TRUE COURAGE
For we women, our hair is part of our identity. Curly, straight, thick or thin, it's our covering in some special way. This week I got to see real courage in action. Yesterday I got to the hospital. Di looked good. Makeup already on, her cute navy turban in place. I eyed her bright eyes then asked, "The wig appointment is at 9. Do you want me to see if they can do your hair instead?" I was expecting her to waffle and decide not to do this but no. With her head up and her eyes shining, she said very emphatically, "I'm going to do it."

The nurse came in about then and she made the call for me. At ten to nine, the nurse and I helped her into the wheelchair. By now her eyes were gleaming with tears, but we prayed together and I helped wheel her down to the salon on the 1st floor. She didn't want anyone back there as they shaved her head, so I sat on a chair outside the door in case she needed me and prayed. A few minutes later I heard laughter and knew it was going to be okay. Wherever Di is, laughter is sure to be floating in the air! When I next saw her, she looked just the same. Navy turban in place, beautiful eyes shining. But there was a new sense of accomplishment in her face. She'd taken this big step with courage. I was so proud of her!

It would have been more than I could have handled to wait until my hair was falling out in clumps. This way SHE was in control, not the cancer or the chemo. I've just been so encouraged and blessed by her attitude this past week and a half. She has a lot to teach younger women. :-)

I'm home now. I wanted to cry when I left her, but I had to finally get home. Dave had to be back to work, and I have a dr appt tomorrow I've been waiting on. But she's in great hands. I can't recommend the Cancer Treatment Center of America enough! It didn't feel like a hospital but like a really nice Victorian mansion (bigger than that though) and the nurses and doctors were incredible. They prayed with us at the drop of a hat. They have cutting edge technology plus all the support like homeopathy and nutrition guidelines. Dr. Williams and her nurse Carm are wonderful. Supportive and encouraging. It wasn't at all like I expected. Though everyone had cancer, you saw hope everywhere you looked. The food was incredible too! I didn't want to have to come home and cook. LOL

Continue to pray for Di, my dear friends. She has a long road of chemo ahead of her. But a woman who takes charge the way she has will have the fortitude to go all the way! this pic is her with her new wig. Doesn't she look adorable?

Labels: Cancer Treatment Centers of America, chemo, ovarian cancer

I'm watching the news and I'm absolutely appalled! A 13-year old boy who has Hodgkins Lymphoma is being told he must have chemo. He quit after one chemo session. His mother has fled with the boy and they are now on the run.

I can't tell you how much this bothers me. This is not a five-year old. This is a teenager, and what rights do we have as patients if doctors can force us to undergo this barbaric treatment? I mean, don't we have choices in life? What if he'd never been diagnosed?

I mean, I get when we go after parents for not getting their children life-saving surgery, but chemo is not a sure-fire cure and you have to submit to the treatment. How do you force someone into that? And why should this child spend his energy fighting the courts instead of his cancer?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/20/minnesota.forced.chemo/index.html

What's your opinion?

Labels: Cancer, chemo, Minnesota