Before Ports, We Have Airports...

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I have been so pleased with the resurgence of Mom's energy as she recovers from the surgery. Over the past week, she has seemed as though she were going stir crazy from lack of activity. Since her port was not scheduled to be installed until Tuesday (the 24th), I suggested that she make a quick trip to Florida for a little R&R. To my excitement she accepted the invite!

On Friday, I had to work a little bit, so Mom got acquainted with my building. She especially loved the meditation garden on the 6th floor. There is a gazebo overlooking the New River, and Mom adored the purple flowers that covered it. She also liked watching the boats out front... and the view. She said that she can see how the view causes me to reflect and think about things. It's very theraputic.

After I finished my work, we went for a little tour of the area, and ended up back at my favorite restaurant on Ft. Lauderdale Beach. It is called Spazio, and we were able to snag a table on the sidewalk, and enjoy the weather, the beach and the people watching. There were sailors in town this weekend, so we got a kick out of talking to them. How DO YOU keep those pants to incredibly white?!

On Saturday, we drove up to Palm Beach and checked out Donald Trump's house. Even though we weren't able to drive up to the gates, we could tell that it was quite garish, but that was to be expected. Apparently it's not a house at all, but a private club.

After Palm Beach, we cruised back down South to Hollywood and visited the Hard Rock Casino. That was a real treat. Mom had asked several times how close I was to the casino, especially after all of the circus with Anna Nicole had started. The weather wasn't great, so it was a perfect time to check out an indoor attraction. Something really funny happened as we walked in, but I don't think I could do it justice on a blog. It's the kind of story that needs to be told in person. Ask Mom about it when you see her next.

On Sunday, we had the most active day yet. We spent the afternoon in South Beach. That's right, Mom went to South Beach. :-) The weather was still pretty dreary, so we were really lucky to get a great parking spot. We walked up and down the main drag and ranked our favorite buildings. The Tides Hotel was magnificent. Then we got to see Versace's pad. Wow.

When we got back to Ft. Lauderdale, we had just enough time to take a boat tour before dinner. It was the perfect way to end the day. The tour took us from the dock near my apartment, through downtown, then a residential area, then the beach area, then Port Everglades. We got to see more boats, big houses, 2 battleships, an aircraft carrier and a nuclear submarine. I'd say it was a full tour. lol.

On the last night, I cooked dinner for Mom, Matt (my roommate) and Bohdan (my neighbor and best friend's husband). Of course, Mom being a mom, she needed a picture of the three of us at the dinner table... to show my dad that we are a respectable lot. lol. We sure fooled her... or something.

Without a doubt, this trip was a great decision for all of us. I was amazed at Mom's energy... we had a blast... it was a great bonding experience... and now Mom knows that the quicker she gets better the quicker she can come back. :-) I'm really looking forward to the next visit.

Since her return to Texas, she has had her port installed in her chest. She was lucky enough to get just a single port, so that it wouldn't be so intrusive. I see that as a good sign. The treatments will begin next week, and we're all really nervous about how she will respond to them. I sure hope that they don't make her too terribly ill. I know that she loves hearing from everyone, so maybe if we band together and send her lots of lovely messages she will not get so sick off of the chemo. It's worth a shot! :-) Thanks again for all of your support... and a BIG SPECIAL thank you to Lenice. I don't know if I could have gotten Mom here without your help.

Don drove me to Paris, TX this morning to meet with Dr. Celeste Wilcox. She is my oncologist, and I think we'll be a good fit. The game plan is as follows: I'll be going to Titus Regional for one more CT Scan, so that she will know my "architecture". Next Tuesday, the 24th, I'll have my port installed. After that I'll be going to Paris every 2 weeks for treatments.

Right now, we are looking at 6 rounds of 4 treatments each. I probably won't loose my hair, most don't on these particular drugs, so that's good news. There is medication for nausea, so I won't be worrying about that. I will probably be pretty fatigued, but that will only mean that the medicine is working.

The people who are closest to our family will remember Useless. She was Joey's dog, a bull dog mix who someone dropped at our driveway, a complete stray, who befriended our family, and ended up living the Life of Riley!

She had her own chair in every room. She really was a wonderful dog. She hated snakes, and protected our family many times over from water mocassins, and copperheads. The first time she was bitten, the snake got her on her face. She swelled up like a hippopotamus. We took her to the vet for a shot and she ended up looking like a pelican.

She chased the cows one time too many, and Don hit her on her head with a fence tool. It just bounced off. Another time she chewed up a plastic bottle of finger nail polish remover, and chased it down with a steel wool pad, it didn't even slow her down.

She was famous for sneaking food off the counter, or wherever she could find it. Chocolate cakes and brownies were favorites, but she couldn't resist Williams Fried Chicken. She could down a whole bucket in under 30 seconds.

