The Gift of Life, Revisited...

In honor of my mom, who died 6 years ago today, and Cousin Dale who died June 3 of this year, I donated a double unit of red blood cells today.

In a traditional blood donation, donors give whole blood—which consists of red cells, plasma and platelets. With the automated process called double red cell donation, donors can give just red cells—but two units of red cells—and that’s the component of blood that is in the greatest demand.

I know I've said it before, and I am not one to harp (OK, my son might disagree) but please find out if you are eligible to give blood products and if you are (around 60% of the population IS and of that 60%, only 5% actually donate) please schedule an appointment to donate.

You can give platelets twice a week, up to 24 times per year, plasma 12 times per year, whole blood every 56 days and a double unit of red cells every 120 days. It's painless and only takes a little while. It is estimated that 60 percent of the population will need blood or blood components sometime during their lives. That someone could easily be you or someone you love.

You might even get a t-shirt like this for your efforts!


After my donation, the phlebotomist gave me the standard post-donation lecture. Wear the bandage for four hours (yeah right), no heavy lifting, drink plenty of fluids, make your next meal a big one and no vigorous exercise for 24 hours. What? I didn't remember THAT from before.

Being a stubborn Norwegian, I decided that not all of the rules applied to me and headed off towards home on my beautiful new bicycle. About a quarter of the way there, I was feeling a bit wobbly. About half way home I was light headed. As I approached the street where I live I was bobbing and weaving all over the place. I'm sure glad they didn't arrest me for D.U.I.B.D. (Driving Under the Influence of Blood Donation).


I don't think THAT would look good on my record.

My new best friend

There were several reasons that made me take the 200 mile drive to Billings today.

My cousins were having a bit of trouble and I was able to help them out of their dilemma. If spending those months with Dale taught me anything, it is that the people you love are what matter most in this world. It's a long-standing family tradition to lend a hand to those in need and I was able to do that today and it felt DAMNED GOOD!

Another reason I went to "town" was to pick up kitty litter, cat food and a new stash of cat toys. The poor darlings had lost or damaged all of their cat soccer balls and had resorted to fetching their stuffed toys and I certainly couldn't expect them to keep doing that, now could I? I spent a small fortune replenishing their stock.

I also picked up a couple of toys that resemble carpenter's tape measures with a twist. Instead of the little pull tab on the end, there's a little mouse stuffed with catnip on the end. You can imagine what the little darlings do when it is fully extended and then retracted, can't you? I'll try to get a picture to post later on, right now they are all catnipped out and snoring on the couch, bed and chaise lounge. As a matter of fact, I think one of them is in the bathroom sink (again).

After spending a truly obscene amount of money on others, I did spend a few shekels on myself. After trying on every single pair of dollar store reading glasses, I picked out the pair that made the kid cousins laugh the least.

At the big box store I bought a pair of shorts in a size I haven't been able to wiggle into in years! Like I said before, about 4 or 5 more bouts of the flu and I'll be in perfect shape!

I also bought one more item. After yesterday's marathon bike ride on the fantastic new blue bicycle, my poor Norwegian bum was feeling mighty abused. I might be fluffy, but not a whole lot of that fluff is in the area that makes contact with a bicycle seat.

So please, without further ado, meet my new best friend!

I'm having a missing Dale night...

In memory of a brave and gentle soul.

Artwork and caption by Pam, another brave and gentle soul.

Happy Birthday

Dale's Legacy Guest Book

I'll Be Seeing You

I'LL BE SEEING YOU
(Irving Kahal / Sammy Fain)

Recorded by Jimmy Durante

I'll be seeing you

In all the old familiar places

That this heart of mine embraces

All day through

In that small cafe

The park across the way

The children's carousel

The chestnut trees, the wishing well

I'll be seeing you

In every lovely summers day

In everything that's light and gay

I'll always think of you that way

I'll find you in the morning sun

And when the night is new

I'll be looking at the moon

But I'll seeing you.

Good night, Mr. Petersen, wherever you are...

If well wishes were fishes, we'd have a pond full...

Update 6-2-07
"Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever."
~Margaret Cho

They are giving Dale the new anti-rejection drug that has the potential to eradicate the Graft Vs Host disease in his liver. It was started yesterday and according to the doctor's it will take about a week for any noticeable improvement.

According to the nurse that cared for him until 7 am, he had a bit of trouble breathing early this morning so he is on a mask that helps force the oxygen into his lungs. He continues to receive platelets on a regular basis, so of course, I ask again that you go out and donate if you can.

