Category Archives: church

Big Day Tomorrow

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September 17, 2010

Big day tomorrow. For two reasons: 1) Jake has his first soccer game. If you have never seen a three-year-old soccer game, it is hilarious, and Jake is a soccer animal. 2) Tomorrow is the Franklin 4 the Cure Race/Walk and Concert in Westhaven.

We, for the second year, won’t be able to participate in Franklin 4 the Cure. It has just happened on bad weekends for us, which is a shame, because it is an awesome event that raises lots of money. This year it will all go to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital for childhood cancer research. They have a race/walk in the morning followed by a one-mile fun run for kids (named in honor of our friend, Lily) and an evening concert featuring Heidi Newfield. It is an awesome event and we are determined to make it next year.

This year, though, we have important business to attend to. We are all going to watch Jake play soccer. It’s not that having leukemia is fun, but it certainly offers Tanner lots of opportunities that Jake does not get. Next week, for example, we will go by our church where all the kids will be holding their own Light the Night Walk in Tanner’s honor, then leave and go to the Rally Mania concert where Tanner and some other little girls with cancer will be presented pink guitars and tiaras as Rally Rock N’ Roll Princesses. Again, not worth having leukemia to attend these events, but lots of attention for her, nevertheless.

So, tomorrow, we all go watch Jake tear up the soccer field with his new cleats and his “lifeguards” aka “shinguards.” He is so proud we are all going to watch him play. I’m going to bring a chair I can plop in and try not to jump up when he scores and injure myself. But, I can’t promise anything.

If you want to attend any of the events at Franklin 4 the Cure, go to franklinforthecure.org for more info. It really is a great event in a beautiful neighborhood. Lily’s family is very involved, as they live in Westhaven. There is a great silent auction and a Hope Street Festival for the kids with inflatables and kids’ activities.

Tanner is feeling good. She’s had a great week of school is looking forward to her Alice in Wonderland rehearsal tonight. She is singing with another little girl at church on Sunday. AND, she convinced that little boy to give up his pop tops. Atta girl.

Thanks for the donations to Tanner’s Light the Night Team. They continue to come in and we are forever grateful.

Love,
Beth

Theatre Camp Redo

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July 14, 2010

This week has been theatre camp redo week. Tanner’s been attending camp every day and having at least as much fun as she did last time. She is singing and dancing her little heart out and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that she makes it to the performance on Friday this time.

Tomorrow is clinic day. A dose of Vincristine and the start of a five-day pulse of steroids. She’ll miss a good part of the day at camp tomorrow, but seeing as how she’s already been through camp week once before, she won’t miss anything too important. We’re hoping to get her back to camp by 1 pm, but heard clinic is packed tomorrow, so it might take a while.

Been spending some quality time with my little man this week. We’ve been to Jump Zone and to the pool, the dog park, and the library. I’m enjoying some special time with him. Jake gets overlooked in this whole process sometimes, not intentionally of course, but because sometimes you just have to give your time to the child who needs you most at that moment and that is often Tanner. Jake is so used to Tanner getting medical attention that he now asks for medicine so he can get in on what seems like (to him) some great attention from John and I. He doesn’t realize what that medicine does to Tanner. We keep sweet tarts to give to him when he wants some of that kind of attention for himself.

Went to my pre-op appointment this week for some minor surgery I’m having in a few weeks. I have a nodule on my thyroid that has tested negative for cancer in needle biopsies, but John and I agreed to just get it out. We’re not so big on taking chances with cancer these days. I’ll lose half my thyroid, but the other half should take up the slack and I should be fine, minus one largish lump in my throat, after all is said and done. Me having surgery is causing Tanner some minor stress. She keeps asking if I have cancer or if it is going to hurt and if I’m getting “sleepy milk” like she does.

Hoping to report good things from clinic tomorrow. Good neutraphils and hemoglobin levels. That’s what we look for. Just trying to make it through Friday’s performance and to the church Fish Fry that night (Bethlehem United Methodist — yummy!). We’ll keep you posted.

