well, somehow it is sunday and it's september seventh. i had my 2nd round of chemo on the 5th (friday), which was delayed a week because of the issues with portia. i got a PICC line placed on thursday to deliver the chemo for this round only, and then they're putting in another port in a couple weeks. i'm taking suggestions for names other than portia... :)
all my nurses and docs have been amazing. my favorite nurse so far, kate, is being transferred to another location, so i got to at least see her this past friday. she stopped by on her way out the door to say one last bye, and give me a hug. she's the nurse who paints flowers and puts them under her bed. that's what she told us when we asked her what she does to not take her job home with her. she was going to bring me one of those paintings on friday, but forgot, and even showed me on her iPhone calendar that she'd written it in there. such a kind soul that kate.
i had kind of an amazing week before chemo. georgina introduced me to her friend ionah, and we walked around crown hill on the most amazing of days. cloudy skies, rain, cat tails, and deep conversation. cherished time. after that, we met brigid and swooped downtown to the clock tower for a last-minute concert that will forever be etched in my brain. the amazingly soulful julie davis and then a few devotchka members with a few CSO players, and evan orman. evan is the son of one of my beloved mentors jack orman, from the printmaking studio at csu when i was there. brigid also had jack as a prof when she went there after me. magical reconnection.
i want to write more but i'm tired.
the last round on friday was a long day, from 8:45 til about 6:30, because i had a reaction to one of the drugs (Perjeta). they stopped the infusion because i was having trouble breathing and in a bit of pain, and they gave me a burst of steroid. sorry for danny and brig to have to watch that...it felt like i was on top of the building i could see out the window, and my voice was somewhere deep in my chest. weird sensation. it's all good now.
i'll update soon, but enjoy the pics. huge love to everyone reading this and here's what i'd say if i were a really good writer. this is from my FB post a week or so ago...
with all that's going in my life right now, i am finding it very humbling, sometimes uneasy, not quite understanding all this generosity. And then I read this tonight, and am beginning to understand:
"only by accepting each other's pain and vulnerability can human strength grow between us. In these ways, receiving involves absorbing, inhaling and accepting the life that flows through us, between us, and around us. These are all deeper forms of listening. On the surface of things, giving and receiving are about exchanges. I need you. You give. I feel grateful. You feel good about yourself. I feel indebted. I give back. We take turns. But below the resurface of things, giving and receiving become indistinguishable , and the aim is not to have to move things from one person to another, but to keep the gift of life flowing. "
-mark nepo "ten thousand ways to listen
luv the reflection pic
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