The Road Set Before Me

  Written by Alyssa. Mom had her third treatment this past Tuesday afternoon. Treatment this week was later in the day which was a bit of a change from when it’s been in the past couple of weeks. The waiting room at the cancer centre was empty when Mom and Dad arrived, which led Mom to jokingly ask the nurses if the janitor was the one giving her treatment today. We’re glad to see her sense of humour is still intact!  The nurse decided to give Mom's stomach a break this week and gave her chemo shot in her arm and the immunotherapy shot in her stomach rather than having both shots in her stomach. Mom said this was less painful and was thankful for a bit of a reprieve. The immunotherapy shot takes longer to be injected than the chemotherapy injection and it is more painful for mom as well. Apparently the injection is a thicker substance which makes it more painful when it goes in.   The treatments seem to be affecting Mom a bit more every week and this week it has been...

  From Dawn:  I was walking in a parking lot the other day and saw a dad walking hand in hand with his little boy. It was a cute view, but what happened next really struck me.  The little boy was around 4, I think, and he was walking fine with his dad, just in front of a store. Then a car turned in front of them. It was still away from them, but it was close enough for the boy to stiffen up and be afraid, recognizing possible danger. The dad didn't flinch. He looked down at his son, and I don't think any words were exchanged. I could see the boy's body relax and trust in his dad's safety! He knew that his dad would look after him!  This was poignant for many reasons, one of which was from our fostering days, when we saw healthy attachment at play. It was heartwarming to see.  But also on a spiritual level. That boy knew that his father was caring for him, even despite the possible dangers along the way!  And it was an analogy for me too - as I walk down thi...

  “ For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” Psalm 63:7-8 This past week has gone by smoothly for Mom, and we are thankful that she experienced very few side effects after her first chemotherapy treatment last week. Mom was a little tired the first couple days, and she experienced some “chemo brain” which gave us some moments of laughter as we went about our regular day-to-day.  On Sunday Mom was able to join us in attending church.  She told us that when she woke up, she just started getting ready without even giving it a thought about whether or not she was up for it.  What a blessing that was!  Then on Monday I came home from work to find Mom making muffins for us.  She says “You know I actually feel pretty normal today!”  Thank you Jesus for these moments! Yesterday was Mom’s second chemotherapy treatment, and Dad was able to go with her again. Mom said the i...

The long-awaited day has arrived: chemotherapy day. Those words have a surreal feeling because we had known this day was coming and had been expecting it from the beginning of the summer. Until now it has been a date marked as “later”, and it is in some ways difficult to believe that the day has arrived. The past couple days have been full of appointments and labs. Monday’s appointment with Mom’s Hematologist/Oncologist, Dr. A, went well. The doctor assured Mom and Dad that he feels confident that beginning chemotherapy now is the best course of action. Mom's most recent labs, taken Monday morning, indicate another rise in her bloodwork. He says this further confirms the decision that beginning chemo treatments now is a good idea. This morning, Mom arrived for her first treatment, and thankfully Dad was able to go along and support her. Being able to go in together was a welcome change from last time in the 2021/2022 Covid era. The cancer centre itself has a few other changes such ...