Desiree:
So, what was the first meal you guys ate after transplant?
Tony:
My transplant was on July 17th, 2012. That’s the day I got my transplant and remember [01:29:30] I told you [inaudible 01:29:35] I just walked up I couldn’t do anything. So, they gave me my transplant, they gave me my stem cells back and gave me two units of blood. The next day I could eat a cheeseburger.
Jackie:
So, your jaw was just perfectly normal the next day.
Tony:
It wasn’t perfectly normal, but I could get my mouth open wide enough to eat a cheeseburger the next day. That was the [01:30:00] best cheeseburger I’ve ever had in my life. But, probably along with being able to talk again and communicate like a normal person, probably eating. I enjoyed eating, just the moving of my mouth, being able to eat because when I got down to where am I right before my mouth locked up, where I couldn’t hardly get my mouth open, my food had to be [01:30:30] no bigger than your little finger nail because my esophagus had closed up, you know?
And, I just said that’s the only way I could eat. But, I remember having pizza when I went home, love that. I actually, I don’t remember exactly how long it was I would say it was maybe like a week after I went home, I took shower by myself. And that was so amazing.
[01:31:00] I knew I was on the road that next day when I ate that cheeseburger, I knew I was on the road to recovery. I knew the next day was going to be better. And, the next day was going to be better. Every day got better. I knew it was going to be better. And, the mental satisfaction of that was worth 15 power balls or whatever you want to call it. Everything just got better, it got easier and got better.
Jackie:
What [01:31:30] was your first meal after adult stem cell transplant?
Desiree:
My first meal after my adult stem cell transplant was pizza. I was really craving it the whole time. I couldn’t eat really when I was in the hospital and I wanted that pizza so bad and I got it and I was so happy and thankful for pizza.