See the email ....

Hi Eliza,
Sorry I did not reply to your e-mail sooner. We are transplanting two people this week and when that happens we rarely get a moment to do anything else. I will look at your logs and let you know, but everything looks like it's in and everything looks good..
I think we are ready to look at possible dates for you to meet us, sign consent and have your first screening visit.
Debbie
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The above email was received by me this morning ... sent last night after 10 PM!!

I am so excited to finally be coming in on the final stretch of actually going to meet this wonderful team. Debbie has been a true joy to work with via telephone and email over the last six months. Yes ... it is a long process, but am very happy that I have kept my own files of my medical records and results. That made my process much shorter in that I was told the entire process of screening paperwork could take up to a year!! I did it in 6 months!!! I also had the support of all my doctors in this venture. A very supportive group of professions I have acquired ... not without some weeding out of course. It takes a special breed to deal with me!!
(I am so totally laughing out loud at this comment, as it is without a doubt the truth :D )

My anxiety level is high ... but it is a good anxiety as I have great hope that this will advance not only my life, but the lives of so many kids that have been diagnosed. The actual participation excites me beyond belief. I realize that it will not be a pleasant ride, as I have some of the worlds worst portals for introduction or removal of anything!! (I am referring to veins). Over the years I have been known to hold up an operating room, and multiple procedure schedules due to the fact that they have a difficult time accessing a line. I have been sedated (or sedation attempted, Valium don't do ANYTHING to me) lines have been placed in my groin, my neck, strange areas on my upper arms, and even my thumb!!! I give each person three shots to get in, then they are out, I have been told this is pretty generous, but ... there are people who are very good at what they do and to those.... I LOVE YOU !!!! I try very hard to practice all that calming crap, the breathing, the visualization, etc., but there have been times, like the ER visit in which I was unaware of where I was and Hillary at the top of the bed, stroking my forehead telling me "Mom, go to your happy place," and me responding, at the top of my lungs apparently, that "I don't have a F'ing happy place!!!" ... All the poking get to be very stressful and at times, I have lost it. When hospital staffs are taking bets in the hallway as to who may get lucky and get the line in.... well .... that adds a whole new dimension to the process. I try to keep the humor about me, as I have found that it also eases the outlook of the staff doing all the pain poking searches. They get very stressed out as well sometimes, at the fact they are doing their very best to not cause any more pain, and my body just does not respond. I have to feel for them too!! Only on a few occasions has someones ego gotten in the way, in those cases, they only got one shot!!!
Take your ego and don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out !!!

Anyway ... This is VERY promising news. Am I ready, absolutely not. I don't own a suitcase ... LOL ... always used my mom's, which fell apart on vacation 2 years ago when Hilly and I went to VA to visit my brother and his wife. ..... I may have to invest 50 bucks....LOL.

Please stay with me ... as this is going to be a very exciting process. I have been so very blessed with the support and encouragement I have had from you. It means more than my words could ever express as I so totally feel the compassion and honest, heartfelt concern for my well-being. THANK YOU!! and I hope you all know who you are, as you really are the best the world had to offer !!!

Ok ... well ... Northern AZ is in the midst of a winter storm. It is a mess!! These people take all the fun out of driving in the snow......LOL..... it is so much safer to just stay put. Which I am doing today. I will work from home today, Hillary's classes were cancelled so she went back to bed. I spent 40 minutes this morning at 5 AM chasing Miss Maggie around the neighborhood in the dark while she explored new found snow. I was really getting irritated with her and it was my own fault as I let her off leash. She SO needs some real training. She chewed through the Halti last night ..... while it was on her !!! I was so pissed!! This little princess of mine chews through things that are designed to allow me control ... you should see my right wrist again!! Black and blue from my mid-thumb to past my wrist bone (2 inches) ! Looks like I am in an abusive relationship .... and the same wrist in which I had the weed-whacker incident last spring and tore the tendon ... ggrrrr ... it is a bitch to get old .... LOL ..... like my mother used to say "Getting old isn't for sissies" ..... could thing I am a tough cookie.

Ok my faithful follower .... I need to do the paying sort of work now. I am all prepared to be stranded for the most part until Saturday when this storm system is suppose to break. I am so hoping it isn't holding the 3 feet plus of snow it is calling for ... I am on call for the hospital this weekend and really am not looking forward to it if the roads are bad.

Talk soon and I will definitely post any new word on a date for the trip !!!
Get ready Deb-Deb ... this is going to be a trip you will never forget !!!

Peace and Light
et