Round Three
August 23, 2023. This was my one-year mark. One year since I had a stem cell transplant. One year since my sister saved my life by helping me beat cancer once and for all.
Admittedly, this one was harder to write. Being diagnosed with cancer three times is just not fun. It came with a whole lot more risk, restrictions, and sacrifices. For one year. Thankfully, my wonderful transplant team warned me of this early on in my treatment. I was diagnosed a third time in May 2022, this time with a large (for me) tumor in my abdomen. It was pushing against my stomach making eating and drinking anything difficult. If you haven’t guessed it yet, it was Hodgkins Lymphoma. Again. The third time is scary. The third time is when you wonder what does this really want from me?
I had one summer of “living” aka doing all of the things that my heart and body would not be able to do until late 2023. Riding horses for the first time consistently, wake surfing with a small child who doubled as my hype man, going to rodeos, all of the things. We had a going-away party for me this time as my mom and I were going to be spending at least three months in Omaha. We prepped for the allo stem cell transplant we knew was coming.
What’s the difference between my first stem cell transplant and my second? The first time I was able to use my own cells. This time, I had to have a donor. Thankfully, both of my siblings were willing to get tested to find out if we matched as they were my best chance at best case scenario. There were several other people who volunteered to get tested for me or volunteer to donate in general to other patients like me. Lucky for me, my sister was a 10/10 match. So we proceed to the medical stuff.
The process was very similar to what I had already experienced, except it took a lot longer to start feeling like a person again. I am so incredibly thankful for the previous summer I was blessed with because it made me strong, physically and mentally. Truly, this helped me through the treatments, transplant, and recovery. But to lose that physical strength was like losing a limb. The level of weakness my body went to shocked me again. I was so thankful for the visitors that came to spend time with me both in the hospital and out, even if it took me a month or two to actually be able to participate in a conversation! We got there eventually. My care team at UNMC was the best. The nurses on my floor were outstanding and continue to set the bar high for medical professionals everywhere. But I was ready for jail break.
After being discharged from the hospital, we had a short stint in a hotel, then we were incredibly blessed to stay in a home of a family friend. There are so many people that I could say helped save my life, and I think this couple may be right at the top. Talk about the sweetest, kindest, most generous people we have ever met. They allowed my mom and I to stay as well as visitors. The family welcomed us into theirs for holidays, allowed us to decorate their home for fall and Christmas, play with their grandchildren, and just live comfortably. There are not words on Earth to describe my gratitude toward them. They not only helped in my recovery physically and mentally, but also spiritually. These people were blessed and taught me so much more about life. I will thank them for ages.
At the house mom and I did a lot of things to keep me active. Namely, shopping. Not the kind where you blow loads of money in one trip. No this was window shopping. Not in any hurry whatsoever, just taking our time and experiencing small shops of Omaha. Oh and Trader Joe’s. I was even approved to go to the Henry Doorley Zoo! Now, I did get stuck by the seals. Thank goodness for friends who sat with me while we waited for the wheelchair.
I made it back home for Christmas and took caution of my restrictions, no church, no big gatherings, no playing in the dirt, playing with other animals, or going to the river. Admittedly, I followed a few of these better than others… but I was at least honest with my transplant team!
Looking back, I know I am purposefully forgetting the incredibly hard parts. To be honest, I don’t know if I am ready to acknowledge them yet. Or ever. But right now, I want to look back and see how I not only survived this first year, but lived it. So no matter how many times my case nurse shook her head in disappointment or face palmed because of my shenanigans, I think this one year was one of the biggest learning curves I have had in life yet. I will be thanking God for it every day of my life.
Love, Haley.