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Archive for the ‘Show of Hope’ Category

I’d like to use a life line, Regis

Posted in At the Doctor's, Boston, Friends, Home sweet home, Hospital life, Immune Deficiency, Keith, Life Line, mito, music, Raising Awareness, Show of Hope, Sick and Tired, The storm, Tummy troubles, umdf on 25 May 2011| 4 Comments »

I’ve been home for nearly two weeks now. Recovery has been slow and has sapped me of most of my excess energy so many apologies. Because there’s so much to cover – and I’m having difficulties organizing my thoughts – we’re going to go about this bullet-style.

  • I’m home. I was discharged with a four-week course of IV Vancomycin (a very powerful antibiotic) at a very high dose. Because we never got those sensitivities back (i.e. what bug we’re fighting and what antibiotic is best to fight it) and my reaction to the infection scared them (though I assure you, it did not scare nor surprise me or Keith), the doctors are playing it safe. I guess that’s what they do best. I was also on Cipro (another antibiotic), but I have finished that course.

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Happy

Posted in At the Doctor's, Change, Family, For better or worse, Friends, Keith, Kiddos, Life, mito, reality, Show of Hope, Smiles, Stealing words, The Future, Tummy troubles on 29 April 2011| 3 Comments »

Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.
-Dr. Seuss

Sometimes it surprises me how happy I am. How comfortable I am in my own skin. A year ago, I’m not sure if I could’ve seen myself this happy despite all that has changed (my zip code, my health, my occupation, my income, my aspirations, etc.). But I’m honestly, truly happy.

Keith and I deal with a ton of stressors with our daily life that shock many people. For instance, every day this week, I’ve had at least one medical appointment, over half of which were in Boston. (This is not out of the ordinary.) In addition, we’re watching my niece and nephew while my sister recovers from surgery. (This is something that Keith likes to call “birth control.”) We also deal with daily medical regiments including IV nutrition, stoma care, catheterizations, sterile procedures, and medical interventions. (This is in addition to Keith’s full-time student status and my work tutoring, researching, and volunteering.)

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Show of Hope

Posted in Blessings, Coming together, Friends, Hope, Hospital life, mito, music, Raising Awareness, Show of Hope, Stealing words, The Future, umdf on 18 April 2011| 1 Comment »

Once you choose hope, anything’s possible. -Christopher Reeve

Four months ago I got my muscle biopsy results. It showed severe deficiencies and came with the official diagnosis of Mitochondrial Disease. Although I had lived over a year with a “clinical diagnosis,” it had suddenly become real. Really real. I found myself at a crossroad: I could breakdown and cry; or, I could do something about it.

That night I spoke with my best friend and expressed how I felt. Less than a year earlier, she had had the same conversation with her physicians. She heard those same words: “You have mitochondrial disease.” She felt the reality come over herself. And she chose to fight back.

We spoke for a long time about what we could do. How we could change the future. How we could keep this horrible disease from consuming our every wish and dream. Our every hope.

It was on that night that the Show of Hope was first conceived.

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