2.10.11

AYNSLEY:
By all accounts, a great day. Mom was able to get outside and enjoy some rare Seattle sunshine. Dad bundled her up, got her in the wheelchair and off they went on a walk. I didn't hear Dad's side of the story, but Mom said she had a wonderful time. The KG Home also had a visit from the local high school's jazz quartet. As Ross arrived for his visit, he first heard the music and knew Mom must be upstairs listening. He peeked into the room and saw her sitting in the wheelchair, bopping her head along.

Mom learned how to dance her head like Stevie Wonder in a yoga class and now employs the technique regularly. So please picture her, sitting in the wheelchair, doing the Stevie Wonder. To a high school jazz quartet. These are the images that I hold on to. You simply can't cry with despair when you have that image of her, still enjoying life, still the prettiest person in the room, savoring the beauty that's still available to her. And there is still so much that she can access.

She is looking forward to Shabbat tomorrow-easily her favorite thing to eat these days is challah and Friday nights are matzah ball soup and challah night. And I have no doubt that she'll eat a good amount of it. The nurse practitioner ordered an intravenous anti-nausea medication to come 30 minutes before meals-today was the first day it was delivered, and the staff kept sending it at the same time as the meals. So she would wait half an hour for the meal and just have things reheated. We're hoping they can get the timing better tomorrow, but even if they don't, just knowing that she's able to get and keep more food down per meal is great. She threw up her pills this morning, but that was it-breakfast stayed down.

Physical therapy was great today, too; she rode the bike for 10 minutes and did all of her exercises. She sounded tired when I spoke with her this evening, but considering how much action she had in her day, no wonder. I hope she gets a lot of rest tomorrow, but it is clear that she benefited from the break in the chemo this week.

So, I guess the question is how round two of chemo will go, which starts this coming Monday. I hope that she'll be able to continue to gain strength, that the anti-nausea medications will be available and work for her, and that she'll be able to get all of the rest she needs.