Thursday, April 26, 2007

The tale of two new friends.....

Two new friends have made an impact on my life. A huge impact. I never thought I would like these friends, as they always seemed so cold and imposing....almost mean. So, I would always avoid getting together with them. I would send others from the family to see them, but I would shun their company.

At the beginning of April, I decided to take the plunge and meet with my adversaries. Tackle the giants, so to speak. But, I was too chicken to go alone to face them, so I took Kathryn along. She had met them before; she wasn't afraid. If she could face them, I should be able to, right?

Surprisingly, we have gotten along together very well. I see these friends at least 4 times a week now, although we don't have any set time for gathering. The rest of life still goes on around us. They have others to see, and I have more to do than spend my time in their company.

What is even more amazing is that while I dreaded meeting them for such a long time, I now consider them such close friends that I truly missed them when I was recently in Longview for 5 days. I saw them again tonight, for the first time since returning from our trip. Kathryn accompanied me again, even though she wasn't sure she really wanted to go tonight. I said that I would have my reunion with my friends, with or without her. It was a happy reunion. How I ever convinced myself that these friends were cold and mean, I'll never know. Others told me I would like them, if I gave them a chance. Now I am a firm believer that first impressions, while important, can be overlooked when you are willing to go the extra mile.

May I present my two new friends?

I am pleased to introduce Mr. Tread Mill and Ms Recumbent Bike.



I believe the title of the song is "Wonder of Wonders, Miracle of Miracles!"

posted by Kim @ 9:29 PM 4 comments

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Rambling thoughts

Without doctor visits, I really have no health updates to provide. While I feel like I should blog about something, I feel strange to blog about things unrelated to my health. I did think of a few thoughts that might be interesting to some, so I will include them here.

It's been 7 1/2 weeks since I last saw my oncologist. My next appointment is in exactly 4 weeks from today. While it's certainly been a nice change of pace to not have frequent visits, I must admit that it still is really weird. I find myself not really knowing how to think sometimes. For example, I was updating my chart at the eye doctor this week. When asked whether or not I had any current health problems, I really didn't know how to answer. I wonder how long I will continue to think of myself as a cancer patient, rather than a survivor? I do think of myself as a survivor most of the time; I suppose it's just hard to break the habit of thinking that I am still in the throes of treatment. Just weird.

I learned this week that a high school classmate also went through breast cancer treatment last year. Sadly, our numbers continue to grow. She will be at our reunion in Denver this summer. I haven't seen her since graduation; we'll have something to talk about now!

Recurrence is a nasty word. Elizabeth Edwards and Tony Snow have to very publicly deal with very private issues. I wish them well as they begin their battles once again. I learned of another person dealing with a recurrence this week; this story hits much more close to home. Our eye doctor's daughter was first diagnosed with leukemia about 6 years ago. It was a rough couple of years for her, but she went into remission, went through high school and is a freshman at A&M this school year studying to be an pediatric oncology nurse. At my appointment yesterday, her dad told me that her cancer has returned. They have known about it for just a few weeks. He told me that they are looking at a probable bone marrow transplant in the future. Please pray for Lee Ann and her family. Her dad looked so sad yesterday, but I know they are strong believers and will get through this. His parting words to me yesterday were, "God did it once; He can do it again!" Amen!

There is a mom on a home school board I visit whose son is clinging to life after being in a serious motorcycle accident. They don't know what the future holds for him, but the prognosis is not good. Please pray for this family, too, as they walk a road none of us ever wishes to have to tread.

So many families with so many needs. I am reminded of this refrain from the hymn, "God is Still on the Throne."

"God is still on the throne,
And He will remember His own;
Tho’ trials may press us and burdens distress us,
He never will leave us alone;
God is still on the throne,
He never forsaketh His own;
His promise is true, He will not forget you,
God is still on the throne."

Amen!

posted by Kim @ 9:49 PM 2 comments