A Day of Celebration, Gratitude and Reflection

General chat
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Today marks the one year anniversary of my Bone Marrow Transplant.

It’s clearly a day of celebration and a milestone in my Blood Cancer Journey.

It’s also a day of gratitude and reflection too for me.

I’m grateful to the kind individual who was my donor. To Anthony Nolan who found a donor who was a 90% match.

I also acknowledge all of those who got me to the point where transplant was possible and those who helped me through the transplant process and the long recovery process.

The Haematology Team at Raigmore Hospital have been simply amazing.

The MacMillan Unit at Raigmore Hospital who did my chemotherapy injections, blood and platelet infusions.

The whole team on Ward 4B at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow who guided me through the transplant.

The Community Nurses at the Lawson Memorial Hospital in Golspie who regularly took blood ahead of appointments.

The Infusion Suite at Raigmore Hospital who have been doing venesections in recent months.

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service and all off their donors of bloods and platelets. A blood cancer diagnosis makes you really understand just how important those donations are.

My wife for her never ending support through the ups and downs of blood cancer treatment and transplant.

Today is also a day of reflection too. I know that I’m one of the lucky ones. I was fit and healthy when diagnosed making transplant a possibility. A donor was found for me which is amazing.

I’m also aware that there are so many fellow Blood Cancer patients for whom transplant may not be an option for a whole host of reasons.

I remember those who have been on the journey with me. Those who have passed despite giving their best when dealing with their cancer.

I know my Transplant has given me a second chance at life and for that I’m truly grateful.

Finally to everyone here on the forum for all the support and connection since I joined a few months ago :folded_hands:

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Dear @DuncanB, I just wanted to say how genuinely glad I am that you’re here to share your wisdom and kindness.

Perhaps our anniversaries are not a typical sort of event to be celebrating, but then I imagine life rarely seems entirely normal after diagnoses like these!

I always look forward to your posts as I know you’ll share some invaluable insight, and personally speaking I am not so fearful now should my disorder progress thanks to how you’ve shown here that unthinkable illnesses and their treatments can be tolerable.

Looking forward to seeing you celebrate many more anniversaries!

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Thanks for your kind words in your reply @Duncan

You are absolutely spot on when you say life rarely seems normal after our diagnoses.

I know the day I got my Myelofibrosis diagnosis my outlook to life changed to focusing on the now and enjoy the simple things in life.

Hope all reasonably good with you at present.

I love reading your contributions on the forum and the encouragement you give to others when they are facing challenges.

I know I’ve only been on the forum for a short time. That said it feels like I joined when I had the energy and headspace to share my experience and thoughts with others.

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Aww I love this, it’s really so heartening @DuncanB! So true about it helping to have enough energy and headspace for all this. I’d say that hearing from you can improve those for us here around the forum! Thank you for your openness.

Thank you too for asking how I am, and dare I say it but things are good with me. Just back from a lovely urban stroll with my hound and the spring air is lush! Got some training coming up that I’m very excited about and lots of writing is pouring out right now so I must be feeling inspired—or I need to vent about my woes regarding reality!

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Excellent that things are good with you at present @Duncan

Your stroll sounds good and I think the change in the weather gives us all a lift.

That said still changeable here but nothing unusual about that in the Scottish Highlands.

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Thank you for sharing @DuncanB and for your encouraging and helpful insights. Willow x

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Pleasure @Willow

I realise I’m very much one of the fortunate people to have had a Transplant.

My thoughts are always with others who don’t have that option :confused:

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Hello @DuncanB and @Duncan

Firstly @DuncanB , congratulations on your first anniversary of your transplant and long may you stay well, and so lovely of you to acknowledge all those who have helped and supported you through what must have been difficult times.

And @Duncan , thank you too for all your thoughtful contributions from across the pond. Your posts are always kind, sensible, well-informed. And not full of platitudes -of which we in the blood cancer gang seem to be on the receiving end much of the time…… and it drives me nuts!