Love,
Beth

1 Day to Domino

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June 22, 2010

Tomorrow is Domino Day… long awaited and much anticipated. Tanner was so excited, she couldn’t go to sleep tonight (the steroids didn’t help, either!) and I find myself in the same position. We’ve been on a 10-day countdown on the chalkboard in the kitchen, and today the kids and I washed down our dog crate to get ready for the big day. John and I will go to the prison tomorrow to meet the inmates that trained Domino and bring him home. The kids made thank you notes for them today. Jake put Star Wars stickers all over them and Tanner made cut out stars. We hope they will let the inmates have them so they can remember what a good thing they have done for a little girl with leukemia and her family.

The kids have been at Vacation Bible School for the past few days. They are having such a good time. I’ve helped with crafts those two days as well and really had fun. Tomorrow is water fun day at VBS, so they are going to have a double-great day, between that and the dog.

We had a great weekend, too. Tanner has been on steroids and feeling some of the effects of the Vincristine, but she accepts it so well now and we know to just move on and it will get better. She can’t really take the heat (and it’s HOT here!) so water activities or indoor activities are the best bet. Saturday, when I came back from running errands, John, Tanner, Jake and four neighborhood kids were in the backyard on our new playground sliding down the slide into the baby pool at the bottom. They were having too much fun! It’s the simple things, right?

Sunday, we gave John a day off for Father’s Day… no simple task, I promise you. I had to practically run my poor workaholic husband out of the house for some much needed R&R. While he was gone, the kids and I went to the grocery store to buy ingredients for seafood gumbo, his favorite food. He came back at dinner time to posters on the door, made by the kids, a balloon, cards and gumbo. Happy man.

I have to tell you about something that happened on Friday that strengthened my belief in Tanner’s vast resolve and determination. She had chemo, if you remember, on Thursday at clinic – Vincristine through her port. Then, Thursday night’s medication concoction – 6mp (chemo), methotrexate (chemo), neurontin (for neuropathy), mepron (antibiotic to prevent pneumonia), amoxicillin (antibiotic for strep throat), Claritin (for allergies), dexamethasone (steroids), pepsid and zofran (for nausea). Good grief! I expected her to be down for the count on Friday. She woke up a little groggy, but after running some errands in the morning, we headed to the YMCA pool for a swim. We got there and Tanner decided she wanted to take the swim test that would allow her to go down the slides and climb the rock wall.

“Today?” I said. “Why don’t we do it another day?”

“No, I want to do it now,” she said.

The lifeguard showed her what she had to do and my chemo-ridden child jumped in the pool and swam the length without stopping or touching the bottom and pulled herself out on the side. The lifeguard and Jake and I cheered her on from the side, following her as she swam down the pool. She looked, at the end, as if she might give up, but stuck it out. I couldn’t have been prouder. I looked at the lifeguard with disbelief and said, “She has cancer and had a boatload of chemo yesterday.” He bent down and told her “Way to go!”

We were putting on sunscreen later and I told her how proud of her I was. Of course, I teared up. Tanner’s response… “Thank goodness you didn’t do that in front of the lifeguard.” Cue eye rolling.

So, we’ve had fun despite the low counts and the steroids and chemo. It beats the alternative, right?

On a more sobering note, please pray for the family (including the twin) of a little girl named Ellie, whose poor cancer-ravaged lungs will not last much longer. Her mother, just days ago, was blogging how she was not ready to give up on a miracle and was still encouraging Ellie to fight. Today, I read where this same mother has not only had to accept the inevitable for her daughter, but has courageously swallowed her own grief to try to help her daughter accept her fate as well. Imagine trying to assure an 8-year-old that it is all right to die now. Cancer is heartless.

Love,
Beth

Clinic Day #35

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June 17, 2010

Protected during treatment by Mr. Larry's St. Christpher medal

Tanner’s counts had just come up to 710 today from 650 last week, BUT, Dr. Mixon felt that given how good she feels and how great the rest of her numbers look, and the fact that it is summertime, that we should send her to Vacation Bible School next week – hallelujah!!!

So glad we didn’t have to disappoint her again. She is really excited about going and it will be Jake’s first time to go, so he is excited, too.

She got her dose of Vincristine today through her port and will start steroids tonight. It was a very smooth visit, but I am thoroughly tired anway.

Jake spent the day with Aunt Beth (thank God for Aunt Beth) and had a ball.

Now, just keep your fingers crossed she doesn’t get sick again.

Love,
Beth

Three Day Weekend

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April 24, 2010

I woke this morning to John and the kids getting ready for an impromptu trip to cheer on the runners in the Country Music Marathon. We know some people who are running, many of them for Team in Training, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society fundraiser. They had a great time clapping and cheering (Jake really liked the clapping) and then went to cousin Mack’s for a visit.

