Day 554 - Family Outing

Can you believe it? We actually made it to Cape Town to visit the family! Jaco, Hennie, & I drove in this afternoon & spent the evening with Shilise & Johan. Gustav & Zandrie were both away, so it was only the five of us. 


Shilise & Johan stay in Jaco's house, and I hadn't seen it before, so today was the official tour. It's a very nice place. A quiet neighbourhood in a safe area, close to the grocery store & Zandrie's school is only 8 kms away. There is a pool in the complex, so plenty of cool summer days! There were plenty of questions - 'So, would you be happy living here? Would you live here in Cape Town?' We'll see...


We watched some Stormers rugby - thankfully they won. Johan is a BIG fan... Hennie & Jaco enjoyed the game. Shilise & I chatted. We feel the same way about rugby. Perhaps we'll go shopping next time the boys want to watch a game! 


Johan showed me the photos from Gustav's 21st birthday. They had a surprise party for him just a few days before we arrived home, so sadly we missed it. It looks like everyone had a great time! We also watched the slideshow Zandrie made for her brother. It was really well done! Plenty of humour & cute photos. My how we grow up so quickly!


We had a lovely dinner & before we knew it, it was 2130 & time to go home! I'm sure we'll be back soon, as we want to visit with Zandrie & Gustav before we go. And of course, Shilise & Johan too! We really need to start getting our days planned! They are going to be gone before we know it! April is already over!


Jaco sped us home. Yes, sped. Like 140/150 sped us home. I don't know how he does it. Maybe he was a Nascar driver in a former life... Or Grand Prix. I sat in the back seat & thank goodness for solitaire on the iPod. I think I would have had a heart attack otherwise. I was fairly tense!


Tomorrow we're off to Franschhoek to the Cheese Festival to meet up with some girlfriends of mine from ships. I'm very excited to see them! I hope there isn't too much stinky cheese. I'm cool with Feta. Brie. Marble. White cheddar? 


xxxxMaria

 Never a bad day for a swim!

The cool pool

Day 451 - Shrimp Tacos & Other Stuff

Besides dealing with every single possible family member who could remotely ruffle my feathers today, I continued to pack & try to get a few things done.

I went to the city in the late afternoon & took Mom2 & Dad2 out for shrimp tacos at Chili’s. I had promised Dad2 dinner at Chili’s before I left as a ‘thank you’ for looking after the girls. (Who, btw, managed to gain only a little weight. Valentina got into the cat bag on several occasions, so we have yet to get it right! Argh!) Greg had the biggest burger I’ve ever seen & Mom2 & I had shrimp tacos. They are by far the best I’ve had since Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It could also be that it’s been so long since I’ve had them that any shrimp taco is starting to taste good! Ha ha. We had a great meal & some wonderful laughs over dinner. They took my mind off the silliness that occurred earlier in the day!

Oh! I think I forgot to mention… Before I left for Cuba, when I had the arm pain & had phoned Dr. Daly about it, I’d mentioned that I would need my scan results over the phone. He wasn’t too impressed & had tried to change the date of my scan to ensure I would have the results before I left to join Jaco. Unfortunately the office had rescheduled it for the afternoon I was flying back from Havana! In fact, our plane hadn’t even left the ground & they were wanting me on the PET scan bed! I phoned today & it has been scheduled for the 15^th of February, shortly after I return from Florida. I am pleased about this, as I wanted the three weeks in Florida to ‘detox’ & increase my chances of a cold scan. Fingers crossed & prayers answered there will be NO MORE CANCER IN THIS CHICK’S FUTURE!

xxxxMaria, Oceana, Valentina & Adios

Now THAT'S a burger!

Ooooh!!! Shrimp tacos!!!

Day 426 - The Eve of The Last Round & Christmas Eve

Can you believe it? It's finally here. 6 months of what I thought would be pure torture & it wasn't! And it's finally coming to an end!

I spent most of the day trying to tidy, pack, organize & get things ready for tomorrow evening. I packed my 'chemo bag' for the last time. I packed the pills for the last time, the neupogen bag for the last time, the 'chemo blanket' for the last time...

Looking back, I packed books, journals, laptop, ipod, food, etc, etc. the first few rounds. It was so heavy, no one wanted to carry the bag! I never used any of it! Now I just take my pill & put on the headphones & sleep! Happy day!

Valentina & I played this evening, then she tried her best to send me to bed. I have a hard time sleeping the night before chemo. I know if I stay up late, I'll most likely sleep through treatment the next day.

