December 10, 2010

Nice and Normal

I know that tandem stem cell transplants and chemotherapy have saved my life... and I feel so blessed to live in a time when good medical treatments are available for this disease. I would most likely not be alive today without them. These medical advancements have ridden my body of any visible signs of myeloma, but they have also left much peripheral damage. A weakened body and immune system, some neuropathy, and the various side effects I have had to deal with............But what I really am trying to say is that..............

One of the miracles in this crazy life I have endured through all of this is to see and feel my body (as well as my mind and spirit) begin to heal. Isn’t it amazing and wonderful how the human body functions? How our bodies are generating new growth every minute? How my body can grow stronger everyday?

After over two years of transplants, transfusions, and treatments, I have finally begun to feel normal!!! I am getting some energy! I am going days without pain! I can wake up in the morning and have a normal day!! Cancer does not weigh on my mind every waking minute.

I can clean my house, play with my precious grandaughter, do laundry, run errands, and fix dinner all in the same day!!

I have always been thankful for the big, exciting, and eventful days. Those days to capture in pictures and scrapbooks... Graduations and weddings. Birthdays and the birth day of my Grandchild. I am so grateful for those. They have kept me going. They have given me steps and goals and notes on my calendar to look forward to.

And now my “life tutor”--cancer has taught me to appreciate the normal, ordinary days that build me and shape me and bless me.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

A friend said last year when I asked him about his Christmas and whilst telling me the ins and outs said that in the scheme of things they must seen pretty insignificant. But I think it teaches you that the little everyday things are the important ones!

And I see you got a blogging award - Congratulations! :D

And I'd be more than happy to teach you to crochet - maybe one day! :D

And I keep meaning to say you must show us the sock dolls sometime - no pressure though!

Lori Puente said...

Aww Kris, this post warms my heart. I'm going to direct my readers. You are an inspiration - Thank you!

Unknown said...

Great post! Cassie and I keep saying that we desire 2011 to be a year of normalcy! Thanks for the encouragement :) -Phil

Sandy said...

I intend that you have more "nice and normal" days now and far into the future so that grandchild gets to know you and vice versa!

Lindsay said...

Hi Kristine and thanks for commenting my blog! My grandpa had MM and suffered from excruciating pain in his legs. I am so happy and thankful that you are enjoying life again. Sometimes its easy to forget what life was like pain free...I hope you continue to have better and better days.

Lindsay

Juli said...

Now I see why you connected with my blog, because I find myself connecting with yours in the same way. I 'get' what you mean about the magic of your body's ability to recover. Keep going, because your body will continue to get better, and you'll think less and less about cancer the further out you get. at four and a half years, I am so much better off than I could have imagined at two. Congratulations for making it this far :)
Hope, Love, Run,
Marathon Girl

Pat and Pattie Killingsworth said...

Kris-
I didn't realize you had tandem transplants, too. You have been through a lot the last two years!

Glad things are going better for you now... I hope 2011 is a great year now that you have adjusted to your "new normal." Good luck! Pat

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