March 9,2005 - Happy 5 Years!
Hard to believe, but it was 5 years ago today that Dave had his transplant. In fact, as I write this at 10:35, the transfusion was underway and he was receiving Jon's cells. It's been an amazing journey. I remember saying when we went into it that we'd be different people on the other side of it. I didn't know who we'd be -- for who knew what to expect? But I believe we are all better and stronger people -- us and you -- for the things we've learned along the way. Our lives are richer and fuller.
One of our favorite sayings is "Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, do what you want to do, because you only have one life, and one chance to do all the things you want to do." We are, indeed, dreaming and going and doing. For we only have one chance...
So, with that in mind, here's a word from Dave:
It was 5 years ago today that I received Jon's bone marrow -- giving me these past 1,826 days of a fulfilling life. We celebrated by attending the Cancer Society's Relay for Life kickoff and then had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Shelburne. They put a candle in our dessert and the wait staff sang happy birthday. We didn't tell them I'm only 5.
I celebrated earlier in the day by buying cupcakes and giving them to the folks at the pharmacy where I have become a "frequent flyer" over the past 5 years. I told the woman at the cash register that today was the 5-year anniversary of my transplant, and because they had been so nice to me, I wanted to share some "birthday cake" to celebrate. Everyone there was thrilled. I gave out more cupcakes at the Survivorship task force meeting that I chair for the Vermont Cancer Coalition. Lots of little celebrations on this big day.
We're in the middle of our six-month cycle of visits to Dana Farber, so no clinical news to report. We're both doing well and looking forward to the end of winter. To celebrate 5 years, I've left my full-time job at the tv station to do freelance television work and devote more time to volunteering at the oncology clinic at our hospital, as a Patient Advocate for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and for the Vermont office of the American Cancer Society. It has proven to be very fulfilling to be able to give back to organizations whose mission it is to cure cancer.
As many of you know, Allison will be participating in her first marathon here in Burlington on Memorial Day Weekend and is raising money for the LLS. We're both working hard and doing our part to find a cure and improve the quality of life for cancer survivors and their families. We'll have lots more celebrations throughout the year, and we hope you'll find ways to celebrate the little, and big, things in life.
Be well. Allison and Dave