Ana and Isa’s blog

Dear Friends,
There is no way to initiate a partner into the life of CF and instantly become closer than to experience a bowel obstruction in front of them. These words I wished I didn’t have to say in the middle of the night: “Honey, I have to go home to get Golytely.” Once home and a few hours later, more hesitant words followed, “Honey I have to go to the ER.” Someone once said bowel obstructions are more painful than childbirth, and although I don’t know the latter, I agree. It’s amazing how such a personal and taboo act of going #2 can become the focus of the day when things don’t go well. I spare no shame. Because of the intensity of pain, I relinquished all modesty and invited the gurus who make a living unclogging the plumbing of the intestinally challenged. I even surrendered to morphine to provide relief (ahh……).

I arrived at the ER at 6:00 AM after a sleepless night attempting to chug 4 liters of Golytely laxative solution at home to no avail. This was the first time that Golytely did NOTHING so I new this was BAD and feared a rupture.
Being the loving and dedicated partner that he is, Trent accompanied me. I was speechless except for grunts and heavy breathing due to pain, but he still sat by me for much of the day, being both my solace and my advocate. Service was quick and the staff were kind. It seems like saying the words “transplant patient” upon admission seems to expedite things. However, there is the usual need to explain CF and the implications of being an immunosuppressed transplant patient. Below are some real quotes from nurses today, that I find humorous and typical of the chaos of the medical system when there are too many patients and too many diagnoses to keep track of.
” This is Anabel , she had lung cancer.” (What???!!!)
“Did you have a bowel transplant?” (I wish!)
“Are you pregnant? You look about 4 months.” (I FELT pregnant!)
“We really don’t want you to bring your own meds to the hospital. We may have to store them with our pharmacist.” (I didn’t bother explaining that I bring my own meds because by the time they got the orders for all my meds straight, I would be discharged.)
After 2 gallons of Golytley and 2.5 liters of contrast enema (sorry, to much info), I felt like my gut was going to explode. It was distended beyond recognition and my belly was painful to the touch. I was tempted to just do harikiri on myself and purge my gut that way. Thankfully, after much ado from which I will spare you further details, I am cleansed and feeling human again.
Being in the ER for six hours and witnessing a car accident, stroke and heart attack victim, and a woman having a psychotic episode, it put my discomfort in perspective. I was moved out of the ER and placed elsewhere for observation. I was told that one of the criteria to go home was to eat a “soft foods” meal and tolerate it well. When my tray arrived, I was surprised to see steak on the plate. So much for “soft” gentle foods for traumatized guts!
I finally was discharged at 9 PM, thankful I didn’t have to spend the night. I prayed to God for understanding for missing Church on Easter and laughed at my analogies between Easter and a bowel blockage: the Baptism of my gut, the wish to “lay an egg”, the rebirth of my cleansed gut.

I hope you had a wonderful Easter!

Wishing you many healthy bowel movements.
ANA

Dear Friends,
Thanks for reading this blog again today!
I hope you are all having a beautiful Easter day, perhaps with friends, family, some rest and relaxation, chocolate and good food.

Well, after writing that there has been little drama in our lives, we celebrate this beautiful Easter with Ana at Stanford ER working on a severe intestinal blockage. After being subjected to humiliating and excruciatingly painful procedures, Ana is doing okay otherwise, and getting everything she needs to work through her issues. She wants to be totally cleaned out so she can “start from scratch.” Hopefully we’ll keep ourselves cleaned out on our road trip! At this point, half our trunk will be filled with golytely… Ana was supposed to go to a special dinner with Trent’s parents, but he called them and said she can’t come because she’s “constipated.” Oh, the forced closeness of family when CF is involved!

Andrew and I are working on taxes, housechores and just organizing our lives. We went to church together and were inspired by people who truly care about society. I swam yesterday and may jog today with Rupie. Tonight Andrew’ll make his favorite homemade pizza to celebrate Easter. It’s just a perfect Sunday.

