Prairie Dogs & A Book Title

Gosh, this has been a loooooong winter. I woke up this morning to a winter wonderland scene again! But the dreadful weather hasn't stopped me from working on many projects.

View from my porch of yet more snow

First, an update on where I am in the CAR T cell trial. On February 28th, I flew to Denver for my nine-month check-up. The sponsor's travel agent discovered that the non-stop flight I've been using out of Portland doesn't run during the winter months. (Since I got stranded twice at LaGuardia last year, they agreed we would only use direct flights in the future.)

So that meant traveling to Boston's Logan Airport, a four and a half hour drive from Belfast to get a non-stop flight to Denver. Monica was already at her winter home in Denver, so I agreed to try this flight on my own. The travel agent got the sponsor to agree to provide limo service to bring me to and from the airport in Boston, so I just needed to navigate the mazes inside the two airports.

Fortunately, the weather on my departure day was clear and cold for the trip to Boston, and like a lovely midsummer warm night from the airport in Denver to my hotel. Monica met me at the arrival gate and helped me manage my luggage through the airport. I got a real confidence boost by traveling on my own, though many kind people helped me in the airports and on the plane.

I spent my built-in free day with Monica and Wayne. We had lunch at a new Asian buffet restaurant that had just opened close to their house. The all you can eat buffet featured ginormous rows of steaming hot Chinese, Japanese, and Thai favorites. Wayne and I loved the Mongolian grilling station where we piled a bowl full of veggies, our choice of meats/fish and special sauces that we gave to a grill master to cook on an enormous round sizzling grill. Honestly, I think I only made a small dent in the variety of food they served.

When I last left Denver, I told Monica I was grateful for all the places she and Wayne had taken me, and I wondered what we would do on my next visit. When we left the restaurant, Wayne, who had met us at the restaurant in his car, headed home. Monica told him we were going to take a ride to get a surprise for him and that we would stop at their nearby Trader Joe's so I could stock up on a few of my favorites.

After shopping at TJ's, we headed back toward her house. I reminded her that she needed to get Wayne's surprise. She said, "Actually, it's a surprise for you." I couldn't imagine what she could be thinking. She seemed to have a hard time finding the place she was looking for. I assumed it was some sort of store since we were still in the congested sprawl of Denver's suburbs. "I thought it was right near here." Monica said, searching the roadside we passed.

Finally, on our second loop of a several-block area we had circled, she said, "OK, get ready, they are there on the left." She made a U-turn and pulled off to the side of the road. Once I saw them, I remembered that I'd told Monica last time that I really wanted to see prairie dogs.

Curious Prairie Dog Looking at Curious Me

Now we were up close and watching a hundred of them in a "dog town" filled with their burrows. They popped in and out of them, rearing on their hind legs and squeaking. I found them mesmerizing and loved their playfulness. Notice how brown everything is. Denver got little snow this winter and is in a state of severe drought and in danger of wildfires. Since prairie dogs' diet consists of grasses, flowers, and shrubs, the drought has affected their food sources too.

The next day I saw Dr. Piquet for my check-up. My 25-ft walk speed was the same (equal to normal speed) as last time, but I didn't go quite as far on the 6-minute walk as I had in November, though the difference wasn't significant. I had 23 vials of blood drawn, so my total for the trial is 422 vials drawn. I gave both Dr. Piquet and Sadie copies of my draft manuscript to read and proof for medical accuracy. Sadie read it in two days and loved it.

After my appointment, Monica and I met my cousin Gayle and her husband Bob for BBQ lunch at Rolling Smoke. Through casual conversation, we discovered that Monica's husband, Wayne, Gayle, and I are all descendants of Pilgrim John Howland - small world!

So far this trip had been flawless. But another winter storm was rolling into the Northeast. I'd experienced some kind of glitch on every trip that I'd taken to Denver. My flight from Denver departed on time and with tailwinds to help we arrived early in Boston, but snow had already begun falling when the plane touched down at Logan. It snowed heavily all the way home to Belfast. Instead of taking four and a half hours, it took us seven hours. The scariest part of the trip came when we turned off Rt 95 onto the two-lane, unlit Rt 3. The road surface was invisible under 3-4 inches of snow, and the snow blowing into the windshield further blinded our vision. My driver, who safely delivered me home that night, was a hero.

Onto another topic-my book about Stiff Person Syndrome. Many of you have asked, what did you decide on for a title? I'd like to thank all 61 people who responded to my survey. All of your opinions are valuable. 49% of you voted for Stiff, But Not Broken, while the runner-up with 30% of the votes was A Body Reborn. After seeing how you responded, I decided to go with your first choice, but I tinkered with the subtitle, eventually landing on Stiff, But Not Broken: A Rare Disease, A Daring Experiment, and One Woman's Fight to Walk Again.

I started a book cover design contest this week with a company called 99 Designs. Graphic designers around the globe can participate. I have several designs already submitted, with more to come in over the weekend. Early next week, my team at Paper Raven Books and I will cull the choices down to 5 covers. Once that happens, I'll be mailing you a survey on the top designs for you to vote on. Book covers are so important for getting people interested enough to click on the book to read more about the story inside. Again, I'm excited to see what all of you will choose. I only have a short time to make a decision, so please vote on the survey as soon as you get it.

Tomorrow is a special day for two reasons. First, March 15th is SPS Global Awareness Day, when our community comes together to shine a light on Stiff Person Syndrome and the people living with it. For more information, you can check out the website for The Stiff Person Syndrome Research Foundation at https://www.stiffperson.org

Also, tomorrow I will promote my second memoir, Becoming Amazed: Discovering the World with Eyes Wide Open, for free as part of a Written Word Media travel adventures-themed giveaway. Tomorrow you can download the ebook for free either on Reader's List on Freebooksey, or simply on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Amazed-Discovering-World-Eyes-ebook/dp/B0DMTXGLPB

This promotion is for Sunday, March 13th only! If you haven't had the chance to read this book, now is your chance. I am also very appreciative of your honest reviews of my books on Amazon or Good reads. Have a great weekend!