"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
What a wonderful Christmas! Visits with family and friends were enjoyed, two little Christmas miracles filled Mom with joy, the turkey was not ruined and Mom joined the 21st century with a special gift from Santa ... but let's start at the beginning.
Mom finished her radiation treatments on Friday, December 21, 2012. I was able to go into the room with her for her last appointment and see what the experience was like. The technicians at Cancer Care were amazing. What I really appreciated was how they explained to me what was happening. They always referred to her as my Mom, never as "the patient" or anything impersonal. It made me feel good that they recognized this was my Mom, the woman who gave me life, the woman who has protected me and cherished me, the woman who has always put her children before herself, the woman who taught me about all the good in the world. They recognized this was not just another person on the table. This was my Mom. I really appreciated that.
It was hard seeing my Mom alone in that room with the big machine. She was a trooper, though! When she was asked if she wanted to keep the mask she wore to make sure the radiation hit the right spots, she, without hesitation, said yes. She has now decided that she is going to make the mask her wig stand! She seriously never ceases to amaze me.
The mask made the trip back to Pelican Bay with Mom, and unfortunately, so did some headaches. But her anti-swelling medication has been upped again so the headaches seem to have subsided. She is not sleeping as well as she was, and finds that she can't really sleep laying down right now. Hopefully that will change when the swelling from the radiation subsides.
As we knew it would, Mom's hair has started to fall out. But, thanks to Nana, Mom was able to sport a Mrs. Claus hat throughout the holidays, which made her very comfortable with all the company.
As usual, Mom is facing everything with courage and dignity. She is not letting this faze her and says it is all part of getting better. I think many people would be defined by what is happening to their body and the all-consuming effects it has on life, but not Mom. She is not letting cancer define her in any way. She is trying to keep her life as normal as possible while still realizing some of the limitations she faces physically.
Christmas was a great distraction from all the appointments and seriousness of late. On Christmas Eve, Mom held her traditional fete, and the house was packed. It was so great to see everyone! Mom really enjoyed the great company.
On Christmas morning, Mom found out about two little miracles - Kai and Keenan, her twin great-nephews, who were born well before they were due in the waning hours of Christmas Eve. Tears of joy were shed while Mom marvelled at the wonderful news that babies and everyone were doing well.
As "The Big Rip" commenced, Mom was able to watch us all - Sean, Scott, Bri and me - open our presents from her. Not surprisingly, she hit the nail on the head with every one of us. We all received the perfect gifts. Mom received an iPad! We wanted her to have an easy way to check her emails and this blog, as she is getting a lot of strength from all the messages people are sending. We were a little concerned that she would take a while to warm up to the iPad, but we were mistaken! Before we knew it, she had texted a couple people and shot off an email. Her blog is bookmarked, and she is checking comments regularly!
When we were done opening presents, Bri and I started on the turkey, under strict supervision, of course.
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| Turkey toilers in training |
We struggled a bit, I have to admit. Bri gagged as she pulled off some remaining pinfeathers, and I couldn't touch the turkey with my bare hands, so I used Mom's oven mitts.
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| We didn't realize we'd have to touch it :( |
Eventually, we got it ready to go in the oven, and it turned out pretty darn good, if I do say so myself!
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| Ready to go in the oven! |
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| Looks good enough to eat |
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| I am fully aware of how cute I look |
Mom is pretty tired after all the festivities, but is looking forward to saying farewell to 2012 and kicking butt in 2013. She has an appointment with her medical oncologist on January 3, 2013, to get going on chemo. While she enjoyed the break from treatment these past couple of days, she is also looking forward to keeping the fight going and getting started on chemo.
Please continue to send your wishes through this blog or through email. Your words are giving Mom lots of inspiration.
Happy Holidays!
