Day 17 proved to be just a little better for Nick, but today - Day 18 - he spent the day preparing for DISCHARGE! It has been a very long, emotional day for all of us, so I'd better give the short version here.
The day began somewhat typical, Nick caught up on the local news and tried to have something to eat. It has been about a week of just fluids (mostly IV), but he still can't seem to successfully complete anything from the Moffitt cafe. This doesn't come as a total surprise considering the quality of hospital food. Frankly, it's difficult to take...even if you don't suffer from mucositis. The discharge process was quite lengthy and included meetings with nurses, staff, and pharmacists. Although we learned that he was being released this morning, it wasn't until 4:30 pm that we were headed for "the BMT bell"! This is the bell in the BMT unit that each patient rings on their way out of the unit. It's quite a moment, so Jon
joined us in person while we had Lauren (from her class @ FGCU) on Face Time to participate in the "big event". There were smiles, tears, and applause from the BMT staff. Once we rolled Nick just outside the front door, he exhaled and said, "This is awesome. What a great day." Jon and I loaded the cars and headed for the hotel. Thank goodness Jon was with us because it took some time to get everything unloaded. Tonight Nick has already had a few very small bites, took his meds and climbed into bed for the night. He's happy to be able to eat at this point, but the things he's really looking forward to include 1) the comfort of a real bed, and 2) no one waking him up! Sleep well my sweet prince...sleep well!
joined us in person while we had Lauren (from her class @ FGCU) on Face Time to participate in the "big event". There were smiles, tears, and applause from the BMT staff. Once we rolled Nick just outside the front door, he exhaled and said, "This is awesome. What a great day." Jon and I loaded the cars and headed for the hotel. Thank goodness Jon was with us because it took some time to get everything unloaded. Tonight Nick has already had a few very small bites, took his meds and climbed into bed for the night. He's happy to be able to eat at this point, but the things he's really looking forward to include 1) the comfort of a real bed, and 2) no one waking him up! Sleep well my sweet prince...sleep well!
In Minsk, Belarus and feeling your joy of ringing the bell.
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