Homeward Bound

We're going home.

Just shy of 6 months, we've been told we can leave. Well, truth be told, I HAD to basically threaten Frank, our post transplant coordinator, in order for him to tell us we got the green light. The doctors and Frank we're basically dicking around, not giving us any concrete answers. And yesterday, I'd had it. Lee passed the swallow tests, his Brochoscopy was good, his biopsies were negative...what the hell were they waiting on?!

Ok, now starts the frenzy of cleaning and packing and making sure Lee has enough meds to get us home and I STILL have to send out 2 resumes this week...blah blah blah.

But here's where I have to get a little sappy.
While Lee and I are both thrilled we're going back to NC, we leave behind friends, you might even call them family. An everchanging family made up of diverse backgrounds, cultures, religions and beliefs. People who could understand; who could relate to what Lee and I were dealing with, even if we didn't speak the same language. We sought comfort in one another by sharing stories and experiences and by doing so, learned a great deal. All of us far from home and homesick, patiently waiting on a life saving transplant, hoping we can afford it all, and trying our best to stay sane.
It seems to me that people like us belong to a small group. The unlucky ones, the so called high risk patients, who have to move to another city or state or country to seek medical attention. And often wait many many months, even years in some cases, for an organ.
But while we waited, we conversed, we dined together, we shared knowledge, we even laughed.

And so it is with a sad heart, I say goodbye to these friends. I wish the best for all of them. And I truly hope we cross paths again, but this time, maybe under happier circumstances.