It’s that time of year. A time for giving and a time to cherish moments with family and friends. I am so thankful that our blessings are many and our needs are few… there are many who can’t say the same. The girls are thrilled that the only things that are actually planned over […]
An update that seems to have been forever in the making… and yet, there’s still much to be decided. It was a very long day yesterday, involving over 3-1/2 hours of meetings with three specialists about the latest growth in Cailyn’s tumour. Thankfully, my headache didn’t start until we were driving away from the hospital […]
Next Tuesday, we will be meeting with Cailyn’s oncologist and a radiation oncologist to gain as much information as we can about the options that are available to us for stabilizing her tumour. We are also getting the opportunity to meet with one of the neuro-radiologists who has interpreted her MRIs. It’s a weird feeling… […]
I am so thankful to have this way to communicate what I’m feeling but I’ve definitely struggled with what to write over the last couple of weeks. I am not creative enough to think of another way to express how entwined my fears and concerns for my daughter are with everyday life… and, because these fears […]
My mind is so cluttered with “what ifs”, that I haven’t successfully figured out what to write. Spinning around in my head are options, feelings, and the more mundane tasks involved with our day-to-day logistics. It’s been almost 7 weeks since I learned that Cailyn’s tumour has grown and I had both hoped and expected that we would know by now […]
This has been a week for focusing on Cailyn’s potential. Stuffing my mind are thoughts about the potential risks to the different treatment options, and the impact of all of this craziness on Cailyn’s academic potential. I have had a headache the last few days that has been impossible to ignore. Wondering about how hard the […]
I am so very thankful for all of the support we are receiving from our circle of family and friends. I can easily state that this support is a life-line for me. Twelve years in, I am painfully aware of how effectively my resilience has been eroded by the stress I feel managing Cailyn’s health journey. I first noticed my shaky […]
One might think, in the absence of active treatment, that life goes on as normal. There definitely are normal components to my week that can capture and hold my attention. Consuming a huge chunk of my energy, though, is a constant and undeniable awareness of this latest addition to Cailyn’s journey. This awareness colours everything… adding intensity to […]
Waiting for further insight into the latest growth in Cailyn’s tumour has been a surreal experience. It feels like we’re in the eye of a storm, waiting for the wind and rain to arrive. Although the timing of this calm has been appreciated – including a long week-end to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends – my awareness that a […]
Last Thursday I learned that Cailyn’s tumour has grown again… only six months after stopping her weekly chemotherapy. You would think that my beautiful girl could have had a longer stretch of stability, especially considering that her tumour had been stable for the four years she was on her weekly chemotherapy protocol. I am devastated […]