Whether you believe in resurrection of Jesus or not, today I reflect on all the ways we resurrect as humans. The obvious are those who have received transplants, who go from near dead to fully alive. Also included are people who are severely depressed for a long time and make a comeback with new hope to live again. And people who lose everything material and rebuild from nothing. People who make a new goal and work towards it. People like Michelle and Henry who have a stroke or other accident and go from bedbound to walking again, even with a cane. People who have grieved and think they’ll never go on living and somehow they do. To quote Rev. Carol Barriger this morning, even entire cities are resurrected, like Hiroshima and Dresden in 1945, New Orleans now have come back. All of those people and experiences reflect a deep light within all of us to get up and keep going, to move on. My favorite proverb from my friend Kathleen is “Fall down seven times, get up eight!” Hallelujah for human resilience, whether it’s divinely inspired or not.

So today, I wish you a happy resurrection day, and may you always believe in your own form of rebirth and new light.
I end with a poem read today at church, which I picked up last Easter 2007 just as Ana was getting re-listed for her second transplant and was terribly sick. It gave me hope that struggle would lead to something better. Today I thank God for her second transplant, her second resurrection. Whether she’s on crutches or going to the bathroom or not, I feel so grateful for her chances at rebirth!

Blessings, Isa

Resurrection Day

New Life Never Comes easy.
Nothing is born without effort and pain.
Easter’s dawn is not the pastel weter color of springtime’s return.
Easter breaks with thundering upheaval,
with the ocean’s weight and salty power,
crashing over the bleak rockscape of our hiding places,
dissolving out fears with Holy Terror.
New life never comes easy.
Nothing is born without effort and pain.
This day we witness death itself
Giving way, giving birth, giving WIDE berth,
To Life.

-Rev. Dr. Mary Susan Gast, UCC

Dear Friends,
Happy Spring! Happy Good Friday! My friend Pat has pressured me to write more on this blog so I am obliged. Thank you to everyone who, like Pat, lurks to see what’s next in our lives.

Fortunately, there is nothing dramatic to report. We are in a routine at home. The house is a mess and laundry baskets are full. The yard needs tending. But I have my priorities: health and the book. I have been swimming every other day, and running every other day. On Tuesday I went to the track and sprinted four 100m, and on Wed and Thur I was so sore I could hardly get up from a chair. I can’t believe how easily the solumedrol tears away muscle! So I am on a mission to build up again. I feel so unmotivated, in part because I have been busy with book stuff, but it has been a sunny but unusually chilly week, and jumping into a pool has been dreadful. Then I have to remember how disciplined I used to be with my CF, when I didn’t have a choice… I just did my treatments, so the least I can do is swim for one hour a day now. It’s easy to beat myself up when I don’t exercise, saying I’m lazy or undisciplined, but then I remember once in a while the body needs to rest. It’s okay.

So Ana and I have been preparing for our various book events on our road trip. We secured one more bookstore signing in Albuquerque on April 23, so now we have book signings in San Jose next week, then San Diego, Albuquerque, Baltimore and the Triangle area of North Carolina. We then have CF events in Orange County, Chicago, Norfolk, Charlotte and Omaha. If anyone has friends or family in those areas, please let them know about these events. We are taking a risk because we don’t know that many people in those locations, so if we get 10-15 people we’ll be happy. Please help spread the word. Thanks to those who already have! The details of the signings are on www.stenzeltwins.com.

I just pray we’ll be healthy for these events! It is scary to plan so many commitments as if everything will be okay. We just have to hope for the best. Before October 2006, I would’ve had no doubts that we could fulfill our goals. But Ana’s rejection and my recent RSV hospital stays have jolted my security. I see my friends with CF and transplanted held hostage by their pains and problems, tethered to the hospital, and I recognize any day now that could be me. What are we doing planning on driving 3000 miles away, sometimes to the middle of nowhere? But I have to keep living. I have to keep making plans as if everything will be fine. That’s what most people do- don’t we have the luxury of doing that too? Is that asking for too much?

