Hello again,
It's been a busy but very enjoyable week since my last post. On Thursday, Dad and I participated in the Heart of a Champion 5k to raise money for the McDonough family. Andrew McDonough, who goes to Salesianum (the brother school to my high school), was hospitalized in January and has been battling Leukemia and serious infections. Though I have never met Andrew myself, my parents know the McDonough family, so Dad and I really wanted to go and show them our support. It was an AMAZING event. I was nearly brought to tears by the overwhelming strength of the McDonough family, especially Andrew. Shortly before the race he had managed to pull through a difficult brain surgery and MRI. He faces a much tougher journey than I do, and he is so young. He really is an inspiration and a true champion. Please keep him and his family in your prayers!
About 800 people from the community came out and ran or walked the 3.1 miles around the Brandywine River and Salesianum. It is comforting to live in a community that truly feels like a big family. Dad and I saw so many people we know at the race. We all wore t-shirts bearing the slogan "B+" (Be Positive) on the front and "Pray for Andrew" on the back.
Dad and I agreed that I should walk (though I really wish I could have run) while he ran. I power walked the entire way without stopping and finished in about 50 minutes. You cannot imagine how happy I was to discover that I could walk up and down all those hills and not feel out of breath for the first time in months! Hopefully this means that my left lung has re-inflated and my lung power has been restored to some extent. A month ago I was gasping for air just trying to walk to class at Loyola. I pushed myself to walk as fast as possible (which may or may not have been a good idea...), but it really lifted my spirits to see that I could do it.
On Saturday I went down to Annapolis to reunite with Mary Beth, Annette, Susan, Janine and Lindsay at Lindsay's graduation party. We had the best time!! Lindsay's house sits right on the water and is absolutely gorgeous. I felt like I was on vacation. We had a delicious dinner and cake and then watched a movie. On Sunday we had breakfast out on the Bellomo's deck overlooking the water and then went to downtown Annapolis for an Irish festival. The streets were filled with tents selling food, clothes, and all sorts of Irish goods. There were several groups of Irish dancers and a bagpipe troupe. We walked all around town, had lunch at a pub, and then got ice cream. It was a great weekend and I was absolutely exhausted when I got home! I can't wait to see my roommates again. I am so lucky to have those girls in my life :)
Monday was another busy day. I had lunch at Bon Appetite with Jenny, who I haven't seen in ages. It was great to catch up. Jenny's mom works at the Helen Graham Center where I am being treated, and she ran into me there when I was getting my first round of chemo. Not the place one would hope to run into old friends, but it was definitely meant to be. If nothing else, I can thank this darn disease for helping me to rekindle some friendships and really appreciate the people in my life.
Monday afternoon I attended a networking meeting at the Wellness Community for people with Leukemia and Lymphoma. It's a drop in group that meets once a month, so I was a bit hesitant to go, not knowing what to expect. All I can say now is that God and most definitely both of my grandfathers had a hand in my decision to go.
The meeting ended up consisting of just me and one other woman along with a nurse named Susan and social worker, Danielle, who were both there from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to facilitate the meeting. The woman and I introduced ourselves and shared our stories. Despite our age differences (she was in her 60s I believe), we ended up having a lot in common. She is in remission, having been treated last year for stage 4 NHL. She had 8 rounds of chemo followed by a transplant: the exact same treatment that I am receiving now. Knowing that there is a huge variety of lymphomas and treatments, this was pretty amazing in and of itself. The transplant is a procedure that I will be given the option of having once I finish chemo. Hearing this woman's story really made me sure that I should do it. She was hospitalized for a month, but she says it was the best decision that she ever made. She credits the transplant with helping her beat the odds and be cured from stage 4 cancer. It meant a lot to me to hear her advice. But that wasn't the best part of the meeting...
While making my introduction to the group, I mentioned that both of my grandfathers had battled Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and had passed away due to complications from additional cancers. The nurse, Susan, asked me when they had been treated and I told her the general time frames. She paused and then said "Oh my goodness...I think I treated your grandfather! Was his name Dan?"....I got chills. Not only did Susan know my Dedad, Dan O'Connell, but she also worked with Memom back when she did volunteer work for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. After the meeting ended, Susan and I chatted about what a great man my grandfather was and how I remind her so much of him and my grandmother :) She said she knew immediately that I had to be Dan's granddaughter. I left the meeting, went out to the parking lot, called my parents and cried. This just confirms for me even more that my grandfathers are watching over me and sending me signs of their support as I go through this journey. I think everyone left that meeting feeling that some greater power had brought us together.
After an emotional afternoon, I finished the day by going out to dinner with Chiya and Colleen at La Tolteca. We got ice cream for dessert at a new place that just opened on 202, Sweet Lucy's. It was decent, but no Bruster's. We then came back to my house and sat up on my bed chatting until about 2am....yikes! I just love those two. It was great to have a girls' night.
Today was a day of reading, baking, and watching Arrested Development with Mom and Dad. If you haven't seen that show, I suggest renting it. It is perhaps the funniest show ever made, which makes the fact that it got canceled after 3 seasons very disappointing. It won several well-deserved Emmy's though.
In other happy news, I received my second post card from Dan today, this time from Germany! It has a picture of the interior of a beautiful cathedral in Munich. He wrote that he has been adding my name to prayer books in churches and cathedrals all over Europe so that I'll have thousands of people all over the world praying for me. He is amazing :) I can't wait for him to get back. Only 5 more days!
Well, it's way past my bedtime, so I'm signing out for the night. I will try to update more frequently so these posts aren't so ridiculously long. I hope you are all well and enjoying the sunshine. I learn I have new readers every day. It amazes me! Thank you for all the love :)
Lots of love to all of you,
Lauren
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
feeling good
Hi all :)
My updates have been pretty sparse since returning from the beach. Not much is going on. I've been doing a lot of movie-watching this week and anxiously counting down the days until Saturday when I head down to Annapolis for Lindsay's graduation party and a reunion with all of my former roommates from Loyola.
On Sunday we went out for Father's Day brunch with my Dad's side of the family. Kevin and Maureen Byrnes came up from Baltimore and it was great to see them. We all had a very nice brunch at Iron Hill Brewery.
Monday and Tuesday were spent running errands and making preparations for law school. Orientation is the second week of August, if I remember correctly. I can't believe how early it starts! I still need to select my courses. I'm assuming they'll have us do that at orientation.
Yesterday my sister and I went to the "Look Good...Feel Better!" program at the Wellness Community here in Wilmington. The Wellness Community is a house that has been converted into a center for people dealing with cancer. It's such a gorgeous place! The house is set back from the road in a wooded area and has a gorgeous garden. It also has a fully stocked kitchen, a beautiful den, and a studio room for yoga and other types of aerobics classes. They hold free programs there daily. There are support groups for every type of cancer, groups for families, educational seminars, crafting classes, and fun programs like the one I went to.
"Look Good...Feel Better!" is a program sponsored by the American Cancer Society that helps women dealing with cancer learn how to care for their hair and skin while undergoing treatment. Hair stylists and cosmetologists come and provide free wigs and makeup products to all the participants. It was so much fun! I received a huge box of probably around $200 worth of really nice makeup from Chanel, Clinique, Estee Lauder, and others. Unfortunately they ran out of the kits for people with "light" skin tones, so my kit was "dark." I get to keep it, but they're also going to have another kit mailed to the center that will have the right products for me. The kit I have now has a lot of really nice things in it, so I'm not complaining :)
The best part of the program was getting to meet other women who are dealing with cancer. There were probably 8 of us there total. I ended up seated at a table with two very nice and very outgoing ladies, Jacquie and Joy. They are older than me, but probably only in their 30s or early 40s. After we had been sitting there playing with our makeup for a while, we all started chatting about our different cancer experiences. It turns out that they both have Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma too! I was excited to meet some women who could relate to my situation. We exchanged phone numbers and they want to meet up for lunch.
