Although a couple times this week, I was feeling like life would never get back to normal, this week has proved to be a good one.  Early in the week, Jennifer was having problems with nose bleeds. This caused her to stay an additional day at the hospital.  But thankfully on Wednesday, May 10, she finally was able to leave.  If you subtract the two days she was able to leave but returned in less than 24 hours, her stay was one day shy of seven weeks.  Through that, she had radiation, chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, pneumonia, blood clot in the lung,  and a sodium drop that caused her to become delirious.  It felt like we were never ever going to get ahead of the game.  But we did.

We learned this week, that Jennifer is 100% donor cells now.  This means as her bone marrow grows stronger, her chances of the leukemia returning diminish. And although it appears Jennifer has a little Graft Verses Host Disease developing, they tell us a little means the body sees the new marrow and that is a good thing.  Jennifer’s GVHD is in the form of a rash on the wrist and arms.  Currently they are treating with a steroid creme but if it gets worse, they will start a oral steroid.

So if leaving the hospital and learning she was 100% donor cells wasn’t enough to make us smile, today we learned another goal  is right around the corner. When we were at the clinic, her Nurse Practitioner Jon told us that we are most likely going to be able to return Homestead North (Randy has started calling  our home here, Homestead South) by the end of this month. Yes most likely before June starts. I have always said of all the seasons of the year, there is one season that is my favorite and I am not going to miss it!  I am not going to miss……wait for it….STRAWBERRY SEASON!

Jennifer’s counts today had improved so there was no need for transfusions.  She has had tremors (which comes from the meds for the GVHD) most of the day, but she did manage to walk the long hallway here.

I also this week was able to do something I haven’t been able to do since Jennifer has gotten sick. Yesterday, I attended and photographed my 27th birth.  Happy to say mommy and baby, Kinsley Ann, are doing well.

Our journey has a long way to go, but at this six month mark, as of yesterday, it feels this journey is going to slow down and become more like a life we use to know.  Many lessons have taken place through out the last six months that we will take with us forever.  But the biggest things we have learned, is that our daughter, sister, granddaughter, and friend, Jennifer is strong physically and spiritually.  And we are so blessed to have her with us today. Cancer has not won.  And will not ever win.