And so, it begins!

On Friday afternoon, I was flown out of Windhoek to Cape Town via a medical charter plane. It was indeed a turbulent ride due to the rainy weather in Windhoek at the time, but we made it safe and sound. I was admitted to the Kuilsriver Netcare Hospital: Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant facility – in short, the ward of angels in my books. I will have to write a book about the absolute incredible reception, treatment, care, love, affection, and everything else I receive from these people. There are not enough words to praise and commend doctors, dieticians, social workers, clinical psychologists, physiotherapists, nurses, radiology staff, and cleaners. These people don’t just do a job. They live a purpose, apparent in every decision and action they take. The very first thing my doctor told me on Saturday morning was, “Don’t ‘worry. You are far from home, but we will be your family,” and it feels like it.

They inserted a port into my arm to prevent my veins from collapsing during the chemo treatment, which started Saturday morning. My sister made sure to arrive at the hospital the same day and immediately went to the donor section to ensure that she could be a possible donor should I need it in the future. My brother in Walvis Bay, Namibia, did the same thing. I promise you; God indeed blessed me with the best siblings. They don’t just stand in the gap for me; they are willing to give their very lives to save mine. But, then again, we know—us three. We’ve been here before. Yet, I know that I am covered should it ever get that far.

Conviction!

Sunday, 05 December, was a confusing day for me. I had a lot to think and not think about. My soul sister, Juanita, from university, made sure to cater for some much-needed items and had to quickly get over the fact that the four white walls, ceiling and blue curtains with en-suite bathroom will be my life for the next couple of weeks. The problem is, I am an outdoor kind of person. I walk my dogs daily, and I feed wild birds. Then, I sit in silence and reminisce on the sounds of nature. At this point, my mind was screaming “claustrophobia”. Thank God for small mercies in a digital age, though. I can connect with family, friends, colleagues, and long-lost friends in no time. I must elaborate that all the love and support I’ve received this far are astounding. All my warriors in my corner will never understand their actual value and power yet. I will get through this because it’s simply impossible from a spiritual perspective to fail.

I will also be bold now and say that I know I will survive this simply because the Lord told me so. Now, for my nonspiritual/Christian friends, this will seem crazy, and I get it. I would think so too if I were you, but all the others who get me understand. He simply spoke to me through the Bible, Psalm 91 to be specific and some other verses and visions and confirmed it through more than ten other people distributed worldwide (they don’t know each other). It simply states I am protecting you. I will fight this battle for you. All my angel armies are at your disposal, and yes, you may ask other warriors to intercede, but you may not pick up your weapons. You rest and trust me. So be it then.

Hey! There’s fun stuff too!

Before we get to the fun stuff… I will just state that Monday, 06 December 2021, was draining and overwhelming. I saw so many people, all informing me and screening me on this day. The worst, though, was the conversation with the dietician…. Which I will tell you about a bit later. I will say, though, it genuinely crushed me! My vampire came at 04 AM, and she was fantastic. We made jokes, laughed, prayed together, and took pictures for my son. I will withhold her identity for reasons of discretion, but here is a closeup.

My “Drunk CyberBuddy”

I asked my son Jethro to name the gadget connected to the port in my arm. In his usual creative way, he came up with some sound reasoning. We are clearly drinking buddies; I need it to stabilize myself at times, but I definitely don’t really want to hang out with it… so it’s a drunk cyberbuddy. I conquer completely.