Living for, not waiting for...remission and hair!

"Don't count the days...make the days count." (Muhammad ali) 

The last few weeks have been chock filled with fall activities, all of which I am thrilled to be a part of...right down to the yard clean up. As many of you know, that is no easy task since we have hundreds of oak, pine and maple trees surrounding our home. I love the trees for the privacy and beauty they provide us, however, this time of year they give us reason to loath them. I suppose we should be thankful that they encourage our upper body conditioning as we rake and rake... and rake, and keep us outside for hours to enjoy the crisp autumn days, but usually we are just too numb to think that clearly, especially since we have to ingest several ibuprofen the next day just so we can move from one room to another! And when we look outside, the yard looks the same as it did before we raked! As each year passes, I am finding it easier to live with the leaves covering the yard and let them all come down before trying to irradicate them before the seasons change and snow begins to fall. A wise lesson learned. Plus there are so many other things I would rather be doing.

     Besides fall clean up, we have had plenty of soccer games, several visits to Fairfield and Quinnipiac, and even one trip to the hospital. Unfortunately it was for Hayleigh this time, who suffered a season ending concussion caused by a head on collision during her soccer game on October 13th. Thankfully, she is doing well today, having endured a week of headaches, dizziness and nausea. Although she would much prefer to be running around on the pitch, for now she is happy being the team mascot, number one cheerleader, and getting her teammates jazzed up before each game. This past "whirlwind" weekend we traveled to CT for Parents Weekend at Quinnipiac. The more I see and learn about that school, the more I like it. It's an incredible institution. It was really great to hear from the administration, as well as from Bret, that the teachers are very passionate about their jobs, and really go out of their way to help you succeed in the whole college experience. (Utilization, not memorization) We capped off our day on Saturday with the gastronomic experience of the original Frank Pepe's Pizza in New Haven. For those of you who aren't familiar, its the oldest pizza place in the country (or so they say) and probably the best Neapolitan pizza on the east coast! (Although I have to say, Lombardi's in NYC is a close second.) After crashing at Auntie Del's "B&B", (if you are ever in Middletown CT, it's thee place to stay if you want pampering!) we zipped down to Fairfield on Sunday to catch up with Shane and enjoy brunch at the Circle Diner! Then it was back to Easton for Hayleigh's "pasta dinner" with teammates, and a quick jog around the high school track for Fred and I. And yes, I was asleep on the couch before 9:30 that night...with a smile on my face of course.
Two months ago, I had no reason to believe that I would ever have the energy to do these things, and I am sooo relieved that my body has bounced back this way. (Now if my hair could make a comeback, I'd be tickled !) Each week that passes, I am feeling stronger and more alive than the week before. I have experienced moments of euphoria when I was actually brought to tears (happy tears!) because I have been able to jog a whole mile on the track without stopping. You have no idea how awesome that feels! So while fluid managment, blurry vision, and energy seem to be my biggest concerns for the moment, God has blessed me with days that are incredibly encouraging and uplifting.
While I realize that everyone's treatment and recovery period is different, I would like to think that I am hope. Hope for those who are recently diagnosed. Hope for those just beginning their journey. Hope for those who are still weak from the ravages of chemotherapy. It gets better. Slowly but surely, week by week, cell by cell. I have no idea if I am in remission yet, but that's OK. I won't know until late December. My family has enabled me to forget the "waiting game" between testing periods and to get on with living. We are all learning to live with AL Amyloidosis, the same way we have learned to live with the leaves from our trees every Fall...patiently letting them all fall down, and thankfully enjoying these moments, until the seasons change.
Hope and Love,
Cheryl