I want to say THANK YOU to all of the amazing people who helped me through this roller coaster ride - Jaco, Mom, Mom2, Al, Wilma, Jenn, Trisha, Roxy, Kevin, Collet, Dave, Laura, Sylvia, Janis, Kerry, Bronwen, Jessica, Fawna, Lara, Zoe, Marc, Joanne, Ross, Krystle, Dr. Daly, Dr. Castillo, Dr. Dowdall, the INCREDIBLE Nurses at PLC - Sam, Iny, Deana, Marilyn & the others whose names have slipped my mind, Julie, and all the friends who have commented on the blog or Facebook, wrote emails & called the house. It has meant the WORLD to me. Those of you who showed up at the house, attended the head shaving party, said prayers (!), I thank you from the bottom of my heart to the top of my bald head!

It has been quite the journey, with plenty of lessons learned. I'm anxious to remember what 'living' feels like again. To be active, eating healthy, thinking healthy & being healthy. I can't wait for 2011 to begin. A fresh slate!

On that note, I'm off to bed, for tomorrow, the hardest part will finally be over! AMEN!!!!

xxxxMVO&A

Mama! Come to bed!

Day 254 - Bald As The Prairie

Well, it's done. And dusted. I'm officially bald. Tonight was the big par-tay & I'm pleased to say it was a shaving success! 


Mom ran around this morning like a chicken with its, never mind. Mom was REALLY BUSY this morning trying to help me get as much ready as possible. She ended up leaving for Saskatchewan about 1300. My brother & my Dad were competing in the Maple Creek Ranch Rodeo this year & they haven't done so in a long time. My Dad is also 60 this year, so I don't suppose he'll have many years left of competing! When I rebooked the date of the par-tay, I didn't check with anyone about conflicting events. I would have really enjoyed seeing my Dad & brother in the rodeo, but it wasn't meant to be! 


Mike & Jenn had camped over, so they were helping me throughout the day too. Jenn helped with the food preparation & Mike helped with the yard preparation. Harrison helped everywhere he could! He was pretty excited to be outside & exploring. He didn't care to have a nap, although he was clearly exhausted! Eventually we coaxed him into a nap in the house & he was out cold!


I was a bit panicked over the amount of food & I didn't think we would have enough. Of course, I now have a house full of leftovers! I was so thrilled that so many people were able to make it! They have no idea how much this means to me!


We had a wonderful time with many moments of laughter & smiles. It was so much more than just a bonfire & hotdogs. These people showed up & to me it felt like I had the support of a million people surrounding me. Facing chemo is a massive challenge surrounded by an ocean of fears. Losing my hair is just one of the hurdles to overcome. Tonight, they made it a fun filled evening & it couldn't have turned out any better. 


Thank you to:
- Mom - for all your hard work to set things up before you left
- Mike & Jenn - for all your help with EVERYTHING! The lawn, veggies, lanterns...
- Mom2 - Madelaine - for having the courage & unconditional love to shave your head with me. You never cease to amaze me! 
- Shauna & Scott - for filming & photographing the night's events
- Joe & Dara - for bringing food, chairs & a playmate for Valentina!
- Nathan - for showing up in uniform & keeping everyone well behaved! :oP
- Lara - for being inspiration & bringing Flyn, the Miracle Baby
- Greg - for BBQing delish burgers & getting the fire started!
- Russ - for supporting your sister & getting the fire started!
- Mah-Joy - for doing a smashing great job on our haircuts!
- Diane - for cutting my hair for Locks of Love
- Lawrence - for starting the mullet craze!
- Neil - for bringing the beautiful flowers
- Kristine - for continuing the mullet craze & reassuring me that short hair is beautiful!
- Nancy - for the beautiful pebble & the prayer
- Kevin - for showing up after a long shift & an early one tomorrow
- Vivian - for staying late & visiting with me (& for trying a s'more!)
- Robyn, Ray Ray, & Dez - for all your help getting things set up & hauled out to the fire!


Rather than post a few photos, which would never do the mullet, mohawk & rat tail justice, here's the link to the album on Facebook... 


Bald As The Prairie, Floatin' Like A Fairy


Btw, it feels REALLY GOOD on my scalp. My fingers like the feeling & my scalp does too. It's kinda like the 'shivery's' but all over your scalp... :o)


Love & hugs,
Maria & Valentina
xxxxxxx
ps - I'm sleeping with a toque on! My noggin is cold!