I stayed home. I would like to say I got tons of stuff done, but I didn’t. I watched the news to see if the marathon would escape the severe storms headed our way and dabbled at the computer. I finally roused myself to go for a quick walk before the rain started when my neighbor’s dog jumped the fence to come with me. They weren’t home and every time I put the dog back in the fence, she jumped back out. By this time, the storm was coming, so I bagged the walk, put the dog in my garage and folded laundry instead.

It was just that kind of lazy day… lots of rain, wind and lightning. It’s beautiful to watch a storm at our new house. There’s a huge tree at the base of our yard that sways mightily in the wind and completely fills the wall of windows in our living room. The creek swells and makes little rapids. Once, we saw a rabbit “swimming” in it. Although, from the looks of it, it was not his intent to be swimming.

So, we lay around, played wii, watched movies, and took naps. Tanner needed the rest, even if she didn’t want it. She was up last night every four hours on the dot, asking for painkiller. The Vincristine was causing her right leg to hurt pretty badly and I actually had to help her to the bathroom. By this morning, she was a little better, and seemed fine by this evening.

Tomorrow, we’re looking forward to a visit from some old friends who are in town running the marathon. We haven’t seen them in many years and their kids will be unrecognizable. Should be fun.

Then, if Tanner can continue her two-day, tantrum-free streak through Sunday, we will go to the end of year Yummies (Young United Methodists) picnic at church.

Is this our new dog? I hope so!!!

Tanner has off school on Monday and we’re going to…. Prison!!!! A trip to meet our potential new dog, Domino. This news feels like a déjà vu, since I think I wrote this exact same thing about a different dog about 3 months ago, right before Tanner’s counts went on a roller coaster ride due to several viruses. A few chemo adjustments and an IgG (antibody) infusion later, we are ready for take 2 on the dog deal. This one feels really right. I had a dalmatian for 14 years whom I dearly loved. But, she was very high energy and I would never get one now that I have two kids, a husband, a house and much less time to wear a crazy dog out. But, this dalmatian is mixed with something mellow, so he might be just the guy for us. Cute and spotty, but much less hyper. I love it.

Tanner’s therapist gave us some really good tools for helping Tanner deal with her anger and anxiety that seem to be working. Also, I think we’re just learning, with Allison’s help, what makes her tick (and what makes her TOCK!). Hopefully, these will result in some lifetime self-soothing skills for her and some solid parenting skills for us. God Bless therapy. One of my cancer mom friends said she thinks they are buying Allison a new house with all this therapy. I think we’re securing her vacation home. But, so be it. Peace of mind is priceless.

Thanks to all who ran and braved the horrible weather at the Country Music Marathon for Team in Training today. There’s a cure for this wretched disease somewhere and, today, we got 26.2 miles closer.

Love,
Beth

Happy on the Outside

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April 20, 2010

Tanner at the party

Somehow six days have slipped by again without a post. Let me catch you up: Tanner did get to go to her birthday party at Jump Zone – she had a blast and I wasn’t the only Mom handing out the hand sanitizer. The Dalmatian passed the child-worthy test with flying colors and now we’re trying to work out going to the prison to visit him. If all goes well, we’ll put dibs on him and wait until he finishes training in June! Tanner is feeling well, although she seems a little tired and has had some headaches. John and I got to go on a date on Sunday night for the first time in months. We went to see a movie at the Nashville Film Festival produced by our next-door neighbor. Went to church on Sunday (Jake entertained the church during the children’s sermon by showing another child the inside of his nose…) and then had lunch at the home of some good friends. It was a great day.

Tanner dancing after the party... love the shoes

We got a package from Give Kids the World Village today. That’s the resort for wish kids at Disney where we will be staying. It was so exciting to see all that we will be doing. We get three Disney passes, two Universal theme park passes and one Sea World pass. Not to mention how awesome the Village is itself – putt-putt, horseback riding, a train ride, present fairies, ice cream all day, La Ti Da spa, etc., etc., etc. All the characters from Disney, Universal and Nickelodeon come to the Village to visit with the kids. If Jake sees spider man in real life, he may pass out. If only iCarly would show up… Tanner would need nothing else. I’m hoping this trip will suspend reality for us for a while. We could all use a break from that.

