Numbering Days, Week 97-99

I've been soaking in summer with kids who are (in theory) around more and with a schedule that's more laid back. The lack of doctor's appointments, scans, treatments is freeing, even just an extra week or two off feels like a respite. Cancer is a steady drumbeat that plays in the background but it has less time on center stage and we can live in some "normalcy". Life is just so very sweet.

Ten years ago my surgeon promised me she'd get me to my kids' graduations and weddings. I'm most thankful for the every day, ordinary time with them....a walk with the dog, talking on the porch, being in the car together, hanging out in the kitchen. But when I am here for a milestone, such as graduation, its one less that they have to do without me. Being here. I take it for the absolute gift that it is.

On treatment days, I take on the nature of baseball players, who are known for their superstitions. Whatever worked the last time for me to not get sick to my stomach, or for recovery to go a little easier, I do that again. I've been wearing the same clothes, including my #He'sNotDone shirt that I cut so the medi-port in my "right chest wall" can more easily be accessed. 

The shirts were made in support of my friend who had cancer in her early 30's. Her two boys are Avery and Amanda's age and they both graduated this year and last without her. I wear the shirt to remind myself that I get to do treatment.

This time, I had the absolute delight of having Avery bring me. At the last minute, my dad wasn't feeling well, so with 20 minutes notice, Avery was up and out with me for the day. I don't know what its like to live life when your mom has cancer. I imagine its quite difficult. Still, this girl handled it all valiantly and with such grace and competence. 

The excellent news we received is the blood work showed the tumor marker number plummeted. Likely that reflects the success of the first procedure we did back in January. To avoid the "roller coaster effect", we try to take good news and bad news in stride, even still that was exciting and reason to rejoice.

I have one more treatment before we do a bunch of scans and then take a hopeful break over the summer.

THANK YOU for praying for our family, for still caring and loving and wanting to know. That we are not alone means so much.

In my life and yours, from Him are all things and to Him are all things. He is worthy of it all.