Good Saturday to you from our corner of Hope Lodge in Rochester MN. The weather has been messy this past week, with rain, snow, and sleet at times. What did we expect when we "decided" to go north for the winter!?
With this coming Monday being my last treatment day, we stuck around for the weekend. It is very quiet here at Hope on the weekends as most people go home. We have met several people from Iowa and other surrounding states, and a few from "far away" states as well. On Thursday we went to a nutrition class and it was pretty basic. For recommendations, they go by FDA guidelines, and have not done their own studies. I wish they would take the time and money to look into preventive and supportive nutritional measures more. I came back here to the Lodge after the class and talked with one of our kitchen pals, who is a dietitian herself and here for her own treatments. It was helpful to discuss the whys and why-nots with her.
Everyone here has a story to share, but I don't really feel comfortable sharing their stories here. Privacy is very important here at the Lodge, and people respect that. Gatherings take place in the kitchens or TV room....library.....game room, etc. but not in our private rooms. In a world where all our information is out there for anyone to google, it's nice to still maintain some sense of privacy.
Speaking of the world, with no cable in our rooms we have not seen much news. I have always watched the nightly news, but have only watched it 3-4 times here at Hope. Whenever I do see it, I am aware that it can wire me right up because of all the negative things that come across the screen. I believe I could watch the news once or twice a week and for the most part not really miss anything of importance! There are no TV's in the Jacobson waiting rooms and I think that is intentional. It is a large waiting room with several sitting areas and a private family room area. The private family room has a TV for kids from my understanding. One large table holds a puzzle where you will usually see someone working to fill in a few pieces. You may see people knitting, or doing stitchery, many on their phones or ipads, or some reading or napping as they wait their turn with the beam or for someone in treatment. But no TV's. It keeps the place more stress free, which is a very good thing. One time I came out of treatment and Joel was not where I had "left him". The woman behind the desk said, "Oh he has been chair hopping the whole time you were in there!" Yes, people do visit with each other too, and we knew quite a few faces there each day from Hope Lodge! Chair hopping! That is a new one!
This week I saw a video that went viral, where a little guy was praying at his pre-school before the kids ate. It was so sweet, I could not help but share it! Adorable!!
With Monday being my last treatment, I will be ringing the bell as I leave. It is almost surreal to me as it seems to have gone quickly. One of our friends said we won't know what to do when we don't have so many daily appointments. X-rays and treatments daily, CT's, Dr. visits, nurse visits for mepetel film patching, O.T., bloodwork, and classes. And thrown in there are the naps to catch up from the 6:45-7:15 check ins for treatments! Ha! We will miss our new friends, but we look forward to being done and settling back in to our home.
Speaking of home, Joel tells me that it only took about two weeks before I started calling Hope Lodge "home". What can I say? It must be that gypsy blood I have.....you go somewhere more than two weeks and it is "home"!
I hope and pray you each are staying cozy in your own homes wherever you find yourselves. Stay warm and safe............and God be with you.
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