So Much More

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The house and yard are decorated, the tree's are aglow inside and out, the presents are wrapped, the candy made, and the baking all done. All that's missing is the rest of the family who will arrive on Christmas Eve for a wonderful time together. May your hearts be filled with the joyous wonder of Christ as you celebrate his birth. May each of you rejoice the love that surrounds us and binds us together. May you have peace in your heart in the new year to come.

2 comments:

el poquito said...: Mary,
Have a wonderful holiday with the family. If you hear the door opening in the middle of it all, don't be alarmed - it's just Mark and me sneaking in and trying to blend in....

My Christmas wish for you: strong legs and back to carry you through...

Be well my friend,
Ed; December 24, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Four peas in a pod said...: Mary, Merry Christmas to you!!!

I have read some of your past postings and I am looking forward to reading more! Very refreshing and insightful. Thank you for sharing this with me,

Lori; December 24, 2008 at 11:30 AM

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Tarzan?......why tarzan?

As noted in my profile, I was diagnosed with follicular non hodgkins lymphoma on November 30th, 2007. We were on a trip to the grand canyon area when I first became sick and noticed a lump on the side of my neck. Following an exam, many tests, and a surgical biopsy, I learned that for now I have a very slow growing lymphoma and over the years they have learned that immediate treatment will not change the outcome.

This is very different from when my Mother died of it in 1976. At the time hers was discovered in 1971, they saturated her with radiation over a 5 year period of time. Since then they now know that since it is not curable anyway, they would rather keep the patient off of treatment as long as possible. The modern terminology for this is "watch and wait".

At the time I have no further symptoms that I can not live with. I am low on energy, but part of that can be contributed to just age! Though I have some damaged veins in my neck due to the surgery, the nodes in that area come and go and have not caused any concern yet.

Watch and wait is NOT an easy way to live, we know the lymphoma will flare up again some day, so that tends to keep one aware of any changes. Of course I worry and of course I have problems with stress. However; since I look to my oncologist for guidance and rely on his wisdom, I am following his suggestion of pretending to be like Tarzan....... Tarzan in the movies who, while swinging through the jungle, always had a vine to grab as he was going from tree to tree. My oncologist has assured me over and over again that the vine would be there when I need it. As I grab one vine, another will be growing for me as I move through the jungle.

He explained to me that research and improvements in treatments are growing at a rate that is nearly faster than the growth of my cancer.

The message for all FNHL cancer patients, is to become "tarzan" like..... go ahead and climb that tree, stay alert, live life, and when you to need to reach out for that vine it WILL be there! As will the next one, and the next one, and the next one. Go ahead and swing through life and do it with confidence..... As with everything, there is so much more to the story, and so much more to life than cancer.

So Much More

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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

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