So life is good… why is my child so mad? Tanner is struggling with something that is resulting in massive temper tantrums. Her therapist thinks it is anxiety from the newness of school. That sometimes even really good things can be overwhelming. I think Tanner also tends to push until she is more than exhausted, which doesn’t help. Suffice it to say, I’ve received the brunt of Tanner’s anger and it’s exhausting for all of us. Poor Jake doesn’t understand what he has done wrong to make his sister suddenly turn on him. It’s frustrating to finally be at this good place and see her struggle so mightily with something. It’s like the emotion is too much for her, even though the emotion is happiness. Please pray that I keep my patience and that Tanner finds some peace and is able to fully enjoy this time.

It’s tough to know how to slow Tanner down… how to know when she’s had enough, even if she doesn’t think so. She called today from school with a tummy ache. When I got there with medicine, she was lying down on a bean bag chair while the rest of the class sat at their desks. She looked pretty miserable and I just decided maybe she should come home. She didn’t want to, but I felt the rest might be the best idea. She didn’t stay down long when we got home. After picking up Jake, she wanted to go for a walk. I took the wagon so she didn’t get tired, but on the way home, it looked like we had done too much. Then, the meltdown came over something small and stupid (isn’t that how they always happen?). And, she ended up losing some pretty fun stuff because she couldn’t get hold of herself. It’s just a no-win for everyone and I wish I had a rule book to follow. You know, the rule book for kids who have cancer and who have just returned to school and seem happy, but keep having meltdowns. Anybody seen that one at the book store? Online? Guess I’ll have an extra call with Allison. Sigh.

Thursday is her monthly clinic day. Vincristine through her port and the start of another five-day pulse of steroids (that ought to help the meltdowns, eh?). I’m hoping that if the docs want to raise her chemo they’ll let us wait until after Disney. It would be a huge disappointment to have to postpone the trip due to low counts. I’ve tried not to be specific with the kids about when we’re going just in case.

Hoping for a tantrum-free tomorrow…

Love,
Beth

Clinic Day #31 — Or, How to Have Fun at Clinic

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April 8, 2010

So, here’s how you have fun at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital Oncology Clinic:

1) Have counts high enough to still go to school, but not high enough to raise your chemo level (her neutraphils were at 1,100, down 200 from 2 weeks ago, so she’ll stay at 75% for now)

2) Make friends with the music therapist who is holding a music session in the infusion room. Get her to play your favorite Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift songs on the guitar so you can have a solo that makes everyone in the room clap. Tell her some other songs you like so you can plan to sing again next time.

3) Participate in a study that helps other people and get money from the doctor so you can buy ice cream downstairs.

4) Discover they are having a “medical play” clinic downstairs in the lobby and color your own “patient” doll which you can then give shots, access her port, set up an IV drip and generally use all your medical knowledge you have gained in your more than 50 visits to the hospital.

5) Get to see Dr. Mixan and Nurse Cari – our favorites

It was, hands down, the most fun we have had at Clinic. It is a testament to Vanderbilt Children’s that it is possible for a place that holds so much sorrow for so many is also the place that holds so much hope and light. We are forever grateful to have this community treasure so close by.

We’ve been on Spring Break all week and having a great time! We’ve been swimming twice, eaten out some, played in the yard and in the cul-de-sac a bunch, had playdates and now, E. (John’s Mom) is here! Tomorrow, we are hosting our church playgroup at our house and having a visit with Allison, the play therapist, in the afternoon. We’re hoping to get to the zoo this weekend to round out our super fun week.

Got some really fun news recently that Tanner is going to be one of the faces of this year’s local Light the Night, which is the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s big fundraiser. Tanner’s picture and story are on the invitation being sent to corporations to invite them to a kickoff breakfast. She is also going to be featured in the Country Faces Cancer campaign where country celebrities, like Blake Shelton and Nan Kelley, host walk teams for Light the Night. Tanner will have her picture taken with all the celebs who sign on and be in the TV public service announcements. She will LOVE this! My girl loves her some attention and loves anything to do with music.

So, we’re hanging and enjoying the week off. With her counts down to 1,100, we might rein ourselves in a bit to try to protect her, but overall, the doctor feels good about where she is. During maintenance, the goal is for her counts to be between 1,000 and 1,500, so she is right where she should be, although I’d always prefer to be on the high side, rather than the low.

