A text from Dad. Cryptic as usual. “RR like Martini: officially appointed blood supplier to royal house”. It takes me a couple of seconds to decipher before I shed some tears of relief. For the confused, like me, let me translate: Dad, Rocco Rossini, is now officially Mara’s donor for the stem cell transplant. It wasn’t easy but he passed the health checks. At one point, the poor man had his blood drawn six times in one day, before and after every meal. He walks around with so many needle marks in each arm that between him and Mara, some may draw the wrong conclusions. An assumption easily justified if they knew we live in Amsterdam!
This is great news. The last few weeks have been uncertain and this is one worry less. I am elated, I want to jump up and down in joy and celebrate…But experience has taught me otherwise. So I am carefully happy, cautiously optimistic. I don't want to tempt the gods into sprinkling any more “complications” on our delicate path.
My parents must be so relieved. On the day we were told the Leukemia returned, Mom cried and desperately wished she could spare her daughter this cruel fate. She would take over this hardship in a heartbeat, without hesitation. It must be unbearable for any parent to watch helplessly as their child suffers, unable to protect them.
And so for once in a very long time, this feeling can be helped. It sounds so dramatic but my father will give his blood to “save” his daughter. Or at least increase her chances. Straight out of a Hollywood movie….Starring Angelina Jolie as Domenica aka Mara and Sean Connery with an Italian accent as Rocco “The Rock”!
I miss my sister. I bombard her with text messages on a daily basis. She's very tired thus not very responsive. I worry about tiring her even more and so, in yet another sms, I ask if I’m driving her crazy with all my messages. If so I’ll back off. Her response is clear: “U never drive me crazy”. Even though she doesn't answer, I'll continue texting so that she knows she's in my heart.
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Wij zijn super opgewonden door dit nieuws! Onwijs goed dat jullie vader RR is 'goedgekeurd'. Schrijf je wanneer eea gaat gebeuren? Heel veel sterkte en succes,
ReplyDeleteBrenda
Hoi Paula,
ReplyDeleteIk ben heel blij om te horen dat je vader kan optreden als donor, en dat ik zo goed op de hoogte kan blijven via de weblog! Taalgevoel zit bij jullie echt in de familie, je schrijft heel goed! Martine en ik hadden een kaart gestuurd aan mara met een gelukspoppetje, maar ik vrees dat die naar het verkeerde adres heb gestuurd (een adres dat eerder op de website stond, aan de Piazzale Menghini 1). Mocht je zin hebben een wijntje te drinken met mij en Martine of een keer samen te eten, nu je weer even in Nederland bent, dan zouden we dat natuurlijk heel erg leuk vinden.
Liefs, Berber