100 Cards

I always knew Mom touched many lives but until she became ill I never realized just how many she has impacted. She mentioned to me a few days ago that she was upset because she was getting so many cards and she could not display them all. I looked around and she had some displayed in the kitchen and some in the living room. I commented that I could make some room on a shelf in the living room and I was sure she would be able to display them all. I started clearing a shelf and she began opening drawers and removing cards. I remember thinking holy crap this woman must have been saving every card she ever got her entire life. So I said "Mom I think I will only have room for the get well cards" and her reply was "These are all get well cards Bitch". She didn't really say the bitch part but those of you that were there when she first woke up after her seizure know thats what she lovingly called me for several hours....I like to remind her of this often. OK back to the cards...I could not believe how many cards she was handing me and she kept pulling out more. I came up with a better solution to display the cards and as Dan and I were hanging them I would read them as Mom would tell me who they were from. This was a great exercise for her memory. When we finished hanging them there were over 100 cards hanging in her living room. This does not include the five that were in the mailbox that day. There are no words to describe the love you feel when you walk into her living room and see all of her cards.

The last few days have been really good for Mom. She has been feeling good and doing a lot. She went to the Walraven reunion Saturday and stayed for several hours. I was so surprised when she called me that afternoon and told me she was home for a little while to rest and was heading back to the reunion. The next morning Mom and Dad were both awake very early and decided to go to the casino for a few hours....without telling us where they were going which they will never do again! She has her appetite back and is back on a regular sleep schedule.

Monday we saw Dr. Abramson the oncologist. He gave Mom her prescription for Temador which is her chemo. Temador is specifically for brain tumors. She is going to begin taking it Monday which will also be her first day of radiation. Dr. Abramson also scheduled her for weekly blood tests so the can keep track of her white blood count. It is common for chemo and radiation to lower your white blood counts.

Tuesday we saw Dr. Chakravarthi (Chuck) the neurosurgeon. He took out her sutures and gave her the green light to start radiation. He also ordered another MRI so all the Dr's could have a starting point to refer to. In 6 to 8 weeks she will have another MRI and the Dr's will compare the two to see how the chemo and radiation has effected the tumor. That will be a day filled with anxiety and extra prayers!

Tomorrow Mom has her fitting for her "mask" for radiation and after that they are heading up north camping for the weekend. Keep your fingers crossed that she wins enough at the casino while they are "camping" to buy a new computer!