Why I'm Grateful for Kitchen Towels, Among Other Things

I washed my hands the other day. Dried them on a kitchen towel. And stopped. I thought back to life in the first 100 days post-transplant and how that wasn’t an option back then. Hand towels were replaced by disposable paper towels at the time - one of the many precautions taken to reduce the risk of infections. Now, at more than 20 months out, I don’t think oftenany more about the things that I’m doing on a daily basis that were strictly forbidden. But occasionally, at an odd moment, I catch a fleeting glimpse of the things that I can do now. It’s a bit of mental insurance so that I don’t take these little things — like walking the dog or mowing the lawn, or going to a store — for granted.

Somehow this seems appropriate as we enter into this season of gratitude, particularly this year. While the shackles loosen up for most patients 100-days post-transplant, there are still plenty of limitations imposed or self-imposed in the name of safety — throughout that first year. In fact, this holiday season will be the first truly normal one for us, since 2021, which itself was the first post-Covid holiday. Since that time, I’ve been either been going through chemo, planning for a transplant, or recovering from one. Hardly normal.

So to say I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving and upcoming holidays is an understatement. As I approach my second re-birthday in March, I’m immensely grateful for all the things - big and small - that I can do again, like having holidays with my extended family, eating whatever I want, living a life without restrictions, and even drying my hands on a kitchen towel.