I was also very excited to learn that Joy is being treated at UPenn by Dr. Glick. Aunt Kara originally told me about him and I have been hearing quite a bit about him since. He specializes in lymphoma treatment and is supposedly the best in the region. I am interested to talk more with Joy about her treatment. She is receiving R-CHOP chemo (the same drugs I am getting), but she only has to go for 3 rounds because they caught hers very early. I don't think I will switch doctors, since Dr. G has been absolutely fantastic, but I would definitely consider getting a second opinion from Dr. Glick. I hear he's very hard to get an appointment with though.
In addition to all of this, I learned techniques for wearing scarves and various head wraps at the "Look Good...Feel Better" program. The instructors also taught me a lot about how to care for my scalp and promote hair growth once my treatment is finished. They answered all of my makeup and beauty questions. It was a very fun and informative session! Now that I am a registered member, I am going to start attending the yoga classes at the Wellness Community. It was such a welcoming environment :)
Last night was also fun-filled. Mrs. Clark, my next door neighbor, came over with flowers and a huge bowl of chocolate chip cookies. It has been less than 24 hours since she brought them, and half the bowl is already gone. They are soooooo good! Uncle Ken came over and visited for a while too. Then my parents and I watched Music and Lyrics, which Kevin Byrnes recommended. It was really a cute movie. I also rented The Usual Suspects and the Reno 911 movie this past week. The Usual Suspects was great. Reno 911 was funny, but could've been better.
Anyway, that's what's been going on with me. I'm still feeling physically good too. I'm meeting Sara for lunch today at the Top Buffet (a buffet-style Chinese restaurant). Lunch dates there are a tradition for us. Sara and I have been friends since 3rd grade, but I haven't seen her in more than a year since she's been away at school in Michigan. I am so excited for our reunion! From Saturday-Sunday I will be in Annapolis, and then I have another lunch date with Jenny on Monday. Hooray :)
I probably won't post again until after I return from my weekend in Annapolis with my roommates. Until then, stay cool. It's really starting to feel like summer!
Lots of love,
Lauren
My updates have been pretty sparse since returning from the beach. Not much is going on. I've been doing a lot of movie-watching this week and anxiously counting down the days until Saturday when I head down to Annapolis for Lindsay's graduation party and a reunion with all of my former roommates from Loyola.
On Sunday we went out for Father's Day brunch with my Dad's side of the family. Kevin and Maureen Byrnes came up from Baltimore and it was great to see them. We all had a very nice brunch at Iron Hill Brewery.
Monday and Tuesday were spent running errands and making preparations for law school. Orientation is the second week of August, if I remember correctly. I can't believe how early it starts! I still need to select my courses. I'm assuming they'll have us do that at orientation.
Yesterday my sister and I went to the "Look Good...Feel Better!" program at the Wellness Community here in Wilmington. The Wellness Community is a house that has been converted into a center for people dealing with cancer. It's such a gorgeous place! The house is set back from the road in a wooded area and has a gorgeous garden. It also has a fully stocked kitchen, a beautiful den, and a studio room for yoga and other types of aerobics classes. They hold free programs there daily. There are support groups for every type of cancer, groups for families, educational seminars, crafting classes, and fun programs like the one I went to.
"Look Good...Feel Better!" is a program sponsored by the American Cancer Society that helps women dealing with cancer learn how to care for their hair and skin while undergoing treatment. Hair stylists and cosmetologists come and provide free wigs and makeup products to all the participants. It was so much fun! I received a huge box of probably around $200 worth of really nice makeup from Chanel, Clinique, Estee Lauder, and others. Unfortunately they ran out of the kits for people with "light" skin tones, so my kit was "dark." I get to keep it, but they're also going to have another kit mailed to the center that will have the right products for me. The kit I have now has a lot of really nice things in it, so I'm not complaining :)
The best part of the program was getting to meet other women who are dealing with cancer. There were probably 8 of us there total. I ended up seated at a table with two very nice and very outgoing ladies, Jacquie and Joy. They are older than me, but probably only in their 30s or early 40s. After we had been sitting there playing with our makeup for a while, we all started chatting about our different cancer experiences. It turns out that they both have Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma too! I was excited to meet some women who could relate to my situation. We exchanged phone numbers and they want to meet up for lunch.
I was also very excited to learn that Joy is being treated at UPenn by Dr. Glick. Aunt Kara originally told me about him and I have been hearing quite a bit about him since. He specializes in lymphoma treatment and is supposedly the best in the region. I am interested to talk more with Joy about her treatment. She is receiving R-CHOP chemo (the same drugs I am getting), but she only has to go for 3 rounds because they caught hers very early. I don't think I will switch doctors, since Dr. G has been absolutely fantastic, but I would definitely consider getting a second opinion from Dr. Glick. I hear he's very hard to get an appointment with though.
In addition to all of this, I learned techniques for wearing scarves and various head wraps at the "Look Good...Feel Better" program. The instructors also taught me a lot about how to care for my scalp and promote hair growth once my treatment is finished. They answered all of my makeup and beauty questions. It was a very fun and informative session! Now that I am a registered member, I am going to start attending the yoga classes at the Wellness Community. It was such a welcoming environment :)
Last night was also fun-filled. Mrs. Clark, my next door neighbor, came over with flowers and a huge bowl of chocolate chip cookies. It has been less than 24 hours since she brought them, and half the bowl is already gone. They are soooooo good! Uncle Ken came over and visited for a while too. Then my parents and I watched Music and Lyrics, which Kevin Byrnes recommended. It was really a cute movie. I also rented The Usual Suspects and the Reno 911 movie this past week. The Usual Suspects was great. Reno 911 was funny, but could've been better.
Anyway, that's what's been going on with me. I'm still feeling physically good too. I'm meeting Sara for lunch today at the Top Buffet (a buffet-style Chinese restaurant). Lunch dates there are a tradition for us. Sara and I have been friends since 3rd grade, but I haven't seen her in more than a year since she's been away at school in Michigan. I am so excited for our reunion! From Saturday-Sunday I will be in Annapolis, and then I have another lunch date with Jenny on Monday. Hooray :)
I probably won't post again until after I return from my weekend in Annapolis with my roommates. Until then, stay cool. It's really starting to feel like summer!
Lots of love,
Lauren
Saturday, June 16, 2007
home again
Hello hello,
Aaaah our beach vacation was so nice! I'm sad that it's over. I kind of needed to tune out the world for a week and just take it easy...I did quite a bit since my last update, but I'll do my best to keep this summary short.
Tuesday I went home for my second round of chemo. I was really nervous going into it, but it actually wasn't bad at all. Dad had to be in court for the beginning, so I was by myself for the first few hours. That was probably the only bad part. It's easier for me to not think about the needles and things when I have someone there to talk to. But luckily the case was dismissed and Dad was able to come for about half of the time. He brought me lunch from BrewHaHa, which was delicious :) I napped, read my book, and watched the thunderstorm outside the window. There were tons of birds out on the lake behind the center too, which was nice.
