As I have mentioned a few times, this year promises to be challenging. Two imposing mountains are in my view. The most intimidating and overwhelming mountain is the growth in Cailyn’s tumour. Being Cailyn’s advocate requires me to use my project management skills. If the desired outcomes of this project weren’t so critical, the […]
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 […]
The girls started school yesterday and I think the balance of emotions was more positive than negative! They were definitely looking forward to seeing their friends but they were both a little anxious. I think this had a lot to do with “the unknown”. The unknown is always a little uncomfortable, especially when it brings work, projects, tests and marks!! We have […]
The long week-end is officially over and half the grains of sand in summer’s hour glass have passed. The week-end started with a bang and ended with a whimper. Lauryn and Delaney, her beach volleyball partner competed in their first beach provincial championships on Saturday. It was a rocky start… Lauryn had slept very poorly on Friday […]
Holy smokes… pun intended… it is hot! Both literally and figuratively! As far as the literal is concerned, we all look forward to the warmer temperatures our summer brings. However, there are definitely times, like the last few days, that us Hovey girls would prefer “spring”-like temperatures! Cailyn would prefer cooler temperatures because she doesn’t cope well with […]
A little over a week ago, I participated in a care-giver luncheon, hosted by BrainWAVE, a pediatric brain tumour program created by the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada. This type of event helps care-givers like myself to connect with other care-givers walking along a similar path. It is a very special experience for us attendees […]
First things first, Cailyn is recuperating nicely. She is able to manage any discomfort she is feeling with ibuprofen. I love how maturely she approaches it… “Mom, it’s uncomfortable, but it’s not unbearable!” Being home from the hospital this week, one of the pressing questions has become when will she return to school. Over the […]
I just got off the phone with the hospital. Cailyn’s 50th MRI at London Children’s Hospital was last Thursday and the results are in…. her tumour is STABLE!!! I am SO, SO, SO happy to get this good news the day before she’s going in for foot surgery. Obviously, with the tumour being stable, we are going to […]
Today I went to Cailyn’s school. All the students were gathered to learn about the upcoming Relay for Life being hosted by the school. To garner support for the event, Cailyn was asked to share what it’s like to live with a life-threatening illness. I got to see her before she spoke and, although she […]
My first “real job” occurred the summer after I graduated from my Masters in Statistics. It wasn’t exactly a “dream job”… although it produced great fodder for learning and success. My Dad prevailed upon his VP of Manufacturing to accept me at one of their plants as a summer student. His desire was for me to […]