“Well you up and did it.” That was the quote I sent to my friend Jeanne when she started a Go Fund Me account to help me and my family not go into huge debt this year with the budget busting medical co-pays and other ancillary expenses associated with treatments. Jeanne’s response was: “I'm so glad you think the narrative captures the experience. I really wanted people to know just how draining this all is. And honestly, until I watched a friend’s family contend with little daughter’s illness I really had no idea. So it's important for people who have not confronted catastrophic illness to know that insurance does NOT cover everything - and in fact there's a substantial amount for the patient and their family to pay.”
I get weepy just looking at the generosity of my friends and friends of friends whom I barely know helping me with the expenses I have to pay above and beyond last year. But it’s not all about money, I have been given great gifts from friends, food, blankets, lotions, meditation tapes, books about surviving cancer and many more treasures given from the heart. I’ve had friends make sure my lawn was mowed, my car working in proper order, my cupboards re-organized by throwing out ALL expired food, cleaning out my refrigerator in the same manner...those pickles I made a couple of years ago and never ate???? Well they are gone now. So many specific acts that have helped me and Mark and yes, all the prayers, cards, telephone calls of care and concern. I’ve cherished each and every one! Yep, I’m weepy all over again just writing this.
As for my current state of being? I backtrack and say I had a great Christmas! All my children were here and my 5 yr old granddaughter Zina! What a peach! Having everyone home was such a lift to my spirits. Zina and I spent every day working on the Jacquie Lawson Seaside Advent Calendar. We spent a lot of time together so quality time was in abundance.
I had to have a chemo treatment #4 for those counting on 12/28. Jess’ birthday was the 27th and I didn’t want to have it on her birthday so we shifted the day. DFCI was closed on Christmas Monday and the backlog of patients that had to be jammed into the 27th & 28th was unbelievable. There were NO seats available in the large waiting room, my drug cocktail that has to be prepared in the pharmacy and checked 5 times was backlogged and I had to wait, and wait, and wait. I hated waiting and started down that rabbit hole… not a good thing at all. It was a long, long day.
So here we are in January...I’m getting geared up for the next chemo treatment on the 17th, but before that, this week I have a planning session for my radiation. My six weeks of radiation will begin after the 17th - the official start date has not been determined. And I just got an infection that requires antibiotics so that's in the mix as well... ah well...another blip what's new about that?
I hope everyone had as comforting a Christmas as I had with my children around - the first time in 5 years they have all been in the same place at the same time! I hope each of you will have a wonderful 2017 and the year filled with good health and happiness. I’ve been blessed by all of you and your kind thoughts, words and deeds. Thank you all for filling my soul with joy!
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