A Salad for Snail!

It has been a long couple of weeks since I have updated Team Snail, first of all Valerie is doing great and progressing towards her full recovery every day. Her doctors are thrilled with her progress and even let her have a salad last week! As you can see I did not post a picture of a snail with a salad, you don't even want to Google that! For anyone who knows how Valerie ate before you know that the almost vegetarian has had a hard time on a neutropenic diet with no fresh produce allowed. This leafy treat certainly lifted her spirits!

A short time ago I reported the great news that our little Snail was able to walk 4 blocks and then 1/2 a mile and now... 2 hours straight! Valerie is regaining her strength and soon will be bike riding again as soon as we are sure her balance is up to snuff!
In less than 3 weeks Valerie will be off of the steroids she was put on for her body's outspoken opinion about the other trillion drugs she was on and then finally the anti-rejection drugs will start to be tapered off.
Vanessa will be traveling to see Valerie for their 28th Birthday on Wednesday! The girls have never spent their birthday apart and this year will be no exception since obviously this birthday is even more special than usual!

Vanessa and I have been to see Valerie at least once in recent weeks sometimes for a visit and unfortunately this last time for our paternal Grandmother's memorial service. Valerie was given permission to go to the service and I am so grateful that we were all there. Our Uncle Wes wrote a beautiful summary of her life and delivered a similar version at the service. He did a wonderful job and we are grateful for his many gifts, only one of which is public speaking. In a strange way it was good to see family and old friends and we are looking forward to spending more time with our cousins next month when we spend a few days celebrating the life our grandparents made with photographs and souvenirs that have been so careful preserved for us.

Congratulations Snail!!!!

Congratulations to our little Snail for surviving the first 100 days after a stem cell transplant! It is only up from here!
We have received the results of Valerie's 100 day bone marrow biopsy and .... drum roll please...
the results are "FABULOUS!!!!"
There is NO sign of leukemia and significant bone marrow growth!
I know I don't have to tell Team Snail how amazing these results are! Of course we are guessing that the growth is Vanessa's hot pink stilettos since it is identical it is hard to tell but all signs point to that. Valerie has not had any transfusions, complications or hospital stays since she left the hospital in December and that alone is a huge miracle!
The next step will be to continue tapering off the steroids and as soon as that is complete we can taper off the anti-rejection meds.
Slow and steady wins the race, especially for a Snail!

Congratulations and Thank You to Valerie's dear friend, Danielle who won the Sassy Apron auction! Thank you to Sassy Apron for the extremely generous donation of her artwork!