60 Days

Or hello TWO month old Kris!

The first month rolling along with the energy from Prednisone, and counts raised to the levels our doctors wanted. And expected. Soon, he'd be told the process of taking steroids away, plus adding Valgancyclovir (gnarly monster) would most likely wrestle him down. And that it did.
The chatty outgoing life loving Kris, almost came to a stand still with food. No appetite, no food, pounds lost. What started as our hovering, pushing Ensures like they're the newest craze in the hood, to threatening him with "telling his doctor" kinda kidding, but you get my drift. As his doctor said on Thursday..."YOU MUST EAT" and anything with mass calories. On Friday I loaded my fridge with all things "calories". Keeping things still in my organic path because I still can't buy otherwise...but you get my drift. I serve him at least two, sometimes three shakes filled with organic vanilla bean ice cream, banana, chocolate syrup, peanut butter and frozen organic blueberries and mangos. Switching things up as requested. He's eating one quesadilla a day, a grilled cheese with cut up pickles on the side and navel oranges cut in cubes. I wake him to snack every 2-3 hours.

During the day he gets up, showers, and sits in the living room, or on Saturday on the front porch at my house.
They have their life in LB. Their room. Their cozy huge bed. Being home with me after two years wasn't where his heart was after discharge. Until realizing the med changes, appetite loss, physical state of the body, he needed to be with Mama. (To the comment makers out there about him out and about feeling good when he got home, and doctors encouraged him to get out and get strong...this IS NOT the manner of orders of his body withdrawing from steroids, get facts before you blab-Thanks)

One thing was really sweet this weekend just watching Kali and Kris converse about school. About how he's feeling. How she didn't really know just how weak he was. Figuring out this path, and pages

in life. As we sat in the living room, our mailman delivered the mail, and soon we'd open a letter from
 our MUD (Matched Unrelated Donor) office. It was a letter from our donor in Germany! As Kali and
I began to read it to Kris our emotions took over, and we both had shaking voices and tears. We can't meet our donor or even know his name for 2 years. One thing in question was whether we'd want to meet him. Same goes for him. I was amazed that his heart was full, and he can't wait to meet Kris.
He refered to him as "my brother"- LOVE!

This journey hasn't been easy. The process is a harder path than some people can only imagine, and yet not have to walk through it. Something I've learned along the way, people have their comments. People have their beliefs. People (religious ones) pass judgement, and ignorantly make comments when they have absolutely no clue of the days and nights that WE and most important KRIS has endured.


They assume their thoughts as their own with no experience in this field we've become unfortunately experienced in. People thrive on watching failure. People push judgement without taking a long stare at themselves, or their family issues. --->Because who wants to air their dirty secret filled laundry
hypocrisy lined religion, when they can pass judgement or half hazardly comment on something they have no right to.

It's what makes this Mama Warrior Roar. I'm not one to poke at, and so I guess it's a gentle reminder of "remember you never know what others are going through" and the comments of what
"YOU"think is right, or cause for change. Most of the time, you could possibly be wrong? No?

Do I pray? Yes oh yes I pray! Throughout my waking hours, and all through the nights I don't sleep, I pray. Do I pray for my son, and believe he is being cared for by our God? Of course! Do I bust my
ass to make sure he's covered in health, medicine, doctors, and administration things that would blow most people over? Yes. Yes, I do.


Does Kris feel great, and feel awesome like most of you since August 2015? No, he doesn't.


Does he want a normal life and body back? Does he want hair? Strength? The strength and happiness to show off his girlfriend? Does Kris want to relive a life he once did? Yes. Yes, he does.
And while folks pass judgement and make their hypocritical comments. Stop for a moment. Not a second, but a good long moment and think about the hell he's been through. Days I would never wish on my enemy. As a mother, and as a son. We wouldn't.

And yet, we move along. Faith. Love. Friends. Family. Doctors. Science in medicines. God.
God knows. Its my power to believe in. As my sons warrior in this battle.



Don't pass judgement friends. Take a good long MOMENT to check YOUR checklist of the what-ifs if this should paralyze your family.

And remember, I have plenty of faith, family and friends. Plenty of non-hypocrite loving, and nonjudgmental friends.

If you care to understand Kris and his path, it's best you get to know him. And his medicines. Might show you a day in the life after transplant. And the 40 pills he takes a day. Learning to duck and dodge the hardest fight for his life. Scared each week, Monday AND Thursday to hear good or bad news. We discuss med changes, heart rate (which initially runs high because hello nerves/fear), we talk GVHD which is most common in unrelated donor recipients. We discuss stomach aches, and scans. We discuss weight loss and weight gain. We discuss long term and short term. We add meds and take some away. We arrive and depart full of gratitude because we know this path. He's still with us to talk. To share and to love. Just as he's always willing to love you.

As for me and my home, we just can't wait to see our son healed. And back in this hard thing we call LIFE!

Pray hard my friends, love harder. Because love is what will keep us together. Evil never wins.

Pray for that at church next week. I'm sorry, my plea for redemption lies in the four walls in my home. Or in my car. Or next to my son bedside or hospital bedside. I know who has our back.
Thank God, I have Him. Because nothing will go to waste...that's for sure!

Love,
This Warrior Mama Lisa that is a tad bit pissed over HYPOCRISY--and "comments"

Have a super beautiful Monday! Ours begins pulling into City of HOPE! But first, pray I can get this dude dressed in layers, and out early and on time with the spring forward-

BIG LOVE!