Hello!

Hello everyone! I'm sorry for the delay in posts. I have been busy and exhausted. I am now down to 2.5 mlg of prednisone a day and it is really effecting my activity levels. I went to the store yesterday and bought vitamin B-12 for energy and another vitamin glucosamin for joint pain. It has been hurting to walk in my feet and knees lately. Not sure if that's a side effect of the prednisone or what??

I am visiting with my grandmother in Canyon Lake this weekend. She is finally starting to feel her age...90! I hate it for her because she has all the same aches and pains I do and her energy level has gone way down. Walking down the hall way is wearing her out. I have been trying to take care of her the best I can. We went to Red Lobster last night for dinner and met up with my cousin Natalie. That was nice, but grandma was having a dry eye issue and her saliva glands are not producing saliva so it was hard for her to eat the dinner she was very much craving.  She ended up bringing the whole meal home. She made us chocolate milk shakes. That was her dinner. She says she has not been eating very much lately so I am worried. I  will be in contact with her neighbor friend to constantly check in on her since she is unwilling to move where her family is closer and able to care for her. That's my grandma for you. Strong and stubborn. I don't blame her though. Her home is paid for. She and my grandfather both built and designed the home and she has lived here over 30 years. I would not want to leave my home and my memories either.

I would love to be able to buy the home after she passes just so we can keep the house in the family. We do have a ton of memories in this big house and it would make a great vacation home for our family members in the summer time. Its dream. With our economy the way it is, I don't know if I will ever be able to afford a home and now with alll the medical bills. OMG!! Hospitals are very expensive and I have been in 4 of them!! My suggestion to everyone.... Don't go to the hospital!! Just kidding. You know what I mean.

Tomorrow night I will be doing a fundraiser for Leukemia called Light the night. Its at Angel Stadium in Anaheim and the walk starts at 7pm. My mom made me a really pretty glass lantern with a leukemia ribbon and a butterfly on the front. She is very talented. I love her so much. she has gone above and beyond for me and so many other people struggling with Leukemia. I tell her thank you all the time, but it just does not seem like enough. Everyone has gone above and beyond for me and I can tell you all Thank you but I wish there was so much more I could do. I am extremely grateful to everyone and even people who have donated to NFT on my behalf that I don't even know. People who have just driven by a sign posted on a fence at some intersection. Wow!! you people are amazing!! Thank you soo much!!

Saw my Dr. at The City Of Hope on Thursday. He says I am looking really good and so is my health. My blood counts are good and I don't have any new sicknesses. I cant wait to get my immunity shots so i don't have to be so cautious around people. They will be available to me April 30th 2011. 1 year from my stem cell transplant. Last week I had to have an infusion of fluids through my vain for osteoporosis. They poked me 4 times in my right arm and could not get the needle in a vain so they moved to my left wrist and now I have this giant purple bruise on my wrist. I had a fall last week too. I was walking with my dad and my legs just stopped on me but my body kept going. I scraped my knee and have like 6 bruises on my legs. I look like someone beat me up. I consider them my conversation pieces!! LOL!

• Ok, enough for now. I can keep going and going but Im sure if you wanted to read a novel you would just do so with a book of your choice. Who knows.. Maybe i will combine my blogs and my sisters and make a book. Ooooh that would be fun! Would you buy it??

Sunday 9-12-10

Hello. Well I did type up a really long blog on Thursday but for some reason the site would not post it. Today I went to church with my parents and had a great time. The music was perfect. I hate cheaseball christian songs. The singer had a great voice and she made the lyrics very inviting to sing. After church my parents and i went to steamers in fullerton to see my brother play in this upbeat older jazz band. He plays the big stand up base and is really good at it. We ate there. I had a tuna sandwich which would have been more tastier with a bit more mayo mixed into the tuna salad and the white bread was kind of dry. My mom had a BLT but they put no dressing of any kind on her sandwich so hers was completely dry. My dad had a ham panini wich he took forever to eat and that is unlike him. We left after we ate. I dont think we will be eating there again, but atleast the band was good. :)

After Steamers I drove to my friend Carries moms house to celebrate her eldest daughters bday. She is turning into a beautiful young woman. Daddy needs to put her on lock down ASAP!! LOL!!  I took care of carries moms dog and cat last week so she wants to take me out to lunch on Tuesday. Im looking forward to it. Its at one of the new restaraunts in the LA Fitness shopping center. Im a foody soI cant wait to see what they have on the menu.