So, we move onward. Ana and I have basically spent 6-8 hours in front of the computer all week looking for addresses of groups/organizations and individuals who might be interested in attending our book signings. We try to recruit the local CF Center staff, the CFF staff, the organ donation groups, and then we stretch it and reach out to repiratory therapy departments, mothers of multiple groups, Japanese groups, CF research staff, transplant centers, etc., of each location. We send postcards and flyers out, but mostly we create the God-forsaken spam that people dread, announcing our signings. I apologize in advance to those of you who are feeling bombarded by our marketing efforts. It will all be done in two months! Then, life will go back to routine. I find it painful to promote myself as if this is the most important thing in people’s lives; which I recognize it is not! It is for me, right now, and I figure, all we can do is let people know what is going and they have the option to participate or not. I am deeply touched when people go out of their way to attend book signings and write to us.

Some of you may know I have a complex about not working, and how I don’t have a real career like Ana has had for the last ten. But today it hit me that I am working on this book, I am just not getting paid for it! The definition of work in physics is the expenditure of energy, and I am certainly doing that. Just not getting a paycheck makes this work more flexible and relaxed. This immense book effort reminds me that I have a tendency to be obsessive-compulsive, and I was that way with my paid jobs, which sometimes got me into health trouble because I couldn’t say no. Now I confess it feels good to be this much of a diligent workaholic for myself and my own project. This is the one thing I’ll promote like crazy for myself, right now. It won’t last forever, but it’s okay for now. Now, for the record, I am not putting in this effort for any real outcome. I certainly don’t care for fame or fortune. I don’t really care how many books we sell or what the tiny royalties are. I just want to do my best in this effort, and see that we’ve done everything we could to promote the book. And when it’s over, there’ll be no regrets. I guess that’s my attitude towards life generally.

Today I went to get my blood drawn at Stanford Hospital, and was glad to do so. The large cherry blossom trees by the entrance are all in full bloom, and I feel like I am walking through Heaven when I enter the hospital. The walkways are covered with blooming daffodils and other colorful bulbs, scattered with forget-me-nots all over. How lucky we are to receive care from such a healing environment! This reminds me of going to Stanford Hospital regularly right after my transplant in March, 2004, and watching these cherry blossoms at a time when I was newly resurrected. Nothing changes. I stil feel awe, amazement, joy, gratitude for being alive to see another spring. Most of all, I feel wonder at how amazing the cycle of life is– for nature, and for us.

I do hope this weekend brings a special kind of resurrection to your personal life.

Happy Easter to you all.
May you all celebrate health as well.
Isa

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your ongoing interest in our story through this blog. We appreciate your kind comments!

Ana’s foot surgery on Monday went smoothly and she is recovering nicely. My mom came up on Monday to help Ana with meals and shopping, and driving her to work on Wednesday. It was great to spend time with my mother who unconditionally gives and gives. It is her birthday next Tuesday so on Thursday we had a nice sushi dinner at home with her to celebrate. It was wonderful.

On Friday morning before leaving, we fulfilled Mama’s wish to shop at Nordstrom’s. I enjoyed to see Mama light up with energy as we browsed the racks for sale items. We were shocked to see some pretty outrageous styles of dresses and shirts costing $250-$2000!! I don’t know what happened since my transplant, but I have absolutely no interest in shopping anymore. I shop because I ’should’ wear something decent to my book events. I used to love shopping but my materialistic desires have plummetted since my rebirth. In the dressing room, I have a strong desire to flee. I don’t care what I look like, how much my clothes cost, what the fashion style is or any of that. Now, external factors of my body just don’t matter at all. Sadly, I am starting the age where it should matter- where I can no longer rely on attractiveness defined by youth. But this just goes to show the life-death transformation of transplant changes so much more than just our lungs and our lives; it changes my priorities and values and desires about what is wealth and what is a meaningful way to spend money.

This week has been a catch-up week. I’ve drowned in emails and planning our big April-May tour. I’ve taken a few afternoon naps and wondered ‘what’s wrong with me’ for being so tired. But my doctor’s appointment on Monday provided only good news, if you count gaining 12 pounds good news too. I’ve gone swimming and running and am trying to shed those pounds.

