Skip to main content

Chemo with Kathleen





After a recent chemo, where I was chaperoned by the always affable and charming Chris, my nurse Alicia queried “Who will be bringing you next time?”
Truly, the entire oncology staff was not only charmed by Chris, they were amazed at the intricate cross stitch stocking she was working on and then awed that it was her third and final work of art.

  I responded to Alicia (a new friend, really) that another friend would be bringing me and she remarked something like “you have a lot of wonderful friends”. To wit, I agree!

 Chris commented, “yes she does! Chemo with Kathleen!”

 Chemo with Kathleen. Sounds like a title to a book like "Tuesdays with Morrie" or "Me Before You", great books about friends stepping up to help a friend through illness and/or treatment. Only difference in this case would be that this sickie lives on to make more friends and to treasure the ones she has. 

What I’m discovering on these chemo days, aside from all the vital medical stuff I’m supposed to care about, is my friends are amazing people! Yesterday's chaperone was Jo who came after cleaning and preparing her boss' office for painting; she works as an office manager for a small church and has become the Pastor's organization guru (among many other things!). A heart of a caregiver, Jo has! I kicked her out after the Benadryl kicked in so I could nap and she could go back to help her Pastor.

 Another friend who drove me is the wife of our former Pastor. She has driven countless people to chemo or doctor's appointments and is herself a breast cancer survivor. She helps countless people to this day with small and large acts of kindness. Lois seemed to understand that on this particular chemo day, I needed solitude and a nap more than a friend to sit with me and she left to run errands. How did she intuit this other than through too many years of doing the just what she was doing for me?

 I discovered while talking with another friend chaperone, that she's a talented artist who likes to stretch her artistic boundaries by taking art classes in media she is unfamiliar with or uncomfortable using. She's in her 70s and enjoys learning new things, considers it a priority actually. I want to be like Marilyn when I'm in my 70s - not all complacent and comfortable but willing to expand my horizons.

 My sister, Kelli came and didn't draw on me with sharpies but drove all the way from Kohler Wisconsin to spend a lot of time watching me sleep (and taking pictures that she shared with family!). She also made dinner for us and kept me company for my first of the now-weekly chemo treatments. She too is a breast cancer survivor and I'm sure sitting with me brought back less-pleasant memories.

 I have a roster of friends that have signed up for Chemo with Kathleen. And more that have signed up to bring dinner on chemo Mondays. I have a roster of friends that have sent cards, flowers, gifts and messages. I have a roster of friends that I am grateful for beyond words. In this darker time of my life, while I battle this touch of cancer, they are providing light and love to help me fight the fight.

 Perfect time for some Carol King!

 You've Got a Friend
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

It's not a popularity contest, but ...

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

I put my pride aside and got my ass off the grass and into the wheelchair. {I spent a couple minutes deciding whether to put an exclamation mark after that declaration or to put the period after that statement. I think the period better suits my mood about getting said ass into the wheelchair!} On July 4, Saugatuck has a wonderfully unique parade that includes quirky participants like the artsy-fartsy campers at OxBow art colony and the LGBT members of a local foundation along with the more traditional participants like Girl Scouts, fire trucks, and local politicians. It had been a couple years since I had been to the parade, this year, though, my Mom and sister were in town and I wanted to take them. So we loaded up in the van, including Kerri's wheelchair and my own. Once we parked, John asked if I wanted to use my chair and I initially balked but then remembered that it can be a long, hot parade and it might be better to have a place to sit. So, I acquiesced and took the cha...
2 comments
Read more

Ch ... Ch ... Chemo

I was ready. I was prepared. The potential side-effect list was long and one I'd had some familiarity when John went through his treatment.  So I gathered my arsenal. I had my compazine, zofran and antivan. I had my ginger chewables and chicken noodle soup. I was armed and potentially dangerous. So, chemo day with the toxic chemo cocktail starting to do it's job, I envisioned it as either PacMan, eating away at the cancer cells or a Chia Pet, allowing my good cells to thrive. With these visions, (that aren't quite Christmas Eve sugar plums dancing) and tired from the chemo, I went to bed early. Friday, under the watchful eye of my caregiving hubby, I slept most of the day away. Not really hungry but not nauseous either. I spent the majority of the day horizontal on the couch listening to my book on Audible (despite the sleep timer, I probably missed 1/3 of what I 'read'), dozing, answering calls and texts, and snacking.  Perhaps the highlight of the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Hole in My Heart Where Sandy Should Be

The past two days have passed with little joy and I find that I'm restless and cannot focus. I don't like being home because of the thousand reminders of my sweet Sandy and yet I can't be away because I don't feel like engaging in anything other than my own personal sorrow. Yes, she was 'just a dog' but oh what a dog she was. . . I learned a lot about loyalty and unconditional love from Sandy. And in that, I believe that God gives us these loving dogs so that we can learn a little about His love for us - that unconditional love. Even on my worst day when I might not have been paying much attention to Sandy, she was still there and still loving. Wow. There is no doubt in my mind that putting her down and out of her misery was the right thing for Sandy - she must have been so riddled with cancer and in such pain. Her last day she couldn't even keep water down; I imagine that her entire body must have been affected by the cancer. Then I think back to her last d...
Post a Comment
Read more