March 20, 2010 11:15 PM

Appreciation and awareness!

These are the two things that I came away with from the first day of the Bone Marrow Transplant Survivor's Conference. After listening to today's speakers and participating in a group session with 12 other transplant survivors, I got a new appreciation as to how fortunate I have been. The speakers dealt with the many physical and emotional problems that often accompany a bone marrow transplant while the survivors told stories of suffering that ran the gamut from excessive fatigue to breathing and gastro-intestinal issues that subjected people to many months in the hospital.

As to awareness, it was reinterated many times that graft vs host disease can crop up at any time down the road. Even after four or five years! I have to admit that that was an eye-opener but it doesn't change my current thoughts on things. I take it one day at a time - not worrying about tomorrow. To do so would only spoil the current day and there is nothing to be gained by doing that.

Another interesting tidbit is that fact that the same disease is treated in so many different ways by so many different doctors at so many different facilities. Other AML patients underwent procedures that I never heard of or that were never even mentioned as possibilities for me. I can't argue with their relative success because everyone there, obviously, is a bone marrow transplant survivor.

Now, I know that I am not the only one to come through this relatively unscathed. And that was confirmed by a few others who told their stories as well. But the emphasis is on the word "few". There aren't many of us.

The other nice thing to see was that, all in all, people had a positive attitude about things - even though they had suffered much. I don't know if I could be as upbeat as them. I'd like to think so. But, having no reason to get down on myself, I haven't had to directly face the issue.

This brings me to a conversation that was held at the restaurant last night where we went to dinner with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Those two and my wife did not know how they would respond should they have been given the diagnosis of having cancer. I can understand where they are coming from but, obviously, for me I know the answer and I know how I would conduct myself afterwards. I now realize how strong I can really be and, truthfully, it has surprised me.

Not that I ever wanted this disease - but, having done so, I am a very fortunate man, indeed...

Bob