Daddy's Girl: I think we're done (D + 62 mo)

Elise & Dr Elizabeth Kang, the transplant team lead

"The future rewards those who press on. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. I don't have time to complain. I'm going to press on." - Barack Obama

It's amazing how time has flown by. Elise hit the 5 year post-transplant mark and she had her last formal visit to NIH this week. As part of the research study Elise was in we committed to returning to NIH for periodic follow-up visits for 5 years post-transplant. This trip marked the last of those visits.

Elise has done really well over the past year. Health issues have been at a minimum. She still has the premature ovarian failure/insufficiency that is caused by the pre-transplant conditioning. Dr. Kang said that some other patients eventually have their ovaries kick back on, but it's managed with hormone replacement therapy for now and we keep our fingers crossed. And the atopic eczema Elise has had since the transplant seems to be even more diminished than it was last year; it's pretty minimal, nothing even close to what it was a year after transplant, and hopefully it will continue to fade as time goes on.

They've asked Elise to continue to return every couple of years so that they can keep track of her (and all the other patients) progress, but at this point it's voluntary.

Elise finished her senior year of high school in May. She had an outstanding year. The tennis team made it to the 2nd round of CIF playoffs, she was awarded the Girl Scout Gold and Trifecta awards, and her grades were the best ever. Next week she heads off to college at CSU Channel Islands. Even though we'll be sad to have an empty bedroom in the house and miss the tennis matches and band performances, we're so happy to see her take the next steps in her life.