Anna's birthday and some sad news
Anna’s birthday was this weekend. Given that she’s not allowed to eat out and isn’t supposed to be around many people, we had a bit of a quiet celebration at home. It was just us, her parents, and her friend Judy. It was good to see Judy, and I know Anna enjoyed the visit as well.
Anna’s continuing forward with her progress. The visible signs of GVHD are clearing up. Some areas like her hands are pretty close to being back to normal, and other areas still has some discoloration, but it’s getting better. Also, her hair is really starting to come back in… still way too short to do anything with it, but at least it’s starting to cover her head and soon enough will be looking good.
I forget if I ever blogged about this person before, but Anna had a friend from high school whose sister, Luz, had a similar diagnosis as Anna. Luz had undergone a transplant about 6 months in advance of Anna, and Anna spoke with her before Anna went in for her transplant. I don’t remember all of the details of the conversation, but remember that it was nice for Anna to be able to speak with someone who had firsthand experience with this. Luz had been doing really well and had recently returned to work. We found out yesterday that she had recently relapsed and passed away on Friday. We went into the wake today and said our regards to Anna’s friend and her family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.
It was a really tough night talking with Anna about this last night, and then going in today. Sure makes me slow down and realize how fortunate we are and reminds me to enjoy every single day.