Thank you all for caring.

We love you.

Update 5-31-07

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."

~ Helen Keller

Dale and his nurses cannot believe the number of cards, letters, photos and miscellaneous other items he continues to receive. Most days he is presented with at least 2 or 3 cards and some days it's more than that. Even when he's confused, he talks about how fortunate he is and how much he loves getting mail each day. He can't believe that people he's never met care enough to take the time to let him know they are thinking about him.

On Tuesday, it rained buckets here in Denver. The room Dale was in sprung a leak, and he had to be moved to the room next to him. As it always is, it was quite the ordeal to get him situated again. They sent me out for a walk while they were doing it and when I returned to his new room I was delighted to find that the nurse had not only opened the cards he'd received that day, but she had also put them up in his room as you can see in the photo at the top of the page. Thank you Carol!

Included in his mail yesterday was this placard, sent from Pink. She ran in the Race for Life in the United Kingdom and as you can see, she raced for Dale. When I talked to Dale about it, he was so touched that he cried.

Because I went back to Forsyth for 10 days, I haven't been able to keep a complete list of all of the cards, photos and miscellaneous other things that Dale has received. Envelopes were thrown away and I found envelopes that did not have cards in them. Dale has been moved so many times, it is hard to know exactly where everything is, though I did go on a reconnaissance mission to locate missing items when he was moved to ICU. But here is the partial list I have and I want to thank all of you for your kindness and thoughtfulness:

Three Collie, Within Without, Ur-Spo, Jen, Tiger Yogi, Helen (the Felon), Courtney and her get well fishes card (ha ha), Bonita, Squirl, Bill, Cathy, who has sent at least 2 cards and many photographs (frog with attitude was our favorite), Pink, who has sent two cards and her race placard as well, KC, Mary, KGmom, Ginnie, Laura, Pam, who sent along some of her beautiful artwork, Thomas, who sent along a Jimmy Durante CD that Dale adores, Cuppa and AC, anonymous X 3, Nicole and Bobbi, who don't have blogs, yet, and of course Heather who started it all.

As I said, I'm sure that I've missed some of you and I apologize. If you'd like to leave me a message in the comment section, I'll be glad to add your name to the list.

For those of you wishing to send Dale a card, or another card, or a cure for what ails him (I wish), his new address is:

Dale Petersen

St. Luke's Presbyterian Hospital
ICU Room 18
1719 E 19th Ave
Denver, CO 80218

I have to go back to Forsyth tomorrow. As much as I hate to leave Dale in this condition, I have work duties that have to be taken care of. Making the decision to go is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I don't see any way out of it and it is breaking my heart.

Take good care all of you lovely people. You have touched our hearts and our lives more than you can ever possibly know.

We love you.

Audience Participation

I’ve hesitated to write this post for several reasons. A few of the people who read my blog are going through extremely hard times right now. Yen, at Two Lucky, is losing the love of his life to a very aggressive type of melanoma. They have given him less than a month to live. It’s been a long, hard fight for these two very dear people and it breaks my heart that their time together on earth is nearly over. Another one of my favorite bloggers, recently lost her father. They were very close and it has been very hard on her. Some people are going through hard times financially, or in their personal lives (or both), and others are making life-changing career choices. It’s not easy for any of these people and my heart goes out to them.

I am usually a very positive person, and I try to keep this blog positive, especially when people I care about are down. I want this blog to be a place where they can come and get a giggle or two or see a photo of something they might not see elsewhere. But there are several people who read this blog specifically to hear how Cousin Dale is doing, so I feel I must update.

My son, Wolf, goes to see Dale several times a week and spends all day Sunday with him. Despite working a full time job and living clear across the city, he spends as much time with Dale as he possibly can. I’d like to think there are a lot of 24 year olds who would show this type of commitment, but I’m not entirely sure there are. Anyway, I digress…

Wolf is one of the most optimistic people I know, and always puts a positive spin on things, but even with that, the news isn’t good. Dale has been struggling physically and emotionally because of complications from his bone marrow transplant. The Graft Vs Host disease is kicking his butt. He has been bed-ridden since right after I left Denver. He cannot eat or drink because the disease has centered in his digestive tract. Taking food or fluids by mouth makes him very ill, although from time to time he does have ice chips. He has constant diarrhea and a rash that covers his entire body. As you can imagine, he is miserable.