A highly of this week was reconnecting with Mette, my Norwegian friend with CF who is visiting with her husband and two sons, age 5 years and 9 months. Mette stayed with the Modlin family in 1992 and we became friends. We traveled to Norway in 2005 to visit her and it is another gift to see her again. The CF care in Norway is exceptional so 38 year old Mette is in great health. She gave birth to her boys naturally! IN Norway, once a CF patient cultures pseudomonas, they are automatically started on IV antibiotics every 3 months for the rest of their lives. And they are given aggressive nutritional intervention. So Mette is living proof that preventative CF care makes a difference. Together we went to the San Francisco Zoo and watched her boys enjoy the animals. As Mette pushed her baby stroller, Mama and I pushed Ana in her wheelchair. It was a beautiful day, sunny yet chilly, and we enjoyed a relaxing amble around the naturalistic zoo. It brought me back to the days of my summer internship in 1993 when I worked at the Avian Conservation Center there.

Yesterday Ana and I had a great time at the Stanford CF education day. We sold an unexpected large number of books there and met old and new friends. There was a good talk on cross infection, spurring increased fear and paranoia among young families with CF children. We met a couple who didn’t want to have other children because of fear of cross infection among the potential CF siblings. A logical concern to try to help their CF child thrive and live as long as possible. Ana tried to explain sympathetically that sometimes the love of sibling is more beneficial than the small risks of contamination.

Last night, we enjoyed a precious dinner with the Modlins to watch old videos of Mette’s stay and look at old photos. It was a great trip down memory lane. We have all come far– Ana’s and my transplant, Mette’s and my marriage, 26 year old Anna M.’s has transformed from a wild 9 year old to a wild college graduate, graduate school graduate and counselor. Little Sara, Anna M’s sister, is now a college student. How lucky we are to all witness each other go through life together! With the unspoken fear of losing each other, we cherish even more this beautiful moment of growing old together.

On the way home, Andrew and Trent chastised Ana and I for being too close to Mette and Anna, and not wearing masks or separating ourselves carefully from our CF friends. While we avoided contact and held to the three foot rule, I hate to think a loving dinner with people who truly know and love us is somehow an act of defiance. Each moment we are in the same house and vicinity of our CF friends is a life-threatening risk. How sad! What happened to this disease? And with transplantation it’s even more dangerous. But screw it! Love and friendship are more important to me than avoidance. Physical presence- not contact- of our friends is healing and so worthwhile.

On a timely note, a friend passed on this email link of well written article in the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/16/fashion/16love.html?em&ex=1205812800&en=a346f9d9d807adf4&ei=5087%0A

Anyway, I hope these ideas allow you to reflect on your life and what would you do in these circumstances? What’s important to you?

The next week will be filled with more planning and organization for our book tour. We are truly grateful for your ongoing love and support.

Have a wonderful St Patrick’s Day. Love to you, Isa

3/9/08

NIGHT DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

We arrived in the near darkness to Tulelake (AKA middle of nowhere), a town about 15 miles south of Klamath Falls, nestled in the Klamath Basin north of Mount Shasta and about 12 miles from the Oregon-California border. We chose to stay here because it was closest to our next dream destination- Lava Beds National Monument- and also because of the historic significance of this small town, which is home to about 1000 residents today. Tulelake was the sight of the largest Japanese Internment camp during World War II, imprisoning over 29,000 Japanese Americans (mostly American citizens) from approximately 1943-1946. We wanted to pay tribute to the price the Japanese Americans paid during World War II, a sacrifice that some believe has spared Muslim Americans today from the same prejudice and unfair treatment.

We stopped at the only motel in town, a small building built in the 70’s with very modest accommodations. It was not the ideal place to stay but we had no choice. There was no hot water in the sink (the bathroom towels boasted a presence from the 70’s as well), the front door’s only lock was the one on the door knob, and it was right next to the highway. A last resort but also “a never-again.” There were no immenities, not even a box of Kleenex. We then proceeded into town to search for dinner, only to find a deserted Main street with buildings that dated back to the 40’s . After much driving, we found a saloon and entered, only to find they didn’t serve food. The owner recommended a restaurant five miles south and we were delighted to find a family diner serving delicious dinners till 8 pm on a Saturday night.