En total, my treatment took only about 4 hours this time. I was amazed! I didn't get sick at all, and they didn't have to slow down the drip. Yay! Hopefully all my treatments from here on out will go that smoothly. Dr. G thinks I got sick the first time because my tumor began deteriorating very rapidly. He believes that the rapid deterioration is also what landed me in the hospital, and he doesn't think that will happen again. If it does, I will start getting a shot of Neulasta the day after my chemo. Neulasta helps the body produce more white blood cells, but Dr. G isn't going to put me on it unless he feels it is absolutely necessary because there isn't enough information about the long term side effects of its usage.
After my chemo ended, Dad and I drove back to the beach and I crashed for the night. On Wednesday, Mom, Keen and I went shopping. Keen and I both got some tops for summer and I found a fantastic suit on sale at a very fancy boutique. It was a fun day :) We went up to the boardwalk later and saw the movie Knocked Up. Maybe not the best movie to see with my parents, but it was very funny.
On Thursday we had cold weather, but we made the most of it. We went up to the boardwalk and played a round of minigolf and had dinner at very nice restaurant called Periwinkle's. Unfortunately my family encountered some drama on the minigolf course. Everyone seems to get a kick out of this story, so I suppose I'll share it here...
About midway through our 18 holes of golf, a group of 3 boys who started playing shortly after us caught up to my family and started being very obnoxious. They were probably around 17 or 18...I'm not really sure, but they were behaving like 5-year-olds. They were using their clubs to whack at virtually everything in sight and walking onto the greens we were playing on to "check out the hole" while we were still finishing our turn. We were scoring hole-in-ones on virtually every hole, so there was no cause for impatience. They were just being rude for no apparent reason. I started to get annoyed, and made some comments about how kids shouldn't do drugs. I guess they heard me, because they started saying things back and making an obvious effort to disrupt our game. Finally I got fed up. I suppose the steroids are really getting to me, because I ripped off my whig in a mad fit of rage and said "Excuse me, but I have cancer, so could you please chill out so I can enjoy my time with my family?!?!? THANKS!"
I have never seen such terror in all my life. Their mouths were just hanging open. They looked pretty embarrassed, and they hide from us for the remainder of the time we were there. I put my wig back on and finished the rest of the course. My family thought it was hysterical. It's a shame it had to come to that, but hopefully I saved the next family that plays golf around those kids some aggravation.
After that eventful evening, we spent Friday relaxing. We got breakfast at a place I've never tried before: Uncle Bill's Pancake House. Man was that some amazing food! I liked it so much that I went back this morning and got more pancakes with Keen. Friday evening Dad made steaks for dinner and we had family game night. In keeping with our beach week tradition, we played spades: Keen and I versus Mom and Dad. Keen and I delivered a crushing defeat, beating Mom and Dad 520 to 161. We celebrated by eating a lot of fudge and gloating. It was great. haha
Today was cleaning and packing day. Keen and I left early with Winky, who slept on the back of my seat with his head on my shoulder for most of the drive home. Tonight my parents and I rented Dream Girls and had a nice bonding night together while Keen went to the Italian Festival with her friends. The movie was pretty good. I can definitely see why Jennifer Hudson won the Oscar...but anyway, I'm beat.
Between the family fun I spent most of my time napping while we were at the beach. I get these waves of exhaustion and sleep for usually around 3 hours at a time. It's very strange. But I suppose if I'm going to have any side effects from this round, I'll take exhaustion over the sore throat, the fever, the hospital, or any of that other junk. Here's hoping things just keep getting better...Tomorrow should be great. We're going to Father's Day mass at St. Joe's and then out to brunch with my Dad's side of the family. I'm excited to see everyone!
Love and hugs and happy Father's Day to all the dads reading this :)
Lauren
Aaaah our beach vacation was so nice! I'm sad that it's over. I kind of needed to tune out the world for a week and just take it easy...I did quite a bit since my last update, but I'll do my best to keep this summary short.
Tuesday I went home for my second round of chemo. I was really nervous going into it, but it actually wasn't bad at all. Dad had to be in court for the beginning, so I was by myself for the first few hours. That was probably the only bad part. It's easier for me to not think about the needles and things when I have someone there to talk to. But luckily the case was dismissed and Dad was able to come for about half of the time. He brought me lunch from BrewHaHa, which was delicious :) I napped, read my book, and watched the thunderstorm outside the window. There were tons of birds out on the lake behind the center too, which was nice.
En total, my treatment took only about 4 hours this time. I was amazed! I didn't get sick at all, and they didn't have to slow down the drip. Yay! Hopefully all my treatments from here on out will go that smoothly. Dr. G thinks I got sick the first time because my tumor began deteriorating very rapidly. He believes that the rapid deterioration is also what landed me in the hospital, and he doesn't think that will happen again. If it does, I will start getting a shot of Neulasta the day after my chemo. Neulasta helps the body produce more white blood cells, but Dr. G isn't going to put me on it unless he feels it is absolutely necessary because there isn't enough information about the long term side effects of its usage.
After my chemo ended, Dad and I drove back to the beach and I crashed for the night. On Wednesday, Mom, Keen and I went shopping. Keen and I both got some tops for summer and I found a fantastic suit on sale at a very fancy boutique. It was a fun day :) We went up to the boardwalk later and saw the movie Knocked Up. Maybe not the best movie to see with my parents, but it was very funny.
On Thursday we had cold weather, but we made the most of it. We went up to the boardwalk and played a round of minigolf and had dinner at very nice restaurant called Periwinkle's. Unfortunately my family encountered some drama on the minigolf course. Everyone seems to get a kick out of this story, so I suppose I'll share it here...
About midway through our 18 holes of golf, a group of 3 boys who started playing shortly after us caught up to my family and started being very obnoxious. They were probably around 17 or 18...I'm not really sure, but they were behaving like 5-year-olds. They were using their clubs to whack at virtually everything in sight and walking onto the greens we were playing on to "check out the hole" while we were still finishing our turn. We were scoring hole-in-ones on virtually every hole, so there was no cause for impatience. They were just being rude for no apparent reason. I started to get annoyed, and made some comments about how kids shouldn't do drugs. I guess they heard me, because they started saying things back and making an obvious effort to disrupt our game. Finally I got fed up. I suppose the steroids are really getting to me, because I ripped off my whig in a mad fit of rage and said "Excuse me, but I have cancer, so could you please chill out so I can enjoy my time with my family?!?!? THANKS!"
I have never seen such terror in all my life. Their mouths were just hanging open. They looked pretty embarrassed, and they hide from us for the remainder of the time we were there. I put my wig back on and finished the rest of the course. My family thought it was hysterical. It's a shame it had to come to that, but hopefully I saved the next family that plays golf around those kids some aggravation.
After that eventful evening, we spent Friday relaxing. We got breakfast at a place I've never tried before: Uncle Bill's Pancake House. Man was that some amazing food! I liked it so much that I went back this morning and got more pancakes with Keen. Friday evening Dad made steaks for dinner and we had family game night. In keeping with our beach week tradition, we played spades: Keen and I versus Mom and Dad. Keen and I delivered a crushing defeat, beating Mom and Dad 520 to 161. We celebrated by eating a lot of fudge and gloating. It was great. haha
Today was cleaning and packing day. Keen and I left early with Winky, who slept on the back of my seat with his head on my shoulder for most of the drive home. Tonight my parents and I rented Dream Girls and had a nice bonding night together while Keen went to the Italian Festival with her friends. The movie was pretty good. I can definitely see why Jennifer Hudson won the Oscar...but anyway, I'm beat.
