Wednesday update

Sam again here.
I talked with Suzanne last night. All her systems checked out OK so she started chemo late in the day.
Still no definitive decision on a fifth and sixth round, but they're looking likely at this point.

Back to Seattle

Sam writing again.

Suzanne flew off to Seattle late last night after staying an extra week in Fairbanks between rounds. This will be her fourth round of chemo. She'll return home Monday next week.

The extra week here meant she got to attend Louise's graduation from West Valley High School on May 15. Suzanne's mom and her husband Walter flew in for that event, and all the Fairbanks relatives attended except my mom, who was down with the flu.

The extra week also meant Suzanne began to feel better. Her blood counts recovered well. She went to work each day, sometimes for a full shift. That wiped her out for the evenings, though. Lots of couch time.

Getting on the plane for another round was hard for her yesterday. There's little that is novel or interesting or adrenaline-inducing about going to Seattle anymore. She knows it just means feeling sick for the next three weeks, and that's difficult to be upbeat about. The one bright spot is that she'll get to visit with Lin and Pat for a few days -- until the drugs kick in anyway.

Suzanne is planning to fly home post-chemo with Lin as escort next week. And Carol is planning to come up from Anchorage for the post-chemo week to help take care of her. I'll also take the week off to help and try to get something of a garden planted, now that the snow is mostly gone.

We're not sure how many more treatments Suzanne will have. When she began, they said she should have 4-6, depending upon how her body holds up. She seems to be doing OK, but it's a day-by-day, week-by-week assessment.

Louise took her state nursing assistant test this morning, the last step in her semester-long effort to get certified. She thinks she did well. The state license should come through in a few weeks. In the meantime, she's looking for a non-nursing job to fill the gap.

Nell, who is back from UAA for the summer, started work at Marty's Bakery last week. I think this is her third summer there now. It's great for her to be able to do that.

Thanks to everyone for your help and kind words.

Travelers and visitors

Our cat, Josephina Poot (we call her Jojo), would like to go along to Seattle. She's pretty insistent.

My sister Lynnea lives in Denver. She flew home with me after Chemo2 and made us this big pot of  borscht (mmmmm) while she was here. Can't beet that!

And my sister Elizabeth, who lives in London, joined me in Seattle and then flew with me home. She and Louise kept us in stitches @ the Michael Carroll Cancer Treatment Center infusion room while I was getting a blood transfusion (to replace red blood cells and boost my energy level). I am so grateful for the gift of this blood -- and the giggles. 

The days are flying by, in fog, in mist, in the harsh light of a clear head. I am in awe of so many things -- time thundering by; the gift of really experiencing one moment without looking ahead for the next one; trying (along with the rest of you) to find the silver lining on our May snow cloud. Mostly I feel gratitude.  Thank you.