As September was wrapping up, my doctor at MD Anderson, Dr. Popat, said that I was doing so well that I could head home before I reached +100 days after transplant.  So, he set me up to remove my central line, meet with the survivorship team (thoroughly reviewing all the risks and symptoms of graft vs host disease), get my necessary lab work, and undergo my bone marrow biopsy by the time I reached +80 days.  I was obviously ecstatic at the prospect of being home with my family so soon but will admit to initially having some anxiety about leaving the comfort zone at Halo House and the proximity to MD Anderson. Nonetheless, as I progressed through the last week in Houston and was reassured about my progress and prognosis, my anxiety was steady relieved and replaced with the overwhelming joy of being home!  

I completed my bone marrow biopsy on 28 September and my sister, Laurin, and I hit the road the next day!  In addition to all the medical appointments leading up to this, it was a tremendously busy week as we sorted and packed my stuff, donated things to Halo House for others to use, and shared some extra food with friends.  Several dear friends had get togethers and it was delightful to be able to share our time together and celebrate the turning of this page.  I remain incredibly inspired by so many people I have met along this journey.  What a true pleasure it was to be surrounded by my heroes and friends at this time!! 

The trip from Houston to home took us two days and fortunately went smoothly.  Exhausted after finalizing our packing in the morning and making the longer of our two legs of the journey, I collapsed in the hotel bed in Montgomery, AL after our first day of travel.  The second day went much smoother and we arrived Saturday night to an overjoyed bunch of kids and my glowing wife!!  As I walked into my house for the first time it felt like I had been away for ages.  It was surreal, but the joy and love overwhelmed it all with laughter and wonderfully happy tears!! 

Since I’ve been home I’ve appreciated that my energy level has improved.  My morning walks in Houston were wonderful but the energy required for the remainder of the day was limited.  Coming home to a busy house full of energetic kids found me fatigued in the afternoons—I hadn’t trained for the sustained continuous energy.  I appreciated so much more the steady and constant pace our family sustains and deeply appreciate how steadfast Susan had carried this, day in and day out, for months.  She is a loving mom, strong and resilient, and is the love of my life!!  

I’ve now been plugged into the MUSC bone marrow transplant team as my local docs who will continue to follow my progress closely.  Labs continue to be relatively stable with my hemoglobin bouncing around 11-12, platelets between 50-60 thousand and WBC (white count) still hovering in the 2-2.5 range.  I’m anxiously waiting for continued progress on these numbers but understand from my doctors that I need to be patient as it will likely improve more but will take some time.  Until I reach the 6 month mark (January 2024) I cannot receive any vaccines.  Until then I am like a newborn without any vaccines, and require some cautious restrictions in my activities.  So far this hasn’t been too much of a challenge as I’ve been able to start some remote working to keep my mind sharp and I’ve relished in the joy of being home with family as I continue to get stronger.  

Finally, I’d like to give an update on the blood drive.  We successfully reached 21 units of blood donated over the last 100 days. What an incredible response from so many and my hat’s off to those who donated multiple times!! Truly amazing!!  Blood donations kept me alive and can help so many others—you can literally save a life.  Please consider donating and/or encourage others to go or even join you.  There are many ways to donate but redcrossblood.org can help you find the closest Red Cross blood drive.  

I have now reached 105 days after transplant and continue to feel so incredibly blessed!!  Thank you all for continued prayers, love, encouragement and support!  Your messages, notes, phone calls and texts have help boost me through tough days, elevating my spirit and helping me keep my chin up and eyes forward.  God bless each of you!!