Boy, it has been quite a year.
They say that bad things come in three's - well, I'm hoping I've reached my third for this year, because I think I need a break.
The first thing was, of course, the deaths of my friend Levi, and Baby Sam. Many of you read and wept along with me as that sweet boy struggled to hold on for 2 short months, and then left his earthly family. His parents are still, understandably, devastated by his loss. I would imagine losing a child is a pain you never get over. However, even in their heartbreak, they are finding ways to help others. My heart still hurts for them.
The second thing is what has kept me from blogging for a while now. A few weeks ago, my mother-in-law called my husband after he came home from work (at around 10 pm) and asked him to come over to her house. She told him she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This was, of course, shocking and frightening. Pancreatic cancer has one of the worst prognosis for recovery, and being an only child, my husband and his mom are incredibly close.
Two days later, she went to the ER because she was experiencing extreme pain and nausea that she couldn't control. She didn't leave the hospital again until this past Thursday - she was there for almost a month. It was painful and frustrating to watch her struggle with such severe pain - she rated it a 9 or 10 almost every day, for weeks on end. Last week, she had surgery to remove a larger-than-baseball sized tumor from her abdomen, and at that time her doctors changed her diagnosis to colon cancer - still serious, but with a much better chance for recovery. Her doctors were able to get the ENTIRE tumor, and it had not spread from the initial locations they had discovered.
However, we are not yet out of the woods. She is still struggling from extreme pain - she has had arthritis for many years, and her doctors will not currently allow her to take any anti-inflammatory medications, to prepare for her upcoming chemo. This is causing debilitating pain in her shoulders and joints. She has not been able to work in over a month, and most likely will not be returning any time soon - in this unstable economy, the loss of an income is a scary thing. And, in 3 weeks, she will be starting chemotherapy, with all that entails. It seems likely that my husband and I will be moving in with them, to help with her care and the household expenses. My husband has barely slept in 3 weeks - it's a lot for him to handle. We are all feeling the strain.
The third thing? My cousin, Andrew, who fought and overcame leukemia as a child, has been told that it is back. I don't have a lot of details, but that is certainly news no family wants to hear.
So, as you can see, quite a year. Of course, as is the case, along with sorrow comes joy. My husband and I found out - just shortly before everything happened with my mother-in-law - that we will be welcoming our first child in October! We are very excited - I am almost 4 months along, which means I've also been dealing with extreme sickness and fatigue for the past few weeks. Honestly, reading and blogging just didn't have a chance with everything else going on! I'm hoping (cross your fingers!!) that the sick part will be over in the next couple of weeks - it would be really nice to have a day where I didn't just feel like poop. But, it will be what it will be, and I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end, right??
Thanks to all of you who are still reading - both this rather long post, as well as my blog in general. I'm hoping to start getting back in the swing of things soon - it's been too long, and I miss it. But the past few weeks have cemented in my mind the resolutions I made earlier in the year.
"There's no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day." ~ Alexander Woolcott
So, what's been going on in YOUR life??
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