Hope you’ve been enjoying the beautiful weather, like we have.

Love,
Beth

New Beginnings

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April 4, 2010

So, Tanner did have a urinary tract infection. Mercifully, we didn’t have to go to the ER. The oxycodone held her over until morning and we were able to drop by the pediatrician instead. She is on a course of antibiotics and feels fine now. But first, we went to the Easter Egg hunt at our church. It was really fun and the kids had a great time.

Ready to hunt some eggs

Then, I ran away, as promised. I didn’t actually go to a movie, but I did shop (okay, for the kids, but it was still shopping). The important thing was that I was gone for hours and came back feeling much, much better. We grilled up some dinner and ate outside (it was such a beautiful day) then, dyed Easter eggs and wrote notes to leave for the Bunny. Tanner finally went to bed on time. The terror seems to have subsided and she got a good night’s sleep. And, I got to sleep in my own bed.

This morning, Tanner was up at 6:20 rearing to go to hunt those eggs. We woke Jake and they had a big egg hunt and ate chocolate for breakfast. It’s not Easter unless we’re all eating Peeps and Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs before 7 am.

Then, drumroll please… we went to church… for the first time in 10 months. It was wonderful. The service was beautiful and Tanner was so cute singing along with the music. Jake made sure to let the entire congregation know (more than once) that he got a Batman and Mr. Freeze in his Easter basket. We went to breakfast at Cracker Barrel on the way home, so it was a really nice morning.

In their Easter Finery

We spent almost the entire rest of the day outside. We played with neighbor kids and did some yard work and just, generally, enjoyed the beautiful weather.

So, I feel renewed and ready to face a week of spring break. We’ll make the most of it. We have plans to swim, have play dates and maybe, just maybe, go to the zoo (although that may be too crowded to venture forth).

Happy Easter!

Love,
Beth

So Normal I Forgot to Blog

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January 18, 2010

It’s weird for things to feel this normal, but they do. Tanner went to dance class today for the first time since her dance recital, two weeks prior to being diagnosed in spring. Aside from the hair thing, she looked like any other little girl busting a move in hip-hop class. She seemed a little tentative going into the class, but when I picked her up, looked like she was having her normal good time.

Last night, she went to Sunday night youth time at church. She was a little like a celebrity. “Tanner’s here!” they screamed. They’ve prayed for her for so long that it seemed unreal to them that she was there.

I was so proud of her. She marched in confidently, despite the fact that many of the kids had never seen her without hair. We practiced ahead of time what to do if kids stared. We’ve talked about how staring isn’t necessarily bad; it just means someone is curious. And, frankly, she’s gotten somewhat used to kids staring at her in the grocery store. So, she said, “Stare at me.” I stared, obligingly, mouth hanging open the way I’ve seen kids do. She smiled, looked me in the eye and said, “I’m Tanner. The medicine I take made my hair fall out, but it’s coming back and I think it’s going to be brown and curly.” Goodness gracious, who couldn’t smile back at that? We high-fived and I knew she would be okay.

I love her confidence. Some of it is just her; some of it is that, over time, she has found that people are extraordinarily kind about her having leukemia. Kids, although they obviously have the capacity to be cruel, are so honest that I think it doesn’t take them but a minute to get over Tanner’s bald head and just move on to the business of playing. She has really only had one negative experience, and oddly, I’m glad she had it. We were at an indoor play area the other day and a little girl approached her to play. She was only 4 (all the kids Tanner’s age are in school) and she just very straightforwardly asked Tanner, “What happened to your hair?” Tanner told her that she takes medicine that makes her hair fall out, but it was growing back. The little girl shrugged and grabbed Tanner’s hand and said, “Let’s play.” Awesome, I thought. Kids are amazing. Five minutes later, Tanner came to me and said the little girl was being mean to her. I told her to avoid her and play with Jake, but in a moment I noticed the little girl had trapped Jake at the top of a playhouse and wouldn’t let him down. Tanner was telling her to move and the little girl said, “No one would want to be your friend, anyway.” Tanner began to cry and I firmly told the little girl to move out of Jake’s way and to stop being so mean. Her Mom ended up apologizing to me and sent the little girl to apologize to Tanner, which she did, very sweetly. BUT, she then asked her mom whether the little boy could go to eat with them. Tanner looked at me in confusion. The mom said, “Honey, she’s a girl.” The little girl could not be dissuaded and insisted Tanner was a boy. Tanner was crushed, but I cheerfully explained that Tanner was a girl with short hair and poked Tanner and laughed. She started laughing, too and we ended up okay.