He is on too many IV drugs to count; chemo meds to try to control the disease, antibiotics, steroids, some kind of food substance, fluids and who knows what all. They are draining up to 10 pounds of fluid off of him every night. Everything that can be done is being done, but so far nothing is working. He is one very sick puppy. He has, in his weakest moments, considered giving up.

I would like nothing better than to be able to go back to Denver to stay with him while he’s so sick. But this is the busy season at work. There are trainings, workshops outreach and education events planned for the next several months. There are so many things I can’t do when I’m away from the office and my work has suffered. I just can’t go right now. I ache because I can’t do the one thing I really feel I should be doing right now, giving Dale support.

I have wracked my brain (such as it is) trying to figure out a way to help Dale focus on the future. He has been inside the hospital for so long now that I think he has forgotten that there is a world outside of it. His friends call and send cards and gifts and of course Kay and I call as often as we can. There are times when he is too tired or discouraged to talk and those of us that love him are aware of that and understand.

A week or so ago, Butterfly Girl emailed to ask for Dale’s address at the hospital so that she and her daughter could send a home-made card to him. I gave her the address, thinking how happy Dale would be to receive such a kind offering. Then, last night, while trying to sleep, it occurred to me that maybe the blogworld could help Dale regain his will to live, his zest for life, and his desire to fight this thing and win.

So, fellow bloggers, I am asking for audience participation. I know you are all busy with your lives and it is a lot to ask that you take time out of your day to send a card, a letter, or a funny or uplifting photo to a man you don’t even know, but this simple act on your part might give him the boost he needs to continue to fight. And that, my friends, is what he needs.

Dale Petersen
Room 3408
Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital
1719 E 19th Ave
Denver, CO 80218

Tell Me Your Favorite...

I have returned home. Kay had a family emergency so we drove through the night to get her back to Billings. I dropped her off and continued on to Forsyth. I arrived here, safe and sound physically (mentally...not so much), early this morning.

Dale was so sweet when we left. He tried very hard to be upbeat and positive. He thanked us over and over again for being there for him and reassured us that he would be fine. It was all an act and I imagine it took every ounce of strength he had. Leaving there was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

Since I am mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted, I have stolen borrowed this post concept from Ur-Spo.

The idea is for you to leave a comment linking me to your favorite blog entry of all time. It must be one that you have authored.

Also, please tell me why it is your favorite entry.

There will be an contest to determine the winner of the best blog post. The grand prize winner will be given his or her choice of (the usual) all-expense paid trip to Eastern Montana or a bottle of Annie Green Springs Wine, retail price $2.49.

Gentlemen and ladies, start your keyboards.

Thank you in advance for humoring me.

Just in for Some Fine Tuning...

As I mentioned in my last post, Dale is back in the hospital. He is having some fairly significant discomfort, and has been a bit down, but he wants you all to know that this is just a temporary setback. The medical staff at St. Luke's is taking excellent care of him and he is certain that he will overcome this obstacle. He said to tell you all that he's just in for some fine tuning.

In an effort to find the cause of his symptoms, the staff has tested him for Cytomegalovirus, or CMV, which is a common virus that infects most people worldwide. CMV infection is usually harmless and rarely causes illness and a healthy immune system can hold the virus in check. However, if a person's immune system is seriously weakened in any way, the virus can become active and cause CMV disease, which can be quite serious. We don't have the results of the test back yet, but I will update you all when I do.

Another possible consideration is that the symptoms may be from Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) which is a frequent complication of allogeneic bone marrow transplant in which the engrafted donor cells attacks the patient's organs and tissue. GVHD tends to be more severe in patients receiving mismatched transplants from family member or unrelated donors, which is the case with Dale.

I'm sure there are other potential causes for his discomfort, but these are the front-runners at the moment. In an effort to determine what is causing Dale's symptoms, they performed a colonoscopy this morning. They took several samples to biopsy and we should have the results of those in the near future.

I also wanted to mention that Dale's father passed away on Saturday. His father wasn't a nice man and they weren't at all close, but I think on top of everything else, it will be hard on Dale once it sinks in.

Dale has been overwhelmed by the love and support he has received from his friends and family and the people who read this blog. Your phone calls and cards have meant the world to him and I have printed off your blog comments nearly every day. They are a great source of enjoyment and comfort and he reads them all, laughing at some, tearing up over others. He appreciates it more than he can say, as do I.

