40-14 and counting!

This last week has been eventful, full and exhausting. A friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 a year after my first cancer, died on Monday after her cancer came back with a vengence. Her name was Holly Johnson, she was 46 years young, absolutely vivacious and beautiful. She fought all the way to end.On Wednesday I was on a local TV show with another cancer survivor telling our stories. I did it completely bald, only because I was hot flashing so badly, I thought I would spontaneously combust if I wore my new wig.

 Last Tuesday was chemo and I had a milder version of Niagara Falls for a couple of days following the chemo.
Holly's visitation was Thursday night and the funeral was Friday morning. While I was sitting in the chapel at visitation several other survivors and myself were reflecting on numerous thoughts and  pieces parts that swam through our minds. One thought that I had voiced was being sad that I hadn't been able to bring all three of my children together in quite a while. When I got home from visitation that night I was sitting on the couch and my husband, Tim was acting a little unusual. Everytime a slow moving car would go by, he'd jump up and look out the window. He was starting to drive my nuts! It happened once more and he hurried to the back door and was calling the cat in, I thought he had surely lost it! I looked up and my daughter and my oldest son were standing in my living room with the biggest, most beautiful smiles on their faces, along with my husband who had undoubtedly the best looking Cheshire Cat grin. Tiffany and Sean flew in to Little Rock that afternnon, rented a car and drove down to surprise me for my 54th (40-14th) birthday which was Sunday! How cool is that!  On Friday night we met up with Grant, my youngest son for dinner, check out the pictures! Fortunately I could taste food and was feeling pretty good (at the time).

Tiffany, Grant and Sean, my kiddos!

Tim and I, what do you think of the cool wig? This is my back to flying hair!

Saturday night was Tim's 40th class reunion. We went but I tired easily so we didn/t get to stay long. Tiff and Sean left early Sunday morning. My parents came over for lunch on Sunday and brought me a gorgeous Victorian birdfeeder. If you've followed my blog you know how special the birds and waterfowl are to me outside my window, so this was a wonderful gift.
Sunday night good friends of ours fixed a birthday dinner for me and we celebrated another year of my life. Needless to say, I overdid it this weekend and am now paying for it, but it was a very special weekend. I now have NO taste buds, fuzzy tongue and nausea, terrible muscle and joint aches and booger Neuropathy in my feet and hands, which according to UAMS is normal for this point in the new chemo regimen! Boogers!!! AT least it waited till after my birthday weekend! I have communed with my pillow the last couple of days and will for a little longer, it is a very nice and soft pillow!
As you can see, it was a long, sometimes tough, but also a good week for me. I have one more chemo treatment on the 5th of October, and I WILL be done with this major bump in my road.I can do this, I can do this! One more time I can do this!
If everyone would, pleas offer up a prayer for Holly Johnson and her family, she truly was and will remain an inspiration to me. Rest in Peace, Holly.