Note from Stacey

Felix, thanks for your birthday message. I look forward to seeing you when you get home from your road trip! Rebecca, it was great to see you at the skating party. Thank you for your gift and the beautiful card. Denise, I received your birthday gift the day before my birthday, and I also enjoyed the digital photo of Sophia’s card! Thank you so much, it was so cute. It has been a very social birthday week. Tuesday, I climbed with Rob and had him over for dinner with Dave and me. Wednesday, I climbed the stadium steps with Ana and also spent time with her over Chinese dinner. Thursday, I attended a support group, then went to Lawrence’s yoga class, and later Ami took me out to dinner with Jim, Levi and Lawrence to celebrate our birthdays. (It was Jim’s birthday on Thursday.) Friday, I awoke to a sweet phone call from Sophia, saying “Happy Birthday, Aunt Stacey!” Later, I went to the track with Will and practiced technique for long jump, and then was treated to dinner by Aunt Lorraine, Brenda, VJ, and Dave. Saturday, we had the big ice-skating party at Belmont Iceland. It was wonderful to see so many friends at once. About 25 people showed up throughout the afternoon, including many of the kids from the Planet Granite and Twisters climbing teams. They are all getting older and taller, and skated around in a pack of young teenagers. Most of the adults who came hadn’t skated in years, but they were good sports and got out on the ice anyway! Dave, the clever party host, ordered a chocolate cake decorated with a hill going over the number “40.” There were three climbers on the hill. One was near the top, to symbolize that at 38, I’m almost “over the hill.” The other two, Zoe and Maya, were near the bottom, because they turned only 8 years old (it was their birthday, too.) I really appreciated people showing up to help me celebrate yet another year. It has been a rough one, and a lot of people helped me get through the illness and transplant almost a year ago. I have a new life with these lungs, with more freedom and strength, and I have to value every day from now on. I am grateful for life, and those who have shown their love. Stacey, from Belmont