Between the family fun I spent most of my time napping while we were at the beach. I get these waves of exhaustion and sleep for usually around 3 hours at a time. It's very strange. But I suppose if I'm going to have any side effects from this round, I'll take exhaustion over the sore throat, the fever, the hospital, or any of that other junk. Here's hoping things just keep getting better...Tomorrow should be great. We're going to Father's Day mass at St. Joe's and then out to brunch with my Dad's side of the family. I'm excited to see everyone!
Love and hugs and happy Father's Day to all the dads reading this :)
Lauren
Monday, June 11, 2007
beach vacation :)
Hello from Ocean City, NJ!
We got wireless internet for the house this year, so I'll be able to keep up with my blog while I'm down here. The temperature has been a little bit chilly for the past few days, but today is perfect beach weather, so I'm headed out there after I finish this entry.
Physically I'm feeling better, although not 100%. It seems like every medicine I take to correct one thing causes another problem which I need another medicine for. That's frustrating. I hope that aspect of the treatment gets easier. I'm gradually learning how to lessen my symptoms and understanding how my body reacts to different dosage levels, but it is a tedious process of trial and error.
Tomorrow I return to Wilmington for my second round of chemo. This time I'll be getting all 5 drugs in one day, so it will be a long one. Last time the Rituxan alone took about 6 hours to administer, and I was knocked out for most of that time because I got so sick from it. I am pretty nervous about that happening again tomorrow. I doubt that they'll slow the drip since I have to finish the Rituxan and then the 3+ hours of CHOP. But we'll see. I'll let you know how it goes. I am looking forward to getting it over with.
In happier news, our vacation has been wonderful so far. Dad and I arrived early on Saturday and unpacked the car. We ran some errands and got cheese steaks at Voltaco's. It's great to be eating solid, delicious food again after 5 days of hospital meals and at least 3 days of straight liquids once I got home. Mom and Keen arrived later that night with Winky, our new cat. This is his first year at the beach, and so far he seems to be enjoying it.
I also debuted my wig in public. I was nervous that people would know it was a wig immediately, but so far I haven't gotten any weird looks. Sometimes I'm tempted to whip it off just to see if anyone would be really surprised that it isn't my real hair. haha As for my real hair, it's really falling out now. I wake up with my pillow covered. Handfuls come out in the shower. It's very strange. I think I will have Lucy shave whatever is left off once we get back from vacation.
On Sunday we went to mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel, which is always fun. The guy that plays the electric organ seems to think he's the next Yani. We always get a kick out of his new age renditions of songs like "How Great Thou Art." He loves to add in a lot of synthesized timpani drums and really over-dramatizes the music. I have a hard time keeping a straight face.
After mass I passed out for about 4 hours. It's bizarre how exhausted the chemo drugs make me. I couldn't believe how late it was when I woke up. Mom made corn on the cob and hot dogs for dinner and then Dad, Keen and I went to the boardwalk. I bought a cute red dress and we got ice cream and fudge to bring home.
We ran into Mr. and Mrs. Burns, who own the house across the street from us here. They have been close with our family since my grandparents bought this house, and Mr. Burns is on the board of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Mr. Burns was good friends with my grandfather who passed away from Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 1999. My grandfather was a great man and Mr. Burns shared some funny memories of their years at the beach with me. It was so nice to talk with them.
Anyway, it's time for me to head over to the beach. Bye for now :)
Love,
Lauren
We got wireless internet for the house this year, so I'll be able to keep up with my blog while I'm down here. The temperature has been a little bit chilly for the past few days, but today is perfect beach weather, so I'm headed out there after I finish this entry.
Physically I'm feeling better, although not 100%. It seems like every medicine I take to correct one thing causes another problem which I need another medicine for. That's frustrating. I hope that aspect of the treatment gets easier. I'm gradually learning how to lessen my symptoms and understanding how my body reacts to different dosage levels, but it is a tedious process of trial and error.
Tomorrow I return to Wilmington for my second round of chemo. This time I'll be getting all 5 drugs in one day, so it will be a long one. Last time the Rituxan alone took about 6 hours to administer, and I was knocked out for most of that time because I got so sick from it. I am pretty nervous about that happening again tomorrow. I doubt that they'll slow the drip since I have to finish the Rituxan and then the 3+ hours of CHOP. But we'll see. I'll let you know how it goes. I am looking forward to getting it over with.
In happier news, our vacation has been wonderful so far. Dad and I arrived early on Saturday and unpacked the car. We ran some errands and got cheese steaks at Voltaco's. It's great to be eating solid, delicious food again after 5 days of hospital meals and at least 3 days of straight liquids once I got home. Mom and Keen arrived later that night with Winky, our new cat. This is his first year at the beach, and so far he seems to be enjoying it.
I also debuted my wig in public. I was nervous that people would know it was a wig immediately, but so far I haven't gotten any weird looks. Sometimes I'm tempted to whip it off just to see if anyone would be really surprised that it isn't my real hair. haha As for my real hair, it's really falling out now. I wake up with my pillow covered. Handfuls come out in the shower. It's very strange. I think I will have Lucy shave whatever is left off once we get back from vacation.
On Sunday we went to mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel, which is always fun. The guy that plays the electric organ seems to think he's the next Yani. We always get a kick out of his new age renditions of songs like "How Great Thou Art." He loves to add in a lot of synthesized timpani drums and really over-dramatizes the music. I have a hard time keeping a straight face.
After mass I passed out for about 4 hours. It's bizarre how exhausted the chemo drugs make me. I couldn't believe how late it was when I woke up. Mom made corn on the cob and hot dogs for dinner and then Dad, Keen and I went to the boardwalk. I bought a cute red dress and we got ice cream and fudge to bring home.
We ran into Mr. and Mrs. Burns, who own the house across the street from us here. They have been close with our family since my grandparents bought this house, and Mr. Burns is on the board of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Mr. Burns was good friends with my grandfather who passed away from Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 1999. My grandfather was a great man and Mr. Burns shared some funny memories of their years at the beach with me. It was so nice to talk with them.
Anyway, it's time for me to head over to the beach. Bye for now :)
Love,
Lauren
Saturday, June 9, 2007
signing out for the week
Alright, I lied. I'm not bald. Lucy, my dad's hairdressser, came over and looked at my hair and said there's just too much good thickness still in there for me to shave it yet. I trust her judgment, so I just let her cut it really short. It kind of makes me look like a pixie :) She said that once it really starts to thin out, she'll come shave the rest for me. Until then it will be nice to have hair so I can still get away with going wigless/hatless in the summer heat.
Speaking of summer heat, my family is leaving for our week vacation in Ocean City, NJ today. I am trying to write this entry quickly because my dad is pretty anxious to get going. We have some new furniture arriving for the house, so he wants us to get there before the movers arrive. I am SO looking forward to a week of distance from all of this cancer business. I am still feeling a bit sick, but the symptoms get better each day. So hopefully this week will give me a chance to really get back on track.
Unfortunately, I do have to come home on Tuesday for my second round of chemo at HGCC. This time we're doing it all in one day. I'm a little nervous that my body will go bonkers from having all of the drugs at once, but Dr. G doesn't seem to think it will be a problem. It's good that I won't be missing too much of our vacation, and I'm actually excited to be back on the Prednisone. That stuff gave me a boost of energy which I could really use right about now.
