Correction: I HAVE a donor!

Cold, But They Warm My Heart

Only four hours after a lengthy and depressing discussion with my case manager (she's the one who finds donors for people like me), I learned that she had taken the search world-wide and others had been asked to join in. I asked myself, just how many miracles can a guy have in one lifetime?

Then, the call came four or five hours later ON THE SAME DAY that she had found a donor, this time stalwart, strong and determined to save my life, and with a 9/10 match to boot (a 9/10 is an excellent match). He not only agreed, he submitted a sample to us, which we analyzed, and it passed all of the necessarily tests! There is no question that he is going to go through with it. I am determined to believe it. I am, though, full of naggy, irrelevant little questions, like, didn't my case manager know about this at the first call? Of course she did! I wonder if it's worse not to know that there is a possible donor (who might bail out, leaving me to angry grief again) than to think after three months of searching that there is none (with hope suffering a beating)?

Of course, there is always the question of my getting to the finish line. Yesterday, my doctors wondered if I might come in earlier than for my scheduled tune-up. Now, some twenty-one hours later they are finishing up the last of two transfusions (whole blood) with, possibly, platelets still to go, plus the last course of potassium (they took nearly a full day to be infused). They're still dropping, bag to pump to picc line, as I write, twenty-one hours from when we started.)

At the same time, I grow weaker, including executing a nasty fall two days ago that began on the right foot, spun, and ended short of a full rotation. At least my head missed the heavy railing at the head of the stairs. A rather ineloquently executed old time Toe Loop from eighty years ago. I suffer from anorexia and taste perversion, too. Anybody want to loose weight quickly? That's me on the right---->

Furthermore, it will take place less than three weeks from now. Have a nice day!