So folks, please keep those calls, cards and comments comin'...you really are making a difference!

Times, they are a'changin...

It is almost time to go back to my real life. It's funny, but I hardly remember what it was like. It's not that my "real life" was bad in any way, I've lived a very pleasant existence, but for over a month my reality has been; go see Dale, work from the hospital, come home to hang out with Wolf, work some more, go to bed, try to sleep, rinse and repeat. It sounds kind of nuts, but I've enjoyed it very much. Of course if Dale's outcome had been different, I would not be able to say that.

Sure, the traffic is crazy, my car was broken in to, I'm spending nearly every day at the hospital, I'm sleeping on the couch and the neighbors upstairs have lousy taste in music (can you say "turn down the base"?)...but still, I've rarely, if ever, felt more fulfilled or happy.

Why is that, I keep asking myself?

I've come to a several conclusions:

1. I am helping my cousin, who is a really good person in need of assistance. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to help him, even a little bit, in his time of need. I help people in my work every day and it is extremely fulfilling, but this is different. Entirely different.
   
2. I've gotten to know Cousin Dale better than I ever expected to. I've always adored him, and we've always been able to talk for hours, but now I know what is in his heart, and it's a very good heart.
   
3. I have been spending time with my son. Since he moved away several years ago, we've not had nearly enough time together. My trips here and his trips back to Montana have usually been short, hurried affairs, and it never felt like I had enough time to spend with him. On this trip we've had a lot of quality time together. I've seen the person he's become and I am very happy, proud and pleased.
   
4. I have spent countless hours donating blood products on this trip. I've given every blood product imaginable, as often as I was allowed to. If you are a healthy person, age 17 or over, and weigh 110# or more, please consider donating. The need is staggering. Every 3 seconds, someone needs blood. About 60 percent of the population are eligible to donate blood, yet less than five percent do. Whole blood can be given every 56 days, but you can donate platelets as often as twice a week. Platelet donation is relatively simple and painless and accomplished through Apheresis (ay-fur-ee-sis) which is a special kind of blood donation where blood is drawn from your arm through sterile tubing into a centrifuge. The centrifuge spins the blood to separate the components, which vary in weight and density. A port is opened along the spinning tubing at the level containing platelets. These platelets are drawn up into a collection bag, while the remaining blood components (red cells and plasma) are returned to you. Platelets are only viable for 5 days, so if you consider that a heart surgery patient requires 6 units of platelets and the average bone marrow transplant patient needs 120, you'll see that the need for donations is vast and continuous. So please, step up and help to save a life. Please, I beg of you, click here for more information.
   
5. And finally, I have learned a lot about myself on this trip. I'm a lot more self-confident these days, for one reason or another. I've learned to (don't laugh) navigate the big city (with help from my Virtual Navigator Lady) and managed to thwart a potential mugging (or worse). I've learned that car windows are just car windows and stereos are just stereos. Losing them, while frustrating, is not very important in the grand scheme of things. I've learned that a task that may seem overwhelming at first can usually be accomplished by taking it step by step. I've overcome my fear of hospitals, my fear of needles and my fear of escalators (don't ask). I've learned that the world is a big and often beautiful place and I think I'd like to explore more of it.
   

So now I am preparing to leave Denver and go back to my real life. Dale is doing well (see future post) and my presence here is no longer needed. I will probably leave on Monday morning to go back to eastern Montana. But I'm not the person I was when I left there. I've changed, in a great many ways. I am starting to see the big picture, now, and I know that I will never be the same.

Times, they are a changin'.

Update: Dale has had a setback, hopefully minor, and he is back in the hospital. I will be staying on for at least a few more days to be sure he is alright. I will keep you posted.

Celebrate Until Further Notice

Because of your wonderful comments, the title to this post has been modified. Thanks everyone!

**This photo was taken with my cell phone/navigator gps thingy; I apologize for the quality.

Today was a very big day.

Early this morning, X-Rays confirmed that the last 4 weeks of intensive treatment have done no damage what-so-ever to Dale’s lungs or heart. Both are functioning at 100% capacity.

After going over his test results and examining the X-Rays, Dale’s primary care doctor moved him out of the transplant ward and into the oncology ward. This means that Dale is no longer at extreme risk for complications caused by infection or rejection.

