Day +25

Priceless Moment 💙

Surprising my girl 💕

Hello!  Rhonda Dixon reporting from MY couch here.  I have to apologize because I forget not everyone is on Facebook and may not even know I'M HOME!!!!  For a whole week already.  It was a pretty neat day...  with 13 days to spare from my goal!

Last Monday, when the team walked in, and saw I was a whole new person for the second day in a row and my counts nearly doubled from the day before, they confirmed I could go home the following day.  It was a very strange and surreal feeling.  I had spent 26 days with the most fabulous staff of nurses, techs and doctors.  I mean, who else knows everything about you from your kids and family, what you last ate, your pain level, to the time of your last bowel movement and texture of it.  LOL!  I went for a late night walk Monday evening to say goodbye to the night shift.  I could hardly sleep that night (not that I slept soundly during any of the stay).  The team walked in about 9:15 Tuesday morning, did their assessment and asked what time I'd like to get out of there.  I glanced up at the clock and saw it was 9:35.  That's when I smiled and replied, "9:36?"  They laughed and said, "Let's shoot for noon.  We will go ahead and release everything and get the discharge process going."  Boom.

I was on a mission.  I was determined to get home in time to surprise Blake off the bus.

My door became a revolving door of in and out.  So many people to give me their at home instructions.  As Jason said, "I come with quite the instruction manual right now."  Some do's, mostly don't's.  As I've said before coming home was really just the next baby step in this process.  Dad arrived, I got unhooked from a last minute magnesium infusion, snapped a few more pics in the penthouse and got outta there.  Chicago traffic wasn't really on our side getting out of the city, but, I REALLY wanted a Firehouse Sub.  Jason placed our order from his phone, we grabbed the order, ate on the way home and pulled up to the bus stop with about 2 minutes to spare.

Mom and Kendall were just walking up when I got out of the car.  "Grandma, that looks like your car!"  I started walking towards her and when she finally realized who I was she ran into my arms!!  We were all gathered at the bus stop when the bus pulled up.  Blake got to the door and it didn't take long at all for him to realize what was going on.  He came off that bus with the biggest, sweetest smile and ran right into my arms.  His emotions got the best of him... and me.  Such an unforgettable moment.

In true, typical, start of school fashion, both kids spiked fevers by the end of the week and talk about panic!!!  I CANNOT GET SICK!!!  So far, so good.  But, seriously?!?!  Haha!  Please evacuate the house.

My home health nurse visits every other day for blood draws and vitals.  Jason flushes my central lines the days she's not here.  I have to constantly remind myself I'm not as "good" as I feel and I have to force myself to rest.  The fatigue does set in quickly and it's not unlike me to disappear for a snooze.  My body is working triple time and still trying to understand what these foreign "objects" are doing in my body.

Fast forward to today.  My first post transplant Dr visit.  White blood cells (4.9) and hemoglobin (11.1): normal.  First time I've heard that word in 22 months.  Neutrophils: 2.9.  Still low but better than my 0.7-1.0 range since diagnosis.  Platelets: 96,000.  Left hospital at 34,000.  Just more signs those precious stem cells got in and GOT TO WORK.  💪  Blood and platelet transfusion appointments got cancelled - none needed today.  And out we walked...  Feeling really good about everything.  AND THEN IT JUST GOT BETTER....

Jason was browsing Twitter when he saw Anthony Rizzo tweeted he was at Lurie's Childrens Hospital.  He was doing the official ribbon cutting ceremony for the waiting room named after him and dropping off a $3.5 million check to benefit all the sweet kids fighting the fight.  This man is a class act and to say I'm a fan is an understatement.  He fought and killed lymphoma 10 years ago.
Dad: "Want to walk over and see if he's still there?"
Me: "I'm really hungry (lol), but, yes."

My Rizzo #44 ⚾💙💓

We walked into the lobby.  No sign of him.  Went downstairs to the ER area and I asked a security guard if he had left yet.  "Not that I've seen."  Perfect...  I will hover by these here doors and wait for him to walk out because I'm SURE this Mercedes SUV parked in the ambulance lane isn't just some Joe Smoe's...  10 minutes went by and I suggested we go.  I wasn't interested in waiting around all day.  When I looked out the window there he was with his mom, dad, brother and fiance!  (No idea how we missed him)  Getting into the Mercedes!!!  I bolted out the side door and screamed, "ANTHONY!!!" Like some total creep - hahaha.  "Can we take a picture??"  As I walked up a young lady and her mom walked up behind me, "Anthony!  Can my daughter get a picture with you?  She got to ring the chemo bell today in celebration of her last treatment!"  We all cheered.  They snapped their picture and walked away.  I told him I was 3.5 weeks out from a stem cell transplant for leukemia and just received some good news on my first post visit.  "Oh my gosh!!!  That's amazing!!!", he replied.  I gladly put my arm around him and cheesed oh, so hard.  I was totally star struck.  What a day.

It's way too early to talk about my stem cell journey.  But, I will say those 26 days were an absolute roller coaster.  One day I was requesting a cheeseburger and curly fries, the next pooping and puking my brains out, cutting up the noodles in my chicken noodle soup in hopes to get one down.  Laughing and joking with the nurses and walking laps to crying because the feeling of weakness was taking over and I was so scared.  Stating I had to go the bathroom and finally 20 minutes later I'd work up the energy to push the button on the bed to just sit up.  Crazy to think how far I've come in just one week... and just how far I still have to go.  The 2 and 5 AM wakeups can subside any day now.  I'm definitely still on hospital time where they know no normal hours.  What I wouldn't give to sleep through the night.  But, then again, I'm not even 1 month old so what do I expect? 👶😉

Kendall was so interested in when my hair was going to fall out until I was home and she asked to see it.  When I took my hat off she told me I looked silly and immediately asked me to put my hat back on.  When I tried to lay with her at bedtime she put on quite a scene because she was scared of me with no hat.  Made me sad... My kids were scared of me...  So I put a hat on to lay with her and she was out in 2 minutes.  Blake wasn't too sure of it either but never really made a fuss of it.  Just Sunday at dinner, I, of course, was wearing my hat when Kendall asked if my head was hot.  "Yeah, it is."  She and Blake both told me to take my hat off to feel better.  Kendall informed me, "It's OK!  You're still Mommy!"  Blake calmly stated, "It's OK, Mommy, your hair will grow back in no time."  Brought me to tears.   Thank goodness we got over that.

Busting out!!!

Pill popper much? 🙄

My favorite tech, Ben

It's been a journey, 1668. But, ✌ out. 

Just another walk...

 Today marked the first 1/4 of the 100 day critical recovery period.  I think I can, I think I can.

The bone marrow registries just keep rolling in.  I can always tell when a batch was mailed out because I'll get 3-5 messages/texts/posts in a day.  LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!  I'd love to hit 100 registries because of my journey.  BE A HERO!!!  Register today.  CLICK HERE 

Greg, my brother, my donor, has written his guest blog entry and I will post that soon.

Our freezer is FULL of meals.  Our hearts ore overwhelmed by friends and strangers generous hearts.  The cards and packages just keep coming (everything is getting forwarded to me by the way so don't worry if you sent something to the hospital).  In a world of crap, we are reminded daily of our own amazing village.

Way past my bedtime.  Love y'all.  Be well.

Love,

Rhonda Kay
XOXO