Driving home, the highway was dark and I was driving, struggling to push my boot cast (from my broken right foot) into the gas pedal. Isa was inhaling her tobramycin antibiotic nebulizer in the car using our portable machine. I drove cautiously, partly because of the darkness and unfamiliar territory, but also because I was engrossed in the music of Brandi Carlile:
Have you ever wandered walking through the woods, and everything feels just like it should, part of a lifetime, part of something good, have you ever been walking through the woods?

Suddenly, red and blue lights were flashing behind me. Damn! A cop! I pulled over to the shoulder, creating a dust cloud that kept us from opening our windows well until the cop was standing outside the passager’s side door with a flashlight beaming at us.
“Were we going too fast?” Isa asked when she finally had courage to open her window. Isa reflected her usual uber cheerful and overly friendly self. The cop proceeded to tell me I was driving 40 mph in a 65 mph zone. Too slow. Now that’s a change for a Californian driver. We explained that it was dark and we were not from here, although I think that was obvious. He asked us how much we had been drinking. Anyone who knows us recognizes that Isa and I tend to giggle when nervous or on-the-spot, and his ludicrous question directed at the two most unlikely alcohol consumers in the world provoked a clammer of giggles that must have made him suspect drinking even more.
“What’s that?” he asked shining the flashlight on Isa’s nebulizer, which frankly, looked suspiciously like a mini bong. We explained that she was inhaling medication for prevention of infection for her lung transplant. He asked more questions about the type of medication, and ended with a compassionate, “I just wanted to make sure you gals were alright.” I prayed he wouldn’t shine his flashlight toward my boot cast above the gas pedal. After reviewing my license, insurance and registration, he kindly let us go, without a ticket, warning us to pay attention to the speed limit signs next time.

We made it through that, laughing at ourselves and the situation- being stopped by a cop in a nearly deserted town?

After a night at the Ellis Motel consumed with paranoia of bedbugs and highway hoodlums, we left early in the morning to enjoy a day at the Upper Klamath Basin Wildlife Refuge and the Lava Beds National Monument. We stood before the marsh lands of Tulelake, listening to dozens of migrating birds singing their spring songs. The sun shined on the snow that sat on the banks of the lake. Driving away, we were stopped by seven mule deer crossing the highway. It was wondrous and amazingly serene.

Our adventures in Lava Beds National Monument were mixed with historic sympathy at the area’s history, and awe at the geology of the area. It was the center of the Modoc War, where Modoc Indians fought with the US Military in the late 1800’s , evading escape for 5 months under the guidance of the famed Captain Jack Modoc leader. We were standing on sacred ground , remembering the battles of a near extinct people who lived in dire straights to preserve their homeland and culture. I am humbled to live on stolen land. The landscape of Lava Beds is sprinkled with ah-ah lava, similar to that of Hawaii, due to the volcanic eruption from Medicine Lake volcano thousands of years ago. This lava terrain became prime territory for the Indians to escape the Army. We walked to the battle site of the only Modoc victory as well as the site of Captain Jack’s stronghold , where he ultimately surrendered (he was executed of course, and the remaining 154 Modocs sent to reservations in Oklahoma). There are over 500 lava tube caves underground, many of which are open to the public for caving, at various levels of difficulty. Realizing that I would be in foot surgery 24 hours from that moment, I ditched the crutches, and went caving. We donned our N95 high filtration masks, and flashlights provided by the visitor center and went underground. Within 40 feet it was pitch black and I stepped carefully on rocky lava floors, moist and surrounded by the most amazing “dripping” rock formations. What a gift to be caving 8 months after my transplant! Caving with a boot cast is not recommended, however.

Realizing that we had a long drive ahead, we left around 3 pm and headed south to the site of the Japanese American Internment Camp. What remained was a barbed wire fence, and an engraved monument, plus a few suspected old barracks in the nearby town that we believed were from the 40’s. There was no visitor center nor a museum, almost as if our nation was trying to forget what had transpired.

Our long drive home was glorious . The sun was bright and the visibility magnificent. We drove south past Mount Shasta, being able to see clear to its snow covered top. We passed lakes , streams, blooming almond trees, more wildlife preserves and birding areas, small farm towns, and distance snow peaked mountains. It was moments like these that reinforced why I am stil living. What a heaven we live in. As one early settler of Crater Lake once said, “What right do we have to witness such glory of God?”

