Tuesday, November 1, 2011

My Husband is 1 in 9 Million

Double perfect rainbow on the way to Portland on Monday.

Monday afternoon we left for Portland.  How perfect that as we were driving we saw a double perfect rainbow.  What a great way to start of this amazing journey.  Monday evening we had a wonderful dinner with our new friends L & D.  It really did help relax Bear, it was great to just kibitz with everyone.


Tuesday morning we were up early and checked into the hospital by 6:30am.  I had a cup of lousy hotel room tea and I was cranky.  Bear of course was upbeat, smiling and not complaining at all.  I think I do enough bitching for the both of us.  Our wonderful nurse, Karen, from the American Red Cross arrived and explained the entire procedure.  She would stay with us throughout the day.  Bear had his carbo load breakfast and things began to get moving.  Machines were then wheeled in and Bear was prepped and ready.  I had to leave the room.  I don't do well with needles.

View from our hospital window

We had a gorgeous room and the view was great.  A perfect fall day.  The nurses of the oncology unit each stopped by to introduce themselves and to thank Bear for his incredible gift.  It was very touching and some had me a little choked up.  I guess with what they deal with everyday, to see someone give of their time to save a life, gives them something to grab onto in those dark times. 

Our incredible nurse Karen with Bear.

Once the needles were inserted Bear was unable to move his arms so I had to feed him.  It was rather cute.  At lunch time he didn't want his tomato and he said he was full, but I made the tjoo-tjoo noises and told him to open the tunnel for the train.  Yes, I was bored and had to entertain myself.  Bear had no option, but to lay there and appease the Princess.

In the above picture you can see the bag hanging above the machine.  The stem cells (orange) were starting to collect and it went great.  Bear lay there for 6 hours.  Karen was amazing.  We kept each other entertained while Bear tried to take a nap. We watched Planet Earth as there was a DVD player in the room.  As the stem cell collection was almost complete I decided to liven things up a little.  I was sitting on the Lazy Boy and removed my wedding band which promptly rolled into the crease of the chair and underneath.  There was no way for me to get my ring other then trying to push my hand down the side.  I did and pricked my finger on something sharp.  This then sent the nurses into a little panic.  Next thing four nurses are in the room, lazy boy recliner is upside down and they are shaking, kicking, bouncing on the chair to find my ring and the object that pricked me.  It really was comical and am so sorry I didn't get a picture.  Karen looked at Bear and said "I guess your wife was tired of you getting the attention."  Spent 7 hours with that lady and she already figured me out.  Ring fell out, and the object that pricked me was a staple.  So calm once again reigned over the room.  Until I got the DVD stuck in the player. Yes, I am a winner.

Relief

After being on the machine for six hours Bear was finally done. The courier arrived to take the stem cells to their destination and Bear was finally able to sit up.  The smile on his face just shows his relief at being able to move his arms.  We are home now and Bear is currently fast asleep.  He has a headache, but that was to be expected.  What an incredible day this has been.  Have you signed up yet?  Click on Be The Match and this will take you directly to the sign up page. 

One other thing.  There are 9 million on the registry.  We had a double rainbow on the way to Portland.  I am taking Bear to the store tomorrow to purchase a Lottery ticket. 



18 comments:

  1. I think you should buy a dozen!
    P.S. This is so cool.

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  2. Wow. Give Bear a hug and pat yourself on the back. You put on quite a show. ;)

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  3. I hope you win the lottery! I won't even be jealous. Bear is my idol.

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  4. He must have a huge heart to do that. At least the one in nine million, you estimated. Most likely more so.

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  5. @dbs ~ I think so too

    @ToddX ~ I will give Bear a hug when you let me rub your belly.

    @Mitchell ~ Then we can come visit and buy a villa!

    @Tamayn ~ Thank you.

    @Alex ~ he is without a doubt a keeper.

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  6. Such a great story. You guys are awesome. And glad you found your ring.

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  7. I'm glad things went so well! Tell Bear I think he's awesome!

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  8. What Meg said.

    Amazing and incredible.

    Your efforts in the hospital room sound like something out of a slapstick comedy.:)

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  9. The Duchess of Alba has a place just a few blocks away. Maybe she'll tire of it. We will probably run out of money soon and can then move in with you! Please win!

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  10. Thank you for sharing your story! When you help spread the word about the Be The Match mission and the need for donors, you are helping to make life-saving transplants a reality for more patients.

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  11. Wow Lidia that is a great story and a fun read. Your hubby is definitely one of the best of the best. I'm glad you got your ring back (wondering why you took it off, but never mind.) Very very cool thing he did. I'm sure your encouragement meant a lot to him. You guys make a great team!

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  12. Bear and you are incredible and I suspect you are both a rare and wonderful new breed. At least, I hope so as it makes the future rather bright.

    Oh, and the next time I have to go to a hospital, can I take you with me? They are so incredibly dull and you appear to come armed with the potential for excitement.

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  13. @Mrs Small ~ The finding of the ring was akin to a black and white silent comedy... quite funny

    @Megs ~ xox thanks for always supporting us

    @Ants ~ I do put on quite the comedy routine

    @Renee ~ Thank you my friend

    @Mitch ~ As long as there are no paintings of her... she is quite scary looking

    @Be The Match ~ the work you do is incredible. Thank you

    @Nan ~ I had just washed my hands and underneath my rings were still wet, so I removed them to dry them.

    @Nari ~ I would welcome the chance to make you laugh more often... xox

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  14. What a marvelous man! What a marvelous gift! This kind of wonderful generosity chokes me up!

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  15. I've loved this story. Every word.

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  16. Great story. The stats might say he's 1 in 9 million but I bet he's so much more than that to you x.

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