I don’t know why that little girl was so mean to Tanner; but I know that Tanner believes it’s because she’s bald. In the car on the way home, she asked if she looked like a boy. No one with such a beautiful face could ever look like a boy, I told her. It wasn’t the best experience, but it was bound to happen and I was glad it happened while I was with her. I think she will be better prepared next time (I’m sure there will be one). We talked about how Jake thinks men with long hair are girls and how that little girl was too young to understand that a girl could have short hair. I was glad there was a positive resolution; she and the little girl parted friends and Tanner seemed okay with it.

As I have discovered when you are living with cancer in your family, you don’t feel normal for long. Tanner was exhausted when she got home from church last night and seemed very tired this morning. We were supposed to go ride bikes and play at a friend’s and Tanner agreed that maybe it would be best that she stay home and rest while Jake and I went. That’s how you know she’s really tired. Tanner is almost always up to play and will play until she literally cannot play anymore. So, she spent lots of time watching TV and took a little nap before dance class. She seemed much more rested at the end of the day.

Jake and Friends

Tanner seems to feel really good most of the time, but she does not have great stamina. She tires out much sooner than she used to and we’re trying to learn when to stop her before she gets completely exhausted. She has gotten sick after overdoing it, so we need to watch her carefully and not leave it up to her entirely whether she participates in something or not. Makes me realize how tiring school will be for her when she does get to back. We will probably have to do half days for a while and see how it goes.

We’ve spent lots of time on the new house this week; it’s fun to see something start to come together after having been in the demolition stage for the past three weeks! This is a house we can stay in a long time and we’re trying to do it right the first time so there have been a lot of decisions to make. It hasn’t really been stressful, though. We have great people working for us and I think we’ve both learned what real stress is the past six months or so, so it doesn’t seem worth getting too worked up over light fixtures and faucets. We’ll post some before and after pictures when there is an “after.”

Love,
Beth

What a Great Weekend

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January 11, 2010

Tanner modeling my new coat

It was the most fun and normal-feeling weekend we have had in a long time. Saturday morning Tanner’s homebound teacher, Mrs. O’Hara came and they had a great session. Then, Jessica came and stayed with the kids until the afternoon while John and I went and did some new house shopping, picking light fixtures, carpet and tile. It was fun just tooling around together and I found that I didn’t think about cancer almost at all the whole time. Jessica and the kids made a card for her fiancé, Harley, who is serving in the marines overseas. Harley once sent Tanner a picture of himself with his marine haircut and Tanner with her leukemia do and said all the guys in his unit thought she looked cool. It hangs on our refrigerator and is one of the nicest things we have received (and that’s saying something!).

After John and I came back home, we all went to a friends’ house for tacos and fun. These are great friends who have been so kind to us. They go to our church and Tanner has known their daughter, Gracie, for a long time. They also have a son, Sam Ross, who is Jake’s age, so it made for an extra fun playdate as everyone had someone to play with. Their kids a similar energy levels to ours and we were treated to some crazy concerts and dance exhibitions.

Sunday, Tanner and I went to the mall together. She was feeling really bad when we left, with a lot of pain in her legs, but was determined to go. We took a jogging stroller with us so she could ride if her legs continued to hurt, but some painkiller seemed to fix the problem and she ended up pushing more than riding. We ate lunch in the foodcourt (another first since diagnosis) and did a little shopping then came home in time to go for another visit. Our friends Steve and Michelle were nice enough to let us come over and look at their beautiful kitchen to get some design ideas and the Tanner and Jake love to play with their girls. We finished the day with some Wii and everyone went to bed tired, but happy.

We also got some really great news… Tanner can go back to dance class. WOW! It will mean so much to her to be able to belong to something again. Not to mention how great it is for her legs.

So, we had a great weekend. Pretty normal, if you don’t count all the medication and the leg pain. Still, an idea that long term maintenance does equal more freedom, even if there is still more chemo involved than anyone would like.

Hope you had a good one, too.

Love,
Beth