitalized. It really was quite amazing. God is quite AMAZING.

Forty-eight days have passed since the stem cells have been transfused into my husband. His blood counts are much better now, but not normal yet. He is down to doctor check-ups every 2 weeks now and blood draws only once a week. As far as being his caregiver, well that is over for now and I hope it will not be necessary ever again. Of course, it is a joy to care for my best friend, but it is much better to live a life that is somewhat "normal".

In future posts I plan to share with you the peace that God gave me in the midst of the storm. I never want to forget how God carried our family through this storm of life. Comforting others in such storms will be my goal from now on.