Now what?

Wednesday there was an inauguration for the first Klein Professorship for Rheumatic Diseases given to Dr. Joseph McCune, My lupus Dr., mentor and teacher. He so deserved this honor. Now we can have his focus even more so on lupus research, patient care etc. It was touching in so many ways. He has come full circle from a long haired hippie with a history degree to a to a Professor and the Director of the Lupus Program at the University of Michigan Hospital who has been infamous for wearing a bow tie and slightly balding hair daily. Quite a transformation. His International recognition and respect for his work in the area of Lupus Research and clinical care has lead to this event. I attended with my father who remembered Joe when my mom was a young patient and he was a young resident. I remember him when I first saw him in 1986 as one of his first patients in this clinic called FDU. This led to the Department of Rheumatology Clinic and now within this clinic we have an official Lupus Program and a clinic devoted to our patients needs. We will find a cause, cure and better treatments. I am still so excited about this. There is a certain hope derived from this type of "event". The Klein Family are an amazing group led by Marcia and Michael Klein after her diagnoses. They have been donating to research at the U for years and now went far beyond the call of "duty". They are an inspiration to so many. Now e get back to work and focus !!! It is a good year. The Butterfly Walk is August. Do not forget. www.amsterlupus.org.

All is good as the rain fills the garden with "liquid love" so the seeds can sprout and grow strong. You can feel and even hear the plants grow along with the freshly cut grass. It is truly beautiful out there in our yard. The large old oaks have a certain majestic strength and elegance. I weeded a bit, spread grass seed, mulched one patch, cleaned raccoon poop by the bucket loads off the roof under my bedroom window. Stinky !!!!! Why do they do this? Filled the bird feeder which is being eaten by the pounds due to birdies needing more food for their babies. Nests are everywhere. Then showered the poison oak I pulled off my Lady Slippers.

I attempted to transition into swimming with out having a therapist guiding me. My right hip replacement is weaker and knees are more painful and swollen. We are concerned with the hip and knees. Bones, joints, tendons and ligaments are waking up and I have to remind myself I need to be patient. I was in bed for two months and on high doses of antibiotics which have left me weak and my gut in a mess. The bones are fighting for more blood flow and the right hip needs to replaced soon but I can not do it until fall. So we continue to do PT and find my core strength once again like I always tend to do somehow. Summer is the best time to get strong. Having surgery now would be so difficult for me to recover and on Douglas who would want to be here. He is working so hard. So I canceled my trip to Asheville for Doug's project's grand opening and visit with family. I have to stay focused for the next year or so until all the bone-joints with issues are healed or replaced and I am working at high energy and strong immunity and blood counts. Then there is the immune system being challenged. Air Planes are not good for me right now. It is difficult at times to be a middle aged woman in my "Prime" with a musckuloskeletal system of an aged woman and an outside appearance of a 27 year old. Yes I do still get carded. I want people to understand that unseen diseases can be very challenging to those of us who are still young and full of life and goals, like every other healthy human in their prime. I feel young at times and then I wake up in the middle of the night with bone-joint aches/pains and can not seem to understand why I feel so ancient. I then think of others who are in much worse shape and feel ashamed. I then realize I have it much better. The challenges I have are minor compared to many. I feel blessed to wake up each day. I also have loved, lived and done so much in life. Then I feel grateful and happy to be simply working in the garden or taking a walk around the yard.