I enjoy doing the Ten on Ten Project, where you document 10 pictures on the 10th of the month. This month, it happened to land on the day we went to Sloan, so I thought it might be fun to change it up a little and include it in this post.
5 AM
Every good day begins with a good sweat.
Another "must have"...a little sun, a little coffee, a lot of Jesus.
On the road...the girls had Field Day at school and then special time with Uncle Nathan and Auntie Laryssa. Aiden got to be at Amy's with cousins.
GPS took us off the main road to go around the standstill traffic. We very much enjoyed the scenic route through affluent Fairfield County.
A vastly different scenery, but still beautiful.
Waiting.
Still waiting.
Waiting for pre-surgical testing.
Waiting.
Waiting for the surgeon.
Waiting for rush hour to subside (with a hot guy).
Waiting to get home.
The purpose of this visit to NYC was to check if the tumor had shrunk and to do pre-surgical testing. Because of scheduling conflicts on their end, we did the testing first...blood work, vitals, EKG, chest x-ray, 101 questions...and met with the surgeon last. And before, during and after we waited and waited, stretching our time in that building to over six hours.
In the x-ray waiting room I met two women who'd traveled far to get there, reminding me that Sloan Kettering is THE place to be. Shaun did a ton of research on the onset of all of this and he is confident my surgeon is one of the very best in the world for colorectal cancer. What an incredible blessing to have her within driving distance!
Surgery is scheduled for just a couple weeks from now. We've had an (extended) family vacation planned for quite some time and Dr. Temple was willing to work around it. So, I get to spend a week at the beach with 41 people that I love before we get down to business.
As we sat down to dinner in the city, I shed a tear that Shaun wiped away. But in the hours and days that have passed my thoughts have turned toward after this life-saving surgery. Life after cancer.
I've been thinking about the races I want to run and which training methods I want to use and I've been trying to picture who our next foster child will be and I've begun praying that he/she/they would be a good fit for our family and that they would be protected and kept until they can get to us.
I wonder how God will have me use the experience I've gained to help others dealing with cancer.
And I've been dreaming of the day when this heavy burden will lift off of the shoulders of those who love me and words like "radiation" and "chemo" aren't household words to my five year-old.
Mixed in with those thoughts is also...really?? I have to go back to being a patient after feeling so good now?? Its a blessing being active and well, but it also makes it hard to think about being knocked down again.
Surgery will be the beginning of recovery and healing and the next chapter.
I've never been a worrier and that's coming in really handy. This week I plan to be in the moment as I enjoy spending time with my fresh-on-summer-vacation kids. We'll try to cram an abbreviated, modest bucket list into these few days and make the most of a feeling-good momma.
Continuing to pray! We love you and no doubt you are in God's hands. Please let us know if there is anything we can do. Love, Michele, Bill, Abigail, and Madison
ReplyDeletePrayers will continue for you. So glad you get to spend time with your crew at the beach.
ReplyDeleteStill praying in Ohio. So sorry you have to go from feeling good to having surgery - but looking down the road at all the life to come definitely helps!
ReplyDelete