I think I must be like Useless. I keep bouncing back. I don't know if a purebred could be quite as resilient. Useless lived to be about 15 years old. She was one lucky dog!

I am so humbled by the concern of my friends and neighbors. The cards received have been greatly appreciated. Your prayers continue to make me strong.

We are now walking a mile every evening - weather permitting! I'm beginning to get bored with staying home so much, but don't really have a choice since my girls have "laid me off". Monday afternoon, I was told to go home from the shop, they had it covered and did not need my help. Can a boss be laid off? I am trying to make myself useful by helping with bookwork here at home. I also have piles of correspondence that I am working on.


Dr. Crim's visit went well. I will be going to the oncologist on Monday. Hopefully this will start the ball rolling, and we can move forward with treatment. It seems that cancer is a hurry up and wait disease. Anyone who knows me, knows that patience is not one of my gifts. Could this be God's way of showing me how to wait?

Just got back from Dallas, and thanks to Dr. Clifford I'm now staple free! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!! He said the tissue surrounding the tumor on my liver looked clear, really good news.
Will go back on Monday to see Dr. Crim, then we'll deal with whatever comes next. I'm ready for whatever gets thrown at me.

So, I've been thinking for the past two weeks about how very fortunate I am. I grew up in a tiny town. There were less than 2,000 people in my town. That meant that I went to school with about 73-75 people, from the time I was 9 or 10 years old, all the way through high school. When you know people for that long, you generally feel a bit closer to them, you know their families, their grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. I always thought I had 73+ brothers and sisters.

I moved to Mt. Pleasant in 1976. That's 31 years ago. I was the first "Nelson Granddaughter" to leave Chambers County. No small feat! Anyway, I've now been in Titus County, longer than I ever lived in Chambers County. Don and I have raised our family here. I have two hometowns.

The first visitors I had while in the hospital were Anahuac "Sisters and Brothers". Mike and Dale came in, and Cheryle, whom I had not seen in over 30 years came by. I am so fortunate. They made me laugh, and forget all about everything. It was like we were back in high school without a care in the world. The next day I think it was, 2 more Anahuac Sisters, Loy and Veggie came by. They both live in the Austin/Temple area now, but drove up for the day. I have seen Loy and Veggie several times over the years, but my heart always feels lighter when they are around, they have known me too long for me to be anything other than Annaleisa.
Since I've been home, I've received calls from Lee, another Anahuac Brother, who now lives in Huntsville, AL., and Debbie, who is in Anahuac. We are making plans to try to all get together in Anahuac at the Gator Fest this fall. Every time I talk to any of these special people, I feel a bit stronger.

I have also had the luxury of a large extended family. Cousins! My favorite "partner in crime", as a child was my cousin Lynn. I guess it was because of all my cousins, we were the closest in age, I don't know, maybe it was just devious minds!! As we grew older, Lynn and her family moved overseas, and I did not get to spend as much time with the Ashby cousins as I would have liked. They were always so much fun, a mob! Then there was Page. Page is my "baby" cousin. She grew up in Houston, which isn't far from Anahuac, so we got to spend quality time with her, and her family while we were all growing up. Page showed up at the hospital. She now lives near the Dallas area. Isn't it funny how God puts people in our paths. She is such a comfort. I received an e-mail from Lynn last night, I'm hoping that we can re-connect soon.

When I returned home from the hospital, I was over-whelmed with the number of cards that were waiting for us. I say us because at this point, my whole family is involved in this fight. Friends and acquaintances from all over the country, flower industry friends, old family friends, people I barely know. The wonderful people in Mt. Pleasant, brought in food to nourish us, and we can feel the prayers that surround us. When I think about all of the good wishes that continue to flow our way, I truly feel stronger.

It's been 12 days since the surgery, and I'm finding it hard to believe I'm seriously ill. I have not felt this strong in months. The only discomfort is from the staples that are holding me together, and that discomfort is not bad!

I am trying to walk every day. It's been difficult with the nasty weather we have been having, but I managed a 1/2 mile on Saturday afternoon. I'm still trying to get out of the house for at least an hour a day. I've been running errands every morning. I think the key is, pacing myself. I've been taking a nap everyday around 2:00-4:00, and I'm able to actually stay awake for the 10:00 news most nights.

Sarah had to go back to Florida on Saturday, and my heart still hurts for her, we had the best visit we ever have. I'm so blessed to be her mother! Joe will be leaving today at noon for Clovis, NM, Pops will really miss him. He has taken Pops on several drives, and just sat and visited with him. Bryan came in Monday afternoon, and will be here until Wednesday, we always laugh, and have fun when Bryan is around, he will be the one to transition us back into empty nest.

The next big day is Thursday, July 5. I'll keep you all posted, please keep your fingers crossed for us! Maybe I'll get lucky and can get rid of these staples.