Friday I made Cappolini Pomodoro and chicken Parmesan for everyone at work. It was a hit! The friday before i made italian caprese salad with pinwheel pasta and have made 6 more times since. you can eat it warm, hot or cold and you poor olive oil and vinegarett over the top of it. Sprinkle romano cheeze and chopped up tomoatos with fresh mazzerella balls and basil. This is an excellent picnic dish gentlemen!!

So who is up for the San Antonio Church Fair next weekend??

ok, its late. I need to get up early to help my dad get out of the house and to his 9am meeting. I will walk the dogs and then make the coffee and make his egg and cheese burrito for the road. Anything i can do to help make his day and my moms day a little simpler. They already do way to much for me and this is my way of repaying them. Keeping my room clean and cleaning up after myself. By about 2pm I will be wiped out and passed out on the couch. I tell you, I can be so much fun but when the narcalepsy creeps in I have no control. Its night night for Dawn. LOL!!

Well, I wish you all a great Monday! Talk to you soon!

Happy Labor Day!

I know i said I would be on top of this blog, but I have been laggin the last couple days while coming off of the prednisone. I have not been able to stay awake. The second I sit down i pass out. My mom said she had to keep adjusting my head and neck so I wouldnt get a krick because I was sitting up in a chair.

Yesterday We spent most of the day looking at new furniture for the house. So once its ready to move into we can have everything ready to go. The rebuild from the fire has been a slow process but progress is looking good and my mom will finally have the kitchen of her dreams.

Im going for a park like setting in my room. I picked out some light greens for the walls and will decorate with flowers and butterflys. I picked all my furniture from IKEA. they have some pretty neat stuff. My headboard kind of reminds me of a park bench which inspired me to want to do an outside park theme to my room. Im so excited to decorate it. I found this really cool light at IKEA that looks like a tree with branches and bulbs. It is beautiful and will go perfectly in my room with the park theme. Im also going to be adding some blues and browns and yellows with a little bit of pink florals to add that girly feel.

I will probably be living with my parents for atleast another year or two until the doctor says its ok for me to on my own again. This works in my favor because now i have the opportunity to save money to eventually buy my home. Im thinking something small that I can fix up. Im not to sure of a location to move to yet. Mom does not want me to move to far. She needs me close. Completely understandable.

I go to the doctor again tomorrow. My Dr. is brazilian and visiting family in Reo so I will be seeing his partner Dr. Stein who is hillarious. I love my Doctors at The City Of Hope. They are very Knowlegable and eager to make you as comfortable as possible. Dr. Stein bought some of those toning sketchers to walk around the hospitol in and he said he was toning his butt. So funny!!

Sometime next week I will also be up for another spinal tap. They are very painful. I have to lay on a cold metal table with a pillow under my head and one under my tummy while they stick a spicket of sorts in my spine and drain clear fluid. They check the clear fluid for Leukemia and then they ad chemo therepy drugs to that. this is to prevent me from getting Leukemia in my brain. I have to have 2 more Lumbar Punctures before April 30,2011. This is the date that I will be getting all of my immunity shots since I am no longer immune to any kind of infectious diseases.

I try not to let these downfalls hold me back from life these days. I have to take it one day at a time. One thing i have learned is that life is too short and you never know what tomorrow will bring. live life to the fullest even if others think you are crazy. On Sept 12th I plan on going on a wine tasting adventure with a bunch of friendes to Temecula. If you are interested please comment and get details from me so we can alll meet up. We normally wine taste then eat to kill any buzz we may have gotten. That way we are not drunk driving. Most of the wineries have restaraunts on site with an affordable menu and great views.

Sept 19th is The Light The Night for Leukemia Patience. Its being held at Angel Stadium. Please come and show your support.

Ok, enough blabbing for now. please send me your comments. I love hearing from everyone and will answer any questions you have. Nothing makes me uncomfortable so dont be affraid to ask me anything.

Talk to you all soon.


Dawn