We engrossed ourselves in cheezyness, singing loudly to John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” and “Annie’s Song.” Only in the privacy of a car… We arrived home after 10 pm, driving over 400 miles on one tank of gas , thanks to Hybrid technology. Stenzel style, we didn’t stop for dinner and made it through the day with a food budget of $5.87 thanks to coupons and simple living. Our dog Rupie, to say the least, was elated to welcome us home.

What a wonderful trip. So much to see and do in life, it’s overwhelming. It’s wonderful to be back to life.
I wish you the same adventures and the opportunity to visit Crater Laka and Lava Beds National Monument sometime.

Hugs and peace to all. Thanks for your attention.

Ana

3/7/08

Dear Friends

Isa and I have received positive feedback about our blog and are so impressed that people are still reading it. Thank you for your faithful interest.

We are coming to the end of our exhilarating 9 day book signing road trip. We had two book signings in Seattle and Portland as well as two speaking engagements at medical centers, and a last minute impromptu lecture at a Genetics class in Eugene yesterday. In 9 days we have reunited with 10 friends from all walks of our life - including friends from high school, college and graduate school as well as genetic counseling colleagues and CF community friends. Our Thursday evening book signing in Portland at Broadway Books had about 30 attendees, including health care providers from OHSU and Kaiser Portland, as well as representatives from the Pacific Northwest Transplant Bank and the CF community. We were welcomed by Broadway Books , a mom-and-pop independent bookstore that exuded an intimate community ambiance.

Most significant for me was the presence of my dear donor family who drove long distances to attend. We had a private dinner before the event, where we laughed and shared our lives. I can attest that donor families are indeed angelic, they are a higher form of humanity, above and beyond the norm. I am especially grateful to my donor family for their courage to meet me and maintain a relationship with me, to come to our signing, despite the reminders of their loss, and for their ability to celebrate in our fortune.

The connections and reunions with friends during this book signing journey have by far been the best reward of this book tour experience. I left the Pacific Northwest with a warm and fuzzy feeling, the one you get when you connect with people. I am bathed in love, engulfed like a warm bubble bath and I thank you all for being my bubbles! I define happiness as “not wanting a moment to end” and this is truly it.

We continued on from Portland to Crater Lake, and spent last night in Prospect, Oregon, a small town of 500 located in the Cascades, approximately 50 miles from Crater Lake. It was a historic milling town, that prides itself on its beautiful water falls, historic hotel, library and school. We walked into a local café for dinner- the type of place that serves homemade pie and iceberg lettuce in its dinner salad. It was adorned with elk heads on the wall and hunting photos of prized game. It was like a scene from a movie- the bells hanging on the doors jingled as we walked into the dark room with a low ceiling, and all the eyes of the locals turned to us as we entered.

This morning we enjoyed a short hike in Prospect to see their famous water falls, and then we continued onto Crater Lake. It was a glorious day- blue skies and sunshine and the lake was a deep blue, reflecting its high cliffs in perfect mirror images. The stillness and calm of the lake was so striking that I could hear the silence. To be honest, the stillness and quiet was a real challenge for me. Snow covered the mountains like a sparkling blanket. To quote Forrest Gump, I didn’t know “where the Earth ended and Heaven began.” I walked with my boot cast, but left my crutches behind so that I could enjoy the snow. I am having surgery to put a pin in my broken foot on Monday, so I thought I might as well enjoy the last few days of freedom before six more weeks of crutches. Fortunately, walking was not painful. It was the first time I put my hiking boots back on since doing Half Dome in October 2006, and to be able to “come back” to my favorite pastime brought tears to my eyes. I was walking on snow at 7,100 feet elevation, with no breathing issues at all!!! What an incredible gift, considering where I was a year ago.

