Author: Stacey

I have been on some little adventures lately. Saturday, I went for a bike ride with Dave at Crystal Springs, and Sunday I took a little “climbing road trip” to Cragmont Park, in Berkeley. The bike ride was beautiful but humbling. Dave can walk as fast as I ride right now. In fact, as I was riding, I was passed up by quite a few joggers. (Well, if I cannot take pride in my pace, at least the view was pretty, with the hills and water nearby.) Today, I went with Mark, Sandy and Heather Ostrau to climb at Cragmont Park. Cragmont is the perfect low-key place to climb. There is no hike, and it is easy to set up anchors for the ropes. Heather was on my youth team and I have not seen her climb for a long time. I was so impressed with Heather and Mark. The climbs were slabs, which means that in order to climb them, we had to look for footholds and balance–as opposed to pulling ourselves up by the handholds. We all worked on a 5.8 and a 5.10a. I got up the climbs okay, slipping just once on the harder one. I was glad the drugs I am taking for my transplant do not seem to affect my balance too much. While we were climbing, Carrie called me with an update from the USA Nationals in Boston. Her son Joshua re-captured his title as the Boys 11-under National Champion in Difficulty by doing a 5.12b climb in the final round. He also won the Speed title for his third year in a row! I was honored that they called me to give the news right away! Joshua’s younger brother, Yuri, also competed and took 18th in Speed. Not bad for an 8-year-old rookie! Stacey, from Belmont

On Wednesday, I had a blood draw and the nurse just called to let me know that the test results showed that everything is going fine. Kidney function and cyclosporine levels are all normal. After the blood draw, I went to visit Gwen and David, who were staying on the ground floor. They are both getting a little bit better, but life in the hospital is still hard. Lack of sleep is a big problem. Lately, I have been climbing a lot, and really feel my strength coming back. I’m still having trouble with the reaches because my lack of strength does not allow me to climb as dynamically as I used to, but things are really improving. I’m planning my first outdoor trip this Sunday with the Ostrau family. I talked to Carrie, Joshua Levin’s mom, this morning. They are at the National Championships for USA Climbing. Joshua has made it through the first round, flashing his route along with 10 of 33 other boys in his category. Stacey, from Belmont

Felix, the site looks great now. Thank you for your time and encouragement. Yes, it’s on to 5.10a’s these days. I climbed with Amanda and Cindy yesterday and even tried some steep overhangs. Much to my surprise, I accomplished the routes with just a few rests. Life on other fronts is not going so well. I had a rough morning, throwing up once at 5:15 a.m. and again at 8:30 a.m. So I was too tired to drive down to the hospital for a blood draw this morning. I also found out that I do not qualify for food stamps, even though I receive only a little over the $1000/month income limit from the government. Luckily, I am not hungry due to extra support/loans from friends and family, but I fear for the poor in the Bay Area. $12,000 year is an incredibly low income and I do not see how anyone could live here on that, a place where one room in an apartment costs $650/month. Everyone must cram into apartments and combine their incomes to make it work. The government food stamp program has steep requirements. Stacey, from Belmont

Amelia, thank you for visiting my site! I would be honored to be featured on your site, and will contact you today by e-mail. It was a wonderful morning. I met my new friend, Gillian, at the gym today. We had a great time climbing and making plans for future trips. I was especially encouraged because I am climbing harder these days, getting back my strength. Today I even on-sighted (climbed without falling the first try) a route rated 5.10a, which is my record for after the transplant! I have improved from 5.6 to 5.10a in about three weeks! It gives me great hope for the future, in that I will become physically strong enough to climb outdoors, go on trips, and have my old lifestyle back, instead of having to find a new life without climbing. Stacey, from Belmont

Last Sunday, I went to the Stanford stadium with Dave and got a full workout in…10 trips up and down. I was so pleased because that is what I used to do before the setback, so things are getting better. Today, after my “gastric emptying test” at the hospital, I visited my friends David and Gwen, who are both admitted right now. David is waiting for a transplant, and Gwen had hers 5 months ago and is undergoing gastric complications, a lot of nausea. When I see them, it only makes me more grateful to have what level of health I do. All my problems seem smaller now. Stacey, from Belmont

