Sunday, June 14, 2015

Transplanted: Our Next Big Adventure

Life got complicated after coming home from the hospital. Recovery immediately after surgery was almost a walk in the park compared to what I endured after leaving the hospital and what I still endure at times. Besides recovery and hospital stays, life events happened that led to a lot of stress in our house. When we moved to Redwood City last year, we knew it was only temporary and for the sole purpose of being close to Stanford for my transplant. It is crazy expensive to live in the Bay Area and we just feel it is time to move on.

Emotionally, Tom and I have both struggled to figure out our next plan of action. We couldn't formulate a solid plan for many months. We would go round and round in circles as to where to live next. We were feeling huge amounts of pressure to make up our minds. All of this has been happening while still trying to work out my recovery kinks. My health is pretty good overall, but I still have weekly blood draws, infusions, and tests. This has all tested our marriage immensely.

After so much back and forth, we decided to take a huge leap of faith. With my second lease on life, I'm not willing to just stay in my box. I want to expand my box and live life. So, with that said, I can now tell everyone that Tom and I are transplanting ourselves to England! In the beginning of July I will officially become an expat. This is a dream I have always had, but thought impossible. We know it is a bit crazy doing this 8 months after surgery, but in a lot of ways it makes sense for us. We love California, but for now I feel it has served its purpose and I'm ready to take on the challenge of living life in a new country.

There is some excitement with this decision, but so much stress has shrouded our joy. We hope once the packing is done and loose ends are tied up, we can start to enjoy our decision.

In a little over a week's time we will say goodbye to California and hello to a quick pit stop in Chicago before continuing on to our final destination. Saying goodbye will be hard, we do love this place. The weather is what keeps people here and it has definitely won us over.

I'm excited to get back to Chicago. It has been two years since I was there and I look forward to seeing as many people as possible!

My health is still fragile at times, but my medical team has been gracious enough to let me go and we all feel confident that I will do just fine. I have already set up preliminary healthcare as soon as I get to the UK and we have been in contact with my future transplant team.

This year so far has been filled with so many ups and downs and more stress than anyone should endure for an extended period of time. I look forward to this new journey transplanting myself to England!

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