Thursday, 1 March

It is said that which does not kill you makes you stronger. Challenges properly approached can stretch and grow many attributes about a person. All true, but we’re ready for a break!

The past few days have been a challenge but for reasons you might not expect. I’m pleased to report Karen actually feels better than she has in recent weeks. The break from and revised chemotherapy schedule seems to have really helped. She didn’t see the doctor today because for the second visit in a row her appointment was accidentally cancelled. The office, which usually runs like a well oil machine, was way out of sync due to staffing challenges. Karen did get the usual blood tests and received an Aranesp shot to boost her red blood cells and infusion number 29 of Herceptin. No measurements were taken of tumor mass or liver as she didn’t see the doctor but the tumor markers are derived from a blood test which was taken today so hopefully we’ll have good news to share with you about the tumor markers early next week.

The real challenge we’re dealing with right now is our basement flooded which represents about 40 percent of our living space and where the children spend about 75 percent of their time. Fortunately, we were able to salvage most of the furniture, clothing, toys, etc. and have moved them to storage. As you can imagine our house is bit upside right now. Stress levels are a little high and the patience levels are running low. It could be much worse, and I’ve stopped the children from complaining about their toys not being available and their playroom being gutted. We need only think of all the families impacted by Hurricane Katrina to realize how much worse it could be.

If you are going through any challenges at this time, I encourage you to stop and take stock of the good going on in your life. Rest assured there is much to be thankful for even when everything isn’t going our way.

Until next time…