I’ve been able to get out on some nice hikes lately. On Friday, I went with Julie, Ian and Lucy Humphreys (as well as their dog, Hugo) to Arastradero Preserve. I wasn’t feeling so well, so we only went on a short walk. We walked to the lake and relaxed a little while. Yesterday, Carrie and I went to another wonderful place called Crystal Springs. We walked along the Sawyer Camp trail for two miles, and turned back. The water and mountains were so beautiful. The walking is getting easier, yet I’m still very tired during the day. I think my muscles are getting stronger, but I still have a long way to go with energy level. I go to bed early, and wake up late. I hope it improves. Stacey, from Belmont

Denise, thanks for your note. I hope everyone gets a chance to check out the new Wind Song home page! Also, I received the cookbooks and videos you ordered. Thank you so much. I’m looking forward to using them! Yesterday I met Rhona and her girls for climbing at Belmont. Zoe and Maya haven’t been climbing in a long time, but they scampered up the walls like spiders. After their lesson, I climbed two 5.8’s (with great effort.) After climbing, I drove to Stanford Stadium to meet Ana and Isa for climbing the bleachers. We all had our own programs. Ana runs up the bleachers, while Isa and I walked but went for respective record distances. I was impressed that Isa can do 13 trips! I think she got stronger while I was going backwards in the hospital this spring. Stacey, from Belmont

Mom, thank you for adopting me 36 years ago! I am so grateful to you and my late father, Glenn Collver, for giving me a loving family, a happy childhood and the opportunities for a better life in the U.S. (I am sure I would not have survived LAM in Taiwan, among other things.) Today also marked the fifth anniversary of my friend Ana Stenzel’s transplant. We celebrated with a lunch of homemade sushi at the Rainbow Garden at the hospital during her lunch hour. Ana is one of the most inspirational people I know. Before the transplant, I heard she had hiked Half Dome, and that really gave me hope. Last year, she and Isa trained at the stadium for the Transplant Games (and we all still climb the bleachers there for exercise.) When I had my transplant, Ana came to visit during the hardest time and held my hand and I was so grateful for her understanding. Stacey, from Belmont

At the USA Climbing Western #@*%!isional Climbing competition, many of the kids from my old team put in a very good showing. They are now older, more experienced, and stronger, and doing well with their new coaches. Josh(11) and Yuri(8) Levin both qualified to go to the National Championships. There were several other national qualifiers from both PG and Twisters, including Lucy, Tevis, Melissa, Blake and Jason. Joshua had the 3rd fastest time in the gym, 9.78 seconds up a 45′ wall to take the #@*%!isional title for Boys 11 and Under. After the comp, he also showed his prowess outdoors by red-pointing (climbing without falling) “Harrison” (5.11d) at the Christian Brothers Wall at Smith Rock. It was a very difficult and impressive climb! Today, I went for a hike with Dave to a place called “Windy Hill.” The fields are turning the California dried-out yellow color, except for the forest areas which are still green. We walked slowly but steadily up some steep hills, then turned downward to finish the 3-mile loop. The trails were busy. There were a lot of runners, mountain bikers, and hikers ot today. We also came across two deer not far from the path. Stacey, from Belmont

Yesterday, I went for a nature walk with Isa and Rupie. There is a wonderful little park by Isa’s house in Redwood City that has hiking trails. We chose the paths with hills to open up our lungs. The paths went through the forest and at one point there was a creek we had to cross. A rope was hanging down and we used it to hold onto as we stepped across the rocks in the creek. It was so nice to be on the natural trails. Rupie had a fun time exploring all the sights and smells, and Isa and I had a nice time visiting as we walked along. I really appreciate being able to enjoy the outdoors. Stacey, from Belmont