Day 14: Same S*it, Different Day

It's official--I've been at University Hospital's Seidman Cancer Center for two full weeks.

Fortunately, the news from the medical signs of the stay is nothing but positive. I continue to feel well each day and I have more and more energy.

I didn't sleep well on Monday and got up for they day after my 3:00 a.m. blood draw, so I was dragging a bit yesterday, but that was just a lack of sleep. I did manage to walk about three miles, but my goal was four. I just ran out of energy by 8:00 p.m. and called it a day.

Paulette stopped up on her way to work so I was able to start my day off well. George Ward also visited in the morning and brought some goodies and a card from his family. His daughter, Lindsay, had previously written me a note on Twitter that really hit the soft spot in my heart. I covered Lindsay's high school sports career for four years (I covered the other Ward kids as well, but not all four years).

I spent most of the rest of the day working on Spanish and the guitar. I'm really struggling on learning the chords, so I'm stuck on a lesson in my app. I really want to at least get functional with the G and C chords before I move to the next lesson.

It is fun to play the riffs I learned (Another Brick in the Wall and Nothing Else Matters). 

Independence baseball coach Mark Echstenkamper also stopped by and brought me a t-shirt and the medal at the top of this post. The medal is from the team's 2010 regional championship when the Blue Devils reached the state semifinals.

Mark saw my post about the "I am a Champion" sign on my door and he said every champion deserves a medal. 

It's funny, I've covered a lot of district and regional and state championship teams and I finally get a medal!

I also received some mail from Sandy O'Connor and family and Leslie Zaller and family. It's so cool to get mail and it reminds me of mail call during basic training. Everyone was hoping for a letter from home. Reading those letters allowed you to escape the hell of basic training, even for just a few moments.

As the headline of this post reads, the rest of my day has been very similar to every other. It's all about staying busy and killing time.

The boredom and confinement take a toll on the mental health, so I do everything I can to stay positive and engaged. 

As much as I walk the halls, I almost feel like the Mayor of Seidman 3. I see everybody and say hello.

Yesterday, I spoke with an older gentleman whose wife is my neighbor. She's also on her second transplant. He said he likes to see me walking and gave me some words of encouragement.

Every time I get a new nurse or doctor they say, "Well, I feel like I know you since I've seen you walking in the hallway so much."

Trust me, without those walks, I'd be in bad shape right now--at least mentally.

My only regret is I didn't bring tennis shoes. Walking in slides and crocks isn't the most comfortable.

I talked with Paulette this morning and she said something that made me feel really good. She said at least we know I have less days ahead of me than I have behind me. That's very true. I've got 14 days here on the floor and maybe 5-7 more if things continue to go well.

Let's hope that's the case.