One more exciting piece of news: I got my wig!! After all my talk of trying a new hair color, I ended up sticking with red. Mom and I went to a shop at the New Castle Farmer's Market. The man there was very nice and brought us to a special room in the back of his shop where he keeps his best wigs for people who are cancer patients. He works very closely with the hospital where I am being treated, and they highly recommended that I go to him. I tried on wigs in every color you can imagine, but in the end we all agreed that I look best as a redhead. The only other color I was close to purchasing was a dark brunette with red highlights. But that wig was long, and I really need a shorter one if I'm going to be able to stand wearing it in the summer. So I ended up going with a red one that is just slightly darker than my natural color. It's a shorter cut, but it frames my face nicely. It actually looks a lot like my hair looked before. It's nice to look in the mirror and feel like I'm still looking at the same person. I'm happy with it :)
I got a chance to talk on the phone with a woman from Boothwyn, PA whose son survived lymphoma last night. He has been in remission for 3 years, and he is now 20 years old and a junior at Temple. I will hopefully get to meet them both sometime soon. It's good to know that there's someone else around here who can relate to my situation.
Chiya and Justin stopped by for a brief visit last night since I was feeling ok. We sat and watched tv and chatted and they gave me their approval on the wig and on my new hairdo. It was good to see my best friends. I really needed a little pick-me-up after how rough the past week has been, and they never fail to make me laugh.
Mrs. Mahler and Kathleen also stopped by and brought me a hat and two bandanas. I love them! There's a very pretty cranberry colored bandana for my girly days, a Harley Davidson bandana for when I'm feeling wild and dangerous (Dan will love that one), and a cute floppy hat for the beach. Perfect timing since I'm headed there now.
I hope everyone enjoys the week. If I end up coming back to the house on Tuesday I will try to sneak in an update, assuming I'm not too knocked out from the chemo. I'll be back next Saturday. Farewell until then :)
Lots of love,
Lauren
Speaking of summer heat, my family is leaving for our week vacation in Ocean City, NJ today. I am trying to write this entry quickly because my dad is pretty anxious to get going. We have some new furniture arriving for the house, so he wants us to get there before the movers arrive. I am SO looking forward to a week of distance from all of this cancer business. I am still feeling a bit sick, but the symptoms get better each day. So hopefully this week will give me a chance to really get back on track.
Unfortunately, I do have to come home on Tuesday for my second round of chemo at HGCC. This time we're doing it all in one day. I'm a little nervous that my body will go bonkers from having all of the drugs at once, but Dr. G doesn't seem to think it will be a problem. It's good that I won't be missing too much of our vacation, and I'm actually excited to be back on the Prednisone. That stuff gave me a boost of energy which I could really use right about now.
One more exciting piece of news: I got my wig!! After all my talk of trying a new hair color, I ended up sticking with red. Mom and I went to a shop at the New Castle Farmer's Market. The man there was very nice and brought us to a special room in the back of his shop where he keeps his best wigs for people who are cancer patients. He works very closely with the hospital where I am being treated, and they highly recommended that I go to him. I tried on wigs in every color you can imagine, but in the end we all agreed that I look best as a redhead. The only other color I was close to purchasing was a dark brunette with red highlights. But that wig was long, and I really need a shorter one if I'm going to be able to stand wearing it in the summer. So I ended up going with a red one that is just slightly darker than my natural color. It's a shorter cut, but it frames my face nicely. It actually looks a lot like my hair looked before. It's nice to look in the mirror and feel like I'm still looking at the same person. I'm happy with it :)
I got a chance to talk on the phone with a woman from Boothwyn, PA whose son survived lymphoma last night. He has been in remission for 3 years, and he is now 20 years old and a junior at Temple. I will hopefully get to meet them both sometime soon. It's good to know that there's someone else around here who can relate to my situation.
Chiya and Justin stopped by for a brief visit last night since I was feeling ok. We sat and watched tv and chatted and they gave me their approval on the wig and on my new hairdo. It was good to see my best friends. I really needed a little pick-me-up after how rough the past week has been, and they never fail to make me laugh.
Mrs. Mahler and Kathleen also stopped by and brought me a hat and two bandanas. I love them! There's a very pretty cranberry colored bandana for my girly days, a Harley Davidson bandana for when I'm feeling wild and dangerous (Dan will love that one), and a cute floppy hat for the beach. Perfect timing since I'm headed there now.
I hope everyone enjoys the week. If I end up coming back to the house on Tuesday I will try to sneak in an update, assuming I'm not too knocked out from the chemo. I'll be back next Saturday. Farewell until then :)
Lots of love,
Lauren
Friday, June 8, 2007
newsflash!
As of tomorrow night, I will be bald. My dad's hairdresser, Lucy, who is an old family friend and a cancer surviver herself is coming over after work to shave my head for me. I have asked my parents to document this event with their cameras, so I will hopefully have pictures to post on here tomorrow. Until then, I am going to probably be spending the next 24 hours in bed. I'm still not feeling great, but each day gets better. I am actually looking forward to shaving off my hair because it's getting to the point where I'm too tired and sick to really keep up with it. I am also starting to notice small clumps coming out when I run my fingers through it. So it's time...
I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck!
I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
finally home
Hello again!
I just wanted to let everyone know that I am FINALLY home from the hospital. YAY!! Keen did a good job of informing you of what was going on. She's a sweety :) Here's the scoop on what happened during my stay...
As Keen mentioned, my first night there was somewhat dramatic. I arrived at midnight with a fever of 101 (not too bad, but bad enough) and was taken to my room to be examined. The doctor on call looked me over and the nurses drew some blood samples and inserted my IV.
Dad insisted on spending the night, but they asked him to go out to the lobby as a courtesy to my roommate: a woman who I would estimate was around 60 and seemed very unfriendly. She was snoring loudly with her TV on when I arrived, so I asked the nurse to switch the TV off. To my disappointment, the woman awoke a few minutes later, turned the TV back on, and proceded to chat very loudly with the nurse, apparently unaware (or unconcerned) that I was trying to get some sleep on the other side of the curtain. When I got up to use the bathroom, I attempted to make eye contact with her and wave hello, but she refused to look at me. I returned to bed and eventually dozed off.
I woke maybe an hour later to the sounds of my roommate throwing a tantrum because the nurses needed to move her to another room. "I WAS HERE FIRST!!! SHE SHOULD LEAVE!! I'M GOING TO ASK TO TRANSFER TO ANOTHER HOSPITAL!!! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!" Clearly it didn't matter to her that I was right there in the room :( Thankfully she was taken away, and I never heard from her again during my stay at Christiana. I learned that I had to be isolated because my blood tests showed I was neutropenic: my white blood cell count was too low for me to fight any infection or illness.
That same night, another patient in a room nearby started yelling for help and trying to escape and had to be restrained by security. Apparently many of the patients in the Oncology Ward suffer from confusion because they have tumors affecting their brains. After all of this, I was actually thankful that I was too sick to have a roommate...
The next few days ran together. I slept as much as possible, but the nurses were constantly coming in and out to check my vitals, bring me medications, or change the drugs in my IV. I was hooked up to the IV from my arrival late Saturday night until my departure this after noon, and received a constant flow of saline and antibiotics. These gradually brought my white blood cell count back up to the safe zone. The IV bag was my little buddy, and had to travel with me anytime I got up, so I spent most of my time in bed.
