Today is Sat. May 30th

Coming down to the wire for the temporary move across the street to Alan's... we're so very lucky to have such loving family...

Tracy developed an infection in his right hand... woke up with intense pain yesterday and I was alarmed  and then, the Doc called to say they had called in an orthopedic surgeon to check it out... the doc said "no surgery... we're treating with antibiotics"... our poor T is in such pain...  they gave him one pain killer that caused nausea and then, morphine and he still was in pain.

Please surround him with love and healing energy...


I'm exhausted but coming down the home stretch of packing.  I've never had to pack an entire house by myself... it sucks... and this is just the surface stuff...

Transplant time

If

Life

If for some insane reason, you don't see the video on your iPad (  it's not loading on iPads) go to Toni McAvoy Ziegler's Facebook page (Tracy's sis & donor & our hero ).

Today is Tuesday, May 27th

Bone Marrow Transplant today!!!  Start time 12:30-1 and Toni will be there with Tracy to see it through.  I feel like I'm in suspended animation.... this is the twilight and then, today will be a new birthday for our Tracy.

Prayers, white light streaming, healing energy and lots of love surround our T and Toni...

Keep it coming, please....

Today is Monday, Memorial Day, May 26th

It's also 18 years ago today Mom left us... I feel her everywhere today as I am teary eyed...

T is feeling punky due to the sloughing off of dead cells as the Drs remark he's progressing nicely...

I was able to visit with Toni & Sonny as Toni endured the harvesting of T's salvation... Toni is very brave and our angel giving life to our T.  We are so very blessed and thankful...

Sonny & Toni

Toni, our Angel

Tomorrow is the big day - Transplant - the beginning of his new life due to Sis's life giving immune system...  Toni came by after the harvest.

Tracy & Toni after the harvest

I was able to spend a few hours with T this afternoon and even cuddled after everyone left.

Cuddling

Tracy's motto is one we could all live by:

"  Keep a smile on your face

    and a smile in your heart

    Don't be an ASSHOLE !!!"

That's all she wrote....

Happy Memorial Day !!!!

Today is Saturday, May 24th

I've spent most of the week packing or working and thinking about the unfolding of our lives...

Today, after I walked our Riley on the beach... what a reward!!!...& ate some breakfast;  I gathered up a couple New Yorkers, a book from Alan and Toni's port; made a huge contribution to Goodwill; stopped to see a couple houses for clients and the excitement started to mount... winding through the hills obviously headed in the opposite direction of most holiday travelers and yet I was soooo looking forward to seeing my honey...

The most wonderful thing happened once I actually was approaching the BMT area... there were Drs Rezvani and Matt with huge smiles on their faces.... was it the lunches they were carrying? ... I asked how the patient was and their response was " everybody loves Tracy!!!"  Our boy's doing well... holding his own and I'm so very thankful...  scrubbed his back while he showered... missing his presence.... he still has his hair!!!!

Toni & Sonny visiting T today

T, our man of the hour

Spoke to T a little while ago and he was feeling kind of punky... keep that white light streaming please...

Today is D Day, Monday the 19th of May

Tracy has started the voyage back to health...  Stanford admittance to the Blood and Marrow Transplant unit where he entered the next stage of our odyssey.  We were welcomed by Dr. Rezvani and Matt Frank and his gorgeous nurse, Katy.

1st day of chemo and T is anxious to get started...  I'm home now... feeling kinda blue... very tough to leave T there for another bout but he's got the fortitude and the courage to make it through.  He's down to 215 lbs and supposedly he's lost 3/4 inches?  His height today was 6'3.25"...

More later...

Sunday in the sun...Tracy & Riley 

T packed & ready to go as Riley looks on

Katy getting T's labs

Today is Wednesday, May 14th

We have great news!!!  Toni is well and has tickets in hand!!!!  Yahoo!!!!  Big Sis will be here next week to save the day!!! and our T...

Deep breath.... I've been very stressed out over all the details and trying to work too...  Life is what you do everyday...

