Thanksgiving

Granddaughter Cassia and I greet thanksgiving with gummy smiles !

Today is thanksgiving day.Whereas at first sight I might not appear to have too much to be thankful for what with the recent diagnoses, not being able to enjoy a thanksgiving meal today (Actually I will enjoy it, just not in the form most of the rest of you will be taking it in) I really do have a huge amount to be thankful for.

It was almost over a year and a half ago that I was given the direst of prognoses. 4-12 weeks. I was considered too old for for marrow ablation therapy and marrow transplant. The risks were just too high. Luckily on my death bed I met Dr. Amili who gave it a whirl. So here I am a few months later with my Leukaemia in remission, and my Graft v. Host under control. Admitedly if I had had my druthers I would have passed on the throat cancer...

However, see the photo above, I have been able to see my granddaughter - my daughter Ruth came over for thanksgiving - which if nothing else would have been worth it!

However the big lesson I have learnt from all this is the importance of friends and family. I got the other day a card signed by my friends at the Midpines hickory competition. It is impossible to overstate how much this means to me - or to anyone else in a similar position!

The support of friends and family are priceless, and here I am especially thankful for Rona, who has put up with a old grouch over the past few months!

Like most Americans I had also become somewhat addicted to to over consumption. My recent illness's - helped by the economic meltdown - have certainly shown me that consumption is a false god!

I was originally scheduled to spend thanksgiving with Avery's (Matt's girlfriend) family, but with the radiation therapy treatment etc. That proved impossible. So Matt and Avery, and Sarah and Jack are down in Athens, whereas Rona, Ruth, Cassia and I are up in Cleveland

So to all of you a Happy Thanksgiving, and please spare a thought and a prayer for our troops oversees.

Frank