I almost forgot: My stem cell transplant was one year ago this week…

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I turned the TV on yesterday morning and Wimbledon tennis was on. One of my favorite international stars was playing; Serbian Novak Djokovic.

Why is he one of my favorites?  Because I watched him play every match last year on the way to winning his Wimbledon championship in England.

I wouldn’t normally do that. Even though I was a tennis instructor and coach in a “past life,” I only watch parts of matches occasionally now. I no longer play–too high a risk of stopping suddenly and breaking something. And all of the bending and reaching and stretching simply isn’t comfortable for a guy with lots of holes in his bones. So the bottom line is I’m just not that interested anymore.

But last year was different. Last year I was stuck in an isolated room inside the BMT Unit at Moffitt Cancer Center.

I was pretty “out-of-it” the first couple weeks of July. But for some reason the young Serb caught my attention, and I made sure I tuned-in to watch whenever he was playing.

Fast-forward to 2012. As I’m sitting at the table in our family room, watching Djokovic play, I realized that I had forgotten to note and/or celebrate the first anniversary (they call them birthdays) of my autologous stem cell transplant.

How could I forget something as important and toxic as that? Lots of nausea, diarrhea and mind-blowing fatigue–maybe I don’t want to remember!

But it was a new beginning. And even though it wasn’t as effective as I would have hoped, I did meet some pretty amazing people while I was there. I even wrote about my experience–and the experiences of dozens of other auto and allo transplant patients–in my second book, Stem Cell Transplants from a Patient’s Perspective.

I certainly haven’t forgotten about the lingering side effects associated with my transplant, because I still live with them everyday.

But I believe that milestones, anniversaries and birthdays should be acknowledged and celebrated. Especially by those of us who are living on borrowed time.

So HAPPY 1ST ANNIVERSARY/BIRTHDAY TO ME!

I think I will take a trip down memory lane and share of few of the highlights–and low-lights–from last year’s transplant over the next few days or so.

In the meantime, why not celebrate with me and take the day off! I will be visiting my local infusion center for my weekly Velcade sub-q injection. Then tonight I will be kicking-off my next 21 day Revlimid cycle. And don’t forget about the ten, 4 mg little green dex pills that I will be downing right before bedtime–all because the stem cell transplant I’m “celebrating” didn’t work.

Yep, no one ever said that it would be easy. But it doesn’t mean that you and I can’t celebrate life and love and watching another Wimbledon!

Feel good and keep smiling! Pat