This past week was Part I of the Stenzel book tour road trip. Our road trips are characterized by too much stuff packed into too little space in the car, bickering and nagging, brute honesty (”you missed that turn, that was stupid”), backseat driving, getting lost, searching for missing items in the car, singing along to Indigo Girls songs, laughing hysterically, visiting small town diners to consume large quantities of authentic American hearty meals ( and making trips to the bathroom afterwards), praising God with each breathtaking viewpoint, talking a lot about our dog Rupie, eating too much and suffering the consequences and spontaneous detours to buy fudge and caramel apples. We repeatedly said, “Great Joy to be together” and that is so true.
As we drove we were surrounded by sensory stimulation - the vastness and beauty of the landscape, the sun on our faces, the sound of soothing music playing as we drove, the taste of chocolate as we snacked. A bit hedonistic, I realize, but truly an immersion into the art of being alive.

Part II of the Stenzel book tour road trip will commence in April as we traverse to Southern California, Chicago, Virginia, Raleigh, Charlotte, Baltimore, and Omaha. We hope our health and that of our hybrid car will allow us to complete this journey safely. That book tour will be about the “Power of Four”- four wheels, four weeks, four lectures, four booksignings, four tons of stuff, four national parks, and of course, four gallons of golytely.

I am rambled long enough and thank you for your attention.
I wish you many moments of happiness, and lots of love, health, and as many blessings as you bring others.

Love, ANA

Dear Friends,
Thank you for caring about our blog. Ana and I have been in the Pacific Northwest since Saturday, March 1st, en route to our two book signings in Seattle and Portland this week.

We drove early on Saturday to UC Davis to speak at a cultural health conference about chronic illness and culture, and our health care professions to undergraduates. We continued north, driving past rolling green hills and blooming almond and peach/plum trees in Northern California. The sky was blue and sunny, and it was a very perfect spring day. As we entered Oregon, the skies began to darker and we had rain until we reached Washington. Ana and I had a late pizza lunch in Dunsmuir, a small down near Shasta where we clearly were visitors. We continued driving for a total of 9 1/2 hours. We stopped to take a jog at the Valley of the River Rogue State Park, for some movement. Ana crutched herself along the river while I jogged with my computer in my backpack because I didn’t trust the parking lot safety. We continued north and stayed with Ana’s genetic counseling friend and her family in Eugene, which was very nice to re-connect and be so welcomed into a cozy home. This has been a very economical trip because we have been so kindly invited into our friends’ homes!

Early Sunday, we left a foggy Eugene and drove a few hours to Gresham, OR, to have a Sunday Brunch at Xavier’s Restaurant with our dear USACFA friends Paul and Kathy Russell. We ate a ton and talked even more, and laughed even more than that. What a gift to reconnect again with these precious soul-level friends. We talked from 10-2!! Then Ana and I indulged ourselves at the chocolate factory across the street, and drove on an impulse to the Columbia River Gorge. The sky was blue and the river flowed nicely, with a vast grassy woodland along the riverbank. It was spectacular. We stopped at the 590 foot Multnomah Falls, where I hiked for 2 miles to the top of the falls and beyond, and Ana crutched herself up to the bridge overlook. We both worked up a sweat and it felt great to breathe heavily and climb upwards. The mist of the falls was nourishing and I can’t say enough about the fantastic views. The path was crowded with people and dogs, and I missed my Rupie, who would’ve been in heaven if she came along. I felt so happy to be alive, and hike again after so long. I truly felt like I was in the rain forest because everything was wet, and there was lichen and moss everywhere. In the distance there were snow capped mountains. The river rushed with heavy waters and the sound pounded my ears. Life abounded! And so did mine, as I raced up the trail. I kept Ana waiting for more than an hour, and then when I got back to the car, I changed and head north to Seattle. All of Oregon has an annoying law that one cannot pump one’s own gas, so we waited 45 minutes at the gas station to fill up our tank. Okay, that’s the extent of my whining.

On Sunday night we arrived at our dear friends’ Nancy and Jeff’s home in Kirkland, outside of Seattle. We were splurged with a huge rib and cornbread dinner and friendly laughter with these newlyweds. We slept in a gorgeous guest bedroom. The next morning we relaxed and shared a very large breakfast together, bonding even more. Nancy is an friend from high school. Nancy is the kind of friend with whom we go months without meeting and then we start off where we left off. Aren’t those the best! And to get to know her loving husband was so precious.

