Two weeks ago we had a family photo session with my friend Julia Arstorp. Julia has taken numerous series of photos of us through the years and I really wanted to have updated photos of all of us. The children have changed so much in the past two years! I will share some of them throughout the next few months. I have updated my Welcome page of the blog with a few of them too. I know some of you only read these posts by email so you can always take a peek at the home page to see what’s new.
One of the photos I love most is this black and white one with our new dog Lucy, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi that we got in January. If you follow me on Twitter you know how much I love her. She is my first dog ever… the kids always wanted a dog but I wasn’t sure about the commitment. Clarke had a great Corgi named Pearl when we met so I knew the breed and loved their personalities. Lucy is two now and she has brought such joy to our lives.
Most people who know me are shocked I not only let Lucy on the bed and throughout the house. My attitude is she is a part of our family so she gets to share. She’s not a big snuggler (prefers to lay next to you or under the bed) but we have had some great naps together over the past few months. She is great at fetch which is a lot of fun to watch as her little legs run so fast and her big ears get pinned back to her head as she scurries… she is fast on those little legs!
The end of the year is very busy now with school ending for all of the kids. Colin will graduate from elementary school and start at the middle school in 6th grade in the fall. Tristan will be going into second grade and Paige will be a high school sophomore (eek!). Right now we have baseball playoffs, karate belt testing, and some upcoming visits from family.
I’ve been managing the side effects from the new Aromasin/Afinitor regimen pretty well. Right now I’m still on 7.5 mg of Afinitor a day, my biggest problems from the drug combo are severe muscle and joint pain, thyroiditis (I also have Hashimoto’s Disease), loss of appetite with weight loss, and migraines. The mouth sores and head irritation have improved.
Bloodwork yesterday showed a drop in my tumor markers, an indication that it is still working now after about 2 months. This gives me a two week reprieve in worry. I really do live in two week increments right now. I’ve been able to do all of the things I need to do and most of the things I want to do. I am learning more and more the difference between these two things.
I’ve attended every single one of Colin’s baseball games. I got all three of them to the dentist for checkups and their regular doctors’ appointments. I keep a regular schedule right now but try to rest more on weekends when I can. I am glad for the normalcy that my days mean to them and to me. We all know it’s not truly normal, of course, but the comfort of routine is real, especially to them. I find it hard to believe the last 8 months have been since my diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer.
I gave an interview to the Daily Beast this week about Komen’s cancellation of many of their walks this year because of drops in funding despite Nancy Brinker giving herself a pay raise to $685,000 a year. I wish the piece had gone into more depth about the lack of funding for metastatic research, but I still think some good points were used from the interview. You can read it here.
If you are looking for a place to donate money for breast cancer research, I do have a donation page at Sloan-Kettering which funnels money to metastatic breast cancer research. You can see the page here. It has raised about $17,000 since last fall.
I hope you all have a good weekend.
Find a bit of joy in the world. Share it. If you can’t find it, create it…
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Lisa, you are truly an inspiration. You are such a brave, strong person. You are in my thoughts and prayers constantly.
Hugs.
So glad you’re getting good results from the chemo. I saw the Daily Beast piece. Slowly, I think, our country is changing away from hyperbolic positive thinking culture that masks unfettered greed.
I’m so happy you have these next 2 weeks of comparative peace, and wish you many more. Routine is wonderful and comforting. Best wishes to you and your family for a great summer!
Love those pictures!!
XXOO
Have a wonderful 2 weeks!
Lisa, I’m sure I’m one of many who reads what you post but doesn’t reply. Today I just had to tell you that I have learned so much from you, and that you are the most amazing mom and wife. I’m always amazed at what you are able to do and how beautifully you express yourself. I have used knowledge I gained through you to help friends going through chemo. They ask how do I know what to say to them? How do I know what to ask them? And I always think about you. I pray for you, admire you so much and thank you for sharing with the rest of us.
Sending love, Marci
You look so beautiful! and dog is adorable; just adorable; they’re wonderful reminder to be in the moment.
Lisa,
Just as I was opening your post today, the song Carry On by Fun was playing and I couldn’t get over the synchronicity in that. They were singing…..
If you’re lost and alone
Or sinking like a stone
Carry on
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground
Carry on
Carry on…..
Cause we are shining stars
We are invincible
We are who we are
On our darkest day
When we’re miles away
So we’ll come
We will find our way home…..
I’m moved by your indomitable spirit! Your photos are beautiful! Once again, thank you for sharing your precious life with us!
Kim
Reading this, it’s clear that the difference between relative peace and overwhelming stress lies a test result. I can’t imagine being on that pendulum you’re on, but I can and do wish you many more weeks of good results. You deserve them.
Your son Tristan and my daughter Abby are the same age, finishing 1st grade right now. I am glad that after 8 months you are still finding the strength to do what needs to be done. I hope you can continue to do much of what you WANT to do as well. The next two weeks will bring the end of the school year. I hope they bring you and your family many joys! I know they will be a busy couple of weeks. Good luck!
My youngest son is going away to college soon. He loves corgis. He told me if I got a corgi puppy then he’d visit home more often. : ) Between that and your posts about Lucy I’m really tempted!
Someone I know lost her husband to colon cancer last year. He was 33. They had two young children. The man’s mother wrote after her son’s death that he told her what he missed most when he wswapo gravely I’ll was playing with his two young children and having them greet him when he returned home each night. She encouraged people to “appreciate the gift of normal” and said this would honor her son’s memory and bring her great joy. Your post today about the value of routine and appointments reminded me of this. Your writing is beautiful and honest and rare. Thank you for your courage and for sharing your journey with so many. It shows what a kind and loving soul you have.
Beautiful photo! And as my daughter Lucy says, “Thanks for giving me a DOG NAME.”
Thinking of you often.
Love the photo and the interview with The Daily Beast.