I watched a lot of TV, ate quite a bit (when I felt well enough, at least), and enjoyed visits from Dan, my family, Aunt Kara, Uncle John, Aunt Laura, and Uncle Gary. I didn't have much down time between my visitors and the constant check-ups from my doctors and nurses, but I was glad to not be bored.
Dan also spent the night, as Keen said in her entry, and that was really nice. The nurses sort of looked the other way on the visitor policy, which doesn't allow sleepovers, and certainly doesn't allow guests who wish to spend the night to stay in the room with the patients. They actually let Dan sleep in my room with me! That was great. Neither of us slept much, of course, because I was running a fever the whole day/night and had to be checked hourly. Dan helped me carry my IV back and forth to the bathroom and waited on my every need.
At first I was a bit uncomfortable with Dan seeing me such a mess. I hadn't showered, I was wearing a hideous hospital "gown" (more like a bedsheet tied to me with strings), my hair was a rat's nest, my eyes had huge dark circles, and I have a lovely ulcer on my lip because my mouth is irritated by virtually everything I eat. But Dan must have told me "you're beautiful" 20 times. He really made me feel like a million bucks, emotionally, even though I felt physically awful. It was really a comfort to me to have him there during what was probably the roughest night of my hospital stay.
Dan and I had a hard time saying goodbye on Tuesday when he visited me one last time before he left for his backpacking trip to Europe. He wrote me a beautiful letter and made me a CD of songs to listen to while he is gone. They're all songs about being apart but still loving each other. I really am going to miss him this month, but he already called me from London. I know this month will test us both in many ways, but I am not at all worried about our relationship surviving. I insisted that he go on this trip, despite his worries about leaving me while I'm sick. He will finally get to go on the trip he's been dreaming of since the day I met him, and I will get the rest and time to myself that I need right now. We've been through a lot in 6 years, and I know we will both only be stronger when he gets back in July. This month will be a walk in the park compared to the 4 years we spent apart while we were at college.
Anyway, enough mushy stuff...
On Tuesday morning I received some very exciting news. First, here is some background info: on Sunday I was taken out of my room (the 1 and only time I left the room during my stay at the hospital!) for chest x-rays. Afterward I asked the doctor if he would be able to tell from the x-rays if there had been any shrinking in my tumor. He explained that this was unlikely. Regular chest x-rays are not detailed enough to detect subtle changes, and since it had only been a week and a half since my 1st round of chemo, he said there would probably be little, if any, shrinking. He compared my cancer to a freight train, and said that it is more likely that the tumor would have grown a bit more before the drugs had enough time to slow it down.
Now for the good part...When the doctor woke me for my Wednesday morning physical, he told me that he hadn't received my white blood cell counts for the day, but that he HAD looked at my chest x-rays. I was half awake at the time, so what he told me next took a few minutes to really resonate, but I'm going to make it very bold here because it makes me so happy....
"We can already see shrinking in your lymphnodes"
Can you believe it?!?!?! My tumor is ALREADY shrinking!!! This is a true testament to the power of prayer and positive reinforcement. I am SO blessed. SO BLESSED!! You can't imagine how much happy crying I did that day. I called my parents and told them, and they were more overjoyed than I have ever heard them sound in my life. It was just amazing. I've known all along that I am going to be ok, but to hear someone confirm it and tell me that I'm already on the road to recovery was truly astounding.
HOORAY!!!!
Thank you all for pulling for me. Everything you've been doing is working!! Keep the prayers coming. Shrinking is the first step, but the ultimate goal is to be cured.
On that high note, I am going to end this update. There's more I can say about my hospital stay, but I am not feeling too great and really need to get more rest. The doctor wants me to really take it easy for the next week or so, so unfortunately I can't talk on the phone or have visitors. He says this is very important. I really need to just sleep and get healthy. My body is pretty banged up from the lack of white blood cells. I am sore and achey all over. It even hurts to eat :( This is the first time since my treatment began that I truly want to just curl up in my bed and be alone for a few days. I will let everyone know when I am feeling well again. I have been prescribed tons of new medicines that should have me back on my feet soon.
Until then, I love you all. I am so glad to be home!
<3 Lauren
I just wanted to let everyone know that I am FINALLY home from the hospital. YAY!! Keen did a good job of informing you of what was going on. She's a sweety :) Here's the scoop on what happened during my stay...
As Keen mentioned, my first night there was somewhat dramatic. I arrived at midnight with a fever of 101 (not too bad, but bad enough) and was taken to my room to be examined. The doctor on call looked me over and the nurses drew some blood samples and inserted my IV.
Dad insisted on spending the night, but they asked him to go out to the lobby as a courtesy to my roommate: a woman who I would estimate was around 60 and seemed very unfriendly. She was snoring loudly with her TV on when I arrived, so I asked the nurse to switch the TV off. To my disappointment, the woman awoke a few minutes later, turned the TV back on, and proceded to chat very loudly with the nurse, apparently unaware (or unconcerned) that I was trying to get some sleep on the other side of the curtain. When I got up to use the bathroom, I attempted to make eye contact with her and wave hello, but she refused to look at me. I returned to bed and eventually dozed off.
I woke maybe an hour later to the sounds of my roommate throwing a tantrum because the nurses needed to move her to another room. "I WAS HERE FIRST!!! SHE SHOULD LEAVE!! I'M GOING TO ASK TO TRANSFER TO ANOTHER HOSPITAL!!! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!" Clearly it didn't matter to her that I was right there in the room :( Thankfully she was taken away, and I never heard from her again during my stay at Christiana. I learned that I had to be isolated because my blood tests showed I was neutropenic: my white blood cell count was too low for me to fight any infection or illness.
That same night, another patient in a room nearby started yelling for help and trying to escape and had to be restrained by security. Apparently many of the patients in the Oncology Ward suffer from confusion because they have tumors affecting their brains. After all of this, I was actually thankful that I was too sick to have a roommate...
The next few days ran together. I slept as much as possible, but the nurses were constantly coming in and out to check my vitals, bring me medications, or change the drugs in my IV. I was hooked up to the IV from my arrival late Saturday night until my departure this after noon, and received a constant flow of saline and antibiotics. These gradually brought my white blood cell count back up to the safe zone. The IV bag was my little buddy, and had to travel with me anytime I got up, so I spent most of my time in bed.
I watched a lot of TV, ate quite a bit (when I felt well enough, at least), and enjoyed visits from Dan, my family, Aunt Kara, Uncle John, Aunt Laura, and Uncle Gary. I didn't have much down time between my visitors and the constant check-ups from my doctors and nurses, but I was glad to not be bored.
Dan also spent the night, as Keen said in her entry, and that was really nice. The nurses sort of looked the other way on the visitor policy, which doesn't allow sleepovers, and certainly doesn't allow guests who wish to spend the night to stay in the room with the patients. They actually let Dan sleep in my room with me! That was great. Neither of us slept much, of course, because I was running a fever the whole day/night and had to be checked hourly. Dan helped me carry my IV back and forth to the bathroom and waited on my every need.
At first I was a bit uncomfortable with Dan seeing me such a mess. I hadn't showered, I was wearing a hideous hospital "gown" (more like a bedsheet tied to me with strings), my hair was a rat's nest, my eyes had huge dark circles, and I have a lovely ulcer on my lip because my mouth is irritated by virtually everything I eat. But Dan must have told me "you're beautiful" 20 times. He really made me feel like a million bucks, emotionally, even though I felt physically awful. It was really a comfort to me to have him there during what was probably the roughest night of my hospital stay.
