The River

Sitting on the deck in the dark with an Elmer T. Lee bourbon in hand. Cicadas and crickets competing for attention. The sounds of the Shenandoah River rapids at the bottom of our property. Lightening and thunder rumbling over the mountain, dogs barking in the distance, faint sounds of jets in the night sky, the wind rustling through the tall pine trees. Bright stars forming in the night under the light of the first quarter moon. We hope to be awake long enough to watch the Perseid meteor showers.








Boo is happy, a little older, a little slower, a little lumpier, a lot more gray.


We are far from New York City, trying to feel normal again, trying to push the fear aside and get on with life.

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Home Sweet Home

Getting out of New York was not easy. We rented a car from Hoboken, New Jersey. First we took a cab to the ferry terminal and then took the ferry across the Hudson River to New Jersey. Once we were in the car we had to come back to Manhattan and pick up our belongings. It took 40 minutes to drive the 5 miles back to the Hope Lodge. Jim circled around while I ran back in carrying our luggage, cooler and other belongings back down to the curb. The only other way was for me to circle around and I refuse to drive in the city. We made it and were off by 12:30. It was an incredible feeling to be leaving New York. We did not care if it took us 5 hours or 10 hours to get home. We were going home!
When we arrived home our yard looked terrific. There were flowers planted all around and even in containers in the back. There were balloons and ribbons and two big sign with friends and family signatures welcoming us home. We walked in the house and it was so nice to be home. Everything was clean and straightened. Sara had stocked the refrigerator with essentials and Laura brought over fresh eggs from her chickens.

After emptying the rental van we drove to the Stone's to get Boo. He remembered us and appeared excited to see us. He definitely has aged and has more grey hairs. We have aged too. We visited with Jane and John for a while and Sara and Richard came over bringing grilled chicken and rice. That night Boo slept in our room. He still has all his old habits, including his bad gas. Jim has to wash his hands well every time he pets Boo but it is so good to be reunited.

Last Night in the City

One last trip back to the hospital this morning for blood work and to meet with Shani. One of Jim's kidney values was elevated because of the Bactrum they put him on but the doctors feel confident it will slowly come down on its own. It is important for him to drink lots of water which will help flush it out. We said goodbye to Shani once more then went up to the transplant floor to leave cards for two of Jim's favorite nurses. Unfortunately they were off today. After leaving the hospital we stopped briefly in the Catholic Church where I used to sit when Jim was in the hospital. Such a beautiful church.

Our next stop was Dr. Howitz's office. We had gifts for him and Peggy, his nurse practitioner. Once again neither was in today. Darn...we really wanted to see Dr. H. We left the presents behind and started to walk back to the Lodge. The sun was out and the temperature was in the mid 70's. We passed a lot of restaurants on our way back. They all have little tables set up outside even when the view is not palatable. There was a sign out front one of the restaurants that caught my eye.

In the afternoon I spent the time packing. We have accumulated a lot of "stuff" over the last 7 months. We are so glad to be leaving. The last couple of days someone very close to our room keeps spraying lysol. The smell wafts into our room and it is very offensive for Jim and me. Our eyes burn and personally I can't stand the smell. I even have a towel rolled up at the bottom of the door but it doesn't seem to help.

Tonight we said bye to some of the couples we have gotten to know over the last few months. We exchanged numbers and emails and hope to stay in touch. Time will tell. It is still hard to believe we are going home. Tomorrow it will be challenging to pick up the rental car from New Jersey, drive it back to the Lodge and hurry to put all of our belongings inside. There is no place to park out front so Jim will have to drive around until I manage to get all the luggage downstairs. He wanted me to stay with the car but that is not happening. I could never drive around here. It is just too crazy.

And the Verdict Is?

We did not sleep well last night. We were so anxious to get the PetScan results. Jim got up by 6:00 am even though the shuttle didn't leave until 7:30. First things first Jim had a pulmonary function test. His test results were better than the one he had pre-transplant. Next we went to Suite 4 for lab work and vitals. They took 7 vials of blood. Lastly we went into Suite 2 and waited for Dr. Sauter to talk to us. Shani came in first. She had a slight worried look on her face. Jim and I must have looked like two deer in the headlights because she asked softly how we were doing. What she meant was how was he feeling from a sinus infection stand point. We told her we were worried about the PET and then she nonchalantly said Oh it was fine except for the sinus area lighting up.

WHAT...just like that! The PetScan shows no sign of disease. This is one of many PetScans Jim will have over the next 2 years to monitor his condition but what a way to start! We now can return home on Thursday. There are many problems that can still arise but we will continue to take life one day at a time.

Before we left we gave Dr. Sauter and Shani presents and took a few pictures. Jim will see a colleague of Dr. Sauter's in two weeks at Georgetown Hospital and will return for a follow up at MSK on September 16th.

This captures us nervously waiting for the PetScan results and then Jim with his awesome transplant doctor and Shani.

Thank you everyone for the prayers and good thoughts. God is good.

Hudson Calling

Today we went for a walk. We had to get out of the room and get some exercise. We walked to the High Line and went the opposite way of our normal route. We ended up walking along the Hudson River and found Hudson River Park. It was overcast and the temperatures were in the mid 70's. Nice weather for August 1st. Hudson River Park is the longest waterfront park in the United States. It has transformed four miles of decaying piers and parking lots along Manhattan's West side into beautiful, urban recreational areas. We passed playgrounds, benches overlooking the water, a carousal, a skateboard area and much more. Neither one of us could believe we never walked down far enough before to discover it. We only touched upon a small area of the Park. The Chelsea Pier was interesting. They have bowling, rock climbing, batting cages, restaurants, sailboat lessons and more. We walked 4.5 miles total before arriving back to the Hope Lodge.

I am becoming obsessed with watching the drug dealing homeless ring outside the window. Sadly tonight I saw a child hanging out with the crowd. She must be about 4 years old and it is very disturbing. I really should pack up my binoculars so I don't keep going to the window to watch them.

Jim and I have presents packed and ready to give to Dr. Sauter and Shani in the morning. We hope to hear only good news when they go over the results of the PetScan. It is anxiety producing to wait for the results but it is part of the process. I have a good feeling about it and we will know soon enough.