Day Twenty Six - Always A Good Day!

"...Another Saturday night & I ain't got nobody..." Ha ha! Well, at least I've got Valentina! I hope this finds you well & lovin' life! Today was a fun day. I hauled my laundry to the clinic, as it's free & I can keep an eye on it much easier than I can at the hotel. Two birds, one stone... It was also the final day of fasting for blood work. My bad. I was one of the last patients to be let in for IV treatments & I was so excited to be inside, I forgot to tell Emily that I had blood work. She had the IV hooked up for only 10 seconds or so when I slapped my forehead! Doh! So, she quickly turned it off & took the blood. Hopefully I didn't just royally stuff things up! I'll fast again on Tuesday just in case. 

I took quite a few photos of the wonderful people I've met & I am already misty eyed at the thought of saying goodbye on Tuesday! I know, what a sap! I picked up the rest of my medicine & whoa! It's a lot! It was a heavy bag! Thank goodness I didn't have any troubles coming through the border with it. I think I have 50 syringes alone! 

Joanne & I decided we would venture out together. She hadn't been on the bus or trolley before, so I took her for a ride downtown. Her heel had been bothering her earlier, so we didn't want to have to walk to far. We only spent 1/2 an hour downtown before we headed back. We had made arrangements to have dinner with Inez & Lorraine for their last meal. They are flying home tomorrow. We met at 1800 sharp & made our way to the wonderful little Mexican restaurant 1 block away. $4.34 later I had a platter of scrumptious food! Yes, I ate a little guacamole & my tummy is once again distended. One day I'll learn! Anyhow, we had wonderful discussions about health, food, life, Mexico & in general, enjoyed each others company. I will really miss these 2 incredible ladies when they fly home tomorrow. Inez is an inspiration. 86 & she doesn't look a day over 65. What fun! I can't wait to visit them again!

I keep wanting to 'interview' the patients, as they all have such amazing stories. And when I say stories, I don't just mean their health issues & how they are dealing with their illness.  Their personalities, their sense of humour & love for life. Their positive attitudes & bold courage to face something as scary as a life threatening illness & not back down. There are so many occasions in which the entire treatment room will be in stitches from someone cracking a joke or a funny situation happening. That in itself is healing. 

I have to share Steve's story... He was telling this yesterday & I can't get it out of my head, it makes me chuckle every time I think about it. Steve came to Mexico to visit his son, who had moved here from BC, but while Steve was here, he felt a little ill.  He went to the hospital, only to find out that his entire body is riddled with cancer. The doctors in Canada offered only chemo & radiation without a cure, giving him just 6 weeks to live, so Steve chose to stay in Mexico & enjoy himself. He managed to find Dr. Castillo's clinic & he has been here for 5 weeks. Yesterday he was talking about how he'd been healthy all his life & the only test they ever pushed on him was to check his prostrate & make sure he didn't have prostrate cancer. He laughed & said, 'I've got cancer everywhere else but my prostrate & that's the only place they checked!' I howled when I heard him say that! Sometimes you've got to see the lighter side of life!

Tomorrow Joanne & I are off to Coronado Island. She hasn't been there & I would love to see the beach again before I head back to chilly, landlocked Alberta. If time permits, we'll head over to Seaport Village too. I really enjoy her company & although I only have a few days left, I'll make the most of it & get to know her... 

So there you have it... Day 26 & not many days left! :o( Thank you for your wonderful comments & prayers... It's working! All my love & hugs to you, wherever in the world you are! xxxx

Maria & Valentina

Joanne & her 'small' Chimichanga! ($5)

Believe it or not, these are Saskatchewan plates near the hotel!

Firefighter Ron & his beautiful wife, Laura & their 3 adorable girls

I can already see the improvements in Ron!

Smiles & needles - did you see that at your H1N1 clinic? :o)

Lorraine, Inez & Joanne - Just some more Gorgeous BC girls!

Steve & his son, Clint - we're praying for you!