Saturday - 13 April 2013

Yes, the cure process has begun.  I started the first of five days of chemo yesterday which will be followed by one day of total body irradiation or irradication if one fat fingers the keyboard.  Yesterday, the chemo was  Cytoxan and Fludara and today is Fludara only.  No side effects, yet.  We had a good evening in our new condo operated by Oakwood Corporate Suites which is a very good acommodation just minutes away from the hospital.  

 This procedure  is to be what is known as a "cord blood transplant" which is from two babies who were kind enough to donate as they are fine, healthy folk living good lives. 

We had a great send-off celebration at our home in Brevard last Saturday night with our wonderful Brevard friends including Rick and Page Ciordia who live in Hendersonville, NC on a beautiful golf course named Champion Hills.  Taylor,  google this one.  We are invited to play a round with Rick when I get back home.  Rick is a long time friend from Griffin High School days, class of 62.  Our friends from Brevard included  Joyse, Lisa, Lori, MaryKay, Alice, Peter (actually from Balsam Grove), Biff, Tim and Sylvia,  Chris and Harriett, Jeff and Betsy, Gary and Suzie, Richard and Luanne,  and Ike from Asheville.  We are fortunate to have made such wonderful friends.  Thank you, Toni.

Tim,  former member of the National Italian Orchestra,  played his alto  horn and his wife, Sylvia, beautifully sang "O sole mio" in Italain.  The deck windows held up which was a test of our carpenter, Peter's work.  Tim is a true native of Brevard.  We had great food thanks to Jane and Joyse and also plenty of libations. It was a magnificent night that I will recall during the upcoming 100 days.

For some reason we did gender separation for the party pictures.

In the midst of all this, we lost a dear friend, Daniele Johnson, wife of  Steve Johnson,  both long time friends.  She will be greatly missed.

"Let us run with patience the race that is set before us."  Hebrew12:1  (Sent to us by Judy Britt of GHS - 63.)