It has taken the efforts of many, many people for Annie to be alive and enjoying robust health today. From the literally hundreds of people who donated blood and platelets, to the efforts of dedicated medical professionals, to the patients, families and professionals who came before Annie, to the constant support and prayers of two school communities, several parishes, neighbors, friends and family. However there has been one critical player who, by the rules governing international bone marrow donations, has been anonymous for two years. The man (and his lovely wife) who agreed to give up a week of his life, health, comfort and responsibilities to share his body to help a person he knew nothing about.
In the last few days we have had the immense pleasure of first, learning the identity of Annie's donor and then, discovering that he is every bit the wonderful person we imagined he'd have to be. Above is a picture of Sebastian and his daughter Anna who was born to him and his wife Mascha only two months after he donated for Annie. Sebastian, Mascha and Anna live in Germany near the border between Belgium and the Netherlands. They are expecting a second daughter this September! Sebastian is a project manager in the telecommunication's business and just last week turned in his thesis for a degree in business informatics. All that plus a great immune system - in fifteen years the only time he had to take a week off work for health reasons was the week when he donated for Annie!
Years ago I had given up on a happy ending for Annie's medical journey. We adapted and learned to find happiness and meaning in moments along the path instead of any desired destination. In fact, several times over the past decade, I had imagined attending her upcoming graduation ceremony from her K-8 school to see only her beloved classmates graduate. It is still hard to believe this is all real but I have this blog to confirm it. However now it is time to end this blog after all it has a happy ending! It's time for Annie to move on and face all the joys and challenges a full life affords. We hope and encourage that she never forgets to honor all that has been done to help her. Thank you again to everyone who helped us this past decade, it has taken a global village. One last thing. I'll end this blog the way I began it, with a picture of Annie and Katherine, only this time they are joined by their first pet ever. Today they brought home Toby who will accompany them as we all begin our next chapter :)
