In Other Words with Dave

Alison and I missed Christmas last year. We were in Little Rock, AR in a conveniently located apartment with an awesome view of the Target parking lot. Our Twelve Days of Christmas were really 6 weeks of medical procedures. I spent my days at the nearby UAMS Myeloma Center getting a gift of life – my second stem cell transplant. In a stem cell transplant, the patient gets high-dose chemotherapy to kill the cells in the bone marrow. Then they receive new, healthy blood-forming stem cells. 

When Alison wasn’t shuttling me back and forth between the apartment and the center, she kept busy working remote, puzzling, and crafting. After treatments, I’m told, we watched football, Netflix series, and all sorts of movies – but I don’t remember much of that. I was basically comatose-in-a-recliner. It’s kind of fuzzy, but I do remember volunteers from local churches and nonprofits stopping by with food, gifts, and cheer. Although we appreciated their acts of kindness, it was still our Holiday season that wasn’t.

This year, we’re planning to make up for it. This year I’m feeling better and we’re looking forward to the holidays and seeing family. We even bought a bigger dining table – one that will fit a lot more people for the holiday dinner we are hosting. We’re already busy making a shopping list (and checking it twice) for our family, friends, and our Back40 and Outlook families. 

It will be a different experience – and I’m so glad I’m here to enjoy it. 

Dave Miller 

Publisher & Back40 Design President