16 Years‏

Today is the anniversary of my diagnosis with CML. Chronic myelogenous leukemia. It's been 16 years and there have been so many bumps and lifts and love and learning along the way. I spent the weekend at this time in 1993 in the hospital in Brampton. It was Peel Memorial then, now the William Osler Health Centre (I think). It was notorious in Brampton for being an awful hospital but I have no complaints - even despite the way the nurse in emerg blurted out oh you're the one with leukemia. And I didn't know at that point. That's where I met Shirley who was my room mate and made friends. That's where I had a surfeit of peanut butter & smartie blizzards because there is a DQ just down the street and my mum was determined to feed me to make me put weight back on I guess! And take out from the Olive Garden - also relatively near by.And jen's reaction when I called to tell her. She said: "F@&k off". I don't blame her. I wouldn't have believed it either. I didn't believe it - should have known from all the hints Dr. Goldberg was giving when I spoke with him that day on the phone. He had called me to say there were some issues with my bloodwork and he needed me to come into the hospital for some more tests. And the real drag of that weekend - other then being told I had leukemia, CANCER - was that I had tickets to go see a taping of Kids in the Hall. Yes, that's right, I didn't get to go. But my substitute got me a t-shirt as a consolation prize. Reminds me a little of Deb - a friend from the BMT list - she had to miss being on Wheel of Fortune. Except that she later did get to go and compete on the show. Anyway, here I am 16 years later. And there have been many good things and people holding me up along the way. And I just want to say thank you to you all because you have all been there at different times and in different ways and you have all kept me on my feet through difficult and interesting times.

Happiness Yesterday, Sadness Today

Yesterday was a good day. A fun day. It was Saint Francis of Assisi and we took representatives of the Critter Crew to church to be blessed. Chetters, Bunka and LMM all went with us as did Thistle's ashes. Em was so happy to "hold a warm living animal". I was really glad that though late, we made it there. And I do have pictures. Which as usual I will upload eventually.

Sadness today: listening to CBC radio, the Andy Barrie show on the way in to town, we heard that Lupe Rodriguez died on Saturday of leukemia. She was a CBC contributor, artist and personality. And it only added to my sadness - this year on July 2nd, Oliver Schroer died from leukemia. He had been in remission, was slated for a BMT. But the process took so long that he relapsed and couldn't have it. See this link for an article from the Toronto Star about Oliver:
http://www.oliverschroer.com/TheStar.com%20-%20living%20-%20Oliver%20Schroer_%20Gracefully%20taking%20leav...pdf

and Lupe's obituary: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/Deaths.20081006.93171615/BDAStory/BDA/deaths

Definitely mourning for the loss of two very bright lights from the world.