Feeling thankful

I am so fortunate to have such a strong safety net supporting me through these difficult times. I don’t mention them enough, but I absolutely don’t know what I would do without them. Huge shout out to my good friend Shira Baratz, who set up a meal train for me a couple weeks ago. We kept it small because I have so many risk factors around food safety, so I wasn’t comfortable opening it up to the community at large. I also only wanted meals a few nights a week so I didn’t get overloaded with too much food that I couldn’t eat. But within those parameters, Shira and my other friends who signed up for meals really came through! It made such a difference having hearty meals readily available when I was too exhausted to think straight. I’m so grateful to my friends for their help!
 
Then of course there’s my mom, who has been my supporter and advocate for my entire life. I can’t imagine how stressful and challenging it was raising a child with intensive medical needs who wasn’t even expected to live to adulthood, but somehow she did it! Squeezing numerous hospital visits into a busy work schedule isn’t easy, but she was there during my recent inpatient stay just like she always is. And I also know that my stepfather, Frank, is always up for a Shoprite run when I need one, which was particularly helpful when both Katherine and I were laid out with RSV! I’m very blessed to have such a supportive family and I am very thankful for them!
 
And then of course, last but not least, there’s Katherine. However complicated you think my life is just from reading these updates, I guarantee you don’t even know the half of it, and Katherine is right here by my side every step of the way. Not only does she have to handle her own stress and exhaustion, but she’s also always there supporting me both physically and emotionally every single day. I don’t know how I got so lucky to score such a strong and amazing partner! I love her to pieces and thank G-d for her every day!