||
I'm still coping with Xander's death. I listen to the same song over and over again: Keane's Bend and Break. It's a great song; the lyrics in the chorus are the ones I quoted in the letter to him in my previous entry. I think about him every day.
Mom is officially a hermit in our basement. Fun, right? I really wish I had been able to be with her, at least this morning before she got her radioactive iodine. It sucks, though. That's one of the really sucky things about thyroid cancer. The only treatment is RAI, and NO ONE can be around you. No comfort, no hugs, no kisses, no nothing. Just whispers of "I love yous" and "Get wells" over the phone or, in my mother's and sister's case, yelling down the steps. I hated being isolated, so I know exactly what my mother and sister have/had to deal with. I miss Mom already. :-(
I think I'm going to apply to a First Descents camp for this summer. It's a phenomenal camp for cancer fighters/survivors to meet lifelong friends and forget for just a while that they have cancer. I went to a First Descents event last night with two friends, and it was fantastic. I met some awesome cancer survivors and First Descents campers who told me about their trips and experiences. It was wonderful to hear their unique tales. I decided I want to have a story of my own to tell. I know my friend Beth will be proud of me when I apply!
My Aunt Rea had some good news, though. It actually is bittersweet; the bitter being that she was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. The sweet is that she does not have to have any radioactive iodine! Her endocrinologist and surgeon both agreed that her cancer stayed within the thyroid, and her nodule was so small that it really was not enough to convince them that she needed RAI. Fantastic! One less person infected by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toxic waste.
YES! Go to First Descents! I'm planning on going to one of the Estes Park camps. Probably the first one. :D
Sorry to hear about mom. Love to mom!