Dan and I had a hard time saying goodbye on Tuesday when he visited me one last time before he left for his backpacking trip to Europe. He wrote me a beautiful letter and made me a CD of songs to listen to while he is gone. They're all songs about being apart but still loving each other. I really am going to miss him this month, but he already called me from London. I know this month will test us both in many ways, but I am not at all worried about our relationship surviving. I insisted that he go on this trip, despite his worries about leaving me while I'm sick. He will finally get to go on the trip he's been dreaming of since the day I met him, and I will get the rest and time to myself that I need right now. We've been through a lot in 6 years, and I know we will both only be stronger when he gets back in July. This month will be a walk in the park compared to the 4 years we spent apart while we were at college.
Anyway, enough mushy stuff...
On Tuesday morning I received some very exciting news. First, here is some background info: on Sunday I was taken out of my room (the 1 and only time I left the room during my stay at the hospital!) for chest x-rays. Afterward I asked the doctor if he would be able to tell from the x-rays if there had been any shrinking in my tumor. He explained that this was unlikely. Regular chest x-rays are not detailed enough to detect subtle changes, and since it had only been a week and a half since my 1st round of chemo, he said there would probably be little, if any, shrinking. He compared my cancer to a freight train, and said that it is more likely that the tumor would have grown a bit more before the drugs had enough time to slow it down.
Now for the good part...When the doctor woke me for my Wednesday morning physical, he told me that he hadn't received my white blood cell counts for the day, but that he HAD looked at my chest x-rays. I was half awake at the time, so what he told me next took a few minutes to really resonate, but I'm going to make it very bold here because it makes me so happy....
"We can already see shrinking in your lymphnodes"
Can you believe it?!?!?! My tumor is ALREADY shrinking!!! This is a true testament to the power of prayer and positive reinforcement. I am SO blessed. SO BLESSED!! You can't imagine how much happy crying I did that day. I called my parents and told them, and they were more overjoyed than I have ever heard them sound in my life. It was just amazing. I've known all along that I am going to be ok, but to hear someone confirm it and tell me that I'm already on the road to recovery was truly astounding.
HOORAY!!!!
Thank you all for pulling for me. Everything you've been doing is working!! Keep the prayers coming. Shrinking is the first step, but the ultimate goal is to be cured.
On that high note, I am going to end this update. There's more I can say about my hospital stay, but I am not feeling too great and really need to get more rest. The doctor wants me to really take it easy for the next week or so, so unfortunately I can't talk on the phone or have visitors. He says this is very important. I really need to just sleep and get healthy. My body is pretty banged up from the lack of white blood cells. I am sore and achey all over. It even hurts to eat :( This is the first time since my treatment began that I truly want to just curl up in my bed and be alone for a few days. I will let everyone know when I am feeling well again. I have been prescribed tons of new medicines that should have me back on my feet soon.
Until then, I love you all. I am so glad to be home!
<3 Lauren
Monday, June 4, 2007
a brief update from Keen
Hi everyone :)
It's Keen (Lauren's sister). Lauren asked that I write tonight's update on her behalf.
Over the weekend, Lauren developed persistent cold-like symptoms including a fever. When things weren't getting better, my parents called her doctor who eventually asked that Lauren be brought to the hospital for a few days. So, she is currently a temporary resident of the oncology ward at the Christiana Hospital.
Once there, Lauren's doctors determined that her white blood cell count was extremely low (around 400 when it should be 3500), making it difficult for her to combat disease. They chose to keep her in the hospital for a few days while she recovers so she will be safe from excessive amounts of dangerous bacteria. In fact, the doctors were so concerned about the threat of spreading bacteria, that they chose to move Lauren's roommate to a new location, much to her roommate's dismay (apparently she threw a sizable fit).
While I haven't had the opportunity to visit Lauren yet, it sounds as if her stay at the hospital has been pretty smooth, all things considered. My dad stayed with her overnight Saturday to Sunday. Then today, my mom went to stay with her for a while. Her room is rather arctic, but Lauren has not had much of a problem with the climate yet. Today, they gave her cold soup for dinner by mistake, and cake when she requested pudding. Mistakes of this grandeur would not have been tolerated back in the day when she played the wealthy woman and I played her servant "Phlegm," but Lauren was very understanding of the hospital staff. Dan went to stay the night with her tonight. We're hopeful that she'll be healthy and back at home with us by Tuesday.
As always, the thoughts and prayers of Lauren's family, friends, relatives, and extended community are greatly appreciated. The feedback Lauren receives on this journal means the world to her, and to our family. She is always encouraged by the thoughts of her loved ones and their interest in her progress. The undying support and love is only making her that much stronger. A million thank yous for your endless compassion.
God bless and all my love,
Keen :)
xoxo
It's Keen (Lauren's sister). Lauren asked that I write tonight's update on her behalf.
Over the weekend, Lauren developed persistent cold-like symptoms including a fever. When things weren't getting better, my parents called her doctor who eventually asked that Lauren be brought to the hospital for a few days. So, she is currently a temporary resident of the oncology ward at the Christiana Hospital.
Once there, Lauren's doctors determined that her white blood cell count was extremely low (around 400 when it should be 3500), making it difficult for her to combat disease. They chose to keep her in the hospital for a few days while she recovers so she will be safe from excessive amounts of dangerous bacteria. In fact, the doctors were so concerned about the threat of spreading bacteria, that they chose to move Lauren's roommate to a new location, much to her roommate's dismay (apparently she threw a sizable fit).
While I haven't had the opportunity to visit Lauren yet, it sounds as if her stay at the hospital has been pretty smooth, all things considered. My dad stayed with her overnight Saturday to Sunday. Then today, my mom went to stay with her for a while. Her room is rather arctic, but Lauren has not had much of a problem with the climate yet. Today, they gave her cold soup for dinner by mistake, and cake when she requested pudding. Mistakes of this grandeur would not have been tolerated back in the day when she played the wealthy woman and I played her servant "Phlegm," but Lauren was very understanding of the hospital staff. Dan went to stay the night with her tonight. We're hopeful that she'll be healthy and back at home with us by Tuesday.
As always, the thoughts and prayers of Lauren's family, friends, relatives, and extended community are greatly appreciated. The feedback Lauren receives on this journal means the world to her, and to our family. She is always encouraged by the thoughts of her loved ones and their interest in her progress. The undying support and love is only making her that much stronger. A million thank yous for your endless compassion.
God bless and all my love,
Keen :)
xoxo
Friday, June 1, 2007
week 2
Hi all!
It's been a few days since my last post and I have much to share! Wednesday I drove up to King of Prussia mall with Keen for a much-needed day of shopping and sister time. My throat was feeling better and the dizziness was gone, but I did feel tired and had to take frequent breaks. Keen was very patient and let me rest whenever I needed to. It was a fun day overall :) I came home that night and collapsed in bed shortly after dinner.
While Keen and I were on our way to the mall, I got a very exciting phone call. Jeff and Christine Johnson (who is my Aunt Kelly's sister) heard about my journal and offered me the chance to become involved in an amazing not-for-profit web project that they are building. God must have a hand in this, because it is just too perfect to be a coincidence. They are starting a web 2.0 community for people dealing with serious illness called iCompassion.org, Inc.™, and as of that phone call, I am now one of its founding members!
