On Friday I turned 26 years old!  And I really had something to celebrate!  The night before I got a call from my doctor letting me know that the lab tests were a mistake and I don’t have a blood disorder!  I was so relieved I almost cried.  So on Friday I was able to celebrate my birthday worry free!

Even being able to celebrate my birthday not in the hospital is something I’m grateful for as I spent my 24th birthday in the hospital and my 25th birthday recovering from just getting out of the hospital.

So this year I celebrated by giving myself a much needed pampering.  My mom and Melissa (my caregiver) joined me in getting our hair cut and colored.  I dyed my hair red with brighter red and golden highlights.  Then we went out for a birthday lunch at one of my favorite restaurants in the mall.  Afterward we went to Bare Essentials and got our make up done.  Then we went shopping for a while and Melissa bought me my birthday present – a new pair a jeans that actually are small enough to fit (another thing to celebrate – weight loss).  Finally we got all dressed up and went out for a nice birthday dinner!

When living with a chronic illness it can seem like its one bad thing after another.  So it’s especially nice to have something to celebrate for a change!