Today was Thanksgiving. I love the idea of our friends and family all around the country gathered together with their friends and families to eat, drink, laugh, and give & share gratitude. I hope it was a wonderful day for you!
While we spent this Thanksgiving in the hospital, we are very grateful that our family joined forces and jumped through hoops to make our Thanksgiving happen last Saturday so that Danny and I didn’t have to miss out. Missing out on pumpkin pie was simply NOT an option for Danny! To Donna & Mike Watson (mom & dad), Helen Handler (mom), Clint & PJ Watson (brother & sister-in-law), and Irv Hilf (Danny’s uncle), THANK YOU for a very special early Thanksgiving!
I believe that gratitude is an essential part of a happy life. I also believe that gratitude is an essential part of healing. This can sometimes be hard to remember when nothing seems to be going your way. So, in the spirit of gratitude, I’d like to take a moment to share with you some of the things that Danny and I are thankful for during our first four days in the hospital…
- The nurses and technicians who work around the clock to keep Danny comfortable. Their compassion is bottomless. (Also, we’ve got some really playful and funny nurses who make the hospital seem much less depressing!)
- The doctors who quickly assess and adapt to things as they pop up to make sure that Danny gets the absolute best treatment possible.
- The cafeteria workers who made a wonderful Thanksgiving meal for staff, patients, and patients’ loved ones today.
- The people who donate blood. What an amazing gift to receive blood from a complete stranger! Imagine that… it doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican… a Dallas Cowboys or NY Giants fan… gay or straight… blood is blood (as long as it’s the right type!), and people all over the world are saving lives and being saved, potentially, by their sworn enemies! (That might be a post for another day!)
- Our friends and family who have given an unimaginable amount of support in the form of meals, gifts, prayers, and words of encouragement. Thank you! We are so grateful for you.
I know you’re all wondering how Danny is doing. Overall, he is doing well. He is on his third day of chemo, and has so far managed to avoid most of the horrible side effects. His chemo is administered for seven days in a row, 24 hours a day. He has received three blood transfusions so far. This is an expected part of the treatment as the chemotherapy destroys the “bad” blood cells, which can in turn lower hemogloblin (that really important protein in our blood that carries oxygen to organs and tissue). The transfusions help to replenish his hemoglobin.
We had a bit of setback on Wednesday night that resulted in us being moved to the IMC (Intermediate Care) floor so that Danny could be monitored more carefully. But Danny quickly bounced back, and we should be back on the oncology floor by this Friday.
I will continue to share updates as I can. In the meantime, Danny and I want you to know that we are beyond grateful for your love, support, encouragement, and prayers. Keep them coming!
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