Speaking of snow, we made it back home from Rochester just before it started. I had a 6:45 treatment time check in and then we hung around awhile to be part of the cheering squad for a Hope Lodge friend who rang the bell after her last treatment! It definitely is something to celebrate!. I have 6 treatments left and will finish up the morning of January 27th, So far, so good. The mepetal film Mayo created is helping my skin to not burn or blister. My energy is okay too. This past week I have started having episodes where if I stand to long I feel like I am going to hit the floor. My knees buckled the one day, but now we are aware of it and I make sure to pay attention. Blood work, BP checks, and a doctor visit have turned up nothing out of the ordinary so I just think it is my body's way of saying. REST!
This past week my sister Jo (who helped raise me) was down at Mayo for three days of procedures requiring sedation. She will be 87 in April, hasn't felt right for a year with many challenges and too much suffering. The two days of invasive tests resulted in a procedure on the third day to hopefully fix the problem. Praying it works! Was good to see her and spend time with my siblings Janelle and Todd. The week before our niece was having a very difficult surgery so Joel spent a day with his family at the hospital in Rochester. Her surgery went the best it could! This coming week another family member is seeing a specialist at Mayo for a foot problem that other doctors have not been able to resolve, Mayo has been an unusual place for our family to gather!
Speaking of family, it is an interesting dynamic at Hope Lodge. Most of the people there in the 62 rooms do connect with others during their stay. Some like playing cards and games, others gather for coffee and a visit in the kitchens they are assigned to There is the one common denominator that holds us all together loosely as "family".......our fight to be free of cancer. We have enjoyed getting to know people from Michigan, MN, Iowa, WI, Alabama, Tennessee, and Missouri. I am assuming that most who come to stay are from the Midwest although there is one man and his son or grandson who are from Africa. A large number are getting radiation and many are getting both radiation and chemo. Most have a caregiver with them, although I am surprised by how many are alone. A doctor needs to sign off for that to be possible at the Lodge. We have enjoyed potlucks 2x a week. One with all of us bringing dishes and the other with someone bringing in the food and entertainment. This week was a group of Mennonites out of Iowa who fed all the people ad sang to the group during supper and beyond. There are a lot of Mennonites who volunteer at Mayo and places like Hope Lodge. In all the people I have come in contact with at Mayo and Hope, only one was negative and rude. We all have noticed the kindess shown. One caregiver expressed his feelings this way...IF everyone everywhere treated others like Mayo treats their patients and caregivers, our world would be a better place!"
Our world...........it has been pretty small the past year, focused on one goal.....treatment and freedom from cancer. Being at Mayo has expanded our world while at the same time uniting us ~ no matter our lifestyles, careers, ages, or home locations on our journeys with a disease that Satan uses to "kill, steal, and destroy". In the midst of the battle, blessings come. One night last week several of us sat visiting together in our assigned kitchen. We found ourselves laughing wholeheartedly. There we were, caregivers, and patients with different kinds of cancers, different diagnoses, different outcomes, but all laughing in the midst of difficult circumstances. What a blessing. What a gift. So grateful for those we have met and how they have enriched our lives. Thank you, God.
We hope and pray you are richly blessed by the people around you ~ family, friends, and those whom you have not met yet. God created us for relationships with others and with Himself. We just need to open our hearts to them. We pray you are having a good weekend and staying warm and cozy in your corner of the world. And don't forget to laugh a little.......it is good medicine for the soul.
1 comment:
What can I say? We are so happy to hear that you are doing better and that you are home safe. Yes, we all need one and another to help us through the hard times of life. We feel that you have been so blessed with your gift of sharing the life you are living, sad as it may be. We will keep you and your family in our prayers. God be with you.
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