Category: perspective
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Days +5 to +8
Day +5: Window of opportunity – April 15, 2020 It’s been a while since I’ve said this, but we had a good day! Though we’ve had glimpses throughout the days, I can officially say that today, as a whole, was good. The highlights include fewer bouts of extreme hiccups, being fever free the entire day,…
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Keeping it ill
It’s everywhere you turn: coronavirus this and coronavirus that. One minute, you read an article about a grieving daughter who suddenly lost her mom to the virus; a few minutes later, you see someone suggesting it’s a hoax and that the fear is manufactured. Another person is upset about an event or trip cancellation because…
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Day 300
We made it to day 300! Sometimes it’s still hard for me to believe Ramón was diagnosed with leukemia last May. It’s even more difficult to believe that, after about nine months in remission, it occasionally feels like we’re back where we started. But, on the bright side, we’ve had 300 love-laden, laughter-loaded, gratitude-packed days.…
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Run Ramón run
A few weeks before Ramón was diagnosed with cancer, he participated in a relay race with a group of friends. The term “relay race” sounds super-fun like elementary school field day, so let me clarify. This was a 120ish mile trail race that includes running through the night, sleeping in tents (if at all), and…
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The straight and marrow
You know how sometimes things work out perfectly with no loose ends and complete closure, like a beautifully wrapped gift with a bow on top? And other times you cut the wrapping paper just a tad small and are too stubborn to waste it, so you begin piecing together a patchwork of paper to hide…
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Wait no more
Yesterday afternoon, I cozied up in bed with the dogs to do a meditation. Let’s be real; we all know that’s the prelude to a mid-day nap. When I woke up, I looked at my phone and quickly realized that the day had come: the FDA approved a treatment that will benefit a significant part…
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A room with a view
We’re not where we planned to wake up today, but this sunrise helped immensely. Ramón was admitted to the hospital yesterday after running a fever. They don’t believe it’s anything serious, but we have to be extra vigilant while his immune system is at its lowest. Ramón’s spirits are high, his appetite is hearty (minus…
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Grief: A hard pill to swallow
Grief is very real. It’s exhausting, it’s sneaky, and it’s unpredictable. And it spans to all areas of loss—actual, perceived, or even anticipated loss. Growing up with cystic fibrosis and an overactive mind, I’ve been in stages of grief throughout my life. I grieve the thought of my own mortality. I grieve the loss of…
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Yellow door
Earlier this year, we decided to paint the laundry room door a bright and cheerful yellow. Like most household projects, it ended up becoming way more complicated than originally anticipated. I sanded and scraped so much that my FitBit recognized it as outdoor cycling. Finally, on April 30, we installed the door and realized that…
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Share Love, That’s All
Tomorrow marks three months since Ramón’s cancer diagnosis—uh, I mean, birthday. A few days after Ramón’s diagnosis, surprise visitors arrived at the hospital: Lindsey and Mike. We hadn’t met them before, but a mutual friend linked us up because Mike, too, had been diagnosed with leukemia three years prior. I missed their visit (because I…
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Perspective
Sweet Noodle Beagle’s eyes say it all. It’s day 77, though if you told us it was day 177, we’d believe you. The novelty of Ramón’s leukemia diagnosis has worn off, and we’ve grown accustomed to our new normal—one that includes constant trips back and forth to Emory, a multitude of naps, and unpredictability from…