This morning I sat down at the computer to write. Not a progress note or a treatment plan or a worksheet to help folks introduce mindfulness into their lives. I sat down to write a post on this blog to celebrate Jack’s 18^th transplant birthday.

I was feeling a little stuck on how to get started so I sorted through some photos and Googled how many hours, days, weeks, months – since those magic cells were introduced to Jack’s body. You can imagine my surprise when I looked at the screen.

149,241 hours, 6,210 days, 887 weeks, 203 months, 17 years

IT’S NOT JACK’S 18^th BIRTHDAY – it’s his 17^th Birthday!

What kind of mom loses track of how many years post-transplant her son is?

This kind of mom.

I’m mortified and embarrassed, but I’m trying to look at this error as a sign that ALD is not the main focus of our family anymore. While transplant day will always be a huge day for all of us, so much has happened since that day. Jack has attended awesome schools and now an unbelievable adult program. We’ve welcomed doggies to our family (and grieved as we let two go). We’ve all introduced new jobs and paths. We’ve taken amazing trips, enjoyed big celebrations, and spent less time worrying about bloodwork/MRIs/test results and more time planning where we want to travel to next and who’s up for a hike/swim/good movie.

I guess I figured it had been 18 years of memories/experiences/adventures.

So, now that I am done sharing what a slacker mom I am . . . 

HAPPY TRANSPLANT BIRTHDAY JackO! Who cares what number it is! We are simply grateful to that mom who chose to donate her baby’s cord blood. We are grateful for the doctors and nurses who cared for you with such determination and kindness. We are grateful for all our friends and family (OUR DUCT TAPE) who held us up when we were struggling and celebrated our triumphs. We are grateful for all the adventures we have enjoyed since that day and for all the adventures that lie ahead.

Most of all, we are grateful to have been blessed with JackO’s smile and energy for the last 17, 18, whatever years.

Love you JackO!!!!

Love, Bad Momo