February Courier trip

No picture my friends. Sometimes one city looks like the next or the best picture you get is in the gift shop at the airport. Enough to say, Bone Marrow Bob is working is working his little ass off flying hither and yon giving families hope for a future. Go Bob Go.

January Courier trip

This is what a bone marrow donor looks like. BMB was picked up at the airport by this friendly guy and was taken to the lab to drop off the product. On the way to the hotel a conversation ensued and it was revealed what BMB was delivering, at which point the driver confessed that he was a bone marrow donor. Seven years previously he got " the call". His recipient was a 7 year old girl. He has had the opportunity to contact the family but has not. For him, the privilege of donating was enough. He is not curious except to know that the girl is doing well. This is the face of the majority of donors.

Antarctica!

Sometimes ya just gotta go where life leads you. When else was Surfer Bob going to get to go to the South Pole. To be fair, the king penguins on top are in the Falklands, which is on the way to Antarctica. It was summertime so Bob wasn't too cold in his little red suit. Thanks for asking.

Lekker

On of the perks of being Bone Marrow Bob is being able to visit old and not so old friends in near and far places. Blue skies across continents.

Take a trip ...

on Route 66. BMB loves to travel west. He keeps his eye on the latest fashion trends.

Inn by the sea

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Bone Marrow Bob was in one of his favorite cities with one of his favorite friends at a favorite restaurant. Work doesn't get much better than this!

More Adventures

Bone Marrow Bob has been a busy fellow. He"s been in the cooler being a guardian Surfer a lot this spring. Its nice that the techs can share a laugh, especially when BMB pops out around midnight on those late night deliveries. As I have mentioned in the past, it is top secret where BMB goes but it is safe to say that transplants happen every day in several cities and donations come from all over. That being said, I think it is okay to have a famous landmark in a photo now and again. Be my guest  on taking a guess at the not so famous backgrounds.

 

Cool Story

Here is Bone Marrow Bob at the blood bank picking up stem cells for a recipient down the highway. The story about this courier trip is that it a) it was in a 100 mile radius and b) the donor and recipient  knew each other. They knew each other because the donor gave stem cells to the recipient 20 years ago. They have been friends for 19 years. They know each others families. They have shared joys and hardships. Indeed they share DNA. After many years the recipient relapsed and the donor was right there willing to save a life again. They were together for the transplant and Bob was brought in to take the cells from the blood bank to the hospital. This never happens!! Recipients are not allowed to meet their donor until a year out of transplant. It is always an emotional meeting. Sometimes the donor is asked to give again but usually within 5 years. 20 years apart was unheard of until now. Bone Marrow Bob is honored to be a cog in the wheel of hope and survival, as he is with all courier trips, but this one is special because of the unique circumstances.

South America

In keeping with the policy ,BMB can't say where he's been but, if you look close, you might deduce the location from the portrait. Bob got to visit the presidential house and he can't resist a man in uniform. Judging by the smile, the guard was pretty taken with BMB too.

FOBMB

Friend of Bone Marrow Bob. While on duty, Bob visits friends patients and family.Lisa was glad to see her old friend.

Better late than

It's been some time since the blog has been updated but rest assured Bone marrow Bob has not been sitting around. Au con trier, he has been flying coast to coast and across the pond to destinations far and farther in warm weather and icy cold conditions. It's all part of the job. He saw some beautiful sunsets and sunrises. Did a little shopping and made a wish...... to be big.Here's to hoping all wishes come true in 2014.

Southern comfort

So to keep with the mystery locations, I can say that there are some nice vistas from the airport and that said airport is not equipped to handle mechanical issues especially on weekends. The lobby of one of the hospitals in the complex reminded BMB of Cook Children"s and it was also mentioned in A New York Times op-ed. Still stumped? It's the prettiest city in Alabam...

Butt-Hole Surfer

 Bone Marrow Bob is back from saving the world one transplant at a time. Once again I can't say where he's been but here are a couple of hints. Perhaps somewhere in the wild, wild, west where guns are not permitted and onto a place BMB has been before..... the clue is , where the airport is in a different state than the city.
Road weary, indeed. Every trip is an endless board of ETAs, over priced, pre packaged airport food, and cramped seating. He's been on the road so long he has worn a hole in his red suit, prompting the nickname "butt-hole surfer". Bucky is disgusted!

Glamour?

There is no glamour in being a courier. The best thing I can say is at least the streets are clear of gum.

Roadie

Surfer Bob was in the Netherlands most of June being a roadie to ONI -a mandolin orchestra. He made many new friends. His new BFF is Cor Roozendaal, composer and conductor extraordinaire.
After traveling the countryside on tour,SB chilled out in Amsterdam.His favorite pastime is going to museums and there are some doozies in Amsterdam, like the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh.
Why oh why do people like to take pictures of pictures? I think you miss the subtleties because you are so busy behind the camera which doesn't pick up the subtleties. Will someone please explain this to Bob? 

Dude with a Destination

Yup, that's right. Bone Marrow Bob is at it again. I can't say where but he sometimes visits the gift shop. Hospital gift shops are pretty interchangeable. He was not in the market for smiley face balloons on this day. At any rate, he is glad to be back on duty. Now its time for a vacation.

Reinstated!!

Yes its true. Bob had to pull a few strings and go through a rigorous application and training but its official. Here he is at orientation in Washington DC  learning such things as how to take your gloves off. His distinguished colleague, Dr Jill McGovern, is taking notes or checking her e mail. Bone Marrow Bob will have to be more discreet because that is in the job description. Somehow he will report back to the blog. All I can say for now is his first trip is coming up.

BRAZIL

Surfer Bob was getting antsy. Where to go, where to go? How about Brazil where the samba is hot, people are friendly and where there is another iconic landmark. An added incentive is that Christ the Redeemer is #3 on the list of modern wonders of the world. Maybe Bob should make it his mission to visit all the wonders while he is on sabbatical. Truth be told, this writer has been to 3(4)** of the wonders, but that doesn't mean SB can't have his picture taken at every one!
* Brazil is not on the trip adviser map with a few other places Surfer Bob has been when he is not carrying marrow.
**Great Wall, Petra,Christ the Redeemer, Machu Picchu,  Chichen Itza, Colosseum,Taj Mahal
honorary mention Pyramids. How does the only original wonder still in existence only get an honorable mention???????

Just one more thing

For those admirers of Surfer Bob, sing along ....

Bob is so cool he even has his own theme song. It goes something like this: If there's a wave he can ride it, if there's a beach he can find it, Surfer Bob, Surfer Bob. He can hang ten, then he'll do it again, Surfer Bob, Surfer Bob. He's a cool dude with a good attitude, Surfer Bob, Surfer Bob. Bob's on the job! Surfer Bob is a 4-1/2" tall plastic surfer riding a permanent plastic wave. Blonde, tanned, and in a classic surf pose, Bob rocks back and forth on your dashboard as you drive.

Yeah he rocks so hard he lost that wave early on in search of the Big One. I'm thinking of adding music and posting a video on You Tube. He could be the next contestant on America's Got Talent.

Hiatus

As I stated before, Bone marrow Bob is taking a break. Hopefully it won't be for long. Not to worry, the donors will still donate and the recipients  will still get transfused and some couriers will still be flying. Let's  call this a respite, breather, a little downtime, courier interuptis, recess, time off, intermission or maybe a furlough or sabbatical. Let's hope its not a departure or farewell. So Godspeed, adieu, adios, bye-bye, cheerio, farewell, happy landing, happy trails, sayounara.
until we meet again...............................