"It's Christmas?"
It was 9am Christmas morning, and I had just called to wish her a merry one. It was ridiculous I know, but I was doing it any ways.
"Yes today's Christmas" I replied with some hesitation. I could hear someone in the background acknowledging the fact. Why hadn't they told her already?
"Oh, silly me. Show's you what I know!" From that point on in the conversation she was sadden, and my heart was broken. Why did I have to be the one to tell her? I had seen her the night before and given her a bunch of presents. I guess I just assumed she had known it was Christmas eve.
As you have heard, my big present to her was the DS game system and Nintendogs. She's picked out her first virtual puppy, a Chinese Pug, and named him "Rocco". Reportedly, she wakes up at all hours throughout the day and night and plays with her puppy, quietly whispering to the dog if someone's sleeping in her room (it only responds to voice commands). I gave her the goal of getting the dog a leather biking outfit, one I'd seen in pictures and new existed someone in the game.
Rocco thus far hasn't been the brightest puppy on the block, refusing to listen at times (his head turns and looks at you when you call, but he occasionally just continues playing and ignores you), and when he actually does bring the ball back, he fights with you before letting it go. Bubbles are his favorite, and watching Kristy blow on the screen and laughing as bubbles go everywhere making the dog crazy made the device worth every cent right there.
Later that Christmas day, an excited doctor called to tell Kristy that she was WAY ahead of schedule. Her white blood cell counts are high and it's looking like she might get out of the hospital a lot earlier than expected. This of course was GREAT NEWS, and the doctor told her she needed to get out of bed and start walking. She now has permission to leave her room, and children are now welcome to come visit her as well!
Now before we get too excited and start calling her cured, they still haven't determined if those white blood cells are hers or my brothers, which will tell us whether or not the blood marrow transplant was a success. Hopefully we'll find that out today. And she's still in danger of getting Host disease.
But you have to admit, things are looking up!
The day after Christmas my brother and I went back up there to see her. Cards and pictures have been crawling over the wall in front of her bed like ivy. Thanks to everyone who's sent one in!.
Even with the progress she's made, she's still very weak, and only stays conscious for an hour or two at a time. When we arrived she was sleeping and having difficulty waking up to say high to all the kids we'd brought in to see her.
My mother and father had been trying all day to get her to get up and walk out of the room, but she just couldn't find the strength.
I played ball with Rocco and got pretty efficient at hitting him in the head with it. It would bounce off his little virtual mug and he'd watch it roll across the floor while he sat there panting. Like I said, not the brightest puppy in the game.
Her three year old niece, Faith, who had been gifted with the ability to talk loudly at a very young age, kept talking to everyone in the room oblivious to Kristy's situation. Her chatter managed to get Kristy's eyes open, and my parents swooped in like hawks to get her up.
The doctor had told her that if she even wanted to think about leaving the hospital she had to walk around the floor that day, and like an 80 yr old woman she slowly sat up and nodded that she wanted to give it a try.
Kristy's now historic first walk.
After nearly two weeks of bed rest, she stepped out in the brightly lit hall and stood there squinting. She looked like someone emerging from a dark cave into the sunlight. With my father pushing her medical center on wheels behind her, we all walked around the floor together while I snapped a few pictures. Once we did a lap around the wing, she returned looking tired but triumphant, and soon after was sleeping again.
So despite it being a rather sad xmas without her being there to celebrate it with, it ended with wonderful healing gift. It's a gift I believe all of you have put together.
And we thank you for that.
Thanks for your prayers and thoughts. Keep them up! We're almost there.
