Dawn, Lisa and Norma shopping for the perfect wig

New summer hats!

This past weekend, Lisa and I had fun shopping with mom for summer hats. We found three adorable hats. Emily might have to borrow the blue one.

Brunette?

My mom is now a brunette. At least when she wears the wig, sent to her from her sister Marlene who lives in Oregon. Today my mom had it cut and styled to suit her. I'll take some photos and post them soon.

My mom's been catching up with friends, playing her Tuesday card game, eating well and resting often. My dad is her dedicated chauffeur. My mom can drive herself, but he likes being her driver.

Tomorrow, she's looking forward to enjoying some time in her garden. Supposed to be a warm and sunny day in Ohio.

Thanks for your continued love and prayers.

Determined

My mom complete round 2 of chemotherapy last Friday. Her only reported side effect was nausea on Saturday. This is a huge blessing compared to how she responded to round 1. After the last few weeks of yogurt, Ensure and small helpings, her appetite is returning. In fact, she ate french fries, linguine with cream sauce, and tiramisu this weekend.

I reported last week that Norma's platelet count had gone up to 178K. Well, today it was 280K. That's a far cry from 9K platelets on March 9th, the day she was diagnosed.

My mom is so determined to rebuild her body strength. She and my dad went to the indoor track at Denison University last Friday and she's been walking a 1/2 mile per day ever since. Today she timed herself because she wants a baseline to measure her improvement.

She also informed her oncologist today that she is going to beat this disease. Dr. Laufman (another strong German female) offered her hand and they shook on it.

Day 1, Round 2

My mom started round 2 of her chemo treatment today with a platelet count of 178K! That's quite an improvement from the 9K at the last start. Normal range is 150K - 400K. Getting through round 1 was an accomplishment given her low counts. She's healthier and more familiar with things, and it seemed a little easier for her today.

Keep sending your healing words and prayers her way. She's soaking them up.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend.

Pictured: Norma/Grandma's pride and joy -- Paul and Emily

Comic relief

Pictured: Lisa, Paul, Norma, Brian in a really bad wig, and Emily. This past Friday was the first time Emily and Paul saw my mom with no hair. Brian's wig and purple shades added just the right amount of comic relief.

Emily and Norma

Soccer and Pizza

It was a beautiful sunny day in Ohio today and my mom felt better than she has in weeks. Her grandson Paul had a soccer game today and my mom really wanted to go. So, we organized an outing to Millersport, Ohio and watched the blue team defeat the purple team. Paul (9) is starting to master his ability to turn and kick the ball in one move. It's a treat to watch his boyish body become more agile and strong. Granddaughter Emily (11) is mastering text messaging with her friends while pretending to watch her brother. 

My mom's appetite is returning and she was craving pizza, so we had lunch at Pizza Cottage, famous for BLT pizza. She even had a little coffee, something she's had no taste for in over a month. 

My mom had energy today to go through some of her mail. My dad's been saving the cards in a basket. She was really touched and sends a huge thank you for keeping her in your thoughts and prayers. 

23,000 platelets!

My mom's platelet count continues to rise. Today marks 23,000, up from 13,000 yesterday. Her white blood cell count is also good, indicating that her immune system is functioning and she's less at risk for infection. All of this lead up to the best news of the day, and that is my mom got to go home!

I just talked to her a few minutes ago and she said it felt really good to be in her own bed for a change.

This weekend, she wants to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine. I'm looking forward to seeing her new hair cut.