Hey?! How are you?

We’ve been in the bone marrow transplant unit less than a week, and it is funny (scary) how many people have recognized me. Jake is restricted to his floor, but I venture out a little bit. We’ve spent the better part of the last two years in a big hospital, in a big city 2 hours from home. This time was planned, and we sublet an apartment close to the hospital.  Turns out the gal I met from a Craigslist post knows one of my friends. A neighbor stopped by the hospital to visit me, and in the cafeteria,  I ran into a student doctor who initially was on an neurology rotation when Jake was in the ICU, then a pulmonary rotation when he was back a year later on the cancer floor.  She recognized me, and I gave her an update. The guy at the front desk who gives us a parking pass just did a double take. The food service guy really likes Jake and remembered mom will take a chocolate chip cookie anytime. I’ve run into nurses, transport members, etc., and some of his former doctors have Jake “flagged” and come by for social visits. When he was first transferred here in November 2014, I was scared to death. I wouldn’t leave his ICU room for weeks. It was lonely and scary. The ICU wasn’t accommodating, and the nurses probably didn’t want us in his room. One was particularly snotty, until I held my kid still for a lumbar puncture, then she sweetened up. I finally accumulated enough disposable pillows that I made a little bed on the floor. We went to the ER so many times those first few months, the security officer waved us through after running to grab a wheelchair. I would tell the person at the desk, “We need a private room- it’s too complicated, but you have to just trust me…” She would look at me like I was crazy until the security guard would yell in, “she’s right- just trust her!” Then I would tell the doc, “We just need pain control until Dr. S. gets in and can admit him,” That routine became a little too repetitive. I won’t use full names,  but Dr. S. happened to be the first doctor we saw in the ICU. He quickly became the one we trusted and waited patiently for him to make his rounds.  There were so many different teams, but he has remained our one constant. He comes by now socially, but a year and a half ago, he saved Jake’s life.