Healing and Giving Thanks

I can not believe six months have passed since Robbie came home after his bone marrow transplant. In that time, we haven’t shared much beyond quick updates of gratitude, but today I want to pause and reflect. More than anything, I want to thank each of you our family, friends, and community for the love and support you’ve shown us. Whether it was a visit, a meal, a message, a prayer, or simply holding us in your thoughts, please know how much it has meant. Our gratitude is deep and genuine.

Life feels different now. We notice the little things more, cherish our moments together more deeply, and live with a sharper awareness of how precious time truly is. In a world that feels busy and uncertain, what matters most to me is simple: my family being together.

Robbie is doing well, though recovery is ongoing. Physically, he looks great and most days feels pretty good, but his body is still healing. There have been some minor complications with graft-versus-host disease, which is common with this type of transplant. Thankfully, Robbie has an incredible doctor and care team who watch over him closely. Emotionally, the journey has left deep scars. A year of living through what felt like a nightmare doesn’t fade easily, and trauma surfaces in unexpected ways.

His immune system still has a long way to go. We were reminded of that recently when our whole family came down with sinus infections. The kids and I were back on our feet in a couple of days, but Robbie was sick for nearly three weeks. It’s a sobering reminder of how vulnerable he remains, and how much time his body still needs to recover.

There are lighter moments too. One that makes us laugh often is a detail his doctor shared: all of Robbie’s cells are now his sister Rebekah’s, and on a molecular level, his chromosomes even read as XX. We joke that they’re officially “sisters” now. 😂

Our weeks are still filled with doctor visits, labs, and medications. The clinic is only fifteen minutes from home a blessing we don’t take for granted, knowing so many families travel hours, even across states, for treatment. We are endlessly grateful for the hospital, its providers, and the extraordinary nurses who care for patients with so much compassion. At the same time, the hospital holds some of our hardest memories. Healing from that trauma will take time too.

For now, both Robbie and I have been given the gift of time…time to focus on recovery, on therapy, on our health, and most importantly, on our family. I’ll never stop feeling grateful that Robbie is here with us. Looking back on the last year still feels surreal, almost like a bad dream. Even when I share our story, people often look at me in disbelief, and I can hardly believe it myself.

Planning for the future feels impossible some days, so instead we take things one step at a time. One day, one moment, one memory at a time. And in those moments, I’m finding a new softness, a deeper sense of gratitude, and a stronger faith.

To anyone who has faced cancer whether as a patient, a parent, a partner, or a caregiver

you are true warriors. The oncology staff at Loma Linda often reminded me that only those walking this path can fully understand what it means to endure it. That truth stays with me. My prayer is that if you’ve never had to face this, you never will. It’s not something I would wish on anyone.

Thank you for continuing to read our updates and walk alongside us in this journey. One day, I plan to share these posts with our children so they’ll know just how strong their dad was. To me, and to them, Robbie is a hero. I’ve never witnessed such strength in the face of suffering, and I will forever be grateful to the nurses and providers who cared for him with such grace and kindness. They are angels on earth.

As we step into this next chapter, I don’t know what the future holds, but I know what I have right now: my beautiful family together. And that is everything.