We had a lazy afternoon and then with Nancy and Jeff visited our favorite Japanese store Uwajimaya, and stocked up on way too much Japanese snacks for the rest of our road trip. We then met some of Ana’s genetic counseling friends and had a wonderful Thai dinner. Andrew was planning to attend but his flight was terribly delayed so we packed the leftovers for him. We ate even more and enjoyed friendly conversation. Then we headed off to Third Place Books, which was the same bookstore featured in the movie “Conversations with God”. We met with friends from all areas of our lives: the Jenners, my preschool/play group family friends, my cousin Britta, her husband Ed and their beautiful girls, their friends, new friends from the organ donation group in Washington, Ana’s genetic counseling friends, a friend of a colleague at Seattle Children’s Hospital, Nancy and Jeff and their family, Andrew’s law firm friend, my old boss from Packard, and a new friend we met with CF and her large family. I felt so lucky to have about 25 people attend even in this remote state. I was so grateful that Britta and Nancy recruited some of their friends, and people made the effort to attend. Though we sold fewer books than anticipated, we felt the event was extremely successful for our first out of town event. Third Place Books was exceptionally supportive. I appreciated Andrew’s help to coordinate the book signing while we were distracted with people.

On Tuesday we slept in and then drove Andrew to his Heller office in downtown Seattle. Ana and I then head to a park to visit Britta and her 2 and 4 year old girls, who were on a nature walk, learning about the plants and creek. They were so innocent and clueless at that age. I loved to witness their learning. We went to the playground afterwards and played with the girls, who were fortunately virus-free. We laughed and carried them, and saw them run around with more energy than I could ever dream of. Then we went to Britta’s home and just enjoyed a nice lunch together. Ana and I took a few hours off to run some errands while Britta dealt with the girls. I went on a brief jog at a woodsy park. Seattle is filled with natural areas that remain protected and I appreciated how outdoor-friendly all of the neighborhoods were. Then we came back to enjoy a scrumptuous salmon dinner with the whole family. The girls screamed a lot and Andrew enjoyed the energy but re-affirmed his desire not to have kids.

Nancy and Jeff left to work very early, so we could not meet them too much today, Wednesday. Andrew, Ana and I slept in and I went for a quick jog in Kirkland. While Andrew worked from Nancy’s home, Ana and I drove to Renton to visit our dear friend Jereme and his girlfriend Cat. Jereme was 6-7 when we met at Southern Cal. CF camp, and then later at Northern Cal. camp when he was 9. He is now 26 and has had a very challenging life, but his love for Cat and God keep him going. I loved to hear about his adult life and how he is managing and growing in his career and life. I also ate an extremely large amount of Mexican food.

Can you tell all I did this trip was EAT???

Then I returned to Kirkland to pick up Andrew and pack the car. We brought waaaaaay too much stuff and this is a good lesson for us to pack lightly on our cross country road trip. The crutches don’t help, plus my bagpipes, coffee maker, tent, sleeping bags and gifts take up a lot of space! What were we thinking?? So, three hours later, and much giggling and laughter later, we arrived in Portland and are staying at the luxurious La Quinta Hotel in industrial Portland. We passed ambling rivers, bare winter trees along the banks, we saw dark forests in the distance, snow-capped Mt Rainier, Mt St Helens and Mt Hood in the distance, and reveled as the sun set in the distance along farmland. What a breath-taking land this area is. Tonight, the three of us had a wonderful meal (despite still being full on Mexican) at Meriwether Lewis Restaurant nearby.

Okay, I think I’ve bored you enough with the minute-by-minute account of this road trip thus far. We have driven 1300 miles and our little Honda is doing a great job. Overall, we feel high on life to be so free and to not only see the world, but to see so many of our loved ones along this trip. This book is secondary; the truth is our love for these people is the real reason we made this visit happen.

Tomorrow we have a talk at OHSU Grand Rounds and then dinner with Ana’s donor family before the Portland book signing at Broadway Books. We will make a report of these events soon.

I hope you all have a chance to do a road trip someday. This is so symbolic of American freedom- to just get in the car and go. It is fun to reflect on what we call home, and allow our imaginations to wander as we think about how our lives would be different if we lived in some of the places we saw today.

I wish you all inner and outer adventure. Have a blessed week and be well,
Isa