As Reba says:

I'm a Survivor!

I am CANCER FREE!!!!!
Praise the Lord! HE has been so awesome to me through all this.  It really is a lot to take in sometimes! I know HE is awesome and good all the time, but when you are going through something like this, you can really see Him working! Or maybe, it's times like these that you are really LOOKING for HIS hand, so you see it more?  Either way, I couldn't have made it this far without Him, that's for sure.

"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.  For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:"   -Isaiah 43:2-3a

My transplant and time in the hospital went very well.  I had my transplant on AUGUST 28th!  My new birthday.  My sister-in-law came in 3 days later to keep the girls at our house.  Jackie was by my side the every step of the way.
I was discharged from the hospital, 4 weeks after being admitted (which was actually about a week before I was planning on!  Thankfully!)  The doctors have you come into the hospital for clinic visits every other day (MWF) for a few weeks and then they taper them down until they release you to go back home.  Blessedly, for me, my doctor had me come in 3 times for only 2 weeks! She said I was doing so well that she didn't need to see me but for 2x a week!!  Seriously, how AWESOME is God!??
30 days after the transplant, I had yet another bone marrow biopsy.  And, guess what!? It was completely pain free!  I kept waiting for the pain to come.  It always does.  I felt pressure, sure.  But I didn't shed one single tear!
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."   -Isaiah 41:10

Last week, I got the results from the biopsy and they didn't find cancer! And, they saw ALL donor cells!  Which was EXACTLY what they wanted to see! Glory to GOD!!!  My doctor said it looked PERFECT.

My blood counts have been great since being released from the hospital, my only real issue is the rashes associated with Graft vs. Host.  It doesn't concern the docs to see a little bit of skin rash, but when new ones pop up, it can be serious.  Thankfully, even my 'new rashes' that have popped up since discharge have been mild.  I am taking plenty of meds, and wearing a couple of different creams, so I should be covered from the inside out!
We have been renting an apartment here in Chapel Hill.  It is a really nice complex.  BIG complex.  And, we are about 10 minutes away from the hospital.  Which is really nice to not have to leave the house extra early for an appointment.  Especially when you are going a couple times a week. I stay in pj's everyday, until I go to the doctor, then that's when I do the full work up: a real shirt, pants/maxi skirt, cute shoes, a little mascara and a wig.  I have even gained ALL of my weight back and THEN some.  Other than the whole wig thing and skin rashes, I don't look too obvious about the cancer thing. HA! Which, for me, is what I like.  I don't like to look like I am sick out in public.  Like I posted on Facebook the other day, I don't want to stand out because of cancer, I want to stand out because of other things!  Hence, the cute shoes and crazy wigs!

This is me in my first wig, the one from the hospital. It looks a lot different now, I've tried to get it back to this and I can't :-(  I couldn't restyle it to this when I washed it, so the bangs looked horrible, so I cut them into actual fringe bangs.  I loved it at first and now I just don't like it.  Dumb, I know.

My 2nd wig.  Platinum is such a FUN color! ha!  It really has that bombshell kinda feel to the curls and such.  I love it, but don't wear it every time I go out.  My 3rd wig is my FAVORITE! :-)

This was taken at my last service at Church before I was admitted for the transplant.  Bless Sadie's heart, she did NOT want to stop playing to take a picture.  I was thinking, Mommy has cancer, I'm going to be gone for at least 5 weeks, just smile for the dag on camera!!!! HA! 

But, I wear this wig out of the house more than the other's.  Although, it is a TAD too long, and that aggravates me on occasion.  It is still my favorite out of my three and I just LOOOVE it!

And, here I am on Tuesday, about to head out to the hospital....

You can even see a little of the weight gain in my face.  I'm not complaining though, and I am sure there are a few women out there that have told me I was too skinny that aren't complaining, either! ;-P

The girls and Jackie are here most of the time during the week, but, Jackie has to be back at church on Sundays, so he takes the girls back with him on Friday or Saturday nights and comes back on Mondays.  If we have a Kari-sitter, he will go back on Wednesdays.  If not, then he will have to stay with me.  I am not allowed to drive, nor am I allowed to be alone, so someone has to be here with me at all times. Sher was here for the first week after I was discharged, so she stayed with me so Jackie and the girls could come and go.  Then, my sister came for the past 2 weekends and my 2nd cousin has come to stay with me 2x already!  Blessed or what!? 

This week at our church is our Fall Revival, and, Jackie and the girls have been there since Saturday!  I have missed them so much! Right now, my cousin is here, and she leaves tomorrow.  Tomorrow, my wonderful Brother-in-law and Sister-in-law fly in from Michigan and are staying through Tuesday!  I am so thankful for everyone's help! Also, worth mentioning is my other Bro & Sis -in-laws and 3 of their teens are coming at the end of the month and staying for 2 weeks to help!  Ever so thankful we are not doing this alone!! I can't thank everyone enough.

So, there it all is.  I am now, currently, 42 days post transplant and so happy.  Thank you all for praying with me and for me! Please continue.  My recovery is not yet done.  Although, it is off to a fantastic start!