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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

+365 Days

One year ago today I received the stem cell transplant that saved my life.  Today is my first birthday, so to speak.  In a little more than a month I will have my 32nd birthday but today is truly special. I thought it would be interesting to look back at the blog post I wrote on April 6th of last year (caringbridge.org/visit/elizabethnaylor).  I've come a long way folks! 

On this day one year ago I was excited that I was able to get from the 3rd floor to the 7th floor library at NIH.  Today, I woke up, went out to a "birthday" breakfast with my husband and daughter, did the drop off at preschool, spent 30 minutes on the treadmill, took an hour long yoga class, picked up lunch, when to therapy, and that brings me to 1:00pm.  Take a look at last year's post...today is a great day!

"Tuesday, April 6, 2010 4:12 PM, EDT
Good afternoon Friends and Family,

I am sitting here in my lovely hospital room (spacious yet bland) waiting for my nurse to tell me its time to transplant.  Seemed like a good time to post.  Amanda was in all morning donating loads of wonderful stem cells and once they've been tested (for what I don't know) and counted they'll bring them to me on the third floor.  They then get hooked to my IV and we let gravity do the rest!  I just went to the library to get the latest people magazine so that I can catch up on the Sandra Bullock story while I become a bit more of my sister!  We learned the other day that there is a window of time here that I could go on a crime spree and any DNA evidence would send the police to Amanda Hamblin Joyce.  Apparently, for a little while I will appear genetically to be my sister.  Crazy!

So, for now I sit, well periodically I get up and check out my scalp in the mirror.  I've had some hair growth in the last week and think my dome is starting to resemble a very, very pale peach, with all of its glorious fuzz.  I kind of love it.

The last thing that I wanted to write about today was to make sure that everyone understood that I am not being isolated in a bubble for 100 days.  In fact, they hope to discharge me from the hospital in about 2 weeks.  And while I'm in the hospital I am allowed healthy visitors and I can even leave my room...a little while ago I went all the way to the 7th floor (my room is on the 3rd floor) to pick up the previously mentioned people magazine!  This transplant is serious business but it is also very different from transplants that many of us have heard about.

Love to all.  Keep the messages coming they always make us smile".

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