Oh boy...so much for enjoying our time at home.

So Monday was quite the day. It started out with an 8:00 a.m. meeting at the school re:Chrissy. It went very well and seems like Christina is finding her way and starting to be able to focus much better and work independently. The 8:00 am meeting was followed with a fast and furious car ride to Motts to meet up with Mike and Lisa for the 9:00 radiation appt (the time in the car was spent on cell phone trying to get Maranda's school to release her to Grandma even though Grandma wasn't on the emergency card).

9:00 appt with radiation went well, but was a bit of a blow to my "we're living like normal humans again" mindset...surprise, surprise, they want to get started with radiation next week. I naively thought that we'd be hanging out enjoying the spring weather as we waited for Lisa's vaccine study to be done and then we would start radiation which I just as naively thought would be 1 day a week every few weeks or something completely low key.


Yeah...right...if the scans go as docs hope this week, we will start radiation next Monday and will go M-F everyday for 2 weeks and then 2 days the third week. (Good thing the princess trip got cancelled, unfortunately our plan for a 4 day weekend over Easter break of visiting friends up North is looking pretty dismal as well.) The hope is that Lisa's scans come back pretty clear. If that is the case then Lisa will have her stomach area radiated (initial starting place of the cancer and where she had surgery) and probably her leg where there is residual cancer and possibly her brain (where there has always been a questionable site that we go back and forth about). The hopes is that they don't have to radiate brain. It's pretty much a crap shoot given the type of cancer she has. In reality there are many places they should radiate, but they can't because that would become a total body radiation and involve another Bone Marrow Transplant...not something they want to put her through because of the amount of stress it puts on her body. Lisa's cure is so dependent on prayer, miracles, and on-going research. Sadly, the treatments she gets for neuroblastoma that may cure her also could cause many other problems....like another form of cancer, liver failure, brain problems...it's daunting.

After the radiation appt, it was too the lab to have blood drawn and to the clinic to do follow-up with doctors and get second vaccine. Mike stayed with Lisa while she got her vaccine (which smells like creamed corn...ugh) and I took Maranda for her follow-up with neurosurgeon. Both girls did quite well. Lisa got her shot and Maranda's doc said the healing was going well and he wouldn't need to see her for another year. He had no input or opinion on the scoliosis/brace issue and referred us back to the Peds Ortho doc.

I dropped Maranda with Mike and they waited for Lisa to get her contrast injection while I headed into work for a few hours.

At 9pm another stress was added to our load...we found out last night that they are 90% certain my mother has breast cancer. She too will be going for scans this week to determine what is going on....it's a shame I can't convince my parents to go to U of M so Lisa and Mom can do their testing together.

Part of me thinks I've become a bit immune to hospitals and cancer...I pretty much have a non-reaction...and just keep doing what needs to be done. Not sure if that is immunity or survival There are times that I wonder what I have done to have so many challenges placed in my path. I wonder have I finally hit bottom and will my reserve of strength give out? I start to wallow in self-pity, but then realize, there are still many others out there who have it worse than I....like the foster parents next to Lisa and I today that have 2 "shaken syndrome" babies, 2 cerebral palsies children and 2 kids on ventilators in their home. It could be worse...much worse...but then it could be better...and right now I really miss the "better" easier way of life we once had.

Please keep us and my mom in your prayers.