At around 2 pm this afternoon, the last IV line was removed from the port in his chest. For the first time in a very long time, Dale could walk without having to drag around the infusion pump stand that he had been attached to for weeks on end. He was free to move about the building. The doctor also told Dale that he may be able to move to the extended care facility as soon as Wednesday, which is considerably sooner than expected.

To top it all off, Dale was able to eat an entire can of Hormel Beef Tamales! He is finally getting his appetite back!

As you can imagine, we were extremely pleased by all that transpired today. It seems everything is falling in to place for Dale. He is in excellent spirits and very thankful, not only for the improvements in his physical condition, but also for the incredible outpouring of love and support he has gotten from his friends, family and the readers of this blog.

In the words of Dale’s nurse (who was quoting her elderly grandmother), “celebrate until further notice”.

Four Little Words

It has been 2 weeks since Dale's transplant. There have been some dark days, I won't lie to you. There were days when he felt like he was ironed to the sheets. But there have been some good times as well.

Like the day they were changing over to new chemo pumps. There were several nurses in the room and a very serious sales rep who was giving a short course in the use of the new machines. The spiel and training session took quite some time, but finally they opened the line to let the fluid enter his body. At that very moment, Dale clutched his chest and GASPED, then said, "Just kidding".

The look on their faces went from abject horror to disbelieve and I honestly think the sales rep saw her life flash before her eyes. I started to laugh and the nurses followed suit. The sales rep, on the other hand, was not at all amused and left the room. I think she went to change her underwear.

Another high point was the day he received a care package from his co-workers. It contained a very nice dvd player, home-made cookies, all kinds of snack items, magazines, books, dvd's and too many other items to mention. The look on Dale's face was priceless.

There have also been days when he could barely lift his head and days when he was too tired to walk to the rest room. There have been times when despite not having eaten in days, his system seemed determined to expel waste from both ends. Through it all, through every single day of it, Dale has remained optimistic, upbeat and kind. So very kind.

My dad has always adored Dale and had been very worried about him. Even though Dale could barely lift his head, he called dad to tell him things were going well. When I talked to dad after their visit, he said "I know he will be fine, I can tell by the timbre of his voice". Dale and I both cried over my dad's words.

There have been some anxious days, some scary times. But through it all, we've kept our spirits up by laughing and joking and taking pleasure in things that we'd normally take for granted, like a cheerful nurse or a normal bowel movement.

But today there was something to be truly thankful for. Today, the transplant doctor came in with the results of the most recent bone marrow biopsy. Today, the doctor said that it was "a very good graft".

Four. Little. Words.

Be Positive

In order to be “clean” enough for the transplant, Dale went through 2 days of intensive chemotherapy and 4 days of heavy duty radiation. The transplant was done on day 7.

Dale asked that we be there with him throughout the procedure and we were happy to oblige. Wolf got off of work at 6:30 and the transplant was scheduled for 7:30. It was Friday night and the traffic was hellish, to say the least. It is a 25 mile drive from the apartment to the hospital, but fortunately, Wolf has a highly developed sense of direction, inherited, of course from me, and he was able to take several back roads and alleys and we arrived in Dale’s room just as the marrow arrived.

Just before the doctor started the drip, Dale stood up, went to the stereo, put in a cd and lay back down in bed.

Wolf and I watched as the doctor prepared to start the potentially life-saving IV.

At 7:45 pm, Dale William Petersen began receiving cells that would change his life forever. His blood type, prior to the transplant, was 0 positive, after the transplant his type would change to B positive. Upon hearing that, Dale declared that he would from that moment on, BE POSTIVE! We all agreed that it was a good motto to live by.

Dale’s marrow came from a non-family donor. Despite the entire family being tested, none of us were a close enough match to be considered. His life-saving cells came from a European donor that he will never meet. Some wonderful human being, thousands of miles away, cared enough about a total stranger, to give him the gift of life.

And for that we will be eternally grateful.

You, too, can save a life.

Every day, thousands of patients are searching for a donor. You could be the one a patient needs. Join the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry.

When you become a bone marrow donor, you join more than 10 million volunteers worldwide who stand ready to give someone a future.

We think it's worth it, what do you think?

Go Take a Hike

Saturday morning was very busy for Dale. He was admitted to the hospital and subjected to a grueling regiment of testing. He didn’t want us sitting around the hospital, and told us to “take a hike or something”. After making certain that our presence wasn’t needed, we followed his advice.