Web 2.0 is the concept of using the internet as a means for people to interact and create their own experience rather than just read information. This site will allow users to have personal blogs (like this one), post on discussion forums, connect with other patients and doctors, post personal profiles, research their illness and treatment options, and even fund raise if they wish. It is exactly what I was looking for when I was first diagnosed, but nothing like it exists yet. My role as a founder is to offer creative input and serve as the first user. Today the other founders and I had our first teleconference to discuss what features the site needs and get everyone up to speed on the technology being used. I am learning so much already! The actual site will hopefully be up in August, so my blog will eventually be moving. I will keep you all posted on the progress of this amazing project :)
Thursday was a day of fun surprises. Elise and Amy Bobbitt came over with flowers and a box of home-baked brownies and oatmeal raisin cookies. Delicious! I had to sample some immediately. These chemo drugs seem to have given me the appetite of a horse. Amy also took me out to lunch at Applebee's. It was so great to see her. We've been friends since Amy was born (2 years after me) when our families lived across the street from one another in Deerhurst. I am hoping to go visit her in a few weeks at the beach where she is working for the summer.
When I arrived home from lunch, two more surprises were waiting on the front porch. One was a beautiful flower arrangement from the Bellomo family. They have just been showering me with get-well wishes :) I also received an adorable "friendship bag" from Lindsay which included...
An Umbrella for singing in life's showers (a cocktail umbrella)
A Lifesaver because we all need a little help now and then (candy!)
A Cotton ball to cushion the fall when the road gets rough
Elastic to help you stretch to your limits (a rubber band)
A Kiss to make it all better (a Hershey kiss, of course)
String to help you hold it all together
A Candle to light your way (a birthday candle)
A spare Marble in case you lose yours
A Happy Face because smiles are contagious
A Quarter to call your friend
And an Eraser for a fresh start everyday!
How cute! I am looking forward to heading down to the Bellomo's beautiful home on the water in Annapolis at the end of June for Lindsay's graduation party so I can reunite with her and my 3 other former-roommates from Loyola. I miss those girls so much.
As if that weren't enough to spoil me for one day, a giant basket of herbal bath supplies arrived from Aunt Kelly and Uncle Dan. Oh my goodness....it smells heavenly! It has two different kinds of lotion, shampoo, conditioner, body scrub, foot scrub, bath salts, a spray for relieving tension and headaches, massage oil, a neck pillow, back pillow, and an eye pillow. You name it, and this basket has it. I was so excited! It will be fun to try out all of these new things, especially on the days when I really need to unwind and feel girly. I am actually planning on taking a nice relaxing bath with my goodies as soon as I finish this entry. Maybe I'll soak in the tub, eat some of my cookies, and prop up the flowers on the sink so I can enjoy them too. haha
I really am feeling very spoiled by all of this. More cards arrive in the mail each day. More friends call to see how I'm doing. Everyone has just been so incredibly generous and supportive! With so many people taking care of me, I know the challenges of the next 6 months will be much easier to handle.
I think it's bath time for me, so I'm signing out for today. I have to run over to the cancer center to pick up some forms and then head back here to get dressed up. Tonight I am chaperoning an 8th grade dance with Dan. His little sister Kathleen is graduating, and this dance is her big end-of-year semi-formal. I'm sure it will be a flashback to my own 8th grade dance memories.
Thank you all for the comments you leave me. I check this journal several times a day, and even sometimes during the night when I can't sleep. It really makes me happy every time I get a new post. I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Love and hugs,
Lauren
It's been a few days since my last post and I have much to share! Wednesday I drove up to King of Prussia mall with Keen for a much-needed day of shopping and sister time. My throat was feeling better and the dizziness was gone, but I did feel tired and had to take frequent breaks. Keen was very patient and let me rest whenever I needed to. It was a fun day overall :) I came home that night and collapsed in bed shortly after dinner.
While Keen and I were on our way to the mall, I got a very exciting phone call. Jeff and Christine Johnson (who is my Aunt Kelly's sister) heard about my journal and offered me the chance to become involved in an amazing not-for-profit web project that they are building. God must have a hand in this, because it is just too perfect to be a coincidence. They are starting a web 2.0 community for people dealing with serious illness called iCompassion.org, Inc.™, and as of that phone call, I am now one of its founding members!
Web 2.0 is the concept of using the internet as a means for people to interact and create their own experience rather than just read information. This site will allow users to have personal blogs (like this one), post on discussion forums, connect with other patients and doctors, post personal profiles, research their illness and treatment options, and even fund raise if they wish. It is exactly what I was looking for when I was first diagnosed, but nothing like it exists yet. My role as a founder is to offer creative input and serve as the first user. Today the other founders and I had our first teleconference to discuss what features the site needs and get everyone up to speed on the technology being used. I am learning so much already! The actual site will hopefully be up in August, so my blog will eventually be moving. I will keep you all posted on the progress of this amazing project :)
Thursday was a day of fun surprises. Elise and Amy Bobbitt came over with flowers and a box of home-baked brownies and oatmeal raisin cookies. Delicious! I had to sample some immediately. These chemo drugs seem to have given me the appetite of a horse. Amy also took me out to lunch at Applebee's. It was so great to see her. We've been friends since Amy was born (2 years after me) when our families lived across the street from one another in Deerhurst. I am hoping to go visit her in a few weeks at the beach where she is working for the summer.
When I arrived home from lunch, two more surprises were waiting on the front porch. One was a beautiful flower arrangement from the Bellomo family. They have just been showering me with get-well wishes :) I also received an adorable "friendship bag" from Lindsay which included...
An Umbrella for singing in life's showers (a cocktail umbrella)
A Lifesaver because we all need a little help now and then (candy!)
A Cotton ball to cushion the fall when the road gets rough
Elastic to help you stretch to your limits (a rubber band)
A Kiss to make it all better (a Hershey kiss, of course)
String to help you hold it all together
A Candle to light your way (a birthday candle)
A spare Marble in case you lose yours
A Happy Face because smiles are contagious
A Quarter to call your friend
And an Eraser for a fresh start everyday!
How cute! I am looking forward to heading down to the Bellomo's beautiful home on the water in Annapolis at the end of June for Lindsay's graduation party so I can reunite with her and my 3 other former-roommates from Loyola. I miss those girls so much.
As if that weren't enough to spoil me for one day, a giant basket of herbal bath supplies arrived from Aunt Kelly and Uncle Dan. Oh my goodness....it smells heavenly! It has two different kinds of lotion, shampoo, conditioner, body scrub, foot scrub, bath salts, a spray for relieving tension and headaches, massage oil, a neck pillow, back pillow, and an eye pillow. You name it, and this basket has it. I was so excited! It will be fun to try out all of these new things, especially on the days when I really need to unwind and feel girly. I am actually planning on taking a nice relaxing bath with my goodies as soon as I finish this entry. Maybe I'll soak in the tub, eat some of my cookies, and prop up the flowers on the sink so I can enjoy them too. haha
I really am feeling very spoiled by all of this. More cards arrive in the mail each day. More friends call to see how I'm doing. Everyone has just been so incredibly generous and supportive! With so many people taking care of me, I know the challenges of the next 6 months will be much easier to handle.
I think it's bath time for me, so I'm signing out for today. I have to run over to the cancer center to pick up some forms and then head back here to get dressed up. Tonight I am chaperoning an 8th grade dance with Dan. His little sister Kathleen is graduating, and this dance is her big end-of-year semi-formal. I'm sure it will be a flashback to my own 8th grade dance memories.
Thank you all for the comments you leave me. I check this journal several times a day, and even sometimes during the night when I can't sleep. It really makes me happy every time I get a new post. I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Love and hugs,
Lauren
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