I am on the plane back to Madison from Anchorage. I have lots to say about my 3 days in Anchorage, but first I want to share the good news that the docs let Sam recover his counts from HOME as of last Wednesday. Getting out of the hospital was a wonderful change in pace, and we immediately made some of the homemade dinners we'd been craving, and got to sleep through the night without interruption of PICC line checks, vitals, nurse shift changes, etc. (Soooo nice.) And, Sam finally got to see Birkie-pup! Good stuff.
He has continued to feel fairly well and the blood counts are slowwwwwly starting to tick up. He'll have another bone marrow biopsy on Monday to check in and see how things are going. Generally, things seem to be going as well as we could hope for. I sincerely believe in the power of the support you have all shown us to help keep Sam's spirits high and stay positive and healthy through this. It makes an enormous difference. Thank you! While Sam spent his first weekend at home as a free man (well, kind of free), I headed to Anchorage to move us out of our apartment. We're not sure how long this will all take, but since there are many steps yet to go before Sam is healthy again we decided to give up our place. I was bummed about the idea of moving out without Sam and also that I'd miss hanging with him now that he's able to be home, but excited to see our people and the "midnight sun" again in Anchorage. As expected, this weekend was an absolute whirlwind. So many people came together to help us. Their hope, positivity and generosity was incredible, and will sustain the wellness of my soul for a number of months. They gave and gave - their time, muscles, patience, money and support. My brain is racing remembering the many amazing moments from this weekend. They picked me up at the airport (and brought me doughnuts!). They abandoned their plans in order to hang with me and help out. They patiently packed our house according to my complicated donate/throw/store/bring needs. They made trips to donate our food and unwanted clothing. They organized and labeled. They carefully wrapped our bikes, kitchen and artwork. They cleaned from top to bottom, including crummy jobs like scrubbing our bathroom, refrigerator and floors without hesitation. They were thorough, even after hours of going through our stuff. They bought food, gave me hugs, sang silly songs, wore silly hats. They helped drink down the liquor cabinet. The hauled heavy stuff, and drove our boat out to Eagle River to be stored at Sam's Aunt and Uncle's house (Thanks, P+K!). They let me stay over at their houses because staying in our empty apartment alone would be too sad to bear. They made trips to the store for packing and cleaning supplies, and beer. They laid on the floor of our empty bedroom with me and let me tell them about the happy memories Sam and I had on Sunrise drive. They told me they couldn't wait until we come back. They told me they'd store our things and help with whatever we need, whenever we need it. They asked me how Sam is doing and how I am doing, and listened with the most genuine interest and compassion. They said "give me a job!" over and over, until eventually we were packed, cleaned, stored and done. Closing the door and pulling out of the driveway the last time at Sunrise drive was hard, especially without Sam by my side. Out of stress, sadness and fear, I'll admit I shed a tear or two over the course of the weekend, but there was literally never a moment without a pal to lean on. Being an extrovert and huge fan of our Anchorage community, this made a hard situation so much more manageable. I am SO grateful. In between directing traffic and packing this weekend, I observed many amazing moments of our giving, thoughtful and wonderful friends in action and never felt as though I could appropriately thank everyone for every second they gave to help us. We are so thankful for the kind people and found family who make up the strong fabric of this very special Anchorage community, and immensely lucky to be a part of it. To our helpers this weekend - We cannot wait to repay many favors for you someday. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you Eric, Brittney, Laura, Amanda, Kati, Emily, Zac, Charles, Meghan, Shaina, Ryan, Nelli, Austin, Shauna, Tara, Carly, Megan. Love you all. Comments are closed.
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