Home To Me

Hello, it has been a bit hasn’t it...

As I almost always say, it has been far too long since I have posted. As y’all know it has been a crazy ride. I need to be better at writing in the Blog, so hopefully I can stick to it and be more consistent. I am hoping to keep this post relatively short, and by so doing post more frequently. This so I can keep their lengths more manageable and the posts themselves more enjoyable to read. Anyways to start off I will give a brief update. My health is doing pretty good, this last week I have had some mildly concerning symptoms. I also got a scope as to rule out rejection, and just to play it safe before we leave for Utah. Otherwise I still deal with side affects from the meds as well as other recovery pains and symptoms. Overall though I would say that I am doing well and trying my best to keep improving in all aspects of my life. It is crazy to think that I am only eight months post transplant, and only just over a month without my ostomy. I was able to take a shower for the first time yesterday without having to cover any part of my body with a shower guard or plastic of any variety. I tell you what, it felt so stinking good, it’s funny the things we take for granted. It makes one appreciate the little things so much more. I would say that that is the general overview of things as of late. Since I didn’t really post during the actual transplant and the immediate recovery I will probably refer back to it often in this and other posts. Not to mention everything else. 

    This post in particular is quite bittersweet... I am writing this post just hours before I will be moving back to Utah, at least for a time. It is an amazing blessing that my health has improved enough for me to even be able to return to Utah. I cannot even begin to express how fortunate I am to have received a life saving transplant during this time, and in such an amazing place. Ohio has and will always have a special place in my heart. Although the last two and a half years have been extremely difficult, they have also been amazingly beautiful. Cleveland has truly become home to me... Leaving this amazing city feels like I am leaving home. I have tried to really live in such a way that wherever I am, indeed wherever I am living is home to me. I will miss this place and the people here more than I can explain with my simple words. Cleveland and all the people I have met here have truly changed my life for the better in more ways than even I realize. Sadly I have not been able to say goodbye to nearly enough people as I would like. With Covid, my immunosuppressed state, and time constraints I have not been able to say goodbye to many of the people I wished to. Fortunately I will be coming back to Cleveland periodically for the rest of my life. The Clinic will oversee my health for the remainder of my life, with that being the case I will return here at varying intervals for check ups and routine tests. With all of this it will give me the perfect opportunity to stay in touch with many of the amazing people I have grown to love throughout my time here. A side note before I continue on. I would include pictures of everyone if I could, but it would make this post way too long and it would easily have hundreds if not thousands of pictures. So I hope no one is offended that they are not mentioned in this post. I am also a massive softy and had to choke back many tears as I said goodbye to these and many other people.

This is a picture of my mom and I with Anita. She is one of the Nurse Coordinators with the Transplant team. She has changed my life in more ways than I can explain. She is like another mother to me, and I will never be able to thank her enough.

  

This is Tarik and Ernest, some of the greatest guys I have come to know here in Cleveland. They are such great examples of friendship and kindness. Their laughter and positivity is simply contagious.

    As I have been packing and preparing to leave I have had a lot of mixed emotions. It is hard to explain, but there is a large part of me that truly does not want to leave Cleveland. Now there are many reasons behind this, but as stated earlier one of the biggest reasons would have to be the amazing people I have met here. There is a quote from a movie that goes something like “A place is only as good as the people who live there...” I have come to know how very true that statement can be. Between the transplant team, members of the church, friends, and strangers, I have come to know many spectacular people. I will be indebted to them for the rest of my life and into the eternities. As I go to leave another home, I can’t help but think of the day I will get to spend time and truly thank all of these amazing people. Even then I will never be able to repay them the way they deserve. It makes me think of when my time is finally up on this earth; how great the reunions will be as we are greeted by countless concourses of people, who are just waiting to meet us or see us again. So although I have had to say goodbye to so many people, it is comforting to know that it is only for a short season, and that either in this life or the next I will get to see them all again. There is one person in particular I cannot wait to meet once this mortal journey is through. Sadly I do not yet know their name, (although I hope to learn more about them and their family in time) and even with that I still owe them immensely . My donor has given me everything, and the day I get to thank them in person will be a very tender and wondrous day. In essence it is really comforting to know that “goodbyes” are in reality just “till next time”.

Marissa was among one of the first people we met on the transplant team. I instantly became a favorite of hers because Her dog and I share the same name. She is so amazing, and has been a massive blessing in my life and the lives of my family. 

This lovely couple are such fantastic people. President and Sister Johnson treat all of us YSA members as their own children and would do just about anything for each and every one of us. 

   Another popular phrase is “Home is where the heart is” and to go with that “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”. As I have done my best to make Cleveland home, it has indeed become a treasure to me. Don’t get me wrong I love Utah so very much, it is where I grew up and where I grew to love nature in many of its forms. With that being said Cleveland has also left a lasting imprint on my heart. I guess to wrap up, I just want to say that although I don’t necessarily want to return to Utah with all my heart, I will again make it “home to me”.