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| Peyton Manning. Wish I could say I was there. Instead I have to thank the Associated Press for the picture. Darn. |
Actually, Sam seems to be feeling better, too, so that really helps. He is sleeping a lot still but he did manage to get out a couple times this week to workout. Exercise in a cancer patient's life makes such a huge difference. So many studies have shown that exercise alone extends a cancer patient's life more than any other treatment. Even if it is just a short walk around the block each and every day, that is all it takes.
Today was chemo day. Sam told me the other night he only has one more treatment after this, then they will be doing a PET scan, the first complete PET scan since the lung cancer diagnosis 3 years ago. It will be fascinating to see what is going on now compared to 3 years ago, although like Sam pointed out, it will not make any difference in the end result, sadly enough. We just will not focus on that and instead will focus on the fact that he is still alive after 3 years, much longer than most people anticipated. How awesome is that?
I cannot tell you how glad I am to not be walking on eggshells 100% of the time anymore. There is still some angst on his part so we are just taking it day by day. Tonight he is pretty quiet and looks a little on the pale side after the treatment, and I am hoping the paleness resolves itself in the next couple days. It is always interesting to watch his color change after the chemo even though it is more than a little freaky at times. The Xanax has not come out of its hiding place all week, just in case you were wondering.
Anchorage is under another storm advisory, presumably just as bad as the last one. At first the weather service was saying only 65 mph winds were expected, then as the weekend got closer, the predictions increased to 110 mph winds. Oh boy. Some residents did not get their power back on until almost the weekend last week...and here we go again. Makes me really wonder what winter is truly going to bring us. If the ground was frozen with a lot of snow, it would be completely different, but since it is not, odds are whatever trees did not come down last week, will this week.
We were going to go camping and on a glacier cruise, but not now. This is also the weekend of the Denali Road Lottery - 4 days of 100 vehicles each driving in, most all the way to the end of the road and back. Normally private vehicles are not allowed back in the park, you have to take a tour bus or a shuttle. Hopefully the weather there will be somewhat better than here, but the road did shut down a couple times this week due to snow.
It was quite a week for my family, too. My dad has 5 living sisters, 2 of which had surgery this week, one to have a stent put in her heart and the other to remove 4 brain tumors and do some other work. Out of the 8 children in my dad's family, at least 5 have been diagnosed with some type of cancer or another. Have I discussed this before? If so, please accept my apologies. It is difficult to determine what the root cause is, could be genetic or it could just as easily be environmental. My grandfather homesteaded in what is known as the Black Canyon Irrigation District in Idaho, farmed a little bit and was also the chemist at the sugar factory across the Snake River in Nyssa, Oregon. It would be an interesting situation to research, needless to say. Personally, if my siblings, cousins and I are not diagnosed with cancer at the rate of my dad and his siblings, I would have to say it is environmental. It is just very difficult to say. At any rate, both of my aunts are doing fine as well as is my aunt who has been in Houston receiving treatment at MD Anderson.
We also received word that my step-grandmother, Violet Drydale Evans passed away this week. She was an adorable and amazing woman who had a large clan of her own and then came into ours to be a companion to Grampa after my grandmother passed away. Always very kind and gracious to all, I will miss her very much.
As for me, work is extremely busy, exercise has fallen by the wayside and I need to get back into the routine. The weather, though...oh boy...
The past few weeks some of my friends have done wonderful things for me and I cannot thank them enough. Going to lunch with me, calling, trying to figure out play dates but talking on the phone all the same, patiently listening to me cry, whine or whatever I was doing at the time. I really appreciate it. Sam's and my families are quite concerned that he and I are in Anchorage alone but we truly are not. We have a tremendous support system, not only in Anchorage, but all over and I thank each and every one of you very much.
Ciao!