Wolf knew just where to go. We piled into his Element and headed for the hills (or mountains, in this case). The drive was beautiful. If you are ever in the Denver/Broomfield area, just hop on um, er, well, the road that leads to Boulder. Then take a turn or two or three and you will find yourself at the head of a beautiful hiking trail (aren’t you glad I’m not your navigator?).

The parking lot was full, so we parked about ¼ of a mile from it and climbed down to the trail. Ok, some of us climbed down; others (who shall remain nameless) slipped on the rocks and slid down on our bums.

We started up the trail, marveling at the beauty around us. Kay hadn’t spent much time in the Boulder area, so she was quite enthralled with the ruggedness of the mountains and the geology of the outcroppings. All of us were, to be honest. It was a wonderful break and exactly what we needed.

We walked for several miles. People on mountain bikes whizzed by; narrowly missing us several times. The sights and sounds and smells were intoxicating. We all agreed that we felt more alive and more relaxed than we had in a very long time. By the time we left, we felt ready to help Dale fight the battle of a lifetime.

Below are more photos from the trip.

Old bridge pilings.

A tiny waterfall.

I was liken the blue lichen.

Just pretty clouds and neat peaks.

I'd really like to learn to do that!

Music to Grow Cells By

With all of the yucky business this weekend, I wasn’t able to tell you all about the wonderful time we had taking Dale out on the town the night before he went into the hospital. So now, with most of the unpleasantness behind me (hopefully), I want to share that with you.

It was Dale’s last night of freedom in a minimum of 3 months so we wanted to make it special. Kay, Wolf and I picked Dan and Dale up at the hotel and went to a Mexican restaurant Dale had been eyeing since his arrival in town.

We sat at a large table near the back and laughed and talked about old times, carefully avoiding discussion of the reason we were all in Denver. Dale ate his fill (and then some) of the delicious food and we went back to the motel. Dan wanted to turn in for the night so Wolf, Kay and I decided to kidnap Dale and take him out on the town. It didn’t take much to convince Dale to leave his fate in our hands for the night.

Off we went.

Since Dale was scheduled to have 2 days of intensive chemotherapy followed by 4 days of very strong radiation therapy, twice per day, he needed something to occupy his mind. Dale has always been a music fan. For the last 20 or so years he has amassed a huge collection of Jazz. He is also very knowledgeable about the artists and the history. He asked if we might find a place to purchase some music for his collection and to listen to while he was undergoing radiation (the part that scared him the most).

Wolf knew just where to take him and we headed downtown to the Virgin Records Megastore. Dale had never been to Denver before and he was very excited to have the opportunity to see the sights. Downtown Denver is quite beautiful at night and we all gawked like the tourists we were. We parked in a parking lot right on the edge of “everything” and started walking towards the store.

It was obvious that the sights and sounds were very exciting to Dale. It was Friday night and there were thousands of people walking in the warm night air. Horse drawn carriages traveled along the cobblestone and jazz music could be heard far off in the distance. Dale stopped walking and I asked if he was okay.

“Yeah, just taking it all in.” he said, with tears in his eyes and a big smile on his face. We stood with him until he was ready to move on.

Our first stop was the record store. As we approached the massive building, Dale’s eyes lit up. The look was priceless and one I’ll never forget. It was as if every dream he’d ever had was coming true. I felt such joy seeing his face; I can’t begin to describe the feeling. I looked at Wolf and he looked back at me. We both had tears in our eyes.

When we walked through the door, Dale let out an audible gasp. I asked if he was okay and he just smiled.

“I could never have imagined it this big,” he said, sticking his tongue out at me.

Wolf located the Jazz section and led Dale over to the Miles Davis records. Dale’s eyes lit up as he saw the huge collection of his favorite artist’s CD’s. He started flipping through them and was astounded to discover the diversity available to him. It didn’t take long for him to find the exact CD he was looking for; “Sketches of Spain”. He had the album at home, but hadn’t brought it with him.

Dale beamed at Wolf and Wolf beamed back. Kay and I looked at each other and grinned. What a happy, joyful time.

Kay and I continued to browse while Dale told Wolf some of the history of Miles Davis’ career. Dale told him about Red Garland, a pianist in the Miles Davis quartet who had eventually formed his own group. He said he’d love to get his hands on a CD of his, “At the Prelude”. It was at that moment that Dale noticed the display he’d been standing next to.

I’ve never seen that look on his face before. It was as if, at that moment, he knew everything was going to be alright. He picked up the CD and held it in his hand.

“This,” he said, “is music to grow cells by”.