Is there a collective noun for Duncans? A Duality of Duncans? A Delight of Duncans? A Decency of Duncans? A Distinction of Duncans? I’m sure that all of those apply!

All the best to you both and hope Storm Dave doesn’t cause you too much havoc @DuncanB

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Thanks for your kind words @ChrissyD

It’s so important to acknowledge all the people who have helped me get to this point

Couldn’t think of a collective for Duncans.

Only thing that sprung to mind with @Duncan being in USA was Dunkin Donuts :doughnut: :rofl:

Hopefully Storm Dave won’t be as bad as predicted. Think worst on West Coast

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Oh @ChrissyD, you do make me blush! This is hilarious to me, perhaps also the case for you too @DuncanB, as it’s really not a common name. The idea that there are two of us here makes me chuckle. My favourite collective noun of yours Chrissy has got to be A Decency, and I bow to your wit and praise :blush:

And you know @DuncanB you’re spot on as ever—when I first got to the US it dawned on me that “Dunkin” is pronounced just like our names! So I note that when ordering coffee and Duncan is given as the name it’s nearly always spelt like the brand instead :rofl:

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Good call on @ChrissyD suggestions @Duncan

The Americans spelling your coffee order with the same as Dunkin is hilarious :joy:

Mind you doesn’t surprise me.

I remember my sister in law and brother in law who live in Michigan bringing some of their family to UK.

Some of the pronunciations were hilarious.

Glouchester for Gloucester

War Wick for Warwick

A Rundel for Arundel

Made us all laugh :smiley:

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Hahaha so true @DuncanB! I used to hear Arundel phonetically slaughtered a lot too! The one I hear a lot here is Birmingham like birming-HAM. So many place names on the East Coast are British.

Many people names are pronounced differently too, mostly Scottish ones I note like Craig (CREG) and Graham (GRAM). Aaron too (AIR-RON). Thankfully at least Duncan is pronounced the same!

This all reminds me of there being 3 different areas within Milton Keynes all ending in -oughton and all pronounced totally differently, Woughton (WOOF-TUN), Loughton (LAO-TUN) and Broughton (BROAR-TUN). Oh English language :roll_eyes:

But then here I am still not quite remembering how to correctly pronounce many of the Spanish-named places locally with my Mexican-American other half cringing inwardly every time I try to say Martinez, San Luis Obispo, or Guadalajara for example :speak_no_evil_monkey:

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I certainly still struggle with some of the Scottish place names @Duncan

Especially when you get to some of the place names on the Islands and Western Isles in particular.

Funny that your Mexican American wife still finds your pronunciation of certain Spanish type words strange.

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Oh it’s simply my poor memory and terrible pronunciation for sure. Wish I’d concentrated more in Spanish classes back in the day!

I love all the remnants of British history that are left in its languages and of course place names. Cleverer people than me could trace their origins backwards and forwards I’m sure, hence the aforementioned American place names being either very British or Spanish.

And let’s not even get started on place names in Wales, one of my greatest shames is never learning Welsh. I can barely pronounce places from my childhood. Not many Welsh-speakers over here, let alone in Wales itself I suppose you could say. Maybe now’s the time to learn, Duolingo is great for Welsh I’ve heard.

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Hi @Duncan and @DuncanB

A Decency of Duncans it is then as I feel it’s very apt you seem a couple of decent chappies.:heart_eyes:

@Duncan. How cheeky of your other half! Ask him to say aluminium and if he leaves the i out, you can return the eye-roll! :joy::joy:

Funnily enough, I’ve just been to an 80th birthday event today and there was a Duncan there too! Common as muck! :zany_face:

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. My husband made some wholemeal hot cross buns (to share with kids and grandchildren) and they are sooooo yummy!

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Ha well thank you very much @ChrissyD, and yes he is rather cheeky but also an anglophile so often it’s me reminding him of the British things he says like chuffed or rubbish :teapot:

So funny that you were just around another Duncan, I hope he did us proud. Enjoy those hot cross buns, the thought of them is making my mouth water… Think I’ll soak some raisins overnight to make bara brith tomorrow, thanks for the inspiration!

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