Able to sleep in this morning, we made a quick stop by the Bank to take out a loan to fill the car with gas and be on the road again. Today was more of a shopping trip than the typical cancer patient hospital visit. We checked in and before we even sat down, Suzanne was called to have her vitals taken and blood drawn. Knowing that we had about two hours before her infusion, off we went on our…
When Suzanne came downstairs this morning and walked over to greet me at my too often position in front of the computer, she shared that it was one year ago today that she last ate solid food. WOW, where has the time gone, and how did we get here? I stood up, we hugged, and then, just like anyother day, we proceeded to head to the kitchen to each prepare our own breakfasts; I had steel-cut oats with pecans &…
We all know the song . . . . “On the Road again, just can’t wait to get on the road again” You’ve probably even sung it when you got in the car for a repetitive drive. For us, the drive to and from the Chicago Medical District this past year and a half has been one of those repetitive drives. Fill up with gas, pack the car, throw in a few water bottles, and out the door we go….
An early departure to Chicago yesterday as a busy schedule awaited. The usual, bloodwork was first on tap without hitch and as it turned out, all is fine. Her CT scan with contrast dye was another story. First, a little background, six months ago Suzanne had a minor reaction to this CT, some facial skin rosie appearance. At that time, we weren’t sure what caused the reaction, the CT or the infusion. Then, three months ago, she had a much…
Yesterday was supposed to be a wonderful & joyous day for Suzanne. Yesterday was the day she finally was able to have her feeding tube removed. Postponed because of snowmageddon last week, yesterday afternoon, in her Gibson Hospital doctor’s office, the 5-second procedure was performed and Suzanne was set free from the protruding plastic which has been the cause of much frustration and has limited parts of her life for over a year. Yep, yesterday was to be a spectacular…
A balmy -10 degrees when we pulled out of the garage this morning, but it was time to go and wasn’t going to get any warmer. Traffic was unusually bad when we hit the I-94 interchange and didn’t let up all the way to downtown. Passed a couple of stalled drivers and there seemed like there were more cars than normal, assuming that people avoided outdoor mass transit. After bloodwork, her only doctor visit was with her surgeon. I’m guessing…
We all love a good miracle. Not quite sure who gets to name an event a miracle but the two most memorable in my lifetime were: The Miracle on the Hudson when pilot Sully Sullenberger Landed a disabled Jetliner on the Hudson River in New York; and the Miracle on Ice when the underdog 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team beat the Russians to win the Olympic Gold Medal. Looking up the word miracle I found a number of similar definitions:…
This past week, we took Suzanne’s dad out for breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, in Urbana. As is customary now, I explained to the waitress that Suzanne was unable to eat solid foods and I ordered an orange juice for her. The waitress responded to Suzanne in a slow, distinctive, and very elevated voice, “would you like a water or straw with that?” To which, I shared that she couldn’t use a straw and would be fine with just the…
Wednesday we took another trip to Chicago, strong crosswinds both on the way up and back made for difficult driving. On top of that, snow north of Kankakee was also an issue with whiteout conditions caused by the wind coming home which had us moving at 30mph with vehicle flashers on a number of times. This was Suzanne’s fourteenth infusion in the PATHway trial. The past few weeks, we have had a number of discussions about whether there were going…
Growing up, young boys watch their dads for queues as to how to become a man. Up early, work hard, provide for the family, these are all traits fathers hope to pass along to their sons. I was fortunate that my dad passed on another trait, it’s OK to be a man and cry. Not one you were expecting, I’m sure, but it is one that I recognized early in my adult life. I would see dad cry, especially when…