We took a long walk on the beach this morning.  Lots of dolphins chasing each other and lots of seals... flipping and surfing and munching through the food trough so close to shore...  Tracy saw several whales last week... the marine life has just been astounding!!!  So warm too...

So, we'll go to Stanford on Fri. for a check up on T's leg and labs and the final meet with the BMT Doc.  Then,  Mon. morning T will be admitted.  The process of cleaning out his bone marrow will commence.  T will be given chemo for 5 days, then a break for 3 days and then, the TRANSPLANT!!!

T will remain in the hospital for approx. 3 more weeks until his blood counts recover.  Then, Palo Alto here we come...

That's all for now...

Today is Cinco de Mayo

I've been having a melt down... ok I admit it.  How much can a person take?  Well, today after unloading on several friends over the last few days as I became an agoraphobic... unable or willing to leave our home or Riley....  I'm back tonight.  I wandered over to Jim & Linda's this evening with a  Pete Lacey CD... so beautiful and ended up sharing dinner, a little dancing and loving conversation with our family...

T is coming home tomorrow!!!!   I must say after speaking with T twice this evening and actually meeting via Facetime, his first ever roommate... who just happens to be a BMT recipient within his first month of transplant - actually BMT was on the 17th with an unrelated donor from Germany - we're sooooo encouraged!!!!!  WE CAN DO THIS!!!!!  

Tomorrow we will meet our hosts for the summer after picking up the love of my life from Stanford...

Now I hope our sis, Toni, gets better!!!  Toni has had a hard time with the complications of asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia... good news?  Toni has given up smoking!!!  Yahoo!  Let's hope the inspiration of the gift of life helps Toni recover quickly.  We're gonna sign a lease agreement on a Palo Alto home tomorrow.  Please send white hot streaming healing  to our sis, Toni.... it's working for our T!!!

BTW:   Did anyone see 60 Minutes last night?  Major reprieve!!!   Cocktail every day?  yes sir! Carry a little extra weight?  No problem!!!  you want to live to a ripe old age?  Laugh a lot and enjoy yourself!!!

Carpe diem!!!

Today is Friday, May 2nd

The latest:  T's leg had been very swollen and black & blue... T was in a lot of pain.... in his defense, he was putting off dealing with it 'cause he was 'sposed to be admitted on Wed. last.  Well, yesterday it all caught up with my stubborn strong, lately very sedentary man.  With his faithful sidekick, Riley in his blue bomber T went to Dr. Wu's (his local Oncologist) to have his PIC line dressing changed ... Kellye, Dr. Wu's nurse practitioner, took one look at his leg & served him the riot act... then, she called me. T needed IV antibiotics and probably lancing of the wound.  She said Dominican was an option, albeit a bad one ( cause they don't typically treat patients like T ) but Stanford was the solution.  We quickly mobilized but nothing is ever easy.  Wile I awaited T's return, I cancelled our apts for today and rental pick ups, and made tuna fish on toasted bagel for us.  Kellye had called Dr. Rezvani, BMT Doc and I called Michelle, the BMT coordinator.  Michelle said Rezvani was gone for the day ( it was almost 5:00) and Dr. Liedtke didn't want to take responsibility for admitting him.  Well, I wasn't having that.  "Did it make sense to have BMT candidate, neutrapenic T, battling an infection in an emergency room?"  I said Dr. Liedtke didn't have a history with T but Bruno did and not to take no for an answer.  She called me back with a yes from Liedtke BUT there weren't any beds available... to call admitting as we closed in on Stanford.... and then,  we received the best call ever:  Courtney, T's favorite nurse of all time who cared for T at the very beginning of this odyssey back in 2010 and many times since, called.  She said as soon as she heard T's name, she put his name on the board in place of a patient who was being discharged.  Then, she called to say "come on down to F Ground.  We've got your room."

That's all she wrote.  T's comfortable while they pump him full of antibiotics... they took a scan of his leg this morning and based on it, will decide next steps.  He's available on Facetime or at 650.498.3071.

He's not going anywhere soon and funny, neither am I....