Rounds Inspirational Journeys

May you never stop dreaming that impossible dream. As difficult as times may get, hold on to the promises God has made to you and do not falter in your faith. Do not be afraid to ask for a miracle; if you believe it can happen it will. Never lose your faith and trust in others. Let people love and care for you and in return do the same. Two years ago I began the quest for an impossible dream. The road that I travelled was rocky and full of potholes that tried to consume me, and yet I walked on. Yes I faltered, yes I doubted, and yes, at times I wanted to give up. But a wonderful group of people came along to help me, giving me nourishment , encouragement, and love (YOU). They continually reminded me of how much I am loved by God and others and that gave me the strength to carry on. On December 10, 2008, when I didn't think my body could take any more suffering, my impossible dream came true and a miracle was given to me by a stranger and her family. Through their love and generosit...

Hello friends, I am worn out! I had an ultrasound on my legs at 9:00 (they found no blood clots, hooray!) and then I had a CT of my chest at 10:00. I kept nodding off during the CT I was so tired. I am looking forward to a nice nap when I finish my breathing treatments. Hannah and Dad went with Carter, Reilly, and their dad and grandpa to the Science Center. We dropped them off at Cammi's house on our way to the hospital. Hannah told me she was so excited her tummy hurt. I hope they will have a wonderful day. A home health nurse will be coming today to pull out my Picc line and access my medi -port for the remainder of my IV medications. I am a little nervous. The Picc hurt like crazy going in! My cousin Joni had asked me how my Christmas wish was coming, so I thought I should give you all a report. So far I have sold 228 Chronic Illness books, not quite to my goal yet, but REALLY close. Thank you to those of you who helped with this special wish of mine (and especially to my dad...

Dear friends, As my blog approaches its 30,000th visit, I thought it would be nice to set up a Guestbook for all of my friends who have been following me along on this journey. Please take a moment to sign my guestbook and let me know who you are and where you are from. The link is to the right and once you have signed, click on the home link and it will take you back to my site. Thank you all so much! Nancy

Hello! Today I had my appointment with the surgeons to assess how I am progressing. No one could believe how good I looked. Things are looking okay so far. My biopsy showed no signs of rejection (Thank you God!), but I do have a touch of Bronchitis, so I need to take things a little easier for a few days. I will continue my 7 doses a day of IV antibiotics until I see Dr. Pilewski next Thursday. I am scheduled to have a CT of my chest tomorrow morning as well as an ultrasound of my legs and feet to check on the swelling. I couldn't believe it when I got on their scale today and weighed 134, obviously I have a lot of fluid buildup because I am sure I didn't gain 20 lbs. of fat or muscle in the last few days. Rose and Haley got off safely this afternoon. It sure was great to see them! I never got to share the pictures from our dinner with Julie and Mary the night before I was transplanted. We had a lovely visit and Julie actually ate more than I did. (What an amazing miracle consi...

Rose and Haley arrived around 1:00 today. It was so wonderful to see them! We have had a terrific day catching up. Hannah and Haley have really enjoyed each other's company and Rose took the two girls to Barnes and Noble while I was sleeping, so they each got to pick out a book. Dear Rose was also good enough to get me some large/wide shoes to wear to my doctor's appointment tomorrow, I can't fit into any of my shoes. Wasn't that so thoughtful of her? I guess she thought I would look goofy in my slippers. I have an appointment with the surgeon tomorrow at 10:20. I am anxious to see what they say about how I am progressing. I am a bit nervous about the swelling in my feet and hope they can adjust my medications to help with that. I will let you know tomorrow afternoon what I found out. Rose brought this picture of Scott, Hannah, and Santa from a Christmas party they all attended. I had to share this great picture of my two cuties ( Santa's a cutie too!) ...

Good Morning! I wanted to tell you about an amazing nurse I met while I was in the hospital. His name is Alphonse. He is from Ghana and is currently working here in the US. Alphonse is the father of 16 children, 4 biological and the rest adopted. He and his wife are both becoming educated in the medical field so they can open a clinic back in their home country to assist the people there. Alphonse is a CPA, a Geologist, and now an RN. He was the sweetest, most gentle man I think I have ever met, a genuinely good person through and through. As awesome as all of that is, when I asked Alphonse about Christmas and if or how they celebrated, he replied that they do not buy gifts for each other, but instead purchase gifts for those less fortunate. On Christmas day his family volunteers at a soup kitchen serving Christmas dinner to the homeless. I was so moved by this! Alphonse is a true angel on earth and I wanted to introduce him to you. My friends Rose and Haley come today, I can't wa...

Hannah and my parents had a wonderful afternoon with Cammi's Family. Hannah is already looking forward to a trip to the Science Center with Carter and Reilly later this week. Vance, Ann, Judy, and Dennis Reilly, Hannah, & Carter Lance and Cammi I stayed home and enjoyed a nice nap. Scott left around 10:00 and got home safely, thank goodness, I miss him already. I didn't get a chance to tell you that I had a special visitor the day after Christmas. Sister Margaret Carney, the President of SBU grew up in Pittsburgh, so she is here for the holidays. She came to visit and it was so lovely to see her. She has always been so supportive of me and I was touched that she would take time away from her family to see me and my family. The St. Bonaventure family has been so supportive and good to me, I feel very blessed to have made so many wonderful friends while I worked there. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! My love to you all! Nancy