Getting Settled in Seattle!

Thursday, September 27, 2018

     After a whirlwind week of wonderful visits with friends and family, Paul and I arrived in Seattle on Tuesday.  It is a beautiful place! We are so fortunate to have the most kind and generous friends from law school, Christy and Bill, that live up here. They have completely opened their doors and are looking after me for two weeks, while Paul goes home to be with Niccolo and the pets. I am in a lovely studio apartment that is attached to their house. And, I think I might even learn to cook if I watch Christy. Our first night, she made the most delicious roasted spaghetti squash with a homemade portobella mushroom sauce! Oh, and at the same time, baked some homemade granola for breakfast!

   I rented a car and will be able to handle most of my appointments on my own. There are a few where I am sedated and Christy is going to get me to and fro. Yesterday was packed with appointments from 10am until 4pm, but treatment at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCAA) is so streamlined and efficient. The picture below is a view from the Lobby of the 6th Floor Bone Marrow Transplant Clinic. They immediately assigned me to a team that will be with me through the entire process. I am on the Gold team. Then, I had a lot of blood work and other labs, a physical, and a very thorough meeting with the nurses and the scheduler. Today, I will be having a chest x-ray, an EKG, a meeting with a the team social worker and a more detailed introduction to the entire transplant team. 

    Paul got me all settled and just left for the airport to go home, but I know he felt comfortable leaving me up here in the hands of SCCA and our friends. I sensed he may have been a little envious of my set up, it is pretty amazing! Christy filled the apartment with coffee, country bread, jam and all sorts of other goodies! 

  But only two days in and I miss my kids terribly.  Sophia is away at school so my absence should not affect her too much, but Niccolo is a junior in high school and I want to be there to make things normal for him. I just have to tell myself that this is what is best for our family's future. Two and half months is just a drop in the bucket in the big picture of life.