Happy Birthday Mom!

Today was another reason to remember God’s goodness to our family. Today is my mom’s birthday. I don’t know that she’d mind me saying how old she is but I won’t, just in case. (She was born in 1940, so if you want to do the math, that’s up to you. But I didn’t tell you her age.)

In late spring/early summer four years ago Mom received a diagnosis of mantle cell lymphoma. She had several serious complications during her course of treatment, came close to dying more than once, and spent weeks and weeks in the hospital. Eventually, she achieved remission but it didn’t last as long as all of us hoped it would.

The doctors told her that the disease would get increasingly difficult to treat and remissions would only get shorter. They suggested a stem cell transplant. Some of Mom’s sisters were tested and my aunt was a perfect match. She enthusiastically donated her cells to give Mom a better chance at beating the cancer.

Mom received Aunt Beth’s stem cells on Valentine’s Day last year. The whole process was no walk in the park for Mom but she continued to improve and gain strength. She has remained cancer-free since that time.

So, today we are grateful. God has given us an extra measure of time with Mom here. She enjoys a quality of life that seemed almost impossible to imagine a few times during this journey. We have had the opportunity to witness many miracles and enjoy many answers to prayers.

We have indeed been blessed.