Cindy has now been in Boston for about three weeks, and it has been two weeks since her stem cell transplant.
These past couple of weeks have been difficult. She’s been dealing with a lot of nausea, significant weakness, body aches, and exhaustion. Her cell counts are also struggling to come back up. While this is not uncommon at this stage after transplant, her doctors are watching everything very closely and working hard to help her body and immune system recover.
For now, we’re still taking things day by day. Once her cell counts and other levels start rising more consistently and her immune system starts functioning again, she and her doctors can begin discussing when she might be able to come home.
We’re not there yet, but that is the next milestone we’re looking toward.
Meanwhile, there has been an incredible amount of work happening back home to make sure the house is safe and ready for Cindy and the kids. I especially want to thank my Aunt Lisa and her husband, Pete, who came all the way down from Maine and made some much-needed repairs to the house that would have cost us a significant amount of money to have done professionally.
I also want to thank my mom, Nancy, and her boyfriend, Richard, who have put so much work into the house and backyard, including organizing the outdoor space so the kids have a safer, easier place to play. We are incredibly grateful to all four of them for giving their time, energy, and hard work to help get Cindy’s home ready for her return.
It has saved us an enormous amount of work and expense at a time when both are especially difficult to manage.
Unfortunately, in the midst of all this work, we also discovered a mold problem in one of the rooms after noticing a strong musty smell. We’re addressing it now because the house needs to be as safe and healthy as possible when Cindy comes home, particularly while her immune system is still so vulnerable.
We don’t yet know the full extent of the problem or what it will cost to remediate, but we’re working through it.
And once again, thank you to everyone who continues to support Cindy and our family. Thank you for the prayers, messages, check-ins, donations, meals, and all the other ways you have shown up for us throughout this incredibly long journey.
We may not always be able to respond individually, but we see your kindness and generosity, and we are so, so grateful.
We’ll keep everyone updated as Cindy reaches the next milestones in her recovery and, hopefully, gets closer to coming home.
Ways to help right now (they mean so much during this intense time):
- Meal deliveries or easy, reheatable nutritious foods that are gentle on the stomach (broths, smoothies, mild proteins, etc.)
- Gift cards for groceries, takeout, or delivery services
- Items from Cindy’s Amazon wishlist (household needs + outdoor toys for the kids): Cindy’s Wishlist
- Monetary donations to help with medical costs, travel, lodging in Boston, and family expenses (email sbsoc82@gmail.com for details)
With love